A new name won’t fix unclear messaging or a fuzzy strategy. If your audiences aren’t defined & your team isn't aligned around goals, a rebrand w/ a new name can create more confusion. Ryan Gerhardt, copy director, shares when a name change makes sense and when it’s time to dig deeper. bit.ly/4mLID54
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP209 How can we build trust, bridge divides, and engage communities?
Trust is low. Division is high. But comms can be part of the solution. @farratrompeter.bsky.social, Doug Hattaway, president of Hattaway Communications, & Erica Pelletreau, founder & CEO, the Pelletreau Group share how to bridge divides, & build trust grounded in research. bit.ly/482Shdx
Stuck in reactive comms mode? 😵💫 Join @farratrompeter.bsky.social, & Ally Dommu for Developing Your Nonprofit’s Communications Plan Leaning Circle, & walk away w/ a plan you can actually use. Brought to you by our friends at Nonprofit New York ⏰ Registration closes April 15 ⏰ www.tfaforms.com/5210197
IMAGE ID: orange background. Ebook cover: Get to know your community: A guide to audience research for nonprofits
Audience research doesn’t have to be complicated. In our new ebook, “Get to know your community: A guide to audience research for nonprofits,” we help you effectively gather insights to strengthen your organization’s communications and inspire action. Download now: bit.ly/4t38mrw
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP208 How can you lead an inclusive strategic planning process?
Strategic planning, but make it inclusive ✨ @farratrompeter.bsky.social and Dr. Renee Rubin Ross, author of Inclusive Strategic Planning for Nonprofits, explore how inclusive strategic planning leads to stronger alignment, deeper buy-in, and more actionable outcomes. bit.ly/3O0Y8ZO
What if you didn’t need a different message for every audience? Nicole Tufts, copywriter, explores how audience research can help you uncover the common threads that connect your donors, volunteers, and advocates, so you can build messaging that’s both consistent and compelling. bit.ly/4byueW0
IMAGE ID: Blue and orange text on a white background. Building Nonprofit Advocacy Capacity. Apply for the Aspen Policy Academy’s free and virtual Building Nonprofit Advocacy Capacity short course by April 5, 2026
📢 Applications are open for @aspenpolicyacademy.bsky.social’s Building Nonprofit Advocacy Capacity course! This free, part-time, virtual program (May 11–15) helps nonprofits build policy advocacy plans from scratch. Details and application: aspenpolicyacademy.org/program/buil...
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP207 How can you center community voices in messaging?
How can organizations truly center community voices in their messaging? @farratrompeter.bsky.social sits down with Logan Herring, CEO of The WRK Group, to talk about practical ways to build messaging rooted in authenticity and lived experience. bit.ly/4bFrJA6
IMAGE ID: Blue background with white text: How to leverage your anniversary campaign to engage supporters (two-part series). April 16th and April 21st, 2-3 pm ET
Don’t miss the early bird! 🐥 Planning a milestone anniversary? Make it more than a celebration. In our 2-part webinar series, learn how to turn your anniversary into a strategic campaign that engages supporters and inspires action. Save 10% with code EARLYDUCK by 3/13. Register: bit.ly/4syuhH3
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP206 How can you use science to engage donors?
Planning a big campaign this year? 🎉📣 @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, talks w/ Cherian Koshy, author of Neurogiving, about how neuroscience can strengthen anniversary, capital, + year-end appeals without sacrificing ethics or trust. bit.ly/4rZyNOL
Grants matter. But if funders want transformational change, investing in nonprofit capacity is just as critical. From trust-based listening to training and coaching, Michelle Behar, senior strategist, shares how to move beyond restricted funding and support long-term impact. 👇 bit.ly/4789Iso
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP205 Why is it important to change how you talk to funders?
Are your grant proposals telling the right story? @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, & grant writer & fundraising strategist, Dani Faulkner, explore how nonprofits can move away from jargon and extractive storytelling and toward values-aligned, community-centered fundraising. bit.ly/46d7NCA
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP204 Is the field of nonprofit communications coming of age?
Is nonprofit communications finally growing up? 🧠🦆 @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, and @kivilm.bsky.social, founder and chief strategy officer of the Nonprofit Marketing Guide, unpack 16 years of trends, where maturity is showing, and what comes next. bit.ly/4aizoUc
Our annual Words to Avoid 2026 edition is here, crowdsourced from all of you and compiled and curated by Nicole Tufts, copywriter, and Ryan Gerhardt, copy director, highlighting overused and harmful phrases and what to say instead to help you communicate w/ more clarity and care. bit.ly/45Epcnn
IMAGE ID: CVH at work. Whether it’s on the streets or in the halls of New York’s capital, CVH members show up making a strong and unified impression.
