Absolute Beginner’s Center

LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT

March 1, 2010

Absolute Beginner’s Center LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT

Contents

Purpose………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………….4

What You Say About Yourselves………………………………………………………….5-10

What Others Say About You……………………………………………………………….11-15

Your Competitors…………………………………………………………………………………16-17

Disconnects and Problems………………………………………………………………….18

Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………………………19-20

Summary of Recommendations………………………………………………………….21

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………..22-29

Detailed recommendations for new website Search report on ABC

Search list of competitors

List of people interviewed

Interview questionnaires (3)

Sample interview quotes

Absolute Beginner’s Center

LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT

Purpose

The purpose of this landscape assessment is to gather and synthesize information about the current operating environment of the Absolute Beginner’s Center in order to develop a communications strategy that will enhance the organization’s reputation and help expand its client base. We examine documents, facts and opinions that reveal how ABC communicates about itself, what external audiences say about ABC, how external audiences perceive ABC relative to its competitors and the work that ABC actually does.

The information is analyzed to reveal contradictions between perception and reality, disconnects among ABC’s internal constituents, and mixed messages that ABC may be communicating inadvertently. The findings of the landscape assessment also provide guidance for developing compelling messages and effective techniques that will form the base of a communications strategy for ABC.

Methodology

Our approach encompassed four areas of investigation:

1) Personal interviews with ABC’s internal and external constituents, including current and former clients and funders.

2) An analysis of the content of ABC’s print publications and new website, along with an analysis of the new website’s functionality and ease of use for consumers.

3) An assessment of ABC’s media coverage and its presence in Web properties it does not control directly (e.g., Twitter), as well as its rankings in major Web search engines.

4) Similar assessments of media coverage, Web presence and search engine rankings of ABC’s perceived competitors.

We analyzed this data in order to construct a snapshot of:

• The main messages that ABC is currently sending about itself

• The ways ABC wishes to be perceived in the external world

• The current reputation of ABC relative to its perceived competitors

• Gaps between perceptions and the current reality

Following the analysis, we make recommendations for:

• Addressing contradictions and mixed messages

• Concepts to anchor ABC’s new communications strategy

• Priorities for action

What You Say About Yourselves

The overall quality, look and feel of ABC’s printed materials and new website is high. We conducted an extensive review of eight selected publications, along with various flyers and reports plus the new website and ABC’s overall online presence.

Print

General BrochureThe six-panel, two-fold brochure is especially nice-looking and appears to be comprehensive in its coverage of ABC’s main services. The trade-off for this inclusiveness is that the copy is dense and the type is quite small in places, but our view is that the density is justified because it’s important to have one piece in a concrete format that fully explains ABC to external audiences.

ABC is described on the front of this brochure as “a nonprofit consulting firm whose mission is to give community-based organizations in [Metropolis] greater access to the technical assistance, training and support needed to strengthen and maintain their services.” Clients are described as “emerging organizations and well-established institutions in neighborhoods where resources and opportunities are limited.”

Inside the brochure is a statement that we found striking. It reads, “Absolute Beginner’s Center’s staff and board believe that community-based organizations (CBOs) are the most effective engines of local and social change.” We like this because it describes your clients in value-based terms and positions CBOs as change-makers, without regard to their size, their specific client base or the economic condition of their service areas.

HIV/AIDSThis same brochure notes that “ABC is especially dedicated to fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in low-income communities.” It was a surprise to us that ABC focuses on HIV/AIDS, although we did review a publication entitled, The Capacity Project, which describes a joint effort to stem the spread of HIV that was executed by ABC and several other city agencies. This publication describes ABC as “a twenty-three year old nonprofit organization in [Metropolis] whose mission is to address poverty and AIDS by offering technical assistance (TA) to the network of community-based organizations working on these issues.” Since this booklet does not carry a

publication date it was not possible for us to determine if it remains current. We suspect that it is several years old. Copies may still be in circulation, however.

Flyers and ReportsIn reviewing some of your promotional flyers we noted that the hotline is referred to by various names. In one it was called “ABC Executive Director Hotline” and in another the “Real Time Advice Line” in the header and “Nonprofit Advice Line” lower in the body copy. We found this needlessly confusing.

We also reviewed a report produced last March called “What Makes a Difference in Leadership Development?” which evaluates ABC’s Leadership Caucus. This report contains excellent information that might have been newsworthy at the time it was issued, but a search of various Web data bases, along with Lexis/Nexis, did not turn up any relevant media coverage. ABC might consider publishing reports such as this one with a bit more fanfare to see if they are indeed ‘media-genic.’ In any event, they certainly provide good sources of content for your website and could be excerpted for columns in the News and Views section.

