Insights - Page 4 of 5 - Cause Communications

Prioritizing “place” in philanthropy: upcoming event at USC

November 7, 2014

Cause Communications

Prioritizing “place” in philanthropy: upcoming event at USC

Account Director

October 25, 2014

Hannah Lainer

Account Director

Are you seeking projects that make the world a better place? Have you honed your communications expertise at a big agency and want to work with clients that feed your soul? Do you have strong opinions about what makes day-to-day operations of an agency work well and what doesn’t, with evidence to back you up? Are you the one your clients count on to keep complex projects organized and make sure every deadline is met? Do you frequently end your tweets with #ILoveLA?

Cause Communications is seeking an Account Director. A seasoned communication and marketing professional, the Director is responsible for leading account management of clients and the development and implementation of strategic communication projects.

Critical Job Responsibilities

Strategic Marketing/Communications

Manage and lead strategy development and execution of a full range of marketing and communications projects and campaigns including public relations, branding, advertising, digital and social media, event planning, collateral development and more
Provide creative solutions to client projects, grounded in knowledge and experience communicating to the diverse populations of California

Account Management

Primary point of contact for client, ensuring their project goals are achieved and exceeding their expectations of service and quality
Build and supervise teams of people necessary for client accounts and projects
Develop and manage project timelines and production schedules and ensure that projects are delivered on-time
Establish client budgets and monitor job cost accounting

New Business Development

Generate new business with current client accounts
Lead/assist in the preparation and implementation of new business proposals and pitches
Participate in networking opportunities including trainings and speaking engagements development of white papers, etc.

Minimum Requirements

Education and Experience

The ideal candidate will have 5-7 years of experience in marketing communications, public relations, advertising or related field, including supervising projects and teams. Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, Public Relations or related field preferred.

Skills and Abilities

• Record of achievement in marketing communications, media relations and creative services.

Proven expertise in reaching the diverse communities of California.
Expertise/industry knowledge in philanthropy, public policy and/or social entrepreneurship.
Strong organizational, follow-through and time management skills.
Impeccable speaking and written communication skills.
Excellent interpersonal skills necessary to build and maintain client relations and direct project members.
Proficient with MS Word, Excel and PPT.

About Cause Communications

Cause Communications is a mission-driven strategic marketing and communications agency that creates positive social change on behalf of companies, foundations, nonprofits and the public sector. Based in Los Angeles, the agency also provides communication tools and training to over 20,000 nonprofit organizations in over 25 countries. For more information, visit hersheycause.com.

To apply, please send resume and cover letter to Vice President of Operations Bethany Babyak, bbabyak@causecommunications.com.

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Sojourner Center unveils new identity, future plans to help create a world free from domestic violence

October 22, 2014

Cause Communications

Sojourner Center unveils new identity, future plans to help create a world free from domestic violence

On Oct. 22, Sojourner Center, one of the largest providers of services of women and children impacted by domestic violence in the country, unveiled a new identity and strategic direction to a crowd of over 400 supporters at their 13th Annual Hope Luncheon fundraising event in Phoenix, AZ.

Over the past 10 months, Cause Communications has led Sojourner Center through a strategic planning and rebranding process, including a new visual identity, collateral and website, to more effectively communicate their expanded view of services. Sojourner Center provides a continuum of services for women and children impacted by domestic violence, as well as prevention and education programs for the broader community. The organization’s expanding advocacy efforts and field leadership emphasize the importance of moving beyond shelter and intervention and into the community in order to achieve a world free from domestic violence.

For more information, contact Lindsay Kurs, lkurs@causecommunications.com.

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National philanthropy leaders discuss new research findings of Communications Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change

October 22, 2014

Cause Communications

National philanthropy leaders discuss new research findings of Communications Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change

Cause Communications and partner Media Impact Funders rolled out findings of our new research funded by The California Endowment on Communication Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change during a sold-out breakfast at the Communications Network Conference on Oct. 9.

Mary Lou Fulton, Senior Program Manager at The California Endowment and Martha Davis, Senior Program Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, discussed how their support of innovative communications campaigns is effectively shifting policy and opinion on issues like school discipline reform and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). A group of nonprofit and foundation communicators eager to learn how to better integrate communications into their foundation’s work joined the conversation, which covered topics such as evaluating the impact of funding communications projects and shared best practices from the field. Fast Track cases can be viewed and downloaded by visiting MediaImpactFunders.org/FastTrack/. Follow the conversation on Twitter with #FastTrack4Policy. For more information, contact Lindsay Kurs, lkurs@causecommunications.com.

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Is place-based work reducing poverty? Join the conversation at A National Forum on Place-Based Initiatives, Dec. 4-5 at USC

October 21, 2014

Beth Babyak

Is place-based work reducing poverty? Join the conversation at A National Forum on Place-Based Initiatives, Dec. 4-5 at USC

Can place-based initiatives address concentrated poverty on a regional and national scale? What are the blueprints that seem promising? Join a national dialogue on these topics and more at Prioritizing Place: A National Forum on Place-Based Initiatives, Dec. 4-5 at the University of Southern California.

CPPP_meme_mailchimp Presented by The Center on Philanthropy & Public Policy and the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, this day-and-a-half event is the culmination of a year-long inquiry into philanthropic and public sector initiatives that address geographically-concentrated poverty. Attendees will join policymakers, foundation executives and thought leaders from across the country as they take a step back, analyze these increasingly sophisticated efforts, and provide crucial insights for anyone undertaking or contemplating a place-based initiative. The forum will include plenaries with national experts, concurrent sessions focused on decision-making, and ample opportunities for networking. Register now for the event.

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Some of L.A.’s best and brightest youth services organizations kick off third year of Communicating for Results

October 20, 2014

Marie Condron

Some of L.A.’s best and brightest youth services organizations kick off third year of Communicating for Results

On Oct. 8, Cause Communications launched the third year of Communicating for Results, a strategic communications training program for nonprofit leaders made possible by the Dwight Stuart Youth Fund.

