Tag Archives: chicago ama

Chicago AMA Convenes Marketers with a Mission

chicagoamaThe Chicago AMA continues its tradition of inviting the larger community of nonprofit marketers to participate in open dialogue and identify key trends and tectonic shifts in the field for the coming year. This collaborative process will shape a vital program to support shared interests and hone high-priority focus areas for communication and development professionals. As with previous years, the outcome will be a series of dynamic conversations between thought leaders sharing ideas, best practices and resources to help them gain a fresh perspective, build relationships and develop innovative strategies.

The program comprises two distinct, yet related tracks: a think tank for marketers of nonprofit organizations and a think tank for marketers of higher education institutions. Participants begin their discussion with a starter list of topics. At the end of each think tank, they will have defined three to four major topics with talking points for the 2015 program year.

Below are the starter lists for each Special Interest Group (SIG), event details and registration links. Admission is free. Sign up today for one or both!

IMG_5576Chicago AMA Nonprofit Marketing Think Tank
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
8:00 am – 10:00 am
The Chicago Community Trust
225 N. Michigan Avenue
Suite 2200

Chicago, IL 60601

Nonprofit SIG Preliminary Topics:

  • Content marketing tools and social media
  • Mobile & responsive website design
  • Personalizing donor communications
  • Big Data for fundraisers
  • Different types of gifts – from bequests to monthly giving
  • Direct mail & acquiring new donors
  • Bring media back to social media – producing videos, photos & infographics
  • Strategic planning & engaging your stakeholders
  • Why can’t we be friends?  Successful Executive Director & Development Director relationships
  • #GivingTuesday on December 2nd

Registration: http://alturl.com/iat5p

IMG_5535Chicago AMA Higher Education Marketing Think Tank
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
i.c.stars
415 N. Dearborn St.
Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60654

Higher Ed SIG Preliminary Topics:

  • How can cause marketing advance your institutions reputation?
  • Social media as a recruitment tool
  • From school rankings to student outcomes, what is most compelling?
  • Using your brand as a recruitment tool
  • How do you develop your school’s value proposition
  • Mobilizing the university to support your marketing efforts
  • Webcentric – What’s the outlook for web communication?

Registration: http://alturl.com/q2eeg

Mission-Driven Marketing™: Sound Bites from the SIG

How can a nonprofit emerge from the recession better off than before?

The Chicago AMA Nonprofit SIG kicked off the year with a fresh look at what it means to be innovative in facing today’s challenges. A team of thought leaders in the nonprofit sector led a dynamic discussion about the role Mission-Driven Marketing™ must play in our organizations in order to achieve a renaissance. Below are some memorable quotes we picked up from the panel. Feel free to add some of your own.

John Davidoff
Founder & Managing Director
Davidoff Communications

  • cc-ama_davidoffWe can choose to see the recession as a gift, an opportunity for transformation that will allow us to thrive in this new world.
  • In difficult times, being authentic is about constructive transparency, being honest about our circumstances and stating how we will address it. It’s not about being a victim.

Emily Dreke
Director of Development and Communications
Chicago Foundation for Women

  • cc-ama_drekeIn the face of declining government funding and a difficult economy, more mergers in the nonprofit sector have become a reality.
  • Putting mission first meant having the courage to have difficult conversations around the mission and acting on our bigger commitment–serving the women who need our help.

Steve Ford
Executive Vice President—Chief Communications and Marketing Officer
Muscular Dystrophy Association.

  • cc-ama_fordCreating a strong and unique brand experience is key to telling a compelling story about your mission.
  • Communicating your mission is more than achieving awareness. It must be about relevance.

Otto Reinisch
Director of Organizational Development
Episcopal Charities and Community Services

  • cc-ama_reinischMarketing your mission is a great opportunity to strategically engage your board of directors.
  • Communicating need does not inspire giving. Sharing your vision of abundance does.

May 16 is my day for storytelling. Could be yours, too.

It begins with… bre003

a visit to the Chicago AMA’s morning session that will reexamine how you can effectively tell your story to the right people in the right place at the right time. NPO Marketers, Is Your Message On-Target? brings together a panel of seasoned communicators in the nonprofit sector for a dialogue about how to hone in on a specific segment of your audience with a focused message and call-to-action. 8:15–10:00am / Merit School of Music, 38 S. Peoria 60607

…and ends with…

an evening conversation about applying what we know about targeted messaging to social media. Who is the Face (and Voice) of Your Mission? highlights how you can be strategic in converting your audience in the virtual space into real supporters who are actively engaged with your cause. 5:30–8:00pm / i.c.stars, 415 N. Dearborn 60654

What happens in between is a whole lot of writing, but I shouldn’t bore you with the details!