Performing arts organizations have been among the hardest hit nonprofits during Covid-19. From the ballet to Broadway, nonprofits that rely on ticket sales from live audiences packed inside enclosed spaces have scrambled more than most industries to figure out how to survive.Southwest Virginia Ballet has been no exception. When we first featured the Roanoke dance company in August 2020 on BUZZ (episode here) artistic director Pedro Szalay and executive director Carol Jessee were struggling to figure out if, when and how to present its annual holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, the company’s defining work for most of its 30-year history. Their answer — came in part by being featured on BUZZ and their immense creativity and can-do spirit … and is a case study in how to maintain your nonprofit’s vision and mission in spite of a pandemic. BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill chats here with Pedro and Carol.

BUZZ's Inside the Hive: Behind the Scenes of TV's BUZZ

Dancing through Covid: How performing arts nonprofits can survive and thrive through a pandemic

In our Covid-quarantined world, are we screen-fatigued or is video still king in nonprofit marketing? How do you create a TV show with all the social distancing and masking guidelines? What is the biggest marketing need that nonprofits have? And how can a college student who is interested in marketing and design help? Both on this podcast and BUZZ the TV show, BUZZ creator and host Michael Hemphill is used to being the one asking the questions. But Michael recently had the camera and microphone turned on him by Rachel Pottern Nunn, a first year Master's of Fine Arts student in Virginia Tech's Arts Leadership Program. Rachel's research  centers on the efficacy of visual storytelling for nonprofit marketing ... especially at a time when the public is both overwhelmed by and hungry for digital content.

How Vital is Video for Nonprofits in a Covid World?

There is glory in your story … so writes Carlos Maestas in his new Amazon best-seller Mommy Lied To God, part memoir and part how-to book for nonprofits seeking to craft their own stories to better share their mission and engage more supporters. Based in San Antonio, Texas, Carlos is a standup comedian and author, and through his company Key Ideas where he also serves as chief storysmith, Carlos helps nonprofits, universities and foundations tap into the equity of their stories in order to inspire and motivate audiences. This week BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill connected  by Zoom with Carlos to learn more about how nonprofit organizations can find their special stories so that they stand apart … and stand ahead. 

Mommy Lied to God: Authentic Story-telling for Nonprofit Organizations

It feels like a lifetime ago, but just last year in August 2019, Douglas Jackson was named Arts and Culture coordinator for Roanoke, Virginia. In that role he was to oversee the city’s thriving public arts projects as well as funding for the city’s nonprofit organizations — from the symphony and live theater to science, transportation and art museums, and a variety of popular cultural festivals. Eight months into the job, though, he like the rest of the country was confronted by the viruses of COVID-19 and racial injustice. BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill invited Douglas by Zoom inside the hive to learn more about how arts and culture nonprofits are responding o these crises.

Arts, Culture, COVID-19, Race: Nonprofits strive to survive viruses both natural and manmade

BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill switches sides at the interview table to be interviewed by Christina Nifong about how BUZZ the TV show came to be. Christina Nifong is a freelance writer and creator of the popular newsletter, Nourishing Stories, and she’s followed our journey since we aired a pilot episode of BUZZ in November 2019 at the Grandin Theatre. On August 5, 2020, four episodes of BUZZ begin airing on Blue Ridge PBS featuring four unique non-profits in Roanoke, Virginia, being impacted by COVID-19.

How BUZZ Came to BE

In February BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill interviewed here on "Inside the Hive" Carrie Cousins, a digital marketing specialist, who provided great tips on how nonprofits can weave their best websites. Recently Carrie donated her services to help Southwest Virginia Ballet, a nonprofit that has long lamented its out-of-date website but simply lacked the resources to fix it. As one of the first steps with helping the ballet, Carrie and Michael held a Zoom meeting with executive director Carol Jessee, and the ballet’s volunteer marketing committee. Carrie's analysis of the website’s many shortcomings, and proposed solutions, provide valuable insight for any nonprofit looking to enhance its online calling card to the world. The result of Carrie‘s work can be seen on an upcoming episode of BUZZ, the TV show, which airs in August on Blue Ridge PBS. To stay up to date on the TV show and all things BUZZ, please visit us our website buzz4good.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at buzz4good.

From Volkswagen to Porsche: Simple Steps to Rev Your Nonprofit's Website

In May, DeShea Witcher shared how he transitioned from being laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic to starting his own digital marketing company, ROAVA Digital. Since that time, another virus has resurged in our country -- a much older and man-made one: racism, sparked anew by the police killing of George Floyd.As a black business owner, DeShea has been a leading voice on this issue, and in this episode he shares why, and how, businesses should respond to #BlackLivesMatter. He also shares the links below on ways businesses and people can further the cause.Nike Video: https://youtu.be/drcO2V2m7lwBreonna Taylor: https://www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylorGeorge Floyd: https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloydDavid McAtee: https://www.gofundme.com/f/justicefordavidmcateeProtest Bail fund: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/the-bail-projecthttps://blackandbrownfounders.comGood resource for information and giving:https://blacklivesmatter.carrd.co

Should #BlackLivesMatter to Businesses?

The marketing message to nonprofits during COVID-19 has been “don’t go dark.” But what happens to the marketing pro when his or her job gets cut due to the coronavirus crisis. DeShea Witcher found himself in just that sitauation. A digital marketing expert with 15 years experience, DeShea was let go in early March. Rather than going dark, he flipped the switch and started his own marketing company, ROAVA Digital. In a time when marketing budgets are being slashed for both for- and nonprofit companies, in today’s Inside the Hive, Buzz4Good creator Michael Hemphill connected by Zoom with DeShea whose story is not only inspiring, but offers some useful tips to help nonprofits keep their lights shining.

