Nonprofit Storytellers

Changing the name of a nonprofit is tough. There’s often an affinity or long history to an organization’s name, and it’s not uncommon for an executive director to encounter at least some skepticism when proposing the switch.

Executive Director Emily Shields didn’t shy away from a name change, however. She lead the effort to update the name of her organization, from Iowa Association of Community College Trustees to Community Colleges for Iowa. 

On the Nonprofit Storytellers podcast, we talk about: 

• What prompted the name and brand change

• How she walked the organization through the process 

• The long-term strategy behind a name change 

• Why she’s avoiding acronyms — but also won’t be the “name police”

• And tips on how others might lead their nonprofit through the same process 

Link: https://www.ccforiowa.org/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist.

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

How do you launch a nonprofit, find clients, community partners, and supporters? And how do you intentionally make decisions early on so the organization can scale later? 

Executive Director Noelle Nelson leads the new Avenue Scholars Des Moines organization, an expansion of an Omaha-based nonprofit that guides students through specific career exploration.

The initiative doesn’t end after a student graduates high school or even a post-secondary degree or certificate, they stay with the student through getting their first industry job. 

On the podcast, we talk about launching in the Des Moines area, key hires, and how Nelson is focusing on building a quality program that can grow and serve more students in Central Iowa. We talk about: 

• What it takes to launch a nonprofit in a new location
• Key hires and why they’ve been critical to success
• Using current students to recruit new students and advise on how to use social media 
• How to be strategic in how you start a program to intentionally scale it later 

Link: https://www.avescholarsdesmoines.org/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist.

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Dental Connections provides critical dental services to low-income individuals in the Des Moines area, as well as school-based dental services to students who might otherwise fall through the cracks. 

It’s hard to concentrate in school when you have a toothache; some students even contemplate pulling their own tooth before they learn about — and access — Dental Connections school-based or mobile clinics.

When Carly Ross was hired as executive director, part of her goals was implementing a marketing strategy and raising awareness of what supporters saw as a “best-kept secret.” Like many nonprofits, Dental Connections had been operating under the radar while providing critical services, something she wanted to change. 

In the podcast, Carly talks about building out the nonprofit’s marketing efforts, launching and revamping a new signature fundraising event, and the importance of starting now to build the organization’s event and marketing infrastructure for later.

• How to engage your nonprofit board in marketing 
• Launching a new signature fundraising event 
• The power of in-person testimonials during a fundraising event 
• Creating an informal instead of formal fundraising event  
• Building event infrastructure to grow for future years 

Link: https://dentalconnectionsonline.com/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist.

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns (https://edenplus.org) 

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person (https://translatorsiowa.com)

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training (https://www.harmonyconsultingdsm.com) 

How do you consistently attract new donors, supporters, volunteers, and connectors? 

Mosaic is a nonprofit that supports adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Their simple, four-step fundraising model has impacted their organization and created a cycle of new supporters of their services.

Bryanne Lang, the Resource Development Manager at Mosaic for its Central Iowa services, shares the fundraising model, and it has been so successful. Our conversation includes: 

• The four steps of introduction, cultivation, solicitation, appreciation 
• How monthly Zoom meetings continue to be an effective approach to introductory meetings
• How the captured stories of the people they serve
• How they share one person’s story for more than eight years without him being present at meetings
• Why appreciation is a critical fourth step for sustainable fundraising 

Link: https://www.mosaicinfo.org

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist.

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns (https://edenplus.org) 

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person (https://translatorsiowa.com)

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training (https://www.harmonyconsultingdsm.com) 

How do you reduce the stigma of mental health while raising awareness about your nonprofit’s services? 

Employee & Family Resources hosts a monthly podcast called Emotion Well, which shares stories of mental health challenges and how individuals have sought support and community through their journey. 

From cancer diagnosis to a loved one’s suicide, the episodes paint a raw picture of mental health while also tying back to EFR’s services as an employee benefits provider. Offering mental health and wellness services through the workforce is often a first stop on an individual’s mental health journey.

On this podcast, we talk with Johanna Dunlevy, the wellness and marketing manager at EFR, and the host of the Emotional Well podcast:

• Why the nonprofit started a podcast about mental health and wellbeing 
• How she approaches people to share personal stories about their emotional health 
• How it ties back to their marketing strategy and promotes their services
• Their podcast set up, including software and production process 

Link: https://efr.org

Podcast: https://efr.org/stay-connected/podcasts/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist.

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Eat Greater Des Moines is best known for its food rescue program, but the nonprofit is working to do far more — such as change the food system to make it better for everyone.

In this interview with Executive Director Aubrey Alvarez, we discuss the importance of nonprofits reaching out and working with the media, regardless of the public relations or marketing budget. 

