"Your nonprofit mission and your vision are for you, not for your donor. What donors like is the stories: your programs, your projects, the real, identifiable people who live really far away, but who are experiencing challenges like we do here."
I am so grateful to Jenni at Nonprofit Jenni for featuring us on her podcast. It was fantastic to share a little sneak peak behind the scenes of what goes on here at Girls Education Nation.
We discussed the importance of crafting a compelling story for our community members. While our nonprofit mission and vision are important for writing grants and understanding where we are going, they are not enough to connect with donors on a personal level. Instead, we need to share our programs and the stories of the people we help, which is why it's always been our approach to write case studies that showcase our work and the impact we're making.
These Harvard-style case studies can be about either successes or failures. These narratives help show donors the impact of their contributions, and also help us learn from past experiences. It's important to include a problem statement, considerations, statistics, and a conclusion with next steps, thus creating a narrative that can be used in the future to tell the stories of our work.
Our Community Program "JAZZ": JAZZ is a community project in Minusinsk that brings together young women and men aged 14 to 24 to discuss important topics, to network, and to learn from each other. Through a series of pilot sessions, the JAZZ team identified the need to focus on topics such as critical thinking, communication, and self-investment to prepare young adults for independent life. JAZZ aims to provide a safe space where participants can meet, have deep discussions, and explore different points of view. The project has seen great outcomes and positive feedback from participants, who report feeling more prepared for their new stages of life, and develop intrapersonal skills like communication and public speaking.
Our Referral Marketing for a Manicurist: Our objective was to analyze and explore ways to expand a manicurist's customer base, increase her monthly revenues, and creating customer relationships. We discussed the local market trends and competition in her area, and then came up with a strategy to help her increase her client base. This strategy included developing a social media marketing campaign and offering discounts to existing clients who referred new customers to her business. The strategy was successful and helped her increase her gross monthly profits by 70%. We also provided some final recommendations for how she can continue to grow her business in the future.
It was a great experience to be a guest on Jenni's podcast and we are grateful for the opportunity!