CoreMessage_slider Over the course of six months, executive directors and 1-2 staff members from 10 Dwight Stuart grantee organizations will learn the basics of strategic communications, through three half-day group sessions and three one-on-one coaching sessions. Organizations create their own core messages, targeted messages for key audiences, and complete the program with a strategic communication plan defining key strategies and tactics, target outcomes, and a plan for how to implement them within their organization. The first session focused on developing a core message and targeted messages—and why they’re different than a mission statement—and featured the new Cause Clarity video, “How to Create a Core Message For Your Cause.” To create your own Communicating for Results program to strengthen your grantees’ communications capacity, contact General Manager Marie Condron, mcondron@causecommunications.com.

Congrats and welcome to the 2014 Communicating For Results Participants!

California Dance Institute

CFY

Determined to Succeed

LA Conservation Corps

MOSTE

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

Spark, Los Angeles

The Wildwoods Foundation

A Window Between Worlds

Young Storytellers Foundation

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The domestic violence issue: the NFL is just the tip of the iceberg

September 18, 2014

Cause Communications

The domestic violence issue: the NFL is just the tip of the iceberg

Last week, as the NFL / Ray Rice story developed into a much larger issue about domestic violence issues and we saw the #WhyIStayed trending on social media, Cause Communications helped position our client Sojourner Center on the topic in local Phoenix, AZ media.

dddbaba4-f497-4f39-87bc-4f2a8a46b503 Sojourner Center, one of the largest domestic violence shelters in the Southwestern United States, provides direct and community services to more than 8,750 women and children fleeing domestic violence each year. Fresh out of her media training session with the Cause team, Dr. Maria Garay, Executive Director of Sojourner Center, appeared on the local CBS affiliate’s 10pm news discussing the reasons why women often remain with or return to abusive partners. Check out the full story online here. For more information, contact Lindsay Kurs, lkurs@causecommunications.com.

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New LASIF report shows breakthroughs in reversing L.A.’s college graduation crisis

September 16, 2014

Marie Condron

New LASIF report shows breakthroughs in reversing L.A.’s college graduation crisis

At a time when 60% of L.A. County students who enter college don’t graduate, 82% of students who participate in programs funded by the Los Angeles Scholars Investment Fund (LASIF) do, according to a new progress report presented by California Community Foundation and the College Access Foundation of California and developed by Cause Communications.

895b6dcc-6415-4320-b86b-7825e9709799 LASIF combines multi-year scholarships with support programs tailored to the unique needs of low-income students, to help them get through college. With 2.3 million California jobs projected to go unfilled by 2025 due to a lack of workers with college degrees, it’s a vital issue to our region’s economic vitality.

This year, the investment fund provided $4.6 million in scholarships and operating support to 19 groundbreaking nonprofits with proven track records of success—far more than any individual scholarship fund, foundation or donor could do alone. To download a PDF of the report, please click here. For more information, contact Marie Condron, mcondron@causecommunications.com.

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How communications can contribute to real policy change

September 15, 2014

Cause Communications

How communications can contribute to real policy change

As communicators we are increasingly under pressure to make the case for investing in communications. However, resources that measure communications results are rare.

TCE_10_Elements_meme

Seeing the clear need to demonstrate how communications can contribute to real social change and provide others in our field a tool they can use when developing their own strategies, we created Communications Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change.

By identifying eight communications campaigns that moved the needle for positive policy change and make up the Fast Track series, we could begin to see the parallels and to make conclusions about highly effective communications strategies. Once stagnant issues in education, health and energy policy were suddenly shifted into high gear contributing to real outcomes. How did change happen? And how did it happen so quickly?

All of these cases used untraditional approaches in media and communications to accelerate change. Perhaps, most enlightening and useful are the 10 Elements of Success we observed. Many of the Fast Track cases we feature used at least three or more of these elements to engage thought leaders, lawmakers and the public to act, champion and legislate on behalf of their cause.

Communicators can learn from these common principles and use them in their own work, creating urgency for an issue. All eight Fast Track case studies can be viewed and downloaded atwww.mediaimpactfunders.org/fasttrack. For more information, contact Lindsay Kurs,lkurs@causecommunications.com.

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Mental health is my cause

August 14, 2014

Cause Communications

Mental health is my cause

Depression is such a misunderstood struggle and laughter is the best medicine for it. It’s really unfortunate Robin Williams didn’t have someone there to make him laugh and help him navigate his darkest of thoughts.

I’ve been debating for awhile about unveiling my own struggle with depression to the social media masses. Those who are close to me are aware of my battle with the thoughts that can torment me at times. It’s something that I’ve been working to conquer for the past 10 years, and I’m a lot better than I used to be. I am making progress. There are tools available for those who are willing to do the work. And I don’t mean just popping a pill once a day.

The fact of the matter is that the brain is a very powerful thing. And if you’ve had patterns that were put in place in childhood that are the foundation for your present-day thoughts, it is extremely difficult to forge a new path. It’s very painful, repetitive, exhausting work. A person prone to depression literally has to create new neurological pathways in the brain through repetition before the positive thoughts begin to outweigh the negative ones on a consistent basis. We always have a choice in our thoughts (and thank God for that!), but habits are hard to break and changing the way a person thinks is no easy task.

The darkest part about being in the “black hole,” as I call it, is the hopelessness. There is no part of you that believes it will ever get better. That’s how powerful the mind is. A depressed person is in severe emotional pain, and judgment is the worst kind of support a friend can provide. Make them laugh instead. Keep trying if they don’t crack a smile. Endorphins are a natural anti-depressant.

There needs to be more compassion and empathy for those who struggle with mental health. So much value is put on physical health in our society, but people don’t realize that in order to be physically healthy you have to be mentally healthy first.

Rest in peace, Robin. I hope your passing will help to shed some light on the stigma that surrounds depression and mental health.

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Nonprofits: helping drive California’s economy

August 14, 2014

John Stodder

Nonprofits: helping drive California’s economy

We know what nonprofits do. They support the provision of basic human needs like food, health care, shelter and elder care. They protect the environment and fight for equality and civil rights. They make it possible for audiences to enjoy art, theater and music. They create opportunities for our children to learn and play. And so much more.

But did you know that California’s nonprofits also rank as the fourth largest industry in California by employment, providing jobs for nearly one million Californians? Or that they are responsible for 15 percent of California’s Gross State Product?