BooksThe other major publication that we view as a rich source of content that can be repurposed for the web site is the book, “From Vision to Reality: A Guide to Launching a Successful Nonprofit Organization.” This is a great resource, as is another book we reviewed, “Mastering Your First Government Contract.” The ‘Tips’ offered in this latter book could be put into list format, for instance, and then posted on your website. You could feature several lists with titles such as “10 Tips for Negotiating Contracts” or “Five Great Ways to Collect Program Data.” Lists are natural attention-grabbing devices on Twitter, which in turn can drive many new visitors to your website.

Public Information KitThe public information packet has a nice, clean look and is full of helpful information, although we worry a bit about the density of the copy and the technical jargon. It is also very ‘ABC-focused,’ in that everything is written from your point of view. You might try reformatting the information by putting typical client problems in the headline and positioning a ABC service as the solution. For example, a headline might read “The Challenge: Getting

and Keeping a Great Board” with the sub-heads and body copy describing ABC’s board development services and leadership center programs.

Online

ABC[Metro].orgThe new website is a huge improvement on its predecessor and overall we find it to be a good representation of ABC. As with your print publications, however, there is a general lack of clarity about what ABC is. We think this is due to several factors, such as the overwhelming amount of text on the homepage and the various ways that ABC describes itself and its clients.

For example, the banner on the homepage describes ABC like this: “We provide strategic advice, consulting, information, guidance, resources, management assistance and leadership development to community-based organizations and nonprofit leaders working on poverty issues.” On the Services page, ABC is described as “a nonprofit consulting firm with a unique purpose – catalyzing social change by building the management capacity of nonprofit organizations advancing the interests of low- and moderate-income individuals and neighborhoods in [Metropolis].” (The boldface type is from the site.) While these two descriptions are not mutually exclusive, both appear to be mission statements and we find this confusing.

We are also wary of the term “poverty” and its various permutations, as research shows that this word carries multiple associations that may not be helpful in describing ABC’s clients. Consider, for instance, the terms associated with the word “poor” in dictionary.com, a widely used resource on the Web. (The highlights are ours.)

poor1.having little or no money, goods, or other means of support: a poor family living on welfare. 2.Law. dependent upon charity or public support. 3.(of a country, institution, etc.) meagerly supplied or endowed with resources or funds. 4.

characterized by or showing poverty.

5.deficient or lacking in something specified: a region poor in mineral deposits.

6.faulty or inferior, as in construction: poor workmanship. 7.deficient in desirable ingredients, qualities, or the like: poor soil. 8.excessively lean or emaciated, as cattle. 9.of an inferior, inadequate, or unsatisfactory kind: poor health. 10.lacking in skill, ability, or training: a poor cook. 11.deficient in moral excellence; cowardly, abject, or mean. 12.scanty, meager, or paltry in amount or number: a poor audience. 13.humble; modest: They shared their poor meal with a stranger. 14.unfortunate; hapless: The poor dog was limping.

Source: www.dictionary.com February 27, 2010

We think that there are alternate terms that will reflect far better on ABC and its client organizations, many of which also appear in ABC’s publications and on its website. These include “community-based organizations,” “low-income neighborhoods,” “limited resources,” “fewer resources,” “less income,” “modest means,” “economic (in)security” and “economic development.”

Facebook, Twitter and FlickrABC’s Facebook page is visually monotonous and offers information about ABC only. This is a mistake, as the appeal of social media sites is to engage people and generate discussion. We suggest that you mix up posts to include occasional references and links to non-ABC materials that would be of interest to fans. These posts could include articles of interest to nonprofit

professionals, updates on activities of current and former clients and notes of congratulation to like-minded organizations that experience success.

ABC’s Twitter feed and Flickr pages are both going in the right direction. We like the way ABC describes itself on its Twitter profile: “ABC is working towards a more just, equitable and livable city for ALL New Yorkers. ABC provides strategic advice and technical services to nonprofits.”

Care should be taken to generate fans and followers by encouraging staff, board members, friends and others in the nonprofit field to sign on. One way to do this is through coordinated email campaigns that alert constituents to helpful downloads and say that regular notices of these freebies are posted on Twitter and Facebook. Also, encourage all staff to include a line in their email signatures that says, “Follow us on Twitter @ABCin[Metro].”

