Success isn’t luck, it’s a plan (a 10-point plan)

Welcome to another episode of How to Market Your Nonprofit. Today we’re tackling an essential issue—an essential issue of today, for sure. With everything going on, what can you do, what should you do, and how would you do it?

This week, honestly, in some ways it’s been amazing. We’ve been having exciting conversations with nonprofits all across the U.S. that are adapting to recent events—against the backdrop, by the way, of federal troops in Los Angeles for not much of a compelling good reason. And I mention that because it gives you an indication of some of the enormous changes that have been happening just recently. Talking to nonprofits around the country—in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, certainly in California and New York, and all over the place—it’s been exciting to hear how they’re adapting to change, how they’re manifesting success in the face of, frankly, a lot of turmoil.

So I’ve been thinking about this and taking notes in service to being as helpful as possible to our listeners—many of whom are struggling with change, but also many of whom are putting in place dynamic and positive adaptations to circumstance. Whether that circumstance is changes in our work environment, changes in technology, changes in government funding—all different sorts of things that we’re familiar with and that we see in the news.

The key thing, I think, when you’re a nonprofit navigating rapid change, economic shifts, technological disruption, and evolving cultural and political norms, is that it’s critical to stay grounded in your mission. But it’s also critical to adapt with agility. And so today I thought we would do our best to present a framework that you can use to respond effectively and to make the most of the times we’re in. Because the times we are in are not like the times of five years ago—pre-pandemic—or three years ago, or even six months ago.

Hence this framework and this brainstorming session with you about what we can do to respond effectively—and not just survive, but thrive. Everybody I’ve spoken to has heard me say this: we’re going to need our nonprofits. We’re going to need our nonprofits more than ever. So if you’re listening to this, thank you for what you do. Because boy, we need you. You’re doing something really important. And the government, however you might feel about it, is pulling out of a bunch of these things, and that creates a space that we can fill.

So we’re going to share ten things that we encourage you to do to respond effectively—and then a methodology for number ten. And by the way, you’re going to love number ten in particular. I strongly urge you to do all of these—and do all of them without forgetting number ten on this list. Because honestly, every week I run into someone doing really good work—really important work—and they’re not doing number ten. And they ought to be.

So here we go.

Number one. Here’s the number one thing I think you should do first to respond to change and adapt well with it: focus on your mission. Rapid change can pull organizations in all sorts of directions, and sometimes you just run around thinking, “What can I do? Where should I do it? Should we do this? Should we do that?” I think the correct response starts with asking: What is our core purpose? We do that at Counterintuity as well. Our core purpose is helping nonprofits with their marketing and strategy.

Start from your core purpose. It provides the destination point—the guide star of your map. Here’s the guide star. This is the path we follow. This is our core purpose. And then from there: Are our programs and strategies still aligned with our mission? Do we actually need these programs? Are these programs related to our core purpose? Are these strategies in service of effectuating that purpose? And if not, should we change them? How should we change them? What will we do?

A time of dramatic change—which we’re in, and I think we can all agree on that—is probably more a time for focus than for new adventures. I tell my children—they’re all adults now—that this is a very different environment than what we saw recently. And I grew up in the 1970s. It’s a very different environment than the 1970s. And the 1970s were a peculiar time. Every time is unique to some degree, but the pace of change we’ve had over the past seven months is truly eye-opening.

So again, a time of dramatic change like this is more a time for focus rather than new adventures. New adventures always carry a degree of risk—and you may not feel prepared for that risk right now, in a risky environment.

When I’ve worked in the performing arts—which has been a lot of my career—people have come to me and to Counterintuity and said, “We want new audience.” Of course we all want new audience. But, as an example, I can tell you the statistic: in any major metropolitan area, attendance in the performing arts is one to three percent. If you’re spending $100 marketing to a new audience—the people who aren’t usually coming—your odds of getting them are one to three percent. So only one to three percent of your marketing dollar is effective. You’re wasting 97 to 99 percent of your marketing budget.

That’s a new adventure. We would go off and get all these new people to show up—and boy, it’s really costly and very ineffective. The strategy we more often pursue is: how do we get attendees to come more frequently, and perhaps bring a new person with them? You see that at very successful performing arts organizations—this idea of cultivating new audience by using preexisting audience as a bridge.

So if you’re thinking about some new adventure, bear in mind there’s going to be a cost to that.

Okay—so I said this might be a time for focus rather than new adventures. And now, number two: I think you should consider asking yourself, “Wait a minute—is there actually an opportunity here?” So we’re going to focus on our core mission, but is there an opportunity here?