Cause Founder R. Christine Hershey and General Manager Marie Condron were on hand at CalNonprofits 2014 policy convention August 1 for the official release of “Causes Count: The Economic Power of California’s Nonprofit Sector,” commissioned by the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits), the statewide policy alliance of more than 10,000 organizations.

“Once again, California is leading the way into an economic transformation,” Hershey said. “Those of us who define our lives by the causes we support can take pride in what we have built, and in the way nonprofits benefit everyone in the state, through the services we provide and through our combined economic strength.”

The full report is available for free download at this link: http://calnonprofits.org/causes-count

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New Cause research on how communications drives policy change to launch September 5 at NTEN

August 11, 2014

Marie Condron

New Cause research on how communications drives policy change to launch September 5 at NTEN

The boldest funders are willing to use their brands, their power and their political capital in support of the issues they believe in. For the first time, field research from Cause Communications has linked best practices in media and communications grantmaking to moving the needle for positive policy change.

Our series of eight case studies, Communications Strategies that Fast Track Policy Change, identifies 10 Elements of Success from high-impact communications campaigns that create a more receptive environment for dialogue about potential solutions, build public momentum and generate political will for policy change. The series, supported by a grant from The California Endowment and in collaboration with Media Impact Funders, will launch at the Nonprofit Technology Network Leading Change Summit in San Francisco this September 5 in a special cross-track session dedicated to the project. We invite you to check out the first case study published in the series. Register now to attend the launch!

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“Better Communications: Bigger Impact” at July 29-30 grantmakers conference and policy institute

August 8, 2014

Marie Condron

“Better Communications: Bigger Impact” at July 29-30 grantmakers conference and policy institute

Cause joins salute to new CEO of The California Wellness Foundation

August 6, 2014

Marie Condron

Cause joins salute to new CEO of The California Wellness Foundation

Cause Communications Founder R. Christine Hershey joined California’s top nonprofit leaders in welcoming Judy Belk, the new President and CEO of HCC client The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF), at a July 10 reception at San Francisco’s City Club.

From left, Judy Belk & Chris Hershey at San Francisco City Club.

“Appointing Judy Belk was a bold move by TCWF’s board,” said Hershey. “Judy brings a fresh voice and innovative ideas about extending health care for all. I’m a fan and look forward to supporting her work. She is greatly respected in philanthropic circles nationally.”

Before joining TCWF in April, Belk served at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, helping build it into one of the nation’s largest independent nonprofit advisory firms by launching its West Coast and Midwest operations. She had also served as vice president of global public affairs at Levi Strauss & Co., overseeing both company and foundation efforts against AIDS, as well as leading its economic development, environmental and anti-racism initiatives.

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Communicating Big Changes to California’s Health Care System

July 17, 2014

Toyomi Igus Lori Friedman

Communicating Big Changes to California’s Health Care System

The Affordable Care Act aims to provide health care coverage for all Americans. For those who have limited financial and physical resources, coverage has been expanded for Medicaid benefits. The news is full of stories about how some states have not accepted the federal Medicaid expansion dollars. This is not the case in California. Here, the state has launched the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI), which started in Los Angeles County on April 1^st of this year.

LA Care logo CCI is attempting to integrate and coordinate Medicare and Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) benefits through approved managed care health plans, in order to make care processes and payments more efficient, and to improve the way care is being delivered. Cause Communications client, L.A. Care Health Plan, is one of the five health plans participating in the new program in Los Angeles.

The CCI brings about two changes in the way health care is delivered. First, Long-Term Services and Supports will transition from a Medi-Cal fee-for-service benefit to a Medi-Cal health plan benefit. This means most Medi-Cal beneficiaries will be required to join a health plan to continue to receive these benefits and services, and physicians may want to consider participating in those plans.

The second major part of California’s CCI is called Cal MediConnect, which is designed to dramatically improve health care for the state’s most vulnerable patients: low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Cal MediConnect offers “dual eligible” patients the option to integrate their Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits into one single, coordinated health plan. “Dual eligibles” are patients who are eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal.

The most significant advantages to Cal MediConnect plans is that patients will gain a broader care team, a care coordinator focused on meeting each individual’s medical needs and additional benefits such as dental and vision coverage. The result: improved communication among providers, more support and care for the most vulnerable patients and a system that’s much easier to navigate for the patients, their families and caregivers.

Ultimately, streamlining the way care is delivered is the right thing to do. But, as we all know, the process of change can be difficult. Patients and providers who are accustomed to operating in the old system – as fragmented and cumbersome as it was – are now faced with new choices and questions about how the new health plans will operate. Many Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries are looking to their physicians and their staffs to help them navigate the changes.

We are happy to be assisting L.A. Care in developing an educational campaign aimed at physicians, health care administrators and community partners. Over the next year, Cause Communications will engage these key constituencies through events at local hospitals, community centers and via easy-to-access webinars. We are developing high-quality collateral and presentation materials, including FAQs, fact sheets and resource guides to help physicians and community leaders guide patients who are being affected by the changes. The goal: to assist providers and patient advocates help their patients make the right choices.

Cause Communications is pleased to be making a positive difference in the way health care reform is being communicated in California. We look forward to continuing our work with L.A. Care assisting our local physicians, clinicians and their patients through the challenges of a changing health care environment.

More information on the LA Care Health Plan can be found at www.calmediconnectla.org

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Welcome and Q&A with our new Senior Director, Lindsay Kurs

July 11, 2014

Cause Communications

Welcome and Q&A with our new Senior Director, Lindsay Kurs

We’re thrilled to welcome our new Senior Director, Lindsay Kurs, who brings 10 years of marketing communications and media relations experience to our growing team. We sat down with Lindsay to learn more about her background, her biggest media hit and her favorite L.A. hike.

Lindsay_Headshots-008 What led you to Cause Communications?
I moved to Los Angeles from New York City in late 2012 and was inspired by the connection that Cause Communications has to its community. This is apparent in both the clients it serves and its commitment to sharing best practices in nonprofit communications. I sought a local tie in my career and jumped at the opportunity to do meaningful, important work with an amazing group of people.

