As the end of the year approaches, it's time to take stock of many things. One of the most valuable year-end reviews can be your advocacy review – if you focus on the right things. In this episode, we share: The five most va…
When our strategic relationship building work isn’t yielding the results we’d hoped for, it’s often because we’re inadvertently doing one or more things that actually undermine the goal of building powerful influence with th…
We all have at least one skill we’d like to get better at. And there are all sorts of people offering to teach you just about anything. But so much of skill development is an inside job, and that’s what will make or break y…
You know advocacy is important. And you’ve got some key strategic relationships you want to develop. But it’s so much work! Adding that to an already full plate can feel impossible and overwhelming. But if we don’t do it…
I’ve been inspired by the leaders of many movements from the past and present, but I think I’m the most excited about the youngest leaders who are stepping up to make real change in the world. While it would be easy to be d…
If you’ve ever been in a high-stakes encounter with a decisionmaker, and found yourself stressing out and struggling to engage them effectively while they lob challenging questions at you, you’re not alone. The good news is…
When you have to generate a strategic relationship from nothing, it can feel like an impossible task. Where do you even start? I’m happy to report there are proven methods that you can use to build a strategic relationship…
If your advocacy work has stalled, or just isn’t moving at the pace you want or need, it’s time to intervene and get things back on track. But to do that, you first need to know what has caused the slow-down. The good news…
If you’re ready for next-level results from your advocacy work – more influence, better results, bigger impact – then it’s time to move to the next level of advocacy skills. No matter where you are on your advocacy journey,…
If you’ve ever thought about hiring a lobbyist to help support your advocacy work, you’re onto a potentially very good idea. Working with a lobbyist at the state level can be incredibly helpful, but only if you do the neces…
If you want to make faster progress when you’re advocating with elected officials, one of the most effective things you can do is engage their staff as well. But the trick is, the approach to engaging those two creatures ne…
I hear from so many nonprofit leaders who want to establish themselves as thought leaders in their niche. But the whole process around how you do that tends to be shrouded in mystery. It’s time to demystify! There are 7 b…
If you’ve been struggling to keep your advocacy efforts focused and on track long enough to produce the significant results you want, it’s time to take a look at your advocacy plan. Or to create one. Creating an advocacy p…
If you don’t have the advocacy results you want, and you don’t have an advocacy team, there may be a cause and effect relationship there. Strategic relationship building touches everything you do, and without a well-functio…
We all know the importance of building strategic relationships with money and policy decisionmakers. But there’s one set of relationships that stands out as essential. These relationships can yield huge benefits, now and f…
How would it feel to be in a conversation with money and policy decisionmakers, where they’re fully engaged and excited to be talking with you? What would change if you could make that happen on a regular basis? If that so…
If you’ve ever felt like money and policy decisionmakers weren’t really listening to you, and fully understanding the value of what you do, you may have a messaging problem. What you may not realize, is that there are some…
If you’ve ever wanted to change any aspect of public policy, whether it’s a big ambitious change or a small but critical tweak, you may have been unsure of just where to start. The fact is, there’s some very specific ground…
I had the opportunity to interview Maine Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli. Her journey from nonprofit leader to legislative leader is both inspiring and exciting for what it tells us about the power of nonprofit advocac…
If you’ve ever had the problem of a money decisionmaker not grasping the full value of your organization’s services – and resisting paying a reasonable price for them – you’re not alone. In this episode we uncover the hidde…
I hear from so many nonprofit leaders who struggle to get their board fully on board with their advocacy work. In that situation, the best case scenario is you’re missing out on a ton of potential. The worst case is you ha…
Aleta McLean has grown the contracting side of her organization’s revenue strategy to where she is now negotiating and landing 7-figure contracts with major partners. Part of what’s so inspiring about her journey is that sh…
Wherever you are on your advocacy journey, there's always a next level of results that you're working toward. To get to your next level, there's an internal foundation that's as essential as all the technical advocacy tactic…
If you're already stressing out at the mention of pressure, you’ll want to lean into this episode. You’ll discover how it can be one of the most important items in your advocacy toolkit, and how it can help you work more e…
