You may know, or perhaps you don’t, that Front Porch Marketing has worked with and helped support many non-profits over the years. It’s one of our pillars of focus. We love being passionate about their passions! As a result, we have written multiple focused blog posts over the past decade that might be of use to those in that sector.

Whether you’re looking for tips on event planning or social media, from email marketing to prioritizing what an outside agency could help you with, here are our favorite posts to get you started thinking in a direction that can help your organization grow.

Non-Profit Marketing Tips to Grow Your Passion

Ready to get started? First, find out What Leaders Should Focus On in Marketing and Branding. You’ll want to track The Evolution of Your Brand’s Visual Identity

so that your organization can grow with your donors and supporters. And, you’ll want to know all The Benefits of Being Community Connected as a non-profit in your area. Setting a strong foundation for your non-profit marketing is the key to successful fundraising, events, marketing and advertising.

Becoming practiced at telling your non-profit’s story is important. You’ll be able to see The Impact of Brand Storytelling when you hone your branding, mission statement and elevator pitch.

Marketing Tactics for Non-Profit Success

Setting up a marketing system is crucial for non-profit businesses. You’ll get great tips for creating Content Marketing for the Win. Content marketing coordinates blog posts, email marketing, and social media together to build relationships with donors, supporters and advocates. We make the case for Why You Should Use Email Marketing.

In addition, we advocate for at least bi-monthly blog posts, as well as appropriate social media channel marketing. Most of our non-profit clients find that Facebook and Instagram works well for them. Many Fundraising Strategies for Non-Profits are built using these content marketing tactics.

Behind the Scenes Support

In addition to donor marketing tips, you’ll find extras like Tips on Gearing Up for a Yearly “Giving Day” as well as Tips for Non-Profit Communicators. We’ve also realized that some of our non-profit clients continue to have the same challenges, so we have shared Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them so that they’d have a guide to running more efficiently and effectively.

Overall, if your non-profit could use a little boost in any area of marketing, PR, advertising or strategy, give us a shout! We’d love to help your passion become a reality and grow to support more of the communities you love.

Join us in welcoming our second fall intern this year, Macy Vatter. We can’t wait to learn more about Macy! We asked her a few questions to get to know her better. She’s a student at Texas Christian University majoring in strategic communication and minoring in entrepreneurship. Macy is excited to gain hands-on marketing experience, contribute to impactful projects, and to learn from the other businesses Front Porch Marketing works with. Thanks for choosing us Macy!

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

That the general public is the target audience. Powerful marketing focuses on a specific target market because different people have different needs, wants, and motivations.  

What advice would Macy give to her younger self?

It is okay to make mistakes along the way, but it’s how you learn and move on from those mistakes that matters. 

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is how quickly college pushes you into adulthood. The transition from high school to being independent happens much faster than you expect, and you learn a lot about yourself along the way.

What does good brand strategy look like?

A good brand strategy allows people to clearly recognize who a brand is and what it stands for without needing an explanation. 

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

Switzerland in the mountains.

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

I would go to dinner with my friend John Paul who I met in Uganda when I was on a mission trip my senior year of high school.

If you could describe Macy Vatter in three words what would they be?

Three words to describe myself would be kind, personable, and empathetic.

Tell us about a major milestone in your life?

A major milestone in my life was moving away from home for college without knowing anyone. I grew up surrounded by a strong community of family and friends, so leaving that comfort and familiarity behind was a big adjustment. Although it was challenging at first, stepping into a completely new environment pushed me outside of my comfort zone and ultimately became one of the best experiences of my life. 

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

Front Porch Marketing differentiates itself from other marketing companies through its personal and relationship-driven approach. Rather than treating every client the same, the team takes the time to truly understand each client. I think the genuine relationships they build with their clients allow them to create more unique marketing strategies that feel authentic and personalized.

What is a fun fact about you?

I was born and raised in Colorado, and aside from leaving for college, it will always be my home. I plan to move back eventually and make Colorado my forever home.

It’s fall again, and we are welcoming Natalia Meave, our newest intern rocker, to our marketing team. We’re so excited to learn more about Natalia, aren’t you? We asked her a few questions to get to know her better. She’s a student at The University of Texas at Austin majoring in advertising and minoring in business. Natalia loves creative strategy, storytelling and finding fresh ways to connect with audiences. We love that you chose us Natalia!

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

The biggest misconception about marketing today is that it’s just a tool to sell things to people. Marketing is way more than just transactional; it connects people across cultures and shapes the way we view the world!

What advice would Natalia give to her younger self?

