Ready to start reaching your nonprofit’s goals?

We help you amplify your nonprofit’s mission through marketing that works.

small nonprofit raised $67,852 in new online donations in 4 months

association exceeded membership goals by 2x in 6 months

organization now collecting 12+ emails a week from potential donors

 

Hey there, nonprofit leader!

I see you. Heck, in a previous life, I was you! You’re a heart-centered, multi-passionate nonprofit leader who wants to get the world to understand the impact your organization makes. You’re a changemaker.

The world needs more of you.

But, you’re also only ONE PERSON. Well, you’re in luck: my team and I have made it our mission to make life easier for YOU! We come alongside nonprofits like yours to do your marketing for you. Think of us as your secret weapon when it comes to telling your organization’s story in a way that gets your target audience to do more than just listen… They act ($$$)!

 
 
 

 

 

You can’t be experts at everything.

Leave your marketing to me!

Website Design

GRIT HQ - Development and Fundraising for Nonprofits

Marketing Partnerships

Social Media Management

 
 

I love nerding out about nonprofit marketing!

Social media marketing, image and video storytelling, marketing strategy, and website design - that's my jam! You can have tools, resources, templates, and strategies to share your nonprofits story with efficiency, ease, and incredible impact (without chaos and wheel-spinning). I’ll show you how to get people to know and care about your organization - and ACT (aka donate that moolah)!
 
 
 
 
 
 

❝ As a nonprofit Executive Director I am very passionate about the work I do. I also know that I am so close to the work and so caught up in the daily details it is difficult to focus on telling our story to potential donors. Kelly spent time learning who we are and how best to tell our story. While I focus on being the best at what we do, her team does the best at what they do, telling our story and asking for support. The results we have experienced speak for themselves.❞

Rev. Dr. Stacey Brohard, retired Executive Director, The Good Samaritan Inn

 
 

Nerd out with me on Instagram!

I know a nonprofit that put their entire budget into marketing early in the month, right around Giving Tuesday. They went hard on social media ads and direct mail campaigns, thinking the earlier they start, the better. But when December 31st rolled a
Mia Jackson Tyus - (@miajtyus) and I have been working together since 2017, and I am so happy to call her a friend, client, collaborator, and mission-aligned changemaker! Thank you, Mia, for trusting me to take the stage again at this year's Power
Last week was crazy in the best way ever for us Nerds! And, as we enter Nonprofit Marketing Nerds' biggest and busiest season yet, I want to celebrate with you some of the things we accomplished last week: LAST WEEK THE NONPROFIT MARKETING NERDS:
I know a nonprofit that saw everyone else jumping on the Giving Tuesday bandwagon and thought, “If we can just go all in on this one day, we’ll hit our fundraising goals for the year!” They even hired a freelancer to help run ads an
Did you miss last week's episode with Rob Kerr, Executive Director of Innovation and Opportunity at the University of Illinois Springfield? He shares how early experiences shape our journey. Watch the full episode now to learn more about innovation

What’s new in nonprofit marketing?

Blog
Effective Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits
Effective Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits

It breaks my heart as someone deeply passionate about helping nonprofits elevate their marketing and storytelling online to see missed opportunities and misallocated resources. Nonprofits often create these overly boring Canva graphics that fail to engage their audience.

Live Workshopping of Annual Appeal Letters
Live Workshopping of Annual Appeal Letters

Ready to level up your annual donation solicitation letter? Then check out these tops tips in the live appeal letters workshop! This workshop is complete with actionable tips and tricks to raise more money with your annual appeal letter - by reviewing actual nonprofit appeal letters.

Turn Your Fundraiser Guests into Raving Fans
Turn Your Fundraiser Guests into Raving Fans

We've all been there. Boring conference chicken. Even more dry speakers. And, we're sitting at the fundraiser just waiting to write a check and run home to catch up on this season of The Bachelor. Are you ready to improve your next nonprofit fundraiser? Or even better - turn your fundraising attendees into regular donors?

Giving Tuesday? 6 Questions Your Nonprofit Needs to Ask First
Giving Tuesday? 6 Questions Your Nonprofit Needs to Ask First

So if you're like most nonprofits, you've probably done this Giving Tuesday thing over and over again and, potentially, unsuccessfully. So, before you get started diving into Giving Tuesday this year, I want you to ask yourself these six questions about whether Giving Tuesday is right for your organization.

7 Fundraising To-Dos to Increase Your Holiday Donations
7 Fundraising To-Dos to Increase Your Holiday Donations

For almost all nonprofits, the last 3 months of the year are THE MOST important. 31% of all annual gifts come in in December. With Giving Season Just around the corner, check out these 10 tips to do Giving Season right as a nonprofit fundraiser!