Alvarez has earned a reputation for being bold in sharing (sometimes controversial) stories with newspapers, television stations, business journals, online news outlets, and others. In the podcast, we talk about: 

• Why she reached out to the media when she co-founded the nonprofit 
• How she’s cultivated relationships with the press 
• Why she was brutally honest about challenges — and decided to share her story instead of saying “no comment.”
• Why she continues to speak to the media to advance the nonprofit’s mission and effort to change the food system 

Link: https://www.eatgreaterdesmoines.org

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award-winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

The Iowa Healthiest State Initiative is a nonprofit that wants every Iowan can live a healthy life.

They work to create awareness and integrate solutions to improve the physical, social, and emotional well-being of Iowans. In May each year, they launch a statewide Mental Health Awareness Month campaign called Make it OK. The goal is to reduce the stigma of having a mental illness.

Every nonprofit has a limited budget, and the Healthiest State Initiative is no different. What’s unique is how they’ve developed partnerships across businesses, media, sports, entertainment, and other industries to help leverage their message and campaign. 

On this podcast we talk to Jami Haberl, executive director, and Chase Langos, marketing and communications strategist, about: 

• How they spent no money to develop the Make It OK Campaign 
• How they leverage and expand partnerships to reach more people 
• How they made campaign materials relevant for diverse residents  
• How they leverage volunteer ambassadors to spread and amplify their message 
• Why they don’t always ask for money — and instead ask for engagement

Link: https://www.iowahealthieststate.com

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalst. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Have you ever struggled to articulate what your nonprofit does in a clear and concise way?

That’s the challenge YSS was facing before they implemented a tagline that helped consolidate their message. More than just a nice sentence, their tagline has become the foundation of their marketing and communication efforts.  

Since rolling it out, YSS has structured its annual report, a video series, and presentations around a sentence — really, three words — that encompasses its 40 programs.

On the Nonprofit Storytellers Podcast, we talk to Kayla Choate, director of marketing and communications at YSS, talks about: 

• Why YSS walked through a months-long process
• How they received internal and external buy-in
• Why a tagline has benefited their outreach and fundraising efforts 
• Where the taglines show up in their material and outreach 

Link: https://www.yss.org

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

As president and CEO of Des Moines University, Angela Franklin has led the medical school through one of the most significant changes in its history: Building a new campus west of its current location near downtown Des Moines. 

On the Nonprofit Storytellers Podcast, Franklin talks about the Purple and Proud Campaign, what presenting such a large vision to the board was like, and how she handled naysayers. On the podcast, you’ll find a full interview that includes the following:

• How she approached her first year as president

• How she walked through a mission, vision, and value process for DMU

• Her approach to public criticism when the university announced their plans

• How she lead the board and campus through the process

• How she's telling the story through communications and fundraising 

Links: 

→ DMU: https://www.dmu.edu

→ Purple  & Proud capital campaign: https://campaign.dmu.edu

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Ever wondered how sobering your nonprofit's gala speach should be? 

When Richard Schoeberl, the US team Lead for Hope for Justice, speaks at an event, he doesn’t view at it as entertainment. He wants people to leave with a better grasp of a horrendous crime of human trafficking. 

He recently was in Iowa to speak at their fundraiser. Some audience members were crying, they were so moved by the stories he shared of individuals — young girls, older women, and others — who had been enslaved.

In this podcast, Host Mackenzie Walters talks with Richard about: 

• How the “Hollywood version” of trafficking isn’t accurate 
• How the nonprofit helps transforms people from victims to survivors 
• How he decides which stories to share at different events 
• How he protects survivors when sharing their story publicly 
• Why he seeks out speaking events that touch a broad spectrum of the community 

Link: https://hopeforjustice.org 

Break the Cycle: https://hopeforjustice.org/break-the-cycle/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Why would a publish an annual report that doesn’t look or feel like one?

Nonprofit Storytelles host Mackenzie Walters talks with Kate Hayden, who she knows from her journalism days, on an annual magazine that EMBARC published in November 2022.

The magazine carried a big announcement: EMBARC was splitting into two organizations. One focuses on serving all immigrants, while one continues to focus on the Burmese community.

A former business reporter, Kate is the marketing manager at RIVA, a new name for the nonprofit previously known as EMBARC, as the name EMBARC is being transferred to the new nonprofit.

On the podcast, we talk about the following:

• Why they launched an annual magazine instead of an annual report
• How they planned the editorial calendar and empowered staff to write stories
• How donations increased after the magazine was sent, and other reactions
• Why they also sent it to nonprofit grantmakers
• Why it was necessary to not just share their story, but to celebrate the stories they shared

To learn more: 

→ 2021-22 Annual Magazine (Annual Report): https://www.embarciowa.org/2021-2022-report

→ EMBARC (now RIVA) website: https://www.embarciowa.org

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

Have you ever needed to combat "myths" about the people you serve?

The creation of a data dashboard — a concept often used in businesses, and created for programming at Des Moines Area Religious Council — has proven priceless in shaping the narrative and providing real-time facts about food insecurity in the area.

DMARC is an interfaith cooperative that works with 200 faith organizations from five world faith traditions. Serving Central Iowa, the nonprofit is best known for their food pantry network that supports many local pantries.