Flipping the Switch in COVID-19 Darkness: Marketing tips to keep light shining on your nonprofit

Spring is the season not only for new life in the world, it is also a time of renewal for nonprofit organizations, which often host their major public fundraising events during the months of April, May and June.Here in western Virginia, no event has been more anticipated than the inaugural Carilion Clinic IRONMAN 70.3 Virginia’s Blue Ridge triathlon, which had been scheduled for June 7. IRONMAN was projected to have a local economic impact of nearly $9 million, and bring in more than 2,500 athletes and 10,000 spectators. But with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our region and country as a whole, last week the decision was made to postpone the race for a year, rescheduling it to June 6, 2021.The triathlon is organized by Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge, the region's official destination marketing organization. BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill talks with Catherine Fox, vice-president of Public Affairs & Destination Development at Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, about the event, and the decision to postpone due to the coronavirus crisis.

Heartbreak and Hope when COVID-19 Attacks your Nonprofit Event

Whether it's a disaster like COVID-19 originating outside your organization, or an unfortunate situation arising from an employee, at some point every non-profit faces a crisis.So how would the marketing team for one of Virginia’s biggest non-profits respond? Buzz4Good's Michael Hemphill connects with Chris Turnbull who, as Director of Corporate Communications for Carilion Clinic, the largest healthcare provider in western Virginia, has been busy crafting the nonprofit's coronavirus communications strategy. As you can hear here, Chris knows crises … and how to manage them.

Crisis Communications for Nonprofits: how to respond to threats from coronavirus to corruption

In the last BUZZ: Inside the Hive, we focused on an older technology that is relied on by for- and non-profit businesses the world over: the website. But if the advent of websites is now ancient news, there is a much older marketing platform that seems downright prehistoric: print!Compared to digital and social media, print can be expensive, time-consuming and seemingly less measurable in terms of ROI. To justify print's continued existence, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill chats with Bill Gilmer, founder and president of Wordsprint, a full-service printing company with offices throughout western Virginia.

Is print marketing for nonprofits worth the paper it's written on?

Instagram stories, e-newsletters, YouTube videos, even geo-fenced Facebook advertising … so much marketing attention these days is focused on these splashy and sexy online tools. But for nonprofit organizations, their online introduction to the world remains the oldest and perhaps too often overlooked digital resource there is … the website. On today's “BUZZ: Inside the Hive," Buzz creator Michael Hemphill chats with Carrie Cousins, who develops content and marketing materials for the Roanoke Regional Partnership in her role as director of communications. She is also a designer, writer, and content marketer with more than 15 years of experience in the media industry, and is a Certified Digital Economic Development Marketer.

Your Nonprofit's Website: How to spin your best web presence to engage your community

For many nonprofits across the country, springtime now rivals December for charitable contributions as more and more communities create their own Giving Days. The idea: host a 24-hour online fundraising event to galvanize a community’s citizens and businesses to support its nonprofit organizations. On March 18, 2020, the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia will host the 5th annual Roanoke Valley Gives Day. More than 150 nonprofits are scheduled to participate in the event, which offers $50,000 throughout the day in various incentive prizes to participating organizations. To help nonprofits prepare for their communities’ giving day, for this episode of "Inside the Hive" Buzz4Good creator Michael Hemphill chats with Carly Oliver, Chief Operating Officer for the Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia, and the architect who created Roanoke Valley Gives Day. 

Get the most out of your community's next Giving Day

The Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia is preparing to host its 5th annual Roanoke Valley Gives Day on March 18, 2020. To help nonprofits gear up for the big day, the Community Foundation recently invited Andrew Beedle, president of Brand Distillers, to speak to local nonprofits on effective use of social media for a successful giving day. What really caught the attention of Buzz creator Michael Hemphill was Andrew's hard-nosed, fascinating presentation on the importance of storytelling for a nonprofit. Andrew's thesis: nobody cares about your nonprofits mission ... until you make them care through effective storytelling. Here goes.

"No one cares about your nonprofit!" The power of story to make your nonprofit live happily ever after.

From your Annual Fund, membership fees and year-end mailing to the bake sale, big fundraising gala and capital campaign, nonprofits earn their money in a variety of ways. But perhaps the biggest, hardest to achieve, yet splashiest, funding source is that all-illusive foundation grant. Each year, United States foundations award about $50 billion in grants to worthy nonprofits.So what does a foundation look for in a nonprofit when deciding on a grant application? Today on Inside the Hive, BUZZ creator Michael Hemphill welcomes Suzanne Thorniley and MaryJean Levin, board members of the Roanoke Women’s Foundation. The Roanoke Women’s Foundation is the grant-making leader in Roanoke, Virginia, awarding more than $370,000 a year … or a total of $3.8 million since the foundation’s inception in 2004.

Getting the Grant: what else does a foundation look for in assessing a nonprofit's application?

Welcome to Buzz4Good’s “Inside the Hive” podcast. I am Michael Hemphill, host of this podcast and creator of "Buzz," the TV show that highlights the great work nonprofits do in our country ... and the marketing professionals who help take these nonprofits to the next level ... that give them the creative tips and tools they need to build more, that’s right, buzz.

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BUZZ's Inside the Hive: Behind the Scenes of TV's BUZZ

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