Let go of self-doubt. True growth only happens when you aren’t confined to limiting beliefs!

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?

The art of “boiling” problems down to their essence in order to reach solutions more efficiently, as taught by my business law professor. Identifying a clear, main reason behind an action clears the way for creativity and strategy to blossom.

What does good brand strategy look like?

Good brand strategy starts with knowing your audience deeply. Genuine connection between brands and customers is crucial in building the loyalty that is foundational to long-term brand success. 

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

I would go to Mexico City right now. Cool sunny weather, gorgeous architecture, unbeatable vintage shopping, and endless options for the best food you’ll ever have in your life — you just can’t beat it!

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

Probably someone like Morgan Freeman. I’d like to hear all of the Hollywood stories and secrets with objectively the best voice in the history of narration. 

If you could describe Natalia Meave in three words what would they be?

Authentic, vibrant, and driven.

Tell us about a major milestone in your life?

One of my proudest milestones has been taking on leadership roles in the various organizations I’ve been involved in. 

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

Front Porch does the hands on work that drives real results for our clients. We work closely and personally with every client, getting to know their business from the inside out to deliver unique results.

What is a fun fact about you?

I’m a triplet! 

This summer, we’re welcoming a second high school intern from Ursuline: Lucy Sanders. Lucy is a rising senior at Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She is interested in expanding her knowledge of advertising and marketing while collaborating on creative, impactful projects. We asked Lucy a few questions so our readers could get to know her a little better.

What makes you want to have a career in marketing?

I want to have a career in marketing because I have always been a creative person and enjoy coming up with new ideas. Marketing gives me the chance to use my creativity to help businesses connect with target audiences and share their messages.I think a common misconception about marketing is that a brand’s reputation relies mainly on a marketer’s direct efforts. Instead, positive brand perception is built through intentional relationships between the brand and its consumers.

What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life?

Stop worrying about what others might think. Do what makes YOU happy because those who love and accept you won’t judge you for being yourself.

If you could describe Lucy Sanders in three words what would they be?

I would describe myself as creative, optimistic, and compassionate.

What are your goals for your time at Front Porch Marketing?

My goals during my time at Front Porch Marketing are to expand my knowledge of marketing and gain hands-on experience in a professional environment. I am excited to learn new skills and apply them while working on real projects.communicating that voice is for the marketer to see their brand through their consumers’ eyes.

What do you think a good brand strategy should look like?

A good brand strategy focuses on the core principles of the brand’s actions and decisions. From there, the brand can establish a visually appealing identity through the color palette, logo, and overall aesthetic that appeals to their target audience.

Tell us about a major milestone so far in your life!

Educational Outreach (CLEO), a program that helps senior citizens learn how to use technology. This experience taught me the importance of patience and service in my daily life.

What is a fun fact about you?

One fun fact about me is that I have ridden in a helicopter before!

We hope Lucy has learned a little more about a possible future profession in our industry at Front Porch Marketing. We’ve certainly enjoyed working with her this summer and wish her well in her senior year at Ursuline!

This summer, we’re once again welcoming high school interns from Ursuline: joining us first this summer is Sarah Muck. Sarah is a rising senior at Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She is interested in pursuing a business degree in college, potentially with a marketing focus. We love that! We also love paying it forward every summer by sharing the wonderful world of marketing with the next generation. As we usually do, we asked Sarah a few questions so our readers could get to know her a little better.

What do you think the biggest misconception about marketing is today?

I think a common misconception about marketing is that a brand’s reputation relies mainly on a marketer’s direct efforts. Instead, positive brand perception is built through intentional relationships between the brand and its consumers.

What is one of the biggest lessons you have learned so far in your life?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that it’s never too early to network. Building meaningful connections can be as simple as initiating a conversation in the hallway or inviting someone to sit with you at lunch.

If you could describe Sarah Muck in three words what would they be?

I would say balanced, goal-oriented and creative.

What do you think a good brand strategy should look like?

Good brand strategy starts with understanding your consumers. Every brand has their own unique voice and the key to effectively communicating that voice is for the marketer to see their brand through their consumers’ eyes.

Tell us about a major milestone so far in your life!

When I was a freshman at Ursuline, I got my first job at a local juice bar. Working a real-world job was one of the first “adult” experiences I had, and I’ve loved working there for the past three years.

What is a fun fact about you?

I have the best two older sisters!

We hope Sarah learns a little more about a possible future profession in our industry at Front Porch Marketing. We’re certainly enjoying working with her this summer!