What were you doing prior to joining Cause Communications?
Before coming to Cause Communications, I worked for the New York-based communications agency, gabbegroup, where I started my career in 2004. When my husband and I moved to L.A., I had the opportunity to work remotely for the agency from a home office. I dabbled in a little bit of everything during my tenure at gabbegroup, working on wide-ranging communications projects for health, education and philanthropy clients. My natural affinity to health and medicine projects developed into a long-standing role on The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center account team where I helped lead national media relations.

Tell us about one of your most memorable projects?
Every year, as part of my work on behalf of the MD Anderson’s Children’s Cancer Hospital, I pitched the hospital’s Camp A.O.K. for teen cancer survivors to national media. In 2010, I hit the figurative media jackpot by attracting the interest of the Rachael Ray Show. Inspired by the teens’ stories, the TV personality sent her team packing for summer camp where she surprised campers with plans to makeover the prom held every year on the last night. It was fun watching everything come together as her celebrity stylists and event planners treated the entire group of Camp A.O.K. teens to new dresses, tuxes, hair, makeup, limos, decorations and a prom night to remember. Following the camp, pediatric patient Emily Garcia was flown to New York to be on the show and interviewed by Ray herself. The result was a 30-minute long segment featuring Emily and the other teens of Camp A.O.K. Everything – from seeing the campers’ reactions to Ray’s arrival to the surprise message from Emily’s idol Taylor Swift – made the many hours of blood and sweat (think Texas in July!) poured into this project totally worth it.

What are three words you would use to describe yourself?
Energetic. Resourceful. Happy.

What is your favorite L.A. experience thus far?
I have a hard time sitting still, so I find it a bit comical that I live in L.A., “The Entertainment Capital of the World,” and don’t have the patience to make it through a two-hour movie. However, I’ve loved discovering that L.A. is a crazy hybrid of Hollywood glamour and the rugged outdoors. I’m constantly on my bike exploring the area’s soaring canyons – and even did a race this past spring that went up (and down) seven of them over 62 miles. I’ve also picked up hiking. My favorite adventure to date was waking up at 4 a.m. and climbing to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio in a 17-mile hike with my husband to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Romantic from start to finish, we’ll always joke about the amazing strip mall Chinese food we picked up in the San Gabriel Valley on the way home!

Learn more about Lindsay here.

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New Findings On How Communications Fast-Tracks Policy Change

June 5, 2014

Marie Condron

New Findings On How Communications Fast-Tracks Policy Change

The boldest funders are willing to use their brands, their power and their political capital in support of the issues they believe in. From polling to paid media buys to documentary funding and journalism grantmaking, national, regional and community foundations are increasingly using strategic communications to raise awareness of issues and to change policy outcomes.

website_cover Cause Communications partnered with The California Endowment to identify how strategic communications has recently driven policy change—as illustrated through nine case studies—to inspire funders to apply innovative strategic communications to their work. Over the past year, we’ve researched examples of real policy outcomes for social issues that had largely been overlooked. Through the research, we’ve identified 10 elements of success critical to driving change through communications.

We are partnering with Media Impact Funders to share these findings, which they previewed earlier this week at the Media Impact Festival in Washington, D.C., through the release of our first case study, spotlighting “The Invisible War.” This documentary on underreported sexual assault in the military used a policymaker education campaign that helped lead to Department of Defense policy change and more than 30 Congressional legislative reforms.

Read more at MediaImpactFunders.org/FastTrack.

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Tips For Writing An Op-Ed That Gets Noticed

June 5, 2014

Lori Friedman

Tips For Writing An Op-Ed That Gets Noticed

No matter how newsworthy your cause or nonprofit, attracting media attention can be a challenge. Increase the chances of getting your story in front of opinion leaders by writing and pitching a great newspaper op-ed (short for “opposite the editorial page”).

Here are a few tips for writing an op-ed that will get noticed:

Make it newsworthy
Editors want to provide content that their readers will find interesting and relevant. So, make sure your op-ed is about a topic that is currently in the news. For example, an op-ed advocating for a shift in thinking around how autism is diagnosed is more likely to be published after the release of new data or during Autism Awareness Month.

Find a credible author
The author should be someone who is an expert in the field and a logical match for the content. For example, an op-ed urging action on climate change would most credibly come from a leader at a prominent environmental organization. If the point of view of a partner organization with greater prominence would bolster your case, consider two authors.

Take a position
To write an effective op-ed, you must take a strong stance on an issue. Then, make your case, just like a lawyer might in a closing argument in front of a jury. Remember your high school essay writing rules? Well, those same guidelines apply. State your thesis at the start. The rest of the piece exists to prove your thesis.

Prove your argument
Include data, as well as personal stories to strengthen your argument. The op-ed may serve to express your opinion, but it is also designed to persuade those who might have a different point of view. Presenting facts from studies, think tanks or other third party sources, will help to reinforce your statements.

Include a call to action
A good op-ed states the problem, as well as the solution. As the expert in your particular field, there is no one better positioned to identify the solutions than you. Include a strong call to action to empower readers to take up the mantle of your cause and become advocates themselves.

Follow these guidelines and you will be well on your way to writing an op-ed that is authoritative and persuasive, creating a powerful opportunity to share your story and make new allies for your cause.

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Adventures in Lean Impact – Lean for Social Good

May 1, 2014

Anne Whatley

Adventures in Lean Impact – Lean for Social Good

Lean Impact is defined as the use of the Lean StartUp model for social good and emphasizes maximizing input on what is most valuable to the user of the product or program while minimizing wasted effort by focusing on the identification of potential solutions and then testing them with “minimum viable products” (source). The thinking is that you get feedback on an approach before investing large amounts of time and resources. We like the idea and wanted to learn more about how it can be applied to our work.

The Lean Impact model has given us a lot of insight into new ways to think of our own work of creating “how to” resources for change makers–those working in nonprofits and social change efforts–to provide guidance to eliminate some of the challenges faced daily in communicating the importance and impact of your work and accelerate its success. Part of the process has been the important task of identifying the metric that matters–in other words, using data to make decisions. If you are interested specifically in learning more about the use of “the one metric that matters” Beth Kanter has a great post that discusses their use in nonprofit organizations.

