The Smart Communications Podcast

Big Duck

The Smart Communications Podcast helps busy nonprofit leaders build their communications skills and develop their organization’s voice. Every episode shares insights and practical tips to help you leverage strategic communications to advance your nonprofit’s mission.

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215 episodes
Updated July 22

Episodes215

Newest first

Jan 22, 2020 · 6 min
Episode 57: What should your nonprofit’s communications really achieve?
Sarah Durham’s new book, The Nonprofit Communications Engine, explains what nonprofit communications teams can actually deliver and what they need to be successful.
Dec 6, 2019 · 18 min
Episode 55: Can you continuously improve your website?
Keeping up with your website can be difficult. Keeping it client-ready can be even harder. Learn how your nonprofit can maintain good website “hygiene” with Sarah Durham and Rory Tucker.
Dec 5, 2019 · 19 min
Episode 53: Is it really feasible for your nonprofit to raise millions?
Sarah Durham and Eric Javier discuss feasibility studies, context, and audience when evaluating your donors for a major fundraising initiative.
Dec 4, 2019 · 12 min
Episode 52: How do you make sure your events and recordings sound good?
Sarah Durham and Marcus dePaula discuss audio logistics and how to make your organization sound professional.
Nov 20, 2019 · 13 min
Episode 51: Who is your Director of Second Impressions?
Sarah Durham and Farra Trompeter talk about the importance of second impressions to keep clients coming back.
Nov 8, 2019 · 16 min
Episode 50: What skills are most important on your in-house creative team
Sarah Durham and Claire Taylor Hansen explain how consistency, production, breadth, and the right experience can make your creative team flourish.
Nov 7, 2019 · 17 min
Episode 49: How can your communications team apply inclusive branding?
Big Duck’s Farra Trompeter and communications professional Christ Tuttle talk inclusive branding. Listen in now.
Nov 6, 2019 · 15 min
Episode 48: How can you design when you’re not a designer?
How to design like a designer when you’re not. Sarah Durham and Claire Taylor Hansen tell us how design can affect your brand, your clients, and your impact.
Oct 23, 2019 · 15 min
Episode 47: Should your nonprofit be worried about GDPR and online privacy?
As online privacy has become an increasingly important topic, how should your organization manage data? Hear the ins and outs of GDPR, how to be honest with your donors and clients, and more.
Oct 9, 2019 · 23 min
Episode 46: How do you involve your community when rebranding?
Elisabeth King of Lycée Français de New York successfully involved over 2,000 people in her nonprofit’s rebrand. Learn how and get tips for making your organization’s change process more inclusive.
Sep 25, 2019 · 12 min
Episode 45: How can your staff co-create your brand?
Ambar Mentor-Truppa, VP of Communications, shares her experiences listening to and uplifting the voices of all staff during the Shriver Center on Poverty Law’s rebranding process.
Sep 11, 2019 · 15 min
Episode 44: How should you work with freelancers?
If you need to professionally write or design a communications piece in a pinch, a freelancer may be your nonprofit’s best bet. Learn where to find freelancers, how to vet them, and manage their work.
Aug 28, 2019 · 14 min
Episode 43: How do you let your community speak for you?
Michael Hoffman, CEO and founder of Gather Voices, shares a new tool that collects community-made video for nonprofits to use to create engaging, diverse content.
Aug 14, 2019 · 12 min
Episode 42: How do you use the media for advocacy?
If your nonprofit’s mission is to change structures, behaviors, or beliefs, the media can be a powerful tool. Vince Warren of The Center for Constitutional Rights talks through his experiences.
Jul 31, 2019 · 21 min
Episode 41: How can interviews help you get better insights?
Laura Fisher, Big Duck’s Senior Strategist, shares how qualitative research can help you understand your target audiences better.
Jul 17, 2019 · 21 min
Episode 40: How can you be a better writer?
Everyone thinks they’re a writer—and a great one at that. Dan Gunderman, expert writer and Big Duck’s former Creative Director shares what it takes to write well.
Jul 3, 2019 · 20 min
Episode 39: How can you get your team to stop fighting like cats and dogs?
Your communications and development teams don’t have to fight like cats and dogs. Hear our tips for collaboration in this podcast episode.
Jun 19, 2019 · 19 min
Episode 38: Can chatbots improve donor experiences?
Alice Hendricks, CEO of Jackson River, explains how nonprofits can harness technology to personalize communications and donor experiences.
Jun 5, 2019 · 18 min
Episode 37: Are your internal communications values-driven?
Elizabeth Toledo, President of Camino Group and crisis communications expert, talks internal communications challenges, values-driven workplaces, and advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and more.
May 22, 2019 · 12 min
Episode 36: Do you need a capital campaign consultant?
If you want to learn how to do something, you google it. Could capital campaigns be DIY too? Andrea Kihlstedt and Amy Eisenstein discuss disrupting capital campaigns with their new online toolkit.

The Smart Communications Podcast

Episode 57: What should your nonprofit’s communications really achieve?

Episode 55: Can you continuously improve your website?

Episode 53: Is it really feasible for your nonprofit to raise millions?

Episode 52: How do you make sure your events and recordings sound good?

Episode 51: Who is your Director of Second Impressions?

Episode 50: What skills are most important on your in-house creative team

Episode 49: How can your communications team apply inclusive branding?

Episode 48: How can you design when you’re not a designer?

Episode 47: Should your nonprofit be worried about GDPR and online privacy?

Episode 46: How do you involve your community when rebranding?

Episode 45: How can your staff co-create your brand?

Episode 44: How should you work with freelancers?

Episode 43: How do you let your community speak for you?

Episode 42: How do you use the media for advocacy?

Episode 41: How can interviews help you get better insights?

Episode 40: How can you be a better writer?

Episode 39: How can you get your team to stop fighting like cats and dogs?

Episode 38: Can chatbots improve donor experiences?

Episode 37: Are your internal communications values-driven?

Episode 36: Do you need a capital campaign consultant?