This summer, we are welcoming Alexa Sims, our newest intern rocker, to our growing team. As with all our new team members we love to find out more! So we asked her a few questions to get to know her better. She’s a student at Baylor University in Waco majoring in economics and communications. Alexa is passionate about creating engaging content and building authentic connections with audiences. Way to go, Alexa!

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

I think a big misconception in marketing is that it is simply getting your product out there. In reality, marketing is about forming personal connections with customers and letting them see how your product would benefit them more than other available options.

What advice would Alexa Sims give to her younger self?

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if you don’t enjoy it, you learn something new about yourself!

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?

College has taught me the importance of the community you build and connections you form with those around you. Seemingly unimportant conversations can pave the way for lessons learned and opportunities given. 

What does good brand strategy look like?

Good brand strategy looks like personality, showing people who you are as a brand and the things that set you apart. It allows people to connect with and trust you as people behind a brand. 

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

On the lake with my 3 younger siblings!

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

I would love to be able to talk with C.S. Lewis! I grew up reading Narnia and some of his other works and I feel like I could rally learn a lot from a conversation with him.

If you could describe Alexa Sims in three words what would they be?

I would describe myself as compassionate, dependable, and creative.

Tell us about a major milestone in your life?

One of my most recent milestones was going overseas for the first time! I went to Italy for a week through Baylor and I had so much fun learning more about the history and culture and more about myself. 

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

What differentiates Front Porch Marketing is the relationships, both among those who work here and with our clients. There is an atmosphere of kindness, friendliness and helpfulness that cannot be found anywhere else.

What is a fun fact about you?

I do competitive gymnastics through Baylor!

You might have a love/hate relationship with summer when you’re in marketing. Either you’re working six months ahead and now is your busy season ramping up for the holidays. Or, your clients are on vacation, you’re on vacation, your kids are at home with you and it feels like nothing is getting done. Time to manage everyone’s expectations.

If you’re in the latter camp, then you’re probably looking for ways to do less but still be effective while everyone is most definitely not on a regular schedule. At Front Porch Marketing, most of us are this person. So we’ve gotten really good at being efficient AND effective in the summer. So we’ve rounded up all our summertime tips from the past few years for you, and hopefully this will help.

Summer-fying Your Brand

Maybe you want to change things up slightly for the summer? Make your brand colors lighter and brighter, or brand voice more laid-back? Try this article for tips on making your brand have more summer feels.

And hey, you’ve done A LOT of work, visually and verbally, on your brand this year. So we’re thinking “What can you re-use, re-work and re-up for the summer?” One way to do more with less in summer marketing, is to rework the assets you already have into something fresh, instead of starting from scratch. Who has time for that!

Reaching Your Audience in the Summer

It’s not just you and your clients that are in a summer frame of mind, your customers are too! Whether that’s a B2B customer or a consumer, it helps to put yourself in their shoes when planning your marketing in the vacay months. There’s definitely a psychology to summer shopping so keep that in mind.

If you’re in PR, your audience is the media and believe it or not, this is a hot time to pitch your PR stories. And you’ve probably got more time to do it, and less competition. Fine tune your strategy in the summer time to get the most response from your efforts.

And for service-based businesses, we’ve got a whole cheat sheet of summer strategy tips to keep right on growing your business right through this season and into fall. You can never go wrong focusing on your customers’ needs and answering their summertime questions.

Keep it Steady, Rockin’ the Summer Season

Ready for a successful summer of marketing? Slow down, get done what you have to, and if you need help with any of it, let us know!

Need to polish up your social media? Want to get started on LinkedIn to help reach customers for your small business? We’ve got you covered! Front Porch Marketing handles social for several B2B businesses to help them build their brand. We help then reach new and old customers and grow their bottom line.

Often, this marketing endeavor is a lot to figure out, so here is a cheat sheet of some of our tips and tricks. Get started using a marketing channel that is cost-effective, targeted and can help make a difference.

Social Media Beginnings

How to Create an Audit: Start by taking stock of your current digital situation. Then set up your next steps. This article walks you through an audit.

Social for Small Business: First, we advise you to start small and use this article to help you assess the assets you already have. Repurpose them and figure out a game plan to optimize with less.

Where and What to Post

The Best Platforms for Your Business: Focus on your goals, your audience and what you are willing to create. Read this article to pick the right platform.

Post That Perform Best: Top 5 for Social Media: Don’t know what kind of content to create? There’s a tutorial article that can help you decide and tackle your next step.

Making Your Digital Efforts Efficient

Automating Your Social Media: Why & How to Do It: Work smarter, not harder. Use automation to help you get more done. When done properly, it saves your valuable time.

