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Programs are the cornerstone of any nonprofit brand. Without them, what reason do you have to communicate with your audiences?
Let’s get this out of the way: No one owes you or your organization their time and attention. Think about it from an audience standpoint: Beyond programs that provide lifesaving food, shelter, or other necessities, other programs such as arts or cultural events can, frankly, feel like leisure activities. This means you and your organization are competing against every other leisure option that people have. Even when it comes to those life-critical services, urban areas typically have many organizations providing them. However you look at it, the landscape is competitive. Here’s a thought exercise: Consider the options people have on any given night in a major city: Live music, theater, performance art, event movies, couples’ date night, sporting events. Doomscrolling on a smartphone. Doing nothing.
Yeah, a serious option is doing nothing.
So, first, you’ve got to earn the right to be considered. In marketing, we called this being “in the consideration set”, i.e., among a finite set of things your consumer or audience member chooses from. They can’t consider everything. Rather they’ll choose from a small number of options. If you want to be part of that set of choices, then your organization needs to be known for great programming. Great programming is that combination of well-executed core programs and impactful breakthrough programs.
Attending to Core Programs
Core programming highlights the direct value your organization brings to its audiences: Museums mount exhibitions. Historic sites provide tours. Performing arts organizations present performances. These are table stakes for any organization, and you’ve got to do them well. A regular review (both internally and through audience surveys) will give you a sense of where you have opportunities to improve. Most institutions have recurring programming that helps create consistent opportunities for the public to engage. This is critical if you ever hope to build long-standing relationships: Your audience needs a reason to return.
Breakthrough Programming
When I talk about “breakthrough” programming, I mean programming that cuts through the onslaught of options that are crowding out people’s attention. Throughout any given year, your core programming creates a base of consistent and reliable activities. However, two- to three times a year introduce programming that interrupts what your audiences typically expect of you with something bold, exciting, and slightly unexpected.
Be careful: You can’t pull something out of left field. Start by asking: What can we do that’s mission-aligned AND speaks to our audience’s needs, interests, and concerns at this moment? For example, don’t lose sight of the fact that we are living in extraordinary times. COVID isn’t that distant a memory, and it’s reshaped many aspects of our lives: How we think about work and leisure, and what we consider valuable and worthwhile. How does your programming, viewed through the lens of your organizational mission, acknowledge this new moment in the culture? This is where breakthrough programming can be useful.
Adding some breakthrough programming might make your program calendar look something like this:
What does upping your programming game look like? First, think broadly about your mission and history, and how you might bring all that to life. For example, when I led Weeksville Heritage Center, our core programs revolved around walking tours of our historic houses. It was a critical means of imparting history by giving people the experience of stepping back in time. What could we do in addition to that? Looking at the rich history and themes found in one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America, we reintroduced our writing workshops because literacy and creative expression are integral parts of the history of this community.
We took it a step further by launching a literary series that brought published authors and poets to the Center, which is located in an under-resourced section of Brooklyn and across the street from a large NYC housing project. I believed that part of our work was about inspiring our community, and what better way than to bring authors like Tayari Jones (“An American Marriage”), Uzodinma Iweala (“Beasts of No Nations”), Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Greg Pardlo (“Air Traffic”) and Sarah Broom (“The Yellow House”), among others, to present their work and be in conversation with area residents. That we were attracting these authors helped increase our visibility and, over time, was one of the reasons that audiences started to pay attention to what we were doing.
Together, solid core programs and surprising breakthrough programs mean your organization becomes known as a place that offers great programming. Great programming simply means a good ratio of “sizzle” along with the steak that everyone expects. It legitimizes your outreach. Audiences will take the organization more seriously because they see that its engagement attempts are supported by serious, thoughtful offerings. Of course, they won’t be able to participate in every program. Over time, however, your organization will become part of their consideration set.
Strong, compelling programs provide your audiences, funders, and donors with reasons to believe the claims you’re making about your organization. Without it, all the “smart marketing,” “content creation,” and “community outreach” won’t–can’t–build your brand towards anything that will help your organization stand out in a marketplace that’s already oversaturated with choices.