Anther vital step is the formulation of hypotheses and their immediate testing. Our team created hypotheses about what we understood top challenges to be and then “got out of the building” to test them. We spoke with ten individuals that worked in nonprofits and realized that speaking broadly about “communications strategy” was not hitting the mark. People were interested in how to apply strategy in the specific tasks they were tackling day-to-day. So, we went back to our plans and made adjustments.

This has been such a helpful process to focus thinking on the ultimate aims of a project and allowing for an evolution of thinking throughout. We will keep you posted as our process continues!

You can check out the first two how to’s we have created at:

How to create a core message and How to identify your audiences

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Congratulations Communicating for Results Graduates!

April 30, 2014

Lotta Rao

Congratulations Communicating for Results Graduates!

Who’s Reading your E-Newsletter?

April 15, 2014

Lotta Rao

Who’s Reading your E-Newsletter?

For many nonprofits, your e-newsletter is a crucial part of your communications. But for many of us, it’s become a routine practice, one that we don’t often tie back to our underlying organizational goals and strategies. Here’s a short list of questions to consider before sending out your next e-newsletter.

What is the purpose of your newsletter? Without knowing the purpose or your goals, there is no way for you to measure your effectiveness. Start by writing down the goal your newsletter supports. Do you want to reach funders? Do you want to inform people of programmatic changes/growth? Are you primarily reaching out to members to keep them informed?
What is your primary call to action? If you want to generate traffic for your website, make sure this call-to-action is front and center. That includes linking to your website consistently throughout the email.
Do you know if people are reading your email? In this day and age, regardless of which system you use, metrics are available, it’s just a question of using them. Do you check the open rates of your email newsletter? Have you noticed trends in what stories people click on and when they click through to your website, for example?
Who are you sending your newsletter to? Often, we send to one large list. But depending on what organizational goals and strategies your e-newsletter supports, this may not be effective. Consider segmenting your lists and tailoring content for various audiences.
Is this the best way to reach your target audience? Have you surveyed your audience to see if they want a newsletter? Might there be a better way to reach them? For example, would a younger audience be more likely to read updates on Facebook? Does an older audience still gravitate towards print materials?

Your answers to these questions may reveal insights that will help you evolve your strategy and make your e-newsletter even more effective. Let us know what you discover, and contact us for more guidance on your digital and social media strategy. To talk to us more about strategic communications, contact Marie Condron, General Manager at 310.656.1001.

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Is Your Campaign Working? Here’s One Way to Find Out

March 28, 2014

Anne Whatley

Is Your Campaign Working? Here’s One Way to Find Out

Evaluation of communications is a growing field as the social sector devotes more resources to strategic communications and how outreach and advocacy efforts contribute to the achievement of their goals. Cause believes evaluation is critical to identify what is working and provide more evidence that communications does move the needle for organizations and issues. Our evaluation work ranges from formative evaluations, which monitor ongoing progress to provide feedback that can be used to optimize strategies and tactics that are working, to evaluations that summarize and look back on past efforts to identify lessons learned and impact of the project or campaign.

A few examples from recent work includes:

Assessment of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s long term investment in communications support for several grantees. We looked at how the grants for communications impacted the way the organization worked, the skills of the staff, as well as the results from the media and public relations strategies and tactics, such as the perception and standing of the organization in the minds of opinion leaders and policymakers and their use of the materials produced by the organization.
We have also conducted assessments for other foundations that looked at the results of grantee trainings and other capacity building building programs as well as audits of the Foundation’s own communications and what it was accomplishing.
Audit and analysis of an issue’s coverage in the media using content analysis of TV, print, online media and social media to get an understanding of the current public dialogue. We then used the information to provide recommendations to a coalition on suggested areas of focus and opportunities for future campaigns.

Comprehensive evaluations by external consultants are great, but you can also do lots yourself using information you already collect or with small adjustments. What makes assessment useful is the regular practice of stepping back, reflecting on what has been done and using data (both qualitative and quantitative) to inform decisions for future plans. So, it is more about making time to plan what you want to assess, collect and then analyze even if it is on a small scale.

You can find more about communications evaluation at:

www.MeasureMyImpact.org – A few years ago Cause, with the support of The California Endowment, assembled a collection of the existing practical tools to nonprofit evaluate advocacy communications. Includes a self assessment to help direct you to resources most appropriate for your organization.
Julia Coffman’s Communications Audit paper – a how-to for conducting a communications audit
Are We There Yet Communications Plan – a good general guide to evaluation
Innovation Network K Point – A resource library of Practical Tools for Planning, Evaluation, and Action
Communications Consortium Media Evaluation resources – A series of toolkit working briefs that provide guidance on several types of media evaluation.
Beth Kanter’s blog has great guidance on social media evaluation

If you would like to speak to someone at Cause about how you might use evaluation please contact Marie Condron, General Manager at 310.656.1001

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We’re hiring!

March 21, 2014

Lotta Rao

We’re hiring!

Is Your Logo Effective? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

March 14, 2014

Cause Communications

Is Your Logo Effective? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Identity is the starting line of a brand’s story and it can be difficult to communicate that in a logo mark or symbol. Whether or not the logo is streamlined—or simple—makes it effective. Simplicity, not to be confused with “boring,” communicates value, trustworthiness and an idea that is easily interpreted by an audience. This can be a challenge especially for nonprofit groups that need to communicate a very specific service. More often than not, simplistic and brilliant logos require hours of design discovery and the corresponding budget to back that research up. But there are five design basics you can ask yourself to help determine whether your brand’s identity is simple or complicated.

How many fonts are used? Ideally, do not use more than two. Too many fonts create a disjointed symbol that seems piecemeal.
What does your color palette communicate? Every color evokes a different emotion and symbolic meaning. A color palette should be thoroughly examined and researched just as much as the logo mark itself. A good rule of thumb is to examine how your logo replicates in black and white. If it isn’t easily identifiable without color, it’s time to simplify.
Is there consistency? Are the logo elements floating around separate from each other? Is there alignment? Are spaces uniform?
How long ago was your logo designed? Does it look dated? Is it using fonts and colors that were trendy once upon a time?
Are you following best practices in the usage of your logo? A high resolution logo will help you promote your brand in the best way possible.