A fresh identity for a powerful movement. 💙✊🏽 We partnered with Community Voices Heard (@cvhaction.bsky.social) on a nonprofit brand refresh rooted in community voice, equity, and action. 💙 See the case study: bit.ly/3M51B8R
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP203 How to bridge belonging in your narratives?
Belonging isn’t about polishing language; it’s about making space. @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, and Sadé Dozan, vice president of advancement at Borealis Philanthropy, unpack narrative strategy, plain language, and how words can build bridges (or barriers). bit.ly/49UiwTm
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP202 How can you put AI to work for your nonprofit?
AI is showing up across nonprofit work, but many teams are still asking where to begin. @farratrompeter.bsky.social, Cheryl Contee, chief innovation ofcr @ BrightWorksAI.com, & Darian Rodriguez Heyman, founder of Helping People Help digs into practical, ethical ways to put AI to work bit.ly/4jCfsQn
Blue image with white text: Make your marketing plan four part series, Jan 21-Feb 11
Planning season is here—and seats are filling 🦆
Our "Make your marketing plan" series starts Jan 21.
🎟️ Enjoy 15% off tickets for a limited time
👉 Save your spot: bit.ly/4snpIQm
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP201 How do you approach rebranding a 100-year-old nonprofit?
Ally Dommu, dir. of service development, & Brad Drazen, vice president of communications and marketing at Greater Hartford Gives Foundation, explore a real-world nonprofit rebrand. Why it was needed, & what other foundations can learn about relevance, clarity, & community connection. bit.ly/48XCNHn
IMAGE ID: IRC giving program branding on yellow background. Learn how a clear giving brand can build belonging and lift retention. 💛
The International Rescue Committee partnered with Big Duck to create "Rescue Collective", a unified giving brand that brings monthly, mid-level, and legacy donors into a stronger, more connected community. Learn how a clear giving brand can build belonging and lift retention. 💛 bit.ly/499qE3e
Not every milestone needs a gala. 🎉
Before you plan your nonprofit’s anniversary celebration, ask: Should you even celebrate it? And if so, how big should you go?
Ally Dommu, director of service development, shares key questions to ask when deciding 👇
bit.ly/48P82Ei
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP200 How can we reimagine nonprofits and philanthropy?
🎉 200 episodes! 🎉
For this milestone, @farratrompeter.bsky.social sits down with the one and only Vu Le to talk about reimagining nonprofits and philanthropy, challenging “best practices”, and building the future our communities deserve.
A bold, joyful, necessary convo. bit.ly/4a0TJio
"What words do you wish nonprofits would avoid? 🛑 Each year, Big Duck rounds up the most overused words, phrases, and #jargon in the nonprofit world and shares the findings in our blog. Got suggestions? Drop them here! 👇
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP199 How can you find the best parts of your brand?
🧠✨ Every brand has bright spots. Do you know yours? @farratrompeter.bsky.social talks with Lyn Wineman, founder, president, and chief strategist at KidGlov, about how nonprofits can find their best brand elements and decide when to rebrand, refresh, or simply raise awareness. bit.ly/4nPME7m
IMAGE ID: Gray image with branding assets. Attracting support for a cultural landmark: how The Public Theater reimagined its brand. Read the case study
🎭✨ A cultural landmark, reimagined. The Public Theater wanted to honor its legacy and attract new supporters. Big Duck helped refresh their brand to inspire the next generation of audiences and donors.
Read the case study: bigduck.com/work/attract...
Your brand is one of your most powerful tools, but is it working as hard as it could? @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, explores how to assess your brand’s effectiveness and know when it’s time for a refresh. 🦆 bit.ly/4hH3Ev8
IMAGE ID: Graphic with the Big Duck logo and text: “Celebrating 30 years of helping nonprofits communicate powerfully — and 4 years as a worker-owned cooperative.”
🦆🎉 Big Duck celebrates 30 years on the pond and 4 years as a worker-owned cooperative!
Three decades of strengthening nonprofit voices, four years of shared ownership, and a future full of purpose. 💛
IMAGE ID: Green graphic with image and text: The Smart Communications Podcast EP198 What do you need to know about cybersecurity?
🧠💻 Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue; it’s about protecting your people and your mission. @farratrompeter.bsky.social, co-director, talks with Joshua Peskay, co-founder of Meet the Moment, about practical steps nonprofits can take to stay safe, smart, and secure.
bit.ly/4hzjEPF
Event graphic promoting Big Duck’s virtual session on how nonprofit brands can attract and retain great people, happening November 4 from 1–2 PM ET.
Attracting and keeping the right people starts with your brand.
Join Olivia Freire, director of operations &
@farratrompeter.bsky.social
, co-director, on Nov 4, 1–2 PM ET for a virtual session on how authentic branding strengthens recruitment + retention. bit.ly/48LBNrf
