Goodman Center to help nonprofits communicate value

As the economy slips toward recession, more than 1.2 million U.S. nonprofits vie for a shrinking pool of donations and support and their leaders struggle to better communicate the importance of their work. Recognizing this challenge, The Goodman Center, an education venture dedicated to helping “do-gooders learn to do better,” will open its virtual doors in September, offering opportunities to take online courses specifically designed to teach nonprofit professionals how to effectively communicate the significance of their causes.

The center is a collaboration between Lipman Hearne, a national marketing firm with experience working with nonprofits, and Andy Goodman, a communications consultant,  trainer and author of Why Bad Ads Happen to Good Causes.

“The greatest strength nonprofits have is the passion their employees bring to their work,” says Goodman. “But in many cases, nobody ever taught them how to be professional communicators. These courses take everything we’ve learned about the art of capturing attention and put it in the hands of those who have something genuinely important to say.”

The courses will offer guidance on how organizations can convincingly reach out to stakeholders through storytelling, strategic communications, market research, brand management, compelling presentations and other topics. Goodman will his expertise as a nonprofit communications strategist for clients such as Al Gore, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The classes will have limited enrollment to ensure that all participants receive individual attention and feedback. Despite their small size, the courses are affordable and offer added cost savings because they do not require travel – two considerations that are very important for organizations with limited budgets.