Spring Cleaning Your Social Media: Much like an audit, a good spring cleaning helps you focus your business intentions on social media.

Extras to Build Your Brand

How Social Media PR Works: Combining the efforts of digital and PR is a dynamic duo. Take advantage of this marketing partnership with tips from this article.

Team Activation: Elevate Your Social Media Engagement to Benefit All: Finally, when your business team is involved, you make your company’s social media stronger.

There’s No Better Time to Start Than Now

Overall, social reaches your audience whether your business is direct to consumer, a service or B2B. So if you’ve always wanted your small business to have more presence, strong messaging, clear goals and connection with customers, consider social media as a great channel choice. With the articles we share every week, gathered here, we hope that you’ll be able to take some of this insight into building your company’s voice in the digital world. And of course, if you need more guidance or help getting it done, let us know!

This month, we are welcoming Peyton Gray, our newest intern rocker, to the team. So as we always do, we asked her a few questions to get to know her better! She’s a student at The University of Texas in Austin majoring in journalism. Peyton is passionate about thoughtful communication, creative collaboration and building meaningful connections through media and storytelling. We love that!

What is the biggest misconception about marketing today?

I think a common myth is that good products will sell themselves and success will happen immediately, which I believe overlooks human behavior and crowded markets. Marketing is even more important today than it ever has been because brands must work to intentionally capture their audience and build trust. 

What advice would Peyton Gray give to her younger self?

If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her that everything works out, even if it doesn’t happen exactly how you planned it!

What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned so far at school?

College has taught me how important it is to build a strong community. Finding people you can relax, study, work and have fun with creates a space where you not only survive but begin to thrive. 

What does good brand strategy look like?

A good brand strategy begins with a steady and strong brand identity. Using this as an anchor, a brand can establish a clear presence and cohesive image. 

If you could be anywhere in the world right now where would it be?

I would be in Paris, France! I visited the summer after my senior year of high school with my mom and was lucky enough to return for the Paris Olympics the following year — I am already planning my trip back after I graduate and CAN’T WAIT!

If you could go to dinner with one person living or dead who would it be?

I would have dinner with Princess Diana. Aside from the fact that I think she is absolutely the most elegant woman of all time, I really admire her strong character and love for those around her.

If you could describe Peyton Gray in three words what would they be?

I would describe myself as optimistic, determined and creative.

Tell us about a major milestone in your life?

One major milestone in my life was leading the recruitment of a pledge class of 95 members into my sorority at UT.  I learned so much about leadership, relationship building, analytics and teamwork all while making 95 freshmen comfortable and confident in a new place! 

From your perspective, how does Front Porch Marketing differentiate itself from other marketing companies?

What drew me into Front Porch Marketing, and what I believe sets the company apart, is how personable and intentional each member of the team is. Even in my interview I could tell how much each member was valued and supported, making me eager to join and get started. Front Porch is collaborative, intentional and genuinely people-oriented. 

This week, we’re welcoming Sydney McKinney to our team as our newest rocker! She is our new guru of problem-solving and detail, and who doesn’t love that! Sydney says she is thrilled to join the Front Porch team and looks forward to helping make everyone’s life a little easier every day.

Sydney sat down with us on the Porch for a chat:

1. What is the biggest misconception about about the work you do?

The biggest misconception is that all I do is color code and look at a calendar.

3. What advice would you give to younger Sydney McKinney?

Don’t worry so much and trust in the Lord.

4. What is one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in your career?

When asked to do something outside of your comfort zone in a job, always say yes. You never know what opportunities might come out of it.

5. What does good work team look like?

A team that communicates well and can rely on each other.

6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?

Sydney, Australia. I have always wanted to visit the location matching my name!

7. If you could go to dinner with one person, living or dead, who would it be?

I would have dinner with my grandma. She passed away when I was too young to have taken advantage of conversations with her so I would love to be able to chat with her now as an adult!

8. If you could describe Sydney McKinney in three words, what would they be?

Motivated. Planner. Friend.

9. Tell us about a major milestone in your life.

Becoming a mom in the last year has been a huge milestone and I am loving every second of it. My daughter is a true joy and an “easy” baby, so I have been so blessed in that regard as I navigate the new season of motherhood.

10. What is a fun fact about you?

I have been to all 50 states!

What’s coming up for Sydney McKinney on The Porch?

Well, we sure hope that Sydney gets to see Sydney sooner than later! We’re super excited to have her expertise on our team, as our client roster continues to grow and we take on more and more challenging assignments. Welcome Sydney!