Jennifer E Goldman, Nonprofit Consultant

November tends to be a month of practicing gratitude. And who would argue that? Gratitude is never a bad idea. Gratitude, however, is a concept that is applied to the past and the present, typically. But what about the future? Personally, at this time of year, I’m preparing for the holiday season – time with friends and family, expressing gratitude, love, charitable giving, and my not-so-warm feelings about cold weather. Professionally, however, I’m thinking about my business and how I’d like it to perform next year. Not just how it will perform, but what types of projects I want to work on and who I want to work with. I hesitate to call it goal setting because that just seems so cliché. And I refuse to think of my goals as being SMART (if you haven’t heard that one yet, Google it). Plus, goals are for sports. I’d rather set a whole plan in motion. This is a time of year to be intentional. But more than that; it’s a time of year to be real with yourself. There’s a brand spankin’ new ye...

There’s nothing worse than setting up a table at an event and watching every single attendee ignore you. Oh, wait – there is. To add insult to injury, most likely you paid for this privilege. As someone who is involved in planning and carrying out large-scale community events, it’s really painful for me to witness this. While I’m grateful for businesses that are willing to pay big price tags to participate in events, I want to see everyone having a great experience and finding it worth their time and money. Some participants just magically know how to engage a crowd and it shows; they’re generally the ones with big groups of people around their table or tent. Some of the most engaging event participants I’ve seen have done things like bring a prize wheel, have really exciting raffle prizes, offer face painting to children, or set up a little table where kids can paint a pumpkin or plant a seed. If your company is participating in events and looking for better ways to engage with the co...

The end of the year holidays are a busy time for everyone, personally. But while some businesses are doing double-time to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, others are woefully slow. Regardless of which type of business you own, there are several ways that you can capitalize on your time during the season that will benefit your business. I’ve compiled a list of ideas to share with you – some will be perfect for your business and others will be perfect for someone else. Increasing sales 1. Give away a gift with each minimum purchase or signed contract 2. Create a digital marketing campaign around a competition or drawing 3. Donate a portion of sales to a charity of your choice For your current customers 4. Send hand-written thank you/holiday cards 5. Create and share holiday gratitude videos 6. Share your personal 2021 story in an email Just for fun 7. Decorate your storefront. Extra bonus points if you get your neighbors to do the same. Super ext...