How to Create an Engaging Story for Your Next Nonprofit Fundraising Campaign
How to Create an Engaging Story for Your Next Nonprofit Fundraising Campaign

Most fundraising content I read doesn’t have a story. But to increase donations during your next nonprofit fundraising campaign, you need to tell the story. Stories evoke feelings from your potential donors. So you should use storytelling to evoke feelings in your next fundraising campaigns.

Improve Your Nonprofit's Fundraising Campaigns with Donor Messaging
Improve Your Nonprofit's Fundraising Campaigns with Donor Messaging

Donor messaging is such a vague space people oftentimes don’t know what to do or where to start. Sometimes it’s because nonprofits want to cut corners, get creative, and forget about their branding. But the truth is, your agency’s branding should guide what kind of messaging you need to show donors, what that messaging looks like, and how you'll do it.

How to Use LinkedIn to Attract More Client Leads
How to Use LinkedIn to Attract More Client Leads

When I launched Grit HQ a little over a year ago, I knew I needed to develop my audience.

So, I decided to do the social media thing. Create a Facebook page, start tweeting, changing my personal Instagram to business...

Client ROI Real Talk, Losing Money and other Grit HQ Updates
Client ROI Real Talk, Losing Money and other Grit HQ Updates

I've spent 12+ hours editing videos and then $60 boosting Facebook videos that I charged less than $250 total. I've done the math. There are projects I am LOSING money on.

Why You DON'T Need a Trifold Brochure for Your Business
Why You DON'T Need a Trifold Brochure for Your Business

Need a trifold brochure? No you don’t. You need a 30-minute brand consultation. Erica was one of my first clients when I launched Grit in April 2017. She is a woman with a marketing background in corporate America who also happened to have a pretty rad style.

5 Things I Learned in my First Year Marketing a Community Theatre
5 Things I Learned in my First Year Marketing a Community Theatre

If you're a nonprofit, chances are you don't have a graphic design and social media expert doing your marketing. Those people cost money.

But, it doesn't mean your volunteer, working board member or administrative assistant who doubles are your marketing coordinator can't still be a nonprofit marketing superstar!

Learn how Emily Steele, a volunteer and our Grit HQ Public Relations Consultant has developed and "failed forward" with her trials and tribulations in marketing a community theatre in Decatur, Illinois.

6 Reasons Why Content Marketing is Important for Your Business
6 Reasons Why Content Marketing is Important for Your Business

Have you ever wondered if or why you should use content marketing for your business?

Whether you're a small business or larger firm, you need to use content marketing to grow your business.

My clients know my 3 favorite letters: ROI. Well, investing time or money in content marketing can bring a huge return on investment for your business.

Email Newsletters for Nonprofits: How to Start One, and Why You Should
Email Newsletters for Nonprofits: How to Start One, and Why You Should

You have a million and one things on your nonprofit's to-do list. And you already regularly engage your donors in a newsletter (right?). So you're either unconvinced, or on the fence, about adding an e-newsletter to your nonprofit's endless to-do list.

How Should Nonprofits Collect Donations Online?
How Should Nonprofits Collect Donations Online?

I constantly hear nonprofits say “we use PayPal to collect donations online.” I want to respond: “And, how many donations do you collect?” Certainly not many. Stripe, PayPal, and other online money collection options are built to do just that - collect money. These platforms are not built to be user-friendly OR entice people to donate.

How to Create a Robust Brand for Under $60
How to Create a Robust Brand for Under $60

I launched my business because I saw a gap in the market. Marketing firms charged up the wazoo for website design, branding packages, and logos for nonprofits. There were very few easy-to-use, content-focused marketing options for nonprofits and small businesses. This made my heart hurt...

Why I Decided to Post Prices on my Website
Why I Decided to Post Prices on my Website

Grit HQ offers creative solutions for nonprofits and small businesses. We work with our clients to tell their story and build relationships online.

With the relaunch of Grit HQ, there was one thing I was certain of: I am going to list my prices on my website.

Why All Nonprofit Professionals Should Use Grammarly
Why All Nonprofit Professionals Should Use Grammarly

It was 2016. I was the Director of Public Relations and Development at MRI. Mike with MW Made It and I collaborated on an awesome, branded poster for the first ever Decatur Craft Beer Festival.

The branding for the event was awesome. The logo was awesome (props, Mike!). The poster was awesome. We sent the poster to the printer and distributed matching flyers to 500 or so people. I was really proud of it.

Until I noticed after printing and sending everything out to a gazillion people that “souvenir” was spelled wrong.