[COMPANY] - Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of the nonprofit journalism organization NOWCastSA (NOWCast). We provide trustworthy news and information. Our mission is focused essentially on civic engagement; we promote and facilitate an inclusive civic conversation. We’re located in the San Antonio area, but our medium is online-only, so our reach knows no boundaries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with JTE Communications?

Right now, the biggest challenge for us is getting sponsorships because that revenue stream is extremely necessary for our nonprofit to be sustainable. One of the ways that we’re trying to accomplish that is by doing events. These events are civic conversations of all kinds, and they’re meant to better engage our audience with the community and democracy.

On the marketing side, we desperately needed someone to tell us what to do. Someone whose marketing expertise we could lean on to define the solution and outline the steps toward that solution was necessary. I wear so many hats, that I needed someone to provide direction.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At first, JTE Communications (JTE) helped us prioritize, delegate, and figure out the path to take. 

For events, many of us were familiar with Eventbrite. JTE came up with a really elegant alternative, which fit well with our other array of tools. We used that tool to engage the audience, and we had our first event in December 2020, which they marketed and promoted.

Another huge component of our work is a newsletter. Everybody was familiar with MailChimp and ConstantContact, but JTE helped us find a better newsletter provider, Cvent, that was less expensive and had better customer service. 

They’ve done some absolutely wonderful fliers and promotional materials, as well as some social media marketing. I was aware of their work on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. They kept our messaging consistant across each of those platforms.  
 
What is the team composition?

We work closely with Amanda (Founder & President).
 
How did you come to work with JTE Communications?

Amanda used to work for me full-time 10 years ago. I absolutely adored her; she was like my second brain. However, as a nonprofit, we weren’t able to keep her. When she founded JTE, she let us know, and I was so grateful because I love her work and working with her.
 
How much have you invested with them?

I think it’s less than $5,000, but the year has only started. 
 
What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and the engagement is ongoing. I have them on a monthly retainer, and we’re increasing those hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We have metrics in terms of donations and audience attendance at our events. For the event in December 2020, they brought new people to our audience. A third of the people who appeared were new to us or weren’t previous donors to NOWCast. The other two-thirds were previous donors, so that counts as donor stewardship, which is an important metric for nonprofits. 

On the results of that event, we had one donor that made a very sizable contribution, and other donors that made major contributions. We had a total of about $400 from the other donors, and then the single donor’s check was $1,000. So, they’ve helped us to bring in more revenue.

Additionally, the marketing materials that they’ve done have really exceeded our expectations. The flyers were lovely and way nicer than anything I could’ve produced on my own. I’m now able to give them more hours because they’re bringing me increased revenue.
 
How did JTE Communications perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using some tools for relatively the first time, and JTE has been great at helping us figure out how to use them. Since getting a new tool is about 10% figuring out how to use it, JTE has really helped us get to the point where these tools aren’t taking too much of our time.

Right now we’re working with Airtable as a data management tool and Asana as a project management tool. We used to use Trello, but we're really liking Asana because it’s more robust, it’s better suited to our needs, and it integrates with email and other tools. Also, Airtable is a huge step up from other useful platforms such as Google Drive, since it has a much better framework.
 
What did you find most impressive about them?

What distinguishes JTE is that they just really know and anticipate our needs. They’re flexible, and they’re great at providing us with solutions.

Another thing that’s super important to me is that Amanda helps me focus. I started out having the attention span of a goldfish, and I’m working my way backward. So, it’s important to me that I’m working with somebody that helps me stay focused because the world is working against my focus right now.
 
Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. If I recommend a different course of action, she just goes with it. 
 
Any advice for potential customers?

One of the things I find great about working with JTE is that we’re not guarded with them; we can show them our mess. So, don’t be hesitant about revealing the extent of your mess, and don’t understate it. They’ll have ways of dealing with it, so don’t feel like you have to clean the house first.