Email CampaignsCurrently ABC has a number of separate databases maintained by different staff members for different purposes. This prevents the organization from easily communicating with all of its audiences, and more importantly, efficiently tracking results. Event announcements, general news about ABC and its clients, and information about ABC’s services are of broad interest and should be shared with all contacts, regardless of where the contacts originally developed.

We recommend that ABC adopt one central constituent relationship management (CRM) database that is useful to all departments of ABC. Reliable and comprehensive tracking data will also benefit your entire organization because you can use it to gauge constituent interest, or lack thereof, in your various services and resources.

A comprehensive assessment of ABC’s online presence, including detailed suggestions for improvement, is included in the Appendix to this analysis.

Interviews

We interviewed or received written comments from 10 ABC staff and board members. The interview questions and selected quotes from the interviews are included in the Appendix. The interviews revealed some key themes:

1. Staff and board have difficulty explaining ABC and its work to external audiences. There is general agreement that professional jargon is not helpful but a lack of consensus on what terminology is most effective.

• Taking the long view, one board member told us that she says, “ABC helps nonprofit organizations improve the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods.”

• One staff member said that he finds it most effective to tell a story about the results ABC helps achieve.

• Everyone agreed that it would be helpful to dedicate some time for a guided group discussion about language and messaging.

2. There is [friendly] disagreement about the size and nature of the client organizations that ABC should ideally serve.

• Some feel that it’s very important to serve small organizations while others believe that ABC must have larger clients that are more likely to be self-paying.

• Some of those interviewed think that ABC should stick to cultivating foundations and other third-party payers.

• We observed that there is confusion between the size and missions of client organizations. Some interviewees appear to equate “social justice” groups and/or “CBOs” with “small.”

3. There are mixed feelings about ABC aggressively courting individual donors. People realize that ABC needs to raise money, but some worry about competing with clients for donor dollars.

4. There is a shared belief that ABC has many competitors, including Bridgespan, TCC, Cause Effective, FMA and even McKinsey.

5. Everyone agrees that [the executive director] has a great reputation that drives business to ABC. Most of those interviewed also volunteered the view that other staff and board should take more responsibility for representing ABC and speaking out on its behalf.

• Quite a few people expressed frustration that ABC’s great work does not receive more pubic attention, from the media and also from the

professional nonprofit community in the form of speaking invitations and other recognitions.

What Others Say About ABC

Media

Overall, the media stories we found presented ABC in a very positive way. When we searched LexisNexis using the term “Absolute Beginner’s Center,” the system returned 11 relevant articles over a two-year period.

Three paid media stories (Business Wire, States News Service and Marketwire), presumably distributed by ABC itself, described the organization as a “renowned non-profit consulting firm” and said that ABC “provides management and financial help to about 300 community groups.”

In earned media outlets, ABC appeared in the New York Times (twice), the Village Voice, and the Staten Island Advance (3 times). It was described in a several ways.

• “Absolute Beginner’s Center, which assists local grassroots organizations…” (Village Voice 11/09)

• “Absolute Beginner’s Center, which provides management and technical advice to nonprofits in [Metropolis]” (NYT 5/09)

Interestingly, a generic Google search using the term, “[ED Name],” turned up eight results at the highest ranking, seven of which were relevant.

• 1st = Huff Post column from Jan. 2009• 2nd = 123people.com (directory) – correct info w pictures• 3rd = [Metro] TV guest profile• 5th = [ED’s] LinkedIn profile• [6th = Facebook profile for a different {ED’s Name}]• 7th = AFP blog news integrator – HuffPost blog dated 2/1/10

• 8th = ABC’s site featuring the same blog as above

We thought it significant that these results turned up under [ED’s] name yet not under “Absolute Beginner’s Center.”

And it was not just [ED’s] name that returned searches missed by Lexis/Nexis. We also searched “[Deputy ED’s name]” and “[COO’s name]” and found additional results, although all were obscure.

• For instance, we got multiple hits for an article that [Deputy] wrote in 1987 for Labor Review and minutes of a Youth Board meeting that [COO] attended.

• [COO’s] Facebook profile also turned up, as well as a record of her political campaign contributions, courtesy of Huff Post.

We don’t view these hits as especially significant, but include them here to illustrate the long life of some documents and the curiously long reach of some Google searches.

