Over a year ago, I read Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara — a New York Times Bestseller that, for me, was nothing short of life-changing. Shortly after finishing it, I drafted a blog post outlining my top five takeaways… and then, like many drafts, it sat unpublished. Fast forward to March 2025: after a weighty career transition to International Justice Mission (IJM), a season of deep self-reflection, and countless personal and professional breakthroughs, I found myself on the other side of something I would never have imagined — the opportunity to interview Will Guidara himself. He graciously joined one of our recent IJM Strategic Partnerships team meetings for an unforgettable 30-minute conversation. A huge moment for our team. What followed wasn’t...
Smart Strategies to Streamline Your Marketing and Set the Stage for a Strong Q2 The close of this year’s first quarter is coming to a close soon, but your momentum is just beginning. Instead of focusing on missed opportunities, take stock of what you’ve already accomplished—you have the rest of the year ahead to build on that foundation. The key? Precision over distraction. As Rory Vaden says, “When you have diluted focus, you get diluted results.” If you’re feeling stretched between content creation, campaigns, analytics, and engagement, it’s time to shift your approach. Instead of working harder, focus on working smarter. Rather than spreading yourself thin across every marketing channel, zero in on one area where you can go deeper....
Delivering the Right Message at the Right Time Marketing success isn’t just about what you say—it’s about when and to whom you say it. Not everyone in your audience is at the same stage, and a great message delivered at the wrong time is still the wrong message. Segmentation ensures that you’re not treating your entire audience as a monolith. Instead, you’re tailoring your approach based on their level of awareness, engagement, and readiness to act. This precision leads to higher engagement, stronger relationships, and better conversions over time. Understanding the Three Key Audience Segments To communicate effectively, you must first identify where your audience is in their journey with your brand: 📌 New Audience Members – These are people...
As we close out 2024, I wanted to take a moment to connect with you, share a short reflection, and offer some resources that I’ve been working on over the last several months. Our mission at Do What Lasts is rooted in creating meaningful, lasting impact, and this year has been full of opportunities to do that—both in the work we’ve done and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. I hope these words and resources encourage you as you reflect on your own year and look ahead to what’s next. Recap: 2024 in the RearviewWith 2024 now in the rearview mirror, I’ve been reflecting on the highlights, challenges, and moments of growth that defined the year. It’s been...
How to Keep Your Donors Engaged, Inspired, and Generous This Year-End It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right? Christmastime is second to none, but I’m really talking about those last-minute Hail Mary year-end fundraising efforts. I get it—if your organization doesn’t have a solid year-end plan, the scramble to close the gap before December 31st can feel overwhelming. That’s understandable. Many nonprofits, however, rely on a tried-and-true year-end strategy, which is great—until it becomes tired or less effective. We know that most of your major donors contribute one yearly gift, typically between December 1st and 31st. While excellent for cash flow, monthly giving campaigns often account for less than 20% of your overall revenue. While not...
