At the Catalogue for Philanthropy, one of our main goals is to increase the capacity of each of the 350+ charities in our network. This spring — thanks to generous support from Integrity Management Consulting — the Catalogue is hosting our first-ever series of workshops on Nonprofit Marketing Communications.
The series kicked off in early April with Barbara Harman’s workshop, “Telling Your Story,” in which she shared with attendees how to adapt their organizational stories for a variety of audiences and uses. Barbara’s experience as Executive Director of the Harman Family Foundation, as well as her experience as a published author and English professor, gave nonprofits unique perspectives on writing grant applications, thanking donors, communicating with corporate sponsors, and talking about impact. She encouraged nonprofits to speak in a human language (i.e. avoid sector jargon), find organizing themes when describing programs, and empower their readers through engagement.
Barbara Harman speaking with nonprofits
Our 2nd workshop in the series, “Communicating via Imagery” showed attendees how to take their stories to the next level. The Catalogue for Philanthropy and the Meyer Foundation hosted Leigh Vogel- a press and nonprofit photographer (and a longtime Catalogue friend) to share how to integrate imagery into communications plans. The workshop explored how to create an image strategy that that enhances an organization’s storytelling, and included practical, actionable advice for nonprofits about an overview of the kinds of photos they need, how to collect and organize them, and what to do with them both on- and offline. Leigh even gave attendees the opportunity to shoot photos during the workshop using two of her professional cameras!
Attendees had the chance to experiment with professional cameras during Leigh's workshop on the use of imagery in nonprofit storytelling
Stay tuned for a roundup of the Catalogue’s 3rd and final workshop in this series on May 6th, when Aline Newman, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Catalogue for Philanthropy, will work with attendees on how to identify and share their “brand story” in order to motivate donors, staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and partners.