Cazad Events and Communications

With the proven benefits of remote work in many industries, it’s still a good idea to spend time developing your staff culture, building camaraderie, and collaborating on the organization’s strategic plan. Offer your team a (paid) yearly staff retreat in a setting that inspires creativity and thoughtfulness. Give everyone space to share their new ideas as well as feedback for ongoing projects and programs. Learn about each other beyond a few trivia points, and try to understand staff members’ personal goals, problem-solving methods, and what work they most enjoy. Investing the time and energy to step away from the day-to-day and engaging your team will pay off when you save on staff turnover costs.

The Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Washington, DC (YNPNdc) 2025 Mentoring Program is off to a great start! Mentors and mentees came together for our welcome event to network, meet their partners, and start building out their plans for this cycle. This year's mentees will get one-on-one check-ins with mentors in their field, monthly networking opportunities with nonprofit professionals in the DC area, and four specialized workshops to prepare them for career growth. It's going to be an exciting cycle, and we can't wait to get going!

Panels are great for live-streamed events, small workshops, and as part of your conference programming because they bring the experts directly to your audience. Have you ever sat through a particularly dry panel though? It's grueling. You discretely glance at your watch wondering how long this person can drone on before getting to the point. While as a planner, you can never know for certain, there are ways to prevent that kind of outcome and keep your attendees awake and engaged. 1) Vet your speakers diligently. Do they have the expertise on the subject in question? Do they teach through examples, stories, videos, and other elements to keep the talk interesting? Are they funny or personable? Do they keep responses to the point when asked a question by a moderator or audience member? If any of your panelists struggle in some of these areas, craft a program that guides them in the right direction. 2) Incorporate questions throughout the session, not just at the end. This breaks up the lecture portions, creates more audience participation, and develops a more collaborative environment that is conducive to learning. 3) Try timed responses for your panelists. This is especially helpful for those who lose their train of thought, go off on a tangent, or use their time as an opportunity to lecture on more than the topic at hand. If your speakers know they only have a minute or two, they can practice accordingly and keep their remarks succinct. 4) Utilize group activities, videos, audience questions, quick polls, and anything else to create audience participation. Again, this breaks up the monotony of lecture, and while your speakers are, presumably, knowledgeable, your audience's perspectives are key to an educational and fulfilling event. Even the playing field just a bit, and your speakers as well as your attendees walk away feeling energized.

Not everyone comes to events for the same reason or with the same goals. That's why diversity in content and speakers helps the host organization reach a broader potential audience. For small events, there are usually only one or two speakers, but for full-day and multi-day conferences, there could be dozens between keynotes, panels, and breakout sessions. Ask your attendees what take-aways they most want from your event, and ask for speaker recommendations. You'll get some far-fetched responses like Oprah or Bill Gates, but you might also get realistic suggestions and even a contact. Learn a speaker's style as well as their expertise before booking; see how they engage with the audience; make sure to limit (or eliminate) speakers who are too dry. Find a variety of speakers who check one or more of these buckets: inspiring, entertaining/funny, knowledgeable/scholarly, or a notable name.

Before creating a campaign, a one-off email, or even a social media post, try to think strategically about your current (or intended) audience and your goals. What message do you hope to convey? What branding guidelines do you have around voice, structure, and layout? Make sure your communication offers information, education, or entertainment. Touchpoints with your constituents are important, but they have to provide value. Build brand recognition through consistency; does this piece look, feel, and sound like you? And especially starting out, don't be afraid to do some testing for the best engagement. Maybe your audience opens more emails on Wednesdays; maybe they like participating in polls or watching reels; maybe short subject lines capture their attention and curiosity. Try a few different approaches, and see what works to build out that consistent engagement.

A well-constructed argument takes more time than most would guess, and while AI can sometimes help you synthesize thoughts, it can't read your mind on how you want that argument to unfold. If you plan on using AI as a writing tool, focus your attention on understanding your thesis, whether that's for an article, school essay, book, blog, or email campaign. Create an outline for your writing, and build from it with varying sentence length and structure. Set the tone based on the type of writing you're doing and your intended audience. Use AI for grammar, spelling, clarifying more complex thoughts, and condensing any sections that might drone on for too long. Remember that you are the writer, the one with the expertise, and the one who knows what you want to say. Develop that writing and research skill set for yourself, and use available technology to enhance your work rather than trusting it to do it for you.

Which of you like working with skilled professionals who don't cause headaches? Yes, that's right. All of us. If you don't have existing relationships with vendors, it can be difficult choosing who is right for you and your event. The good news is most people in the event industry will do everything in their power to help you succeed. The bad news is you might not know where to start. The even better news is Cazad Events can offer you recommendations for almost every vendor you could want in the DC area, and most of them are willing to travel. Reach out any time, and we'll compile a list of professionals we think will suit you. This business is all about connections; let's make sure we share them.

What is your event superpower? Take a minute to think about it. ..... Ready? Whatever you answered, you are right! The best part of any event is all the personalization you can add to it for your group. What do your attendees value? What can you offer that is unique to your organization? Maybe you have access to a popular speaker, author, or big personality who would be willing to participate in Meet and Greets or a short Q&A. Maybe your group wants tangible resources you can offer as a gift in their bag or a special access link. Perhaps your attendees work really hard and could use some stress relief with a fun activity like laser tag or something more calming like meditation time. Find what works for your people to help reenergize them and spark creativity.

How successful are your fundraising campaigns? If you're not making much progress or having to rely on the same devoted donors, it might be time to reassess each aspect of your campaign strategy. Do you have active engagement on social media, or do you have an extensive email list? Use the platforms that work for your audience. Tell stories from an optimistic perspective of perseverance rather than one of defeat. Showcase where the money goes and the part it plays in supporting your community. Follow up once every week or two with a new heart-felt story, and keep it going for 4-8 weeks. The campaign's power comes from your story-telling, so take the time to craft messages that resonate with your typical donor. Good luck!