Diversifying content & staying flexible: Q&A with Meghan Zichelli

Meghan Zichelli is a thoughtful communications leader with wide ranging expertise, from digital communications to internal communications to operations and project management. She is currently the COO of Goodnation , an organization that directs more philanthropic resources toward projects that can transform our communities and country.?

Meghan and I have been friends for several years during which time she’s run comms at multiple nonprofits–and taken one of the coolest personal sabbaticals I’ve had the privilege to envy (read about her culinary adventures here). When Meghan returned to the job hunt from her world travels, she reached out to me for a networking drink. This was a new way for me to think about networking. Early in my career, I thought it meant big rooms full of intimidating strangers that led only to awkward small talk and a depleted social battery. But meeting up with Meghan to talk shop showed me that my biggest professional champions were already in my inner orbit.?

I'm grateful to Meghan for her sharp and strategic insights. Her personal journey across multiple comms functions is peppered with clear rationale, including the many directions communications can take. I love her thoughts on the importance of diversifying tailored content to platforms, and her thoughts on centering audiences, including her philosophy on the perfect recipe for donor comms. And her example of how to have fun and achieve your mission at the same time is an excellent example of profit and purpose!

How did you get into communications? Tell us your story.

Heading into college I knew I was interested in a career in nonprofits, but didn’t yet know in what capacity. Since I always enjoyed writing and being creative, communications felt like a good fit to match my interests as well as provide a variety of opportunities post graduation. I ended up majoring in communications and minoring in marketing, and these two focuses have followed me throughout my career, primarily in the nonprofit space. Without aging myself, much of what I learned in college is irrelevant today, so there has been a lot of self teaching and learning on the job!?

So many communication skills are transferable, so outside of more traditional communication roles, I’ve been able to apply these skills to positions such as communications project manager, director of people operations, and in my current role as chief operating officer where, in addition to leading our external communications, I help support the employees and Board of Directors through internal communications. Early in my career I never considered internal communications as a focus, but the people of an organization deserve thoughtful and consistent attention just as much as your external audience.

As COO of Goodnation, your organization seeks to help philanthropists direct their dollars to where they’ll have the most impact. How does communications come into play for your staff and when speaking to your target audience??

When considering who our audience is, we try to speak their language while incorporating messaging that will resonate with them. When speaking to donors, we not only include emotional language to tug at heartstrings, but we also emphasize the impact they can make along with the effectiveness of their dollars; everyone wants to make sure their money is being well spent, especially if they are giving away large amounts of it. When possible, adding the story of a beneficiary is one way to showcase real people whose lives can be changed by a donation.?

When it comes to storytelling and photo selection, we keep in mind diversity, as it’s important to represent the wide variety of demographics that benefit from the services of our nonprofits, and not perpetuate stereotypes. The same goes for images of donors; we work with different ages, races, religions, marital statuses, and genders, and make sure to reflect that in our communications and avoid only showing what some may picture when they think of a wealthy donor.?

You developed a great side business in 2021 helping businesses and nonprofits build websites to support their marketing efforts. What do you want other small businesses and nonprofits to keep in mind about their communications efforts?

Unfortunately communications and marketing are often overlooked as a priority within small businesses and nonprofits, since staff are spread thin and may be working with a tight budget.

My happy clients and the positive effect a new or refreshed website has on their business is a reminder of how important a strong digital presence is and that it’s worth putting in some time and energy into developing one for your brand.?

Something to keep in mind is that a little can go a long way; even a well-designed one-page website or thoughtful Instagram bio makes a difference in how others perceive your business or organization, combined with consistent branding and messaging across other mediums. Communications and marketing are important pieces of the puzzle that result in catching people’s attention, building trust, and seeing returning customers, so you can’t afford for it to be overlooked.

What is a challenge or trend that you're excited about in the communications field?

It can be hard to keep up with the many platforms available to us, but it is so important to diversify your content across various channels. I am pleased to see, for example, influencers branching out from Instagram and creating a newsletter, or companies starting a podcast. As long as the content is valuable and on brand, diversifying your efforts allows you opportunities to grow your audience, possibly diversify your revenue stream, and, should any of these platforms become insignificant, you won’t be caught building your brand and audience back up from zero.??

Who is an inspiration to you? Either someone who prompted you to go into comms/nonprofit work or a person that you follow who does it well??

Who Gives A Crap , a toilet-paper company, donates 50% of profits to ensure everyone has access to clean water and a toilet. Despite such a heavy topic, they lead with positivity, bright colors, and a sense of humor, which is consistent across all of their communications, from social media to newsletters, and even down to their product packaging. It’s a good reminder that sometimes it’s OK to have fun, especially if it’s helping you achieve your mission.?

What advice would you give to someone starting their career in communications or someone who is trying to advance in their career?

Be open to flexibility. There are so many different directions that communications can take, and if you’re interested in a career in this area or have already gotten started, you’re likely a creative individual who is able to think outside the box. That will get you far.?