Asking yourself these five questions can help determine if your current logo is effective and effectively communicating with your audiences.

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B Lab Receives Skoll Award

March 6, 2014

Lotta Rao

B Lab Receives Skoll Award

Typography Day 2014!

February 28, 2014

Lotta Rao

Typography Day 2014!

Top 7 Ways to Tell If Your Communications Are Robust & Effective

February 20, 2014

R. Christine Hershey

Top 7 Ways to Tell If Your Communications Are Robust & Effective

How to Identify Audiences for Your Cause

February 10, 2014

Lotta Rao

How to Identify Audiences for Your Cause

Prioritizing the specific types or groups of people you are trying to reach can go a long way in making your communications more effective. But the process of identifying audiences is a step that many times gets skipped in the rush to get work done. The reality is that you are not trying to reach “everyone” with every message. We have found that it can be useful to build a persona – or imagine a specific person you are speaking or writing to can help ensure your messages are relevant and motivating.

We created a quick video that walks you through the process in 2-minutes. We also created a version of the video that includes a walk through completing the worksheet template. (See second video below.)

We also created a worksheet template that will help you identify the top audiences for your cause. Get a copy below!

Download as a PDF – Identify_your_audiences

Download as a Word doc – Identify_Your_Audience

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Innovations in 2014

January 28, 2014

Lotta Rao

Innovations in 2014

Sharing what works is a core part of our mission to use Communications for Good. Almost 15 years ago we created the non-profit Cause Communications to focus specifically on improving the skills and knowledge of communications in the nonprofit sector. We have been busy creating The Communications Toolkit, the How Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes, How Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes and our other guides and tools that have been used by over 20,000 organizations at last count. The good news is that the field of nonprofit communications and marketing has grown and matured in the last 15 years with more organizations understanding that communications is a powerful strategy to advance their goals.

How we communicate has also radically changed during this time. So, we are trying something new here at Cause Communications! We are experimenting with new tools for a 21st century communicator using an approach modified from the startup world and making waves in social entrepreneurial circles – Lean Impact – in an effort to create what is most useful to you – providing advice and tools now to help address the challenges you face today. “Going Lean” encourages testing and experimentation and feedback using iterative methods over traditional “big planning up front” development. We will be creating new “how-to”s and other resources and making revisions based on what we see and hear from you – the people who are using them.

Our first creation is a 2-minute video on “How to create a core message” and a downloadable template to help you try it yourself.

Get your copy of the Creating a Core Message Worksheet!
Print out the PDF to use as a worksheet in a group work session or download the Word version to get to work on creating your core message right now.

Download as a PDF – Create your core message

Download as a Word doc – Create your core message

We can notify you when more tools and tips are available if you sign up for our newsletter.

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The Youth Policy Institute Brings Even More to Los Angeles

December 11, 2013

Natasha Carrol-Ferrary

The Youth Policy Institute Brings Even More to Los Angeles

“If poverty is a disease that infects an entire community in the form of unemployment and violence; failing schools and broken homes, then we can’t just treat those symptoms in isolation. We have to heal that entire community. And we have to focus on what actually works.” – Pre-President Barack Obama, July 2007

In case you haven’t heard of the Youth Policy Institute (YPI), it’s an amazing organization (and one of our clients) that has been providing wraparound services to low-income families in Los Angeles since 1996—and is the lead agency of the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood.

Thanks to YPI, Los Angeles is now the proud recipient of all three grants related to President Obama’s White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative—a place-based strategy aimed at improving neighborhoods across the country. In fact, YPI is the ONLY nonprofit to receive these grants—and they are already helping families with these funds.

We have heard a number of stories–like that of “Maria,” a mother who came to YPI’s FamilySource Center in Hollywood for a computer class. She brought her school-aged child with her to the class because she was worried about gangs at the school. YPI staff brought Maria and her child down the hall to the LAUSD representative on site. The child started at a new school the next day.

YPI typically serves 100,000 people per year, like Maria and her child. The grants from the federal government are allowing them to do even more. As the lead agency for the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood, YPI and its 40+ partners are helping break the intergenerational cycle of poverty with cradle-to-college-and-career services.

Then, YPI received the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, which is aimed at helping improve safety and decrease crime in the same neighborhoods as the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood.

The icing on the cake (for Los Angeles) is Choice Neighborhoods, which was announced just last month. YPI secured the planning grant that makes Los Angeles eligible for $31 million from the federal government to help families facing housing crises. Check out the Department of Housing and Urban Development Press Release, announcing this incredible feat.

Congratulations to YPI! Learn more about YPI at www.ypiusa.org

Here’s a brief background (with links) on each of the grants that YPI has received:

Promise Neighborhoods – which is funded by the Department of Education and is based upon the Harlem Children’s Zone model to provide services from cradle to college and career.
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation – which is funded by the Department of Justice and targets neighborhoods with violent and serious crime.
Choice Neighborhoods – which is funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funding supports local solutions for transforming high poverty neighborhoods by revitalizing distressed housing, improving educational opportunities and increasing local economic activity.

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10 Things You Should Know About Twitter

December 5, 2013

Natasha Carrol-Ferrary

10 Things You Should Know About Twitter

These 10 tips are things you must know if you tweet regularly.

1. The period has a purpose. If you want everyone to see your tweets and the first word you’re tweeting is a handle, put a period first. Without the period, only people who follow you AND the handle you’re tweeting about can see it. With a period (or a word), the tweet will be seen by all.

@CauseComm gives great twitter tips!

This will be seen by those who follow you AND follow @CauseComm

.@CauseComm gives great twitter tips! OR Thanks @CauseComm for the great twitter tips!

This will be seen by all of your followers.

NOTE: The period isn’t necessary if @CauseComm appears anywhere else in the tweet.

Keep this in mind when you reply to tweets. If you are replying to someone, only those who follow you and the person you’re replying to will see it. And that’s okay.

2. Not everyone needs to see all of your tweets. In light of the above, when you reply to someone, don’t always put in a period before the reply so everyone can see it. It’s less personal – and more like you’re trying to yell a conversation in public. In the same way that you reply to emails without copying your whole address book, don’t .@ reply every time.