CEO Matt Unger was drawn to their mission because someone not having access to food "is just flat wrong," he told host Mackenzie Walters during their podcast discussion.

"There are some fundamental human needs that we all have. The need for shelter, the need for food, the need for safety," he said. "I just feel a responsibility as a human being to make sure that those basic needs are being met.

On the podcast, we talk about the data dashboard they build thanks to a "unicorn" volunteer, how they use data to inform their marketing, communications, and advocacy work, as well as how the ability to "zoom in" on a particular area has helped combat myths when it comes to describes food insecurity in the community.

A few highlights: 

• Finding the "unicorn volunteer" that helped DMARC build a data dashboard
• How DMARCC shares "micro stories" that are eye-opening to faith congregations and other supporters
• How the data they collect shapes the narrative in their advocacy work
• How they gleaned data to better understand where food insecurity needs are
• How real-time data about pantry use helped them share with local news outlets in real-time when a record was broken

To learn more:

→ DMARC online: https://www.dmarcunited.org

→ Portrait of a food pantry visitor: https://www.dmarcunited.org/2022/07/portrait-of-a-food-pantry-visitor-data-demographics-and-disparities/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalist. 

Thank you to our podcast advertisers:

→ Eden Plus — Fundraising consulting, including capital campaigns

→ International Translation Services — Interpretation and translation services via phone, video, or in-person

→ Harmony Consulting — Strategic planning, communications, and training

If you’ve ever said that your nonprofit is the “best kept secret” — you’re not alone.

Community Support Advocates serves individuals with mental health challenges or disabilities, and president Christina Smith has said they're one of the community's "best kept secrets."

Organizations that work directly with CSA know the great work they do to serve members, but outside of those direct partnerships, many don’t know about CSA.

With their tried-and-true funding streams declining, Smith knew CSA needed to focus more intentionally on fundraising and marketing efforts.

Not only did the not-for-profit need to tell their story, they needed to do so in an intentional way that helped share their services — what they did and who they served — with the greater community.

CSA launched a storytelling campaign in 2022 as part of their 25th anniversary year. The results were wonderful — engagement went up, and donations tripled.*

On the podcast, Christina talks about:

• Why she was initially hesitant to share member stories, and what changed her mind
• Why an initial video story didn’t get the results they wanted
• How CSA distributed the digital storytelling campaign, and why the second effort worked
• How storytelling changed their interaction with their audience, including engagement
• Why the campaign helped with fundraising
• Changes they’ve seen after the storytelling campaign ended in 2022 and what they want to do next

Learn more:

→ CSA online: https://teamcsa.org

→ See the storytelling campaign: https://teamcsa.org/25th-anniversary-stories/

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalst. CSA partnered with StoryStruck on their storytelling campaign.

Have you noticed how colorful the Des Moines International Airport is?

It’s part of an intentional brand strategy — one that Mackenzie discusses with Kayla Kovarna, deputy director of communications and air service development. Their conversation includes insight from Kovarna on:

• What to do if you can't update your logo, but need a refresh 
• Brand strategy and the smart use of color 
• Launching a new website and action-oriented domain (URL)
• Their “DSM in the Wild” campaign for inaugural flights
• How they found funding to help launch Fly DSM  
• Why their target marketing strategy is focused on different types of travelers

Learn more:

→ See the campaign in action: https://www.flydsm.com

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalst.  

Welcome to the Nonprofit Storytellers Podcast, where we interview nonprofit leaders on how they are sharing their story — their outreach, fundraising, and marketing efforts. I'm Mackenzie Walters.

In my work as a journalist and now as a consultant, I’ve found that sharing stories — real life examples or case studies — is the best way for someone to learn, understand, and apply an idea or approach. 

That’s why I started this podcast. I meet so many amazing nonprofits and association leaders that are rallying people to their mission. They might be launching a new initiative, trying to move the need through social change campaigns, or serving their members and communities in ways that invite more people in. 

I’ll be introducing you to leaders in the broad not-for-profit community. And I’ll be asking them to share specific examples — as well as tips and advice — so you can learn and apply. 

When I was a cub reporter, just starting out my journalism career, we used to call this the “story behind the story.” The "let’s dig in a little deeper and talk about how we did it" story. 

And that’s not all. We are sharing free resources and articles on our website, including in a series we’re calling “Steal Worthy Campaigns” 

These are campaigns other nonoproifts are proud of and have seen success with, so you can learn from their efforts.  

Don’t miss a podcast episode or any of the free resources we share. Sign up for our newsletter at www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

Until next time, keep sharing your story. 

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Nonprofit Storytellers features the stories of how not-for-profit professionals are sharing their organization’s story. From outreach to marketing to fundraising, host Mackenzie Walters leaders on how they accomplished their goals through smart storytelling.

→ More episodes and additional articles: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com

→ Sign up for our newsletter: www.nonprofit-storytellers.com/newsletter

→ Nonprofit Storytellers is published by StoryStruck Marketing. It's editorially independent. It's hosted and edited by owner Mackenzie Walters, a national award winning journalst.