I was one of the presenters on the second day of Connecting Up 2012, where I led a session covering marketing and how not-for-profit organisations can develop a marketing plan around their key strengths.

While understanding one’s strengths is important in most contexts, it is particularly important in not-for-profit organisations where there are competing demands and limited resources.

A strength is something an organisation does well and typically does better than others, providing a unique attribute that differentiates the organisation in terms of receiving clients, volunteers, supporters, donations or grants from funding bodies.

Marketing Your Strengths outlined the process required to develop a marketing plan looked at how a not-for-profit organisation can frame its key messages and reach its target market. Continue Reading →

Content from Marketing Your Strengths – Presenting at Connecting Up 2012

Connecting Up is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to enhance the level of IT and technology within other not-for-profit organisations. Connecting Up holds an annual conference and this year I was a guest presenter holding the session ‘Marketing Your Strengths’.

The Connecting Up Conference began with a breakfast featuring two speakers from the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). The Commission is as a statutory authority responsible for regulating the not-for-profit sector.

The Commission’s short-term focus will be charities, particularly in considering taxation concessions (such as DGR and PBI status) and reporting requirements. It is anticipated however that other not-for-profit organisations will be part of the Commission’s responsibilities over the longer term. Continue Reading →

Content from #CU12 – the Connecting Up 2012 Conference

I will be speaking at the #CU12 Conference where I will be presenting the session Marketing Your Strengths from 1.30pm at North Wharf 1 on Wednesday.

Connecting Up is a not-for-profit organisation that encourages the use and adoption of IT within community organisations, with the conference covering marketing, social media and information technology.

ConnectingUp encouraged presenters to provide a guest blog post and the following article provides an introduction to our Power Session – Marketing Your Strengths:

Need a good example of a successful marketing campaign? Alex Makin from Syneka Marketing shares a case study from Eastern Volunteers

Marketing, like most other activities, works best when you identify your goals. Continue Reading →

Content from Connecting Up Guest Post – Foundations of a Marketing Campaign

Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit organisation, that provides volunteer recruitment and community assisted transport across the Cities of Whitehorse, Maroondah and the Yarra Ranges. Like many community organisations, Eastern Volunteers has had a transient history, being moved from various locations over its 35 year history.

In 2006, Eastern Volunteers established the goal of wanting to purchase its own premises, providing an opportunity to establish a permanent and accessible location for the delivery of its services. To assist in this objective Eastern Volunteers established a Building Fund, diverting half of its operational surplus to enable a property purchase.

In 2011, the building that was being leased by Eastern Volunteers became available for purchase. Continue Reading →

Content from Eastern Volunteers Building Unveiling

Whatever your chosen profession, detailed below is a checklist of key attributes displayed by those who are at the top of their profession – as leaders of their people and a credit to themselves and their organisation.

LEADERSHIP. Develop and communicate clearly a vision of the future that is in line with the corporate vision, mission and goals. Top leaders challenge the status quo within their span of control and field of influence and seek innovative ways to move forward toward making the vision a reality. They take risks and inspire and empower others to be a part of making that vision a reality. Continue Reading →

Content from Leadership Excellence: Attributes of High Achievers

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is one of several clubs that is developing a pilot program for Corporate Membership.  The program aims to connect Rotary with the next generation of business owners and leaders.

This evening the Rotary Club of Ringwood held its second business seminar where attendees heard from Phil Turner, the Director of City Development and Chris Zidak, Manager of Business Development.

Phil and Chris discussed upcoming projects and development within Ringwood and Maroondah.  The discussion explored the current pace of residential and commercial development, as well as initiatives undertaken by Council such as the redevelopment of Ringwood Library and the Ringwood Aquatic Centre. Continue Reading →

Content from The Rotary Club of Ringwood: Business Seminar – understanding the local economy

The Inner North Cluster (INC) is a collective of six neighbourhood and community houses located in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs.

This afternoon I was invited to discuss a collective marketing approach that the cluster could use to provide a regional identity for their services.  Community houses typically work collaboratively and a regional identity can strengthen the ability of the houses to collaborate with government, businesses and the wider community.

While a regional identity will assist in reaching a wider network, it is important that the branding of individual houses is not diminished.  Each house should identify its unique strengths and utilise these to develop a brand that complements the regional approach. Continue Reading →

Content from Discussing marketing with the Inner North Cluster of Community and Neighbourhood Houses

The Rotary eClub of Greater Melbourne, is a provisional Rotary Club that will operate as an eClub, through online forums and conferencing, rather than a traditional meeting environment.

Syneka Marketing developed the website and membership infrastructure for the Rotary eClub of Greater Melbourne, enabling Rotary to provide a Club for people who may not be able to attend traditional Rotary meetings. The website is integrated with social media, meaning that members can connect to the eClub through the blog, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Members are able to interact with each other through the member forums, or through conferencing functionality. This enables the eClub to replicate the meeting environment into a format this suitable online. Continue Reading →

Content from Rotary eClub of Greater Melbourne

Are you serious about gaining more members? Are you serious about earning more revenue from your members? I constantly hear the words ‘of course we are’, yet, the reality is often different.

Building a strong, loyal membership in your organisation takes time; it is a systematic process; it needs total commitment from all of those on your team and your executive committee; it takes money – a wisely spent investment will gain you explosive membership growth.

This is what causes the problem … few people have the time; many people haven’t got a clue how to create a sustainable, dynamic system; membership development is often buried deeply (and sometimes irretrievably) in a committee’s agenda and, as for investing some money in a worthwhile member development program … it is easier to take the ‘safe’ option – bury ones’ head in the sand and do nothing. Continue Reading →

Content from The Three Steps to Membership Success

A profitable business provides motivation for ongoing growth and development. A business does this by finding a need in the market and aiming to fulfil these needs through its products and services.

For example, Johnson & Johnson exists to advance healthcare to people of all ages, and in the case which I am familiar with, NIKE exists to help athletes improve their performance in their sporting pursuits.

This is the point of origin in which the company started, because:

• They are convinced of a better solution to what was available then
• They sense an unfulfilled needs that can benefit the target market

There is a difference in NIKE selling shoes because it has the best designed shoes in the market place or NIKE selling shoes because it can help an athlete achieve a personal best. Continue Reading →

Content from Do you Start with the ‘Why’?