We are aware that [Executive Director] and ABC received quite a few additional media hits that did not turn up in the Lexis/Nexis or the Google searches. For instance, [ED] was quoted in a City Limits article in August of 2009 and in an interview on the website of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management in July of that same year. [ED] and [Senior Fellow] both received recognitions early in 2010 and no media coverage surfaced about either of those, yet we know that [ED’s] “[Metro] Hero of the Week” interview ran multiple times on [Metro] 1.

It may be that the reason some interviews did not appear in our Google searches is that the sites on which they appeared are not optimized for search engine discovery. ABC’s own site appeared 8th in the returns for the term “ED Name,” which is OK, but it did not appear in several of our other searches, as detailed below. Once your new website is fully complete, it will be important to add some SEO (search engine optimization) techniques to help boost its rankings in Google, et. al.

Search Engines

We conducted multiple searches in Google using terms that we gleaned from the records ABC keeps of calls to the hotline. We reasoned that prospective clients searching for assistance on the Web would use terms similar to those that people use when they request help via the hotline. A few selected searches, including the terms used and the results, follow:

Search Term: “Nonprofit technical assistance providers”Results: ABC did not show up in first 100 resultsTop Three: Tides Center Foundation Center [[Metro]] Nonprofit Assistance

Search Term: “Nonprofit capacity building providers”Results: First 10 items returned, none were for ABCTop Three: A pdf file on the TCC Group site Authenticity Consulting in Minneapolis Fieldstone Alliance in St. Paul

Search Term: “Leadership development assistance in [Metropolis]”Results: First 10 items returned, none were for ABCTop Three: Community Training and Assistance Center [Metropolis] Summer Internship Program [Metropolis] Leadership Academy

Search Term: “Organizational management consulting for nonprofit organizations in [Metropolis]”Results: First 10 items returned, none were for ABCTop Three: Support Center for Nonprofit Management Bridgespan TCC Group

Search Term: “Nonprofit Executive Search in [Metropolis]”Results: ABC was third of the top three resultsTop Two: DRG Executive Search Riley Guide

Search Term: “Management consulting for nonprofit organizations”Results: First ten items returned, none were for ABC

Top Three: Alliance for Nonprofit Management (Washington, DC) The Foundation Center Management Consulting Services (Boston, MA)

It seems that there is an infinite array of search terms using key words and phrases such as “nonprofit consulting” and “nonprofit technical assistance.” Each is slightly different and each yields different results. In fact, it is often impossible to duplicate results using the same search terms on different days. Search engine optimization may help ABC to rise in the rankings, but in the end it is probably more productive to pursue a strategy that focuses on content development and thought leadership, leveraged through media that are credible to ABC’s key [Metro] audiences. More on this in the Conclusions section.

Interviews

We interviewed five people outside of ABC: a former client, two institutional funders who currently or formerly support(ed) ABC and one institutional funder who does not support ABC. We still have three external interviews that are scheduled but not completed: two perceived competitors and one current institutional funder.

The interviews done to date reveal that ABC is an accepted part of the nonprofit landscape in [Metro]polis]. Awareness of the organization is high, although genuine knowledge about what ABC actually does is rather low. The prevailing attitude toward ABC can be characterized as, “ABC, oh yes, they are fine. Ho, hum.”

[ED Name] is highly respected and thought of as a person who really understands social justice issues. The organization is viewed as nearly synonymous with [ED]; one interviewer even used the words “ABC” and “[ED]” interchangeably. [Staff Person A] and [Staff Person B] were mentioned by one person, but most ABC staff and board are not on people’s radar screens.

Two of the people we interviewed took the time to offer truly thoughtful comments and we think they are worth quoting here:

Person A:

[There is] “nothing that really stands ABC apart from others. [ED] has a strong, solid reputation in the field. She champions and is a voice for small to midsize organizations. She’s thought of as more to center left. Their capacity is no different or better than some of their peers.”

“I don’t think anyone doubts the commitment that ABC and [ED] have to community based organizations. What I can’t tell is if their practices are as current as they could be – are they relevant in what they’re doing? I don’t see a proactive effort to really communicate with key opinion leaders about what they’re doing and how they are adding value to clients, how they are helping communities make a difference. [ED] is a quiet powerbroker and consultant, which in flush times is ok but I’m not sure people feel the same way about ABC. People wonder if [ABC’s] skills and practices, content and product have kept up with the times. That’s not clear.”

Person B:

“Is there an opportunity to broaden the gallery of spokespeople?[Person B] is an asset and [Deputy Director]. [ED] being the sole face is a problem. She needs to develop others. [Deputy Director] and [COO] should get out there” [if they hope to succeed ED].