Because dramatic change always brings dramatic new opportunities. So is there something you do—some cause that you fulfill—that now has a greater need and a greater opportunity? It might be because others aren’t filling that need anymore. Is there a market gap—there’s the marketer in me talking—is there a market gap your nonprofit could fill?

Take the explosion of homelessness in Los Angeles, for example. By the way, homelessness is now declining rapidly. So if you’re seeing otherwise in the news, that’s old news. The latest statistics are out, and the people doing the work on homelessness in L.A. are doing really good work. That initial explosion led a local organization to change its name and widen its service area. This was a few years ago. Now, it’s able to continue the work it had been doing—but at a larger scale.

They had previously been restricted to a certain area, doing a smaller piece of the work. But they saw an opportunity. And yes, even when it comes to causes, we need to be opportunistic. That may not sound great to the ear—“we’re trying to eradicate homelessness, but we want to be opportunistic”—but we want to be opportunistic in service of solving the problem. Nobody likes the fact that not everybody has shelter. So now, this nonprofit is very cleverly able to continue the work they had been doing before, but at a larger scope and even more effectively. They are part of the solution.

And when you think about history, history is filled with unexpected success stories—unexpected opportunities. Things you didn’t foresee. Suddenly something happens and you think, “Hey, wait a minute. We could do that.” And I’ll give you a few examples.

Some of them are a little silly—let’s talk about Bubble Wrap. I was just so charmed and amused to learn this: Bubble Wrap was intended as wallpaper. I wonder if you knew that. It was invented to be textured wallpaper. And I’ve thought about it ever since—wouldn’t it just snap? What do you mean? I guess it’d be kind of cool. But it found its true value, of course, as protective packaging. Somebody looked at it and said, “Gee, I could wrap things in this. I could use this to ship.” That’s a great example of an unexpected opportunity.

Slack—the online communications platform—started as an internal tool for a video game development team. And now it’s a leading workplace collaboration platform. I’m on Slack every day with a nonprofit organization that I chair. It started as something just to help their team communicate during game development, and someone said, “Wait a minute. What if we actually put this on the market?”

And Viagra. I don’t know if you’re aware, but Viagra was originally developed for heart conditions. But it was repurposed when its side effect proved more commercially promising—in what is truly an uplifting story. So there you go.

Those are just a few examples. I’ll have some others in a minute. But I’d ask you: What is the opportunity hidden within the challenge? If you’re facing a challenge—what is the opportunity?

Now, the number three thing you should consider when adapting to radically different circumstances: it’s important to stay close to your community.

Economic and cultural shifts like these—happening very rapidly, and by the way, not just in the United States but globally—often affect your beneficiaries and stakeholders first. So it’s important to keep communication channels open. Stay in touch.

You might conduct listening sessions. I think those are really important. Talk to your supporters, your stakeholders, the people you serve. Conduct listening sessions or short surveys. Take note of changing needs, barriers, and behaviors. And stay human and empathetic in how you respond. That’s really important. You don’t know what someone is going through right now. There’s a lot of upset in the atmosphere.

And of course, I get upset now and then—everyone does. It’s upsetting, what’s been going on in Los Angeles. But stay human. Stay empathetic. And actually, I don’t even think I need to say that, given who I’m speaking to—people managing nonprofits. I think we all know that.

So think of all your communication as marketing. Every meeting you have, you’re spreading the word. Every listening session, you’re being present. You’re gaining market intelligence. You’re listening for how to be helpful—and how to be helped—at your nonprofit.

And here, I would say: if you don’t have an email newsletter—and I know some of you don’t—I’ve had lots of meetings recently and I’m struck by how many nonprofits I’m coming in contact with that don’t have an email newsletter. And that’s one of the most effective and least expensive ways to communicate, in my opinion.

If you don’t have an email newsletter, now is the time to start one. And if you don’t have a list—that’s the number two reason I hear from folks: “Well, we don’t have a list.” We’ve seen incredible success from nonprofits that started with just 25 email addresses. Or, as we like to call them, people. Just 25 people.

When someone says, “We don’t have a list,” I’ll ask, “Do you have 25 email addresses?” Everyone has 25 email addresses. And that’s a place to grow from. Once you get that first 25, it grows quickly. Then you’ve got 30, and then you remember, “Oh, we forgot Sally and Bill and Maria and Jose,” and you add them. Now it’s 200, and so on. It grows fast.

The important thing is to put out the word about what you’re doing.

