Client spotlight: Hawai'i Community Foundation

At Embolden, we’re honored to work with more than 200 community foundations ranging from the very largest in asset size to start ups. Every day, we are inspired by all of you who work in this field and everything you do!

In that spirit, we’ll start sharing examples of how our community foundation clients are using Embolden’s cut-and-paste content to help engage professional advisors, donors, and nonprofits.

Today, we’d love to point out a wonderful example from the Hawai’i Community Foundation. Jen-L Lyman, Senior Director of Gift Planning, mixes and matches Embolden’s monthly content to produce a quarterly newsletter to engage attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors in the foundation’s work, as well as posting the articles on the foundation’s website.

You’ll note that Jen-L adds a personal note to the top of the newsletter. (Fun fact: Jen-L was one of our clients who asked that Embolden start writing sample introductory bullet points to provide inspiration and ideas. Great suggestion!)

Check it out (and keep scrolling down):

We also love the way Jen-L incorporates the newsletters as part of the foundation’s website in a downloadable and printable format. (Hint: Print is alive and well! Many of our clients produce a printed version of their newsletters at least once a year.)

Do you have an example you’d like to share with your colleagues? Please reach out to lmcknight@embolden.com.

Here are three takeaways:

Be accessible. If you are a community foundation professional seeking to increase professional advisor engagement with your newsletters, check to be sure your communications include your name and how to get in touch with you. Also make sure advisors can easily access your newsletter from your website in case they miss it in their inbox.

Make it personal. If you’re simply interested in growing your own network no matter what your profession, remember that all business is ultimately personal, and the more your audience gets to know you, the better.

Get out there. If you’re just getting started with a newsletter or regular posting on a blog or social media, keep in mind that email newsletters can deliver a $42 return for every dollar spent. You just have to start!

Most of all, consistency is key! Do a little bit of outreach every day. Success won’t happen overnight, but over time, you will be stunned by the results.