“There’s a sense [of being dated] because of the grassrootsy way they started. I think they need to present themselves as a well-oiled, modern organization versus a mom and pop shop. They have to change, put out that they are a professional, 21st century consulting group. And I think their name is a problem. What does Absolute Beginner’s Center mean?”

These remarks say to us that there could be trouble down the road for ABC unless steps are taken now to refresh your organizational image and update perceptions of your philosophy and approach. Note that we do not say you need to change the mission of ABC, only that you need to update people’s views of you, your work and possibly of your clients as well. “Poverty” organizations tend to carry a dated aura of 60s activism and, true or not, this can reflect on ABC itself. As you embark on a communications initiative, it may also be time to offer your clients some consulting help with their communications and marketing. It’s possible that this might even be a growth area for ABC.

Competitors

We understand from ABC personnel that you believe your primary competitors are TCC, Bridgespan, the Support Center and Cause Effective. To a lesser extent, some of you also mentioned the Fieldstone Alliance, the Nonprofit Finance Fund and a few others. We don’t doubt that these groups are perceived by some people as similar to ABC, nor do we disagree that they probably pitch some of the same clients. They may even have gotten jobs that ABC also went after. However, we question whether it is worth ABC’s time and money to compete directly with these organizations, as implementing a strong communications strategy may be a more effective, and certainly cheaper, way to operate within this increasingly crowded marketplace. We base this position on the information that follows.

Interviews

When we interviewed one of ABC’s current funders, the person said that your competitors were probably TCC, Cause Effective and McKinsey, then said: “A lot of organizations use consultants from the private sector and get over- analytical answers that are not realistic. ABC understands middle and smaller agencies and they are very practical. They have an empathy that you don’t get from the private sector.”

Another person we interviewed, this one an institutional funder who does not support ABC, observed:

“Occasionally things come across my desk as when a group called Cause Effective [sent me something] and I wondered, ‘how do they differ from ABC?’ Maybe [ABC should] clarify that difference and build more on their core strengths. I think more and more important with this economy is to demonstrate and communicate your impact. Have an internal discussion of what your strengths are and then externally communicate your impact and successes.”

In comparing ABC to the Nonprofit Finance Fund another person we interviewed said:

“[ABC] feels more personal. At NFF they have more off-the-shelf analytic tools rather than someone going in and doing an assessment. My sense is that [ABC] works with smaller organizations as their niche, although [ED] says that’s not true. But [when I had a project] for smaller agencies I naturally gravitated toward ABC.”

Search EnginesWhen we conducted multiple Google searches using 15 different sets of search criteria suggested by ABC’s hotline records, we uncovered 32 organizations that could be viewed as your direct competitors. (A list of the 32 is included in the Appendix.) And those 32 were found by considering only the first page of results from each search (10 results per page). There are hundreds more organizations around the country that operate in the same space as ABC does.

Most of those 32 organizations turned up in our results more than once, while ABC turned up only one time. Even so, ABC has a full client load and high visibility (if not full understanding) within your most important market – the local one. The interviews we conducted suggest that a main reason for this success is that ABC, in particular [ED], has developed trusted relationships that cause clients to seek you out.

Our point here is that we believe it is smarter to clarify and sharpen your own position within the [[Metro]] market than to go head-to-head with organizations that have the same problem you do – lots of competitors. Let Bridgespan and McKinsey spend resources fighting among themselves while you expand knowledge of ABC through strategic communications and begin to field a broader array of spokespeople.

In addition, it is important to do some SEO on your new site, not only to raise your rankings in Google searches but to drive traffic to the site so it can be fully utilized as a vehicle for thought leadership.

Disconnects and Problems

Looking over all of the information gathered for this analysis, three big ‘disconnects’ are revealed, along with one significant problem.

Disconnects1.) Who does ABC serve? We heard various answers to this question from various people, not just within ABC but external constituents as well. One board member in particular seemed to feel that ABC should serve small, community-based organizations and, as noted earlier, several outside observers believe that this is, in fact, what you do.

2.) Should ABC seek contributions from individuals? Another board member worries that ABC might compete with its clients, especially those that are on the smaller side. We wonder if it is realistic to think that the same people who give to a neighborhood CBO would be targeted by ABC in a fund raising campaign. Nevertheless, the fear is there.

3.) How do you justify billable hours with communications work? ABC staff would like to write and speak on behalf of ABC, but feel constrained by the present billing system. We wonder why the system can’t be modified so that marketing ABC is considered work that is as important as work on a client project. Could ABC become its own client?

