I’m a Scottish bloke with long hair who wears a Kilt & Hawaiian shirts, is a coffee aficionado and makes the best cheesecake in town.
I have worked within the nonprofit world for over 45 years, and the past 12 years I have provided consulting and copywriting services as well as volunteering.
I am also a bootstrap entrepreneur, writer, programmer, chef and wood worker.
I like to use movie quotes and make up words in my writing now and then, so if it don’t make no sense just laugh with me – you will get it eventually.
What I do
I provide copywriting and marketing consultation to nonprofit organizations. I work with you developing stronger fundraising and service awareness campaigns. In my free time I bake some bread and make brats now and then.
What I can do for you
For the most part, small nonprofits have the necessary tools and tactics in place to survive. What they don’t have is a Leveraged Strategy to get out of the day to day operations of being stuck doing “what works”. This is a form of ‘analysis paralysis’ or ‘blame it on the economy’ excuse head bangers.
They overlook or miss opportunities, have under performing programs or underutilized people and resources, endless to do lists, pile of voice messages, meetings, paperwork, etc., and at times, don’t know if they are developing great donor relations or losing them.
In essence, the passion is lost in the shuffle for what they started the nonprofit for.
I believe we all started or work for a nonprofit with an idea, good intentions and passion, but along the way we loose the passion, then get stuck in a rut. That is where I am different. I can help you get back your Passion for your nonprofit.
Take a really hard look at your services and deliverables, then ask yourself this question:
“If I were my own donor or volunteer, what would I really see?
Then using the following answers:
A) an organization that goes above and beyond taking care of me, has my loyalty, and the passion shows;
B) an organization who watches things happen, serves me, but I can get that elsewhere;
C) an organization who is more concerned with selling things to me, and if I don’t buy then I am in their way.
The first thing I think about when engaging a prospect seeking help is “What type of organization are you?”, then place you in one of those three slots. Not to stereo type you, but to determine if I can really help and what needs to be done next.
In our initial consultation this is my approach. If you are an:
A) We review your strategy and tactics to see how we can get more leverage of value to your donors.
B) and C) We need to agree you want to get to the next level and regain clarity of your vision; then together build out your strategy and tactics to get there. If we have to plug a few holes along the way, I have access to the resources to assist.
Why do I do this?
The last thing I want to happen is to be hired to write the emails for a campaign, only to find out that something along the pipeline is broken where more harm will happen than good, and that won’t workout for either of us.
My background experience of 35 years is pretty much along the entrepreneurial and nonprofit road, even before graduating from High School and Junior High. It has taken me from candles, Christmas cards, shoveling snow and a newspaper route to the software, food service, retail, publishing, construction, gambling, pharmaceutical, fashion, financial and banking industries.
In some industries I played with food and served great customers, others I developed software and websites that increased fundraising and service awareness; across the board I have developed business plans and marketing strategies, written email campaigns and sales letters, implemented social media strategies and tactics (forums, portals, blogging, facebook, twitter, etc), word of mouth campaigns, online catalogs, white papers, case studies, press releases and other marketing materials; on occasion presented marketing and sales seminars and written sales training courses.
My goal, is to help you give Value To and increase the Lifetime Value of your Donors, not to increase product sales, and ultimately Get Your Passion Back for your business.
When you are ready, Contact me. Let’s have a cup of coffee and talk.