By Tom Peterson Not too long ago many nonprofits looked askance at the idea of marketing. In the mid-nineties, an organization I worked with was raising about $3 million a year from what we would today call marketing. Some colleagues—particularly Michael Cervino, who had helped grow Habitat for Humanity—and I had […]
How one guy’s simple goal, and one woman’s determination led to Oprah’s “all-time favorite guest” By Tom Peterson Ray White’s 30-year journalism career and passion for the cause made him a great, though unassuming, leader of public relations much of the time I was at Heifer International. While the team was small—Ray, an associate, […]
Be clear about what you want people to do. By Tom Peterson Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth gives an inside look at a presentation the former vice president made more than a thousand times. After two hours of information alerting the audience to the crisis of climate change, Gore ends with […]
By Tom Peterson Do your cause a favor and adapt your words to fit the folks you’re talking with. I occasionally shop at a Target store near my house. The retailer recently mailed me a large brochure with 24 coupons: 25% off spices, 15% off pillows, 25% off sliced jalapeños. These coupons […]
By Tom Peterson Who is your target audience? Each student in my class—marketing for nonprofits and social change at the Clinton School of Public Service—creates a marketing plan for a real organization. They work on it all semester. As the weeks progress we go over their work, and almost every year, no […]
By Tom Peterson What I really need… or want! One day driving on a busy street in my neighborhood I noticed little girl and boy in their yard holding up signs, flagging down cars. A few adults sat in lawn chairs watching and laughing. I was about to keep going when I realized what was […]
We’ve all sat through talks where some blowhard toots his own horn about saving the world: I did this and I did that. Look how wonderful I am, look how great my work is. He ends by asking for the audience’s support. At best a few people may join up and at […]
You’ve already know about the 80/20 rule so this is a reminder—because four-out-of-five times it will help you focus on what’s important. In 1906 economist Vilfredo Pareto was studying land ownership in Italy and found that 20 percent of the people owned 80 percent of the land. The remaining 80 percent of […]
Click HERE or on the image for a free pdf E-Chapter, Brand Your Cause. Each year thousands, if not millions, will come into contact with your group. They may catch 60 seconds on the local news, see a magazine article or a friend’s Face- book like. They may glimpse it on […]
Click HERE for Tom Peterson’s New Book! By Tom Peterson From his Los Angeles podcasting garage Marc Maron recently interviewed President Barack Obama. “When I ran in 2008 there were those posters out there: ‘Hope’ and ‘Change,’” Obama said. “Those are capturing aspirations about where we should be going—a society that’s more just, […]