3. It’s okay to schedule some tweets to go out at a certain date and time, but make sure you’re actually on twitter too. Twitter is social! You should be replying, talking to people and engaging with timely information and thoughts.

4. Don’t engage on a topic if it’s been too many hours. @erinsafe says that twitter is like a cocktail party. You wouldn’t walk into a cocktail party and start talking about something that was discussed 8 hours before you got there.

5. If you host a twitter party or twitter chat, you should engage all participants. Your twitter party or twitter chat should not be a one-on-one interview. It doesn’t give others a reason to stick around and follow the hashtag. If the chat is open to everyone, you get greater participation, interest and you make some great contacts.

6. Following and following back is like a handshake, says @ChrisTuttle. Do not follow people just so that they follow you back. Inevitably, you may then want to unfollow that person—and then it’s just rude. It’s like you stuck out your hand for a handshake, and then ran away while they’re reaching to shake back!

7. To increase followers, just keep tweeting.

8. Favoriting a tweet is like giving someone a virtual high 5. It’s also a way to let people know that you’ve seen their tweet without replying.

9. You don’t need to thank everyone who retweets you or every new follower.

10. Don’t overuse hashtags. Use two per tweet at most. The goal of a hashtag is to make your tweet searchable, but you don’t need to hashtag every searchable word.

For example, if you tweet: “Education in Los Angeles is amazing.” Your tweet will come up if someone searches “Education” but not “#education.” But if you tweet, “#Education in Los Angeles is amazing.” And someone searches “education” (not “#education”) your tweet will still appear.

If you’re at a conference or you’re not using the term elsewhere, then use it! Just don’t overdo it. For example: “Students are learning at LAUSD. #education” makes sense because the word “education” isn’t in the tweet otherwise.

#goodluck and don’t forget to follow us at @CauseComm!

You can also learn more about our tools and publications or our training program at www.hersheycause.com

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YouthBuild Charter School of California featured on La Opinión

November 14, 2013

Natasha Carrol-Ferrary

YouthBuild Charter School of California featured on La Opinión

Our client, YouthBuild Charter School of California (YCSC), was featured in La Opinión over the weekend for their amazing work with young people who have dropped out or been pushed out of traditional high schools. Most of their students are aged 18-24, and all come to YCSC eager to graduate high school and go to college or enter the workforce.

YCSC’s students complete community action projects to earn high school credits, which ensures that what they learn has a practical implication for their daily lives. For example, students in East Los Angeles worked with a local liquor store to bring fresh fruits and vegetables where there were none. In the classroom, those students learned about food deserts and health.

YCSC’s teachers ensure that the students meet the state requirements to graduate, but they are encouraged to create a curriculum that speaks to their students. As CEO Phil Matero says, they encourage teachers to do what they know intuitively because that’s how they’re going to reach the students in the best way possible.

Learn more about YouthBuild Charter School of California here: http://www.youthbuildcharter.org

¿Habla español? Puede leer el artículo en La Opinión aqui: http://www.laopinion.com/los-angeles/escuela-charter-jovenes-Compton

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13 Questions Your Nonprofit Needs to Ask

November 13, 2013

R. Christine Hershey

13 Questions Your Nonprofit Needs to Ask

Previously, I talked about why nonprofits need to conduct audits of their communications. And if you think about it, it just makes sense—and cents.

Recently, I was talking with a friend who just entered the nonprofit sector after several years as a political consultant. He lamented how he spent his first few months talking almost exclusively to small-circulation trade publications instead of pitching bigger-reach stories to outlets like the Los Angeles Times. On the outset, it may seem like he should have gone for the story that would have reached a bigger audience. But his nonprofit is in the process of rebuilding itself after a year of transition. His executive director reasoned that by spending time building relationships with trusted industry-specific publications and local bloggers, they were investing in stories that were read by key stakeholders—or audiences—and that would then yield a better reputation for the organization.

Which tactic was the right one? Your gut could tell you one thing, but the data may tell you another. That’s why it’s important to go directly to the people who matter and build your communications strategy around hard numbers and documented anecdotes.

Develop a Questionnaire

These questions can—and should—be tailored for each audience you are surveying.

What organizations come to mind in the xyz nonprofit space?
What do you think is most unique about ABC nonprofit organization?
Where do you usually first hear or see news about ABC nonprofit?
Are you happy with how the news or changes are communicated to you by the organization?
What is your attitude toward ABC nonprofit?
What sense do you have of ABC nonprofit’s reputation in the community?
What is ABC nonprofit best known for?
For you, what is the most compelling reason to support ABC nonprofit?
Do you have any reasons for not wanting to support ABC nonprofit?
Do ABC nonprofit’s advertising and communications stand out from other organizations doing similar work?
Are ABC nonprofit’s products and services clearly identifiable?
Are you familiar with ABC nonprofit’s current marketing campaign? What do you think about it?
Are there other issues regarding ABC nonprofit and its plans that you would like to raise?

This is just the start of what you can do. Get more tools, tricks and trainings by checking out our Communications Toolkit.

Photo via Creative Commons

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Abode Communities Celebrates 45 Years of Affordable Housing

October 25, 2013

Marie Condron

Abode Communities Celebrates 45 Years of Affordable Housing

California Community Foundation Launches Centennial Legacy Campaign

October 10, 2013

Marie Condron

California Community Foundation Launches Centennial Legacy Campaign

The Social Capitalist Inspires Social Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits

October 8, 2013

Marie Condron

The Social Capitalist Inspires Social Entrepreneurs and Nonprofits

You don’t have to start or work at a nonprofit to do good in the world.

In their new book, The Social Capitalist, Josh and Lisa Lannon explain how companies can help solve the world’s problems as part of their business model.

After Josh got sober 10 years ago, the couple wanted to assist others get their loved ones back. Josh a former nightclub owner and Lisa, a law enforcement officer, applied the Rich Dad principles to their social enterprise called the Journey Healing Centers, private drug and alcohol rehab centers located in Utah and Arizona.

The book features insights from social entrepreneurs across the world, including Cause Communications founder and president, R. Christine Hershey, who talked about what nonprofits can learn from the for-profit sector.