Talk about what the problem is, how the problem has changed, how you’re changing to address the problem, and the growing, changing, emerging need. Silence is deadly—especially if you’re feeling daunted. And we all have those days now and then. But now is the time to put out your message. Because someone will reach back and say to you, “Thank you,” or “I appreciate you,” or “I love what you do,” or “Thank God you were there.”

We all need that. And you’re going to get that when you tell people what you’re up to. Pretty much guaranteed. It’s truly meaningful to me when someone emails me or messages me or tells me in person, “Hey, I really appreciate what you put on the podcast. Thank you.” It may sound dumb—and in my mind, I sometimes think, “Well, that seems kind of dumb”—but we know it’s not. It’s not dumb. It’s important. We all need encouragement.

Keep communicating. Make yourself heard. You have a community that wants to hear from you, and you want to hear from them. So yes, number three on our list is: stay close to your community and communicate with them.

Number four: Embrace strategic agility.

This one’s about strategy. Instead of sticking rigidly to a long-term plan, consider an adaptive strategy. Now, I don’t know if you have a long-term plan or a short-term plan, but now is the time for reassessment and adjustment.

With adaptive strategy, you set a clear direction—what outcomes or goals you want to achieve. Maybe it’s raising a certain amount of money, or solving a specific issue. But then be flexible with your tactics. Tactics are the “how,” the methods you’ll use to get there.

Use shorter planning cycles. At Counterintuity, we do a lot of quarterly planning. And frankly, I do my own planning every day—the night before. I plan out my day, because every day of my life only happens once. So I want to make the most use of it.

For your organization, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to shift from yearly planning—or heaven help us, five-year plans—to quarterly planning. Even ten years ago, I was saying five-year plans were too long and too slow, especially with the internet moving things faster. Back then, I’d say we should shift to three-year plans. And now you’re hearing me say: quarterly plans.

So yes—have an annual plan, sure. Maybe a three-year plan. But ditch the five-year plan. I don’t believe in it. Instead, add quarterly planning. You could even plan the week, or the day. It might sound like a drag, but it’ll save you time—and more importantly, it’ll increase your adaptability.

Run small pilot programs—small pilots or experiments—before committing full resources. Right now, we’re running a pilot program before launching something bigger that we’re really excited about, and we’ll talk more about that later this year. That’s also why I’ve been having all these conversations with new nonprofits.

Speaking of pilots, let’s talk about Southwest Airlines.

In 2023, Southwest Airlines lost $159 million. And in Q1 of 2024, they posted a net loss of about $231 million. That’s real money. You can’t blame them for all of that—they were already recovering from pandemic losses. They’ve had real problems getting planes delivered by Boeing. I think most of us are familiar with that situation. And Boeing has pulled some of those planes out of service.

And yes, Southwest Airlines’ computer system epically crashed a couple of years ago, stranding thousands of passengers across the country—including my son and me, when we were on our way to New York for the weekend. Ugh.

But what was going on clearly couldn’t continue. Losing hundreds of millions of dollars isn’t sustainable. So now, whether we like it or not, Southwest Airlines has recognized that the 1970s are over. That’s where a lot of their systems and processes came from—literally the 1970s. They’ve now made changes to how they operate.

They’ve added assigned seating—which, frankly, I prefer. They’re reclassifying fare levels. They’re considering putting in airport lounges. And yes—they’ve gotten rid of free baggage. Now there are baggage fees. I don’t like it either. But that’s better than the airline going out of business.

Whether or not we like these particular changes, management made them in response to a changing marketplace. And I would argue they made them too slowly—but they made them.

Sooner or later, every organization—every nonprofit—needs to recognize the time in which it’s living and make appropriate adjustments. And when it comes to “sooner or later,” sooner is better. Later hurts more. All of Southwest’s epic losses prove that point.

If you’re operating from a strategy that’s a year old—or even six months old—I strongly recommend you consider a short, quick, strategic initiative. It’s time to reassess and plan anew. We don’t live in the 1820s anymore. Or the 1910s. And honestly, we’re not even living in 2024 right now.

Number five.

I think everyone here has already heard variations of this—we’ve talked about it on this podcast: Invest in digital transformation. Tech is no longer optional.

Even basic upgrades can improve resilience. For example, you can improve your contact record management software or your data systems to better understand donors and program participants.

I had a meeting yesterday with a nonprofit. They’ve got a system that’s constantly crashing—always at the worst times, of course. And they’re doing really important work in their community. They just need to get that system fixed, stabilized, and improved. That’s something we’re talking to them about—we’re probably going to help them with that.