ProblemThe perception that ABC’s methods and knowledge might be out-of-date is a definite threat and immediate steps should be taken to counter this idea. A good starting place for this ‘contra campaign’ is [ED]’s Huff Post blog, which provides an opportunity to identify problems that nonprofits face in today’s environment and showcase fresh ideas for solving them. The Huff Post blogs usually turn up high in search engine rankings, so as soon as possible after publication the column should be posted on ABC’s home page as well.

Contributing to this problem is ABC’s current messaging, which lacks focus and intention. As part of the strategic plan, we will develop new messages for ABC that avoid negative trigger words like “poverty” and focus attention on ABC’s strengths. This begs the question, “What exactly are ABC’s strengths?” We address this in the next section.

Conclusions and Recommendations

StrengthsFrom a communications perspective, we see ABC’s main strengths as:

1) Being well-known in the local [Metro] market2) Having a high-profile, respected executive director3) Being strongly identified with a niche market: small nonprofits/CBOs

This last point may surprise you, as it is clear that some ABC insiders consider this a weakness. You have spent considerable energy seeking to dispel ABC’s identification with small nonprofits, yet it persists, probably with good reason. You understand small organizations and have a history of engaging in successful efforts to a make them more effective. Word gets around and one success breeds another.

A case can be made for viewing your association with small nonprofits as an advantage, as it is widely recognized that the most effective market positions are established by having a sharp focus to an enterprise, whether commercial or nonprofit. Volvo sells a lot of cars by being known for safety. The North Face doesn’t make bathing suits.

Likewise, strengths can have a downside. The very attributes that generate business for ABC carry with them some limitations. Everybody knows [ED] but far fewer people know the other talent at ABC. And being a well-known organization is great, but familiarity breeds contempt.

In many respects, a strength is whatever you claim ownership of. We urge ABC to consider embracing its image as a specialist in CBOs, develop strong messages that explain why this matters and communicate those messages with intention. In addition to carving out a defined market niche, this strategy offers an additional advantage: CBOs are not a lucrative market for commercial firms, so your competition is immediately reduced.

While we recognize that your for-profit competitors are reaching out to foundations that are third-party payers, we think your positioning as nonprofit specialists is stronger than a “me too” approach. And you already have good relationships with foundations so becoming the main ‘go to’ group for CBO grantees could be a low-resource, high-impact strategy.

Messaging

Strategic messages are crucial to any communications strategy, and this is particularly true for ABC because you are attempting to overcome mistaken perceptions and deepen knowledge of your techniques. As you know, community-based organizations are not all small, so the messaging offers opportunities to carve out a defined niche while dampening this perception of “small” at the same time. Giving examples of specific CBOs that you have worked with, as well as highlighting client testimonials, will be important.

As noted above, priority should be given to existing communication avenues that are currently underutilized, especially the Huff Post blog, which could become a signature vehicle for ABC. Re-purpose existing publications into tidbits for the new website. It will be much easier to generate the conference invitations and speaking engagements you seek if you first inABCase your output of commentary so that you get on the radar screens of influential individuals.

Preparation and Practice

Most of the ABC insiders we spoke with indicated a need to prepare themselves for public roles where they will be called upon to give interviews or make speeches. We recommend at least two “messaging seminars” (aka trainings) be held in the near to mid-term future, one for board members and another for staff. It might be worthwhile to break the staff sessions into two parts, one for senior people who will be answering questions about issues and matters of professional practice and a second one for front-line staff who should have consistent answers to common questions from callers and visitors.

Fundraising

As we’ve said in the past, we believe that ABC has a very good case for support that will translate well into email campaigns. We would like to see the internal questions about fund raising resolved in favor of allowing ABC to pilot some email solicitations with assistance from Make Waves’ senior e-strategist.

Summary of Recommendations

1) Focus ABC’s market position on CBOs.

2) Develop consistent messages that evoke contemporary associations.

3) Invest in [ED]’s Huff Post blog as a signature vehicle.

4) Repurpose your wealth of existing content for the new website.

5) Train board and staff to communicate with intention.

6) Re-imagine your billing system to allow time for writing and speaking.

7) Combine all databases into a single CRM and pilot an email campaign.

Appendices

1) Detailed Recommendations for New Website

2) Search Report on ABC

3) Searched List of Competitors

4) List of People Interviewed

5) Interview Questionnaires (3)

6) Sample Interview Quotes