“It’s almost as if, in the old days, in the nonprofit model, there was a virtue that nonprofits didn’t need to be vigorous, or think strategically. I think that’s turned into a crutch…I think they need rigorous best practices to figure out how they’ll survive and make a bigger contribution.”

—R. Christine Hershey

Find out more and get your copy at Amazon.

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Jumpstart Co-Founder Shawn Landres Honored by Liberty Hill

October 1, 2013

Marie Condron

Jumpstart Co-Founder Shawn Landres Honored by Liberty Hill

We send a big congratulations to our good friend, Jumpstart co-founder and CEO Shawn Landres. Shawn was recently honored with Liberty Hill Foundation’s NextGen award for his significant social justice work in Los Angeles.

Shawn Landres with Elizabeth Stewart, Shane Goldsmith and L.A. City Controller Ron Galperin. Photo by Carol Lee

Cause recently partnered with Shawn and the Jumpstart teamto create and launch Connected to Give, a groundbreaking national study on the giving motivations of Jewish Americans.

A Santa Monica native, Shawn has been working with Jumpstart since 2008 to use research & publishing, convenings, education and innovative funding to connect, inform and empower more than 3,000 community leaders and more than 150 Jewish and interreligious initiatives around the world.

That is just the start of how Shawn is advancing social justice issues in Los Angeles. He was recently appointed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to serve on the Quality and Productivity Commission. He co-chairs the Clinton Foundation Millennium Network Leadership Council. He is also a founding member and advisor to The HUB LA and an advisor to The Mother Company and InVenture.

For over 30 years, Liberty Hill has been advancing social change in Los Angeles Area through a strategic combination of grants, leadership training and campaigns. Cause recently worked with the Liberty Hill team to develop a communications platform that would refine Liberty Hill’s message for their 30th anniversary and increase donor support.

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Your Nonprofit Audience: Who Are They and Why do They Care About You?

September 19, 2013

R. Christine Hershey

Your Nonprofit Audience: Who Are They and Why do They Care About You?

Is your communications strategy taking you in the right direction? How do you know? But how do you really know?

By conducting a little research, both qualitative and quantitative, you can learn a lot about how your key stakeholders learn about your organization and its work.

Directions

Many nonprofits shy away from regular (or even initial) evaluations because they can be time consuming, costly and, if poorly designed, unhelpful. But by checking in with key stakeholders periodically, evaluations can do double-duty: not only do they help determine where your staff should be spending its time, but they also make your donors, volunteers and prospects feel invested in your organization and its mission. Plus, there’s an added bonus: setting a benchmark for future success and charting a plan to get there.

Why You Should Perform a Communications Audit

Communications audits provide a thorough analysis of your nonprofit’s internal and external communications and also let you know where you stand in relation to your peer organizations. An audit can help you learn if your messages are getting through to—and resonating with—your key audiences. It can also help you identify the most effective communications vehicle to address any gaps.

By asking the right questions of the right audiences, you can then use the information to inform your communications plan.

Audits generally are more effective if conducted by an outsider. External consultants can be more objective than longtime staff—and participants often are more comfortable speaking freely with someone not employed by the organization. Audits should especially be conducted whenever there is a major change in your organization, such as a new CEO, major affiliation or crisis. And this fall, such an audit can help you as you construct your important year-end fundraising campaign.

Step 1: Identify Your Target Audiences

Who are the key stakeholders that are most important to you? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Major individual donors (however you define it)
Mid-level/monthly donors
One-time low-level donors
Your main contact at a corporate sponsor
Foundation sponsors
People who attended an event, but are not a donor (i.e., prospects)
Volunteers
People who directly receive your services, and, if appropriate, their families
People on your email list
People who follow you on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter

Don’t be afraid of going deeper. Try to find out as much information as you can in advance about each group.

Where do they live? What part of town or time zone?
What is their religious affiliation?
How old are they?
How many are men versus women?
How much education have they received?
How much money do they make, on average?
Do they have children? How old?

These questions are just a start. This is also where keeping detailed records in your database comes in handy. You might also look at getting some of this information by acquiring a software platform like NationBuilder. Qualifying organizations can match their database against the voter file, which often includes demographic information.

By identifying your key stakeholders and better understanding who they are, you can determine what you should ask and how.

Eager for more? Download our Communications Toolkit to learn more about how you can create a winning communications strategy and help your nonprofit achieve its mission.

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Groundbreaking Report Documents Jewish American Giving

September 13, 2013

Marie Condron

Groundbreaking Report Documents Jewish American Giving

Jewish Americans give to charities at a higher rate than most Americans, according to a new report called Connected to Give.

Cause was approached by Jumpstart, a philanthropic research & design lab based in Los Angeles, to visualize key findings of the study in a downloadable report, create a stunning website, and ensure people found out about it by securing extensive media coverage.

The report documents data-driven insight into what motivates Jewish Americans to give:

76% of American Jews report that they made a charitable contribution in 2012, compared to 63% of non-Jews.
Most Jews who make charitable contributions give to both Jewish and non-Jewish organizations.
Although age is not a driving factor in the incidence and amount of charitable giving overall, younger Jews are currently less likely to give to Jewish organizations.

Find out more findings by visiting ConnectedtoGive.org to download the report.

By understanding how and why Jewish Americans give, Jewish and non-Jewish organizations alike can better affect change in our world by identifying how best to reach and engage a robust donor base.

The study is the first in a series of reports based on a survey of nearly 3,000 American Jews plus nearly 2,000 givers from other religious groups, focus groups, and ethnographic research. The study was made possible by a variety of independent foundations, family foundations, community foundations, and Jewish federations.

Download the report and check out some great media coverage:

Young Jews courted as donors
The Wall Street Journal
Jews connected to Jewish community give more to charity, study shows
Los Angeles Times
Social engagement with community drives giving by American Jews, survey finds
Philanthropy News Digest
Jewish philanthropy’s role in shaping Los Angeles
AirTalk with Larry Mantle, KPCC
More media >

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Cause Communications Relaunches As One Brand

August 7, 2013

Marie Condron

Cause Communications Relaunches As One Brand