Improving those systems will help you better understand your donors and your program participants. And it’ll also help ensure you can accept donations, sell tickets, and do all the other online things that help generate revenue.

You can use digital tools for fundraising, storytelling, and outreach. I think we all know that. And you can train your team in essential tech skills—even just a little can go a long way. There are training programs and videos for everything.

Right now, think about how you can use your systems more effectively—or improve them altogether. This might give you a real lift in fundraising, and certainly in marketing. And yes, yes, yes—we’re also talking about AI. This is definitely part of the digital transformation conversation. As you’ll see in the show notes from past episodes, we’ve been talking a lot about AI and where you can find resources.

Our guest Stuart McFaul even gave a link to a list of pretty much every AI tool available to you. So if you haven’t already, take a listen to that episode and check the show notes.

Number six—this is something we do at Counterintuity, and it’s something we help nonprofits do as well: Prepare for multiple possible futures.

I read a lot of comic books—I love comic books—and now the concept of the multiverse is everywhere, including in movies. So think about the multiverse and how it might apply to your planning.

There’s the ideal scenario multiverse: “This is going to be incredible. We’re going to grow. We’re going to do all the things.” That’s awesome—but I wouldn’t plan around that.

Then there’s the terrible, negative-zone, post-apocalyptic universe. I wouldn’t plan around that one either.

But the multiverses in between—those are worth looking at.

What if donations drop by 20%? What if overall revenue drops by 25%? Or by 10%? What if revenues actually went up by 25%—what would we do with the extra? What if a key person is no longer available to us? What if AI disrupts how we deliver services—how would we pivot? What if government policy changes? (And of course it will.)

Plan responses now, so you’re not scrambling when something happens. It’s far better to look the thing in the face than to worry about what’s under the bed.

I’ve always been the kind of person who says, “I don’t think there’s a monster under my bed—let me take a look.” Nope, not there. In this scenario, it’s better to confront the cold hard truth of reality. And again, to see if there might even be an opportunity hidden in there. Just a couple of hours spent brainstorming your top ten worries can be incredibly informative.

Number seven: If you really want to make the most of a changing time, strengthen your partnerships.

Partnerships give us mutual support. And in turbulent times, collaboration is even more valuable. Now is a great time to join coalitions if you aren’t already part of one. Here where I am, there’s a coalition of 70 nonprofits. That’s a powerful network. They can turn to each other for advice, ideas, and support.

You can share resources—“I’m not using this, could you use it?” “You have that—can I borrow it?” You can co-host events or programs to reach new audiences. There are all kinds of low-cost, high-value ways to work together.

And here at Counterintuity, we try to practice what we preach. We stay connected to nonprofits and to marketing coalitions, so we stay on top of what’s happening, and so we can continue developing strategies and methodologies that help nonprofits.

We make a real investment in R&D—research and development—and in communication and connection. And we get a lot out of it. And we share as much as we can. It’s exciting. It’s heartening to hear, for example, that homelessness in Los Angeles is on the decline. And that years ago, before I moved here, people made the air a lot cleaner. Success is possible. And success often comes through partnership.

Being connected is good, good, good.

Number eight: Communicate transparently—internally and externally.

Let your team know what’s changing and why. Again, there’s a lot of anxiety in the atmosphere. Keep your people informed. And keep your donors informed—let them know about your impact, and how you’re adapting to circumstances.

People will stick with you if they trust that you’re being real and responsive. And that ties back to marketing—yes—but more specifically, the voice of your marketing. Be upfront. Tell people the problem. Tell them about the changes you’re making. Tell them how those changes are affecting you. Stay focused on the present—and the positive future ahead.

Be the honesty in their ear—and also the good news.

No one wants to fund something that seems bleak, impossible, dire, and dying. That’s just a fact. Years ago, someone told me that funding a nonprofit that isn’t going to make it is like pouring money into a hole in the ground. I never forgot that.

So if you’re doing something successful—and I have no doubt that you are—if you’re adapting in meaningful ways to the changing landscape, tell people about it. Make sure your internal team knows. And then spread the word more widely.

Internally and externally, communicate. Be forthright. Be transparent.

Number nine on our list of ten things to help you adapt to changing circumstances: Take care of your team.

Let me say it again: Take care of your team.

We had a guest on the podcast—she’s a coach for nonprofits and for individuals—who helps people navigate burnout. We wanted to focus on that because it’s something I’ve seen a lot of in the nonprofit world. Unfortunately, burnout is a real issue—especially because we all care so much.

