Marketing and Communications Talent Drives Social Impact

How can today’s nonprofits use social media to connect with the people they serve? How can they create brands that appeal to both homeless youth and millionaire donors? How can they reach the right audiences with the right messages at the right times?  Those are questions that keep many nonprofit leaders up at night.

Fortunately for nine local nonprofits, they don’t have to answer these questions alone. As part of AIG’s Global Volunteer Month, AIG launched it’s first-ever Speed Consulting event to provide these organizations with consulting support from some of the top marketing and communications professionals in the field.

If you’re wondering what Speed Consulting looks like, imagine speed dating – but with world-class consulting advice instead of awkward small talk. During this event, representatives from the selected nonprofits met with 27 AIG experts ranging from the Chief Communications Officer to the company’s Global Head of Customer Experience. Over the course of three one-hour sessions, they explored strategic questions around branding, marketing, key messages, social media, and digital platforms.

In this short amount of time, the support from executives with a global perspective had a clear impact on nonprofit participants.

“It was a great opportunity to be asked thought-provoking questions about our organization and to think about how we can have a greater impact and do our work more strategically,” one nonprofit leader said after the session. “It was also a great way to meet and network with professionals and raise visibility for our organization.”

Another nonprofit leader explained that the event was especially valuable for her small organization. “Our staff often does not have the capacity to think about these challenges,” she said, “so this event gave us time and space to think about and discuss some of the big questions related to our work – and also gave us a fresh perspective.”

Nonprofit leaders went home with recommendations for re-branding their organizations, key messages for new audiences, and new social media strategies. But the impact of the event didn’t stop there. Most AIG volunteers found that they learned just as much as they shared.

“Teaching is the best learning experience,” one executive said after the event, “I felt that I was able to provide feedback and advice that I wasn't aware that I had. It was valuable for the nonprofit partners to hear what has and hasn't worked in my previous roles and companies.”

Another AIG volunteer highlighted the surprising similarities between the challenges facing nonprofit leaders and the issues he deals with day-to-day. “I really enjoyed hearing about the nonprofit organizations and their challenges,” he explained. “It's fascinating how similar our issues are in some respects, and it helps me think about new ways to address my daily work.”

Ultimately, the AIG Speed Consulting event helped nine nonprofit organizations grow their revenue, reach more New Yorkers, and provide more effective services. At the same time, the event built a bridge between nonprofit leaders and top talent at one of the city’s largest companies, laying the groundwork for future partnerships, collaboration, and impact.

About the Taproot Foundation
Taproot Foundation, a U.S. based nonprofit, connects nonprofits and social change organizations with passionate, skilled volunteers who share their expertise pro bono. Taproot is creating a world where organizations dedicated to social change have full access—through pro bono service—to the marketing, strategy, HR, and IT resources they need to be most effective. Since 2001, Taproot’s skilled volunteers have served 4,600 social change organizations providing 1.5 million hours of work worth over $160 million in value. Taproot is located in New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Chicago and is leading a network of global pro bono providers in over 30 countries around the world. 
www.taprootfoundation.org @taprootfound