And right now, we’re in a time of crisis. Nonprofit management can be difficult in the best of times—and in crisis, it can be overwhelming. So, as best you can, support your staff and your volunteers—your people, your community—with mental health resources.

Make introductions. Put it through HR. Whatever it is that you can do—do it. Check in on priorities. Don’t try to do everything, and don’t ask your team to do everything. Take care of your team. Try to learn and adapt. Figure out what’s going on with them. Ask them what the burden feels like. Ask them what they’d like to do more of—especially if it aligns with what your organization needs.

See what you can realign. And just listen. Listening is so important.

We always want to value listening. In my own life, I’ve experienced the power of being heard—of having someone truly listen. Whether it’s a friend, a colleague, an associate… sometimes, oddly, it’s a stranger you run into, and suddenly you’re sharing your soul. But the truth is, you can’t accomplish much without your team. So be that listener for them.

And then, number 10—here it is. Number 10. And you’d be amazed how infrequently this happens:

Ask. For. Money.

I wish I had a tally of how many good, functioning nonprofit leaders I’ve spoken with who aren’t asking for money enough. If the sector you serve is in the news—ask for money. It’s that simple.

This week, I spoke with a nonprofit that’s been around for 140 years. 140 years! I was struck by their mission—it’s cool, it’s important. And their mission perfectly aligns with something that just had the rug pulled out from under it by the federal government. However you feel about that, the fact is: the federal government was funding work like theirs—and now it’s pulled back.

So I told them—it’s time to ask for money. Immediately.

This is a really important mission, and the government has pulled out of that space. So I urged them to launch a fundraising appeal right away. Most of the response to the federal cuts in that area has been negative, as you can imagine. It’s a major crisis, and it’s been widely reported.

So it’s time to go wider and ask for support. If you’re running a nonprofit, this may very well have happened to you too—recently. If there are cuts in your sphere, and they’re in the news—now is the time to tell people. Remind them: “Hey, that’s us.”

“We’re a clinic, and we’re concerned about upcoming Medicaid cuts. They haven’t hit yet, but they will.” Tell people about that. Tell them what you’re doing—and why you need financial help.

So here’s the thrust of your outreach campaign. We mapped this out for them quickly—and you can use it too. Use it on social media, in emails, in speeches and presentations, in one-on-one asks, in texts—heck, maybe even in print and mailed pieces, with a donor reply envelope inside.

Here’s the outline:

1. Your nonprofit’s mission.
2. Who you serve.
3. What’s changed recently—donor behavior, client needs, staffing, tech, funding, etc.
4. Your top 1–2 concerns right now.
5. How that relates to a crisis in the news.
   (Here’s what we do. Here’s who we do it for. Here’s the problem we’re solving. Uh-oh—here’s what changed. Here’s our immediate concern. You saw it in the news.)
6. What you need to address that problem.
   (We need X dollars. We need your donation. Someone today emailed me asking for $6—I’m going to send them the $6.)
7. How you will use that support.
8. When you need to act by.

It’s essentially the who, what, where, when, why, and how. Let me repeat that list:

• What you do and why it’s important
• Who you serve
• What’s changed recently
• What your top concerns are
• How those concerns connect to the news
• What you need
• How you’ll use it
• When you need to act

And finally—don’t forget the call to action. What are you asking them to do? Are you asking them to click a link? Write a check? Send a Zelle? Be specific and clear—so they can help you do your work.

That was a lot of information in this episode—but I hope it’s actionable.

We know there’s a lot of change happening. So I wanted to do two things:

First, I wanted to remind you that there are things we can do. And give you a working list that you and your team can start with. Work your way down it. Reassess. Because you will need to reassess. It’s not time to go slower—it’s time to reassess.

Second, I want you to know that you can be successful in this climate. You can make these changes. I’ve been talking to all kinds of nonprofits—different sizes, different structures. I’ve met with orgs with $12,000 budgets, and ones with $15.5 million. There is something in here that all of us can do.

And the number one thing we can do is recognize that this is a new time—and it’s time for a new strategy. A new marketing approach around that strategy.

I wish you great success. I know you can succeed with this.

So I hope this has been helpful. Please let me know—drop me a line, reach out, communicate. Let me know if you have questions or feedback—I’d love to hear from you.

If you’ve got a success story, I’d love to hear that. Every one of those is a pick-me-up. If you have a need or a challenge—something I or we can help with—I hope you’ll let me know that too.

And thank you. Thank you for the work you do. We’re going to need our nonprofits more than ever.

So don’t just hang in there. Don’t just survive.

Go thrive.

And have a great day.

Thanks for listening.