Industry Insights

In this conversation about using AI for nonprofit communications, Jamie Lonie, founder of Amplifi Digital and Minerva’s Vice President Sara Veltkamp, discuss tools, ethical considerations, and practical use cases that nonprofit communicators can try to aid their communication efforts.   This conversation has been streamlined using—you guessed it—AI.   Sara: Hey Jamie, so glad we could talk…

I recently had the opportunity to represent Minerva Strategies at Philanthropy Northwest’s 2024 conference in Missoula, MT. I moderated a panel called “How philanthropy can lead the way on affordable housing” and the panelists were three brilliant folks:  Kris Hermanns formerly of Evergreen Impact Housing Fund (EIHF), Michael Brown from Black Home Initiative, and Joel…

Change is hard for organizations. It can lead to disruption, anxiety, and low morale. Change holds the promise of improvement but often—in the throes of transition—that can be hard to discern. Minerva has had our share of changes this year and I can tell you: it’s not been easy. Change at nonprofit organizations is a…

Minerva Strategies is grateful to partner with professionals around the world to create impactful strategies and solutions for social impact organizations. These collaborations lead to innovative approaches and allow us to address our clients’ challenges more thoughtfully and effectively.   We have the immense privilege of working closely with Poché Design Studio, a mission-driven studio founded…

This piece is part of a series that builds on previous discussions, exploring how storytellers and communicators can approach inclusivity in their work. In our previous installments, we delved into participatory grantmaking and Design Thinking, both of which provide valuable models for communicators. Now, in this final piece, we explore how the principles of ethnographic…

We’ve permanently rolled out a four-day workweek at Minerva Strategies! As described in a previous blog post, we dedicated the first half of the year to a pilot phase where we explored a four-day week and our strategies for testing it with our team, assessing the impact on our clients, and thinking through whether this…

This piece is part of a series exploring how storytellers and communicators can approach inclusivity in their work. Late last year, we dove into how participatory grantmaking offers a model for communicators to follow. Below, we explore how Design Thinking offers a model for communicators to follow.  In my final semester as a graduate student…

During the summer of 2020, I hit a burnout-related wall—and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Time was elusive; my schedule felt out of my control. I was afraid that if I took a vacation—the standard cure for burnout—it would pass by without benefit, especially because I couldn’t safely travel. I decided…

Minerva’s approach to communications planning with our clients If “having a plan” was a love language, it would most certainly be one of mine.  The Minerva team is often approached with knotty communications challenges, and we love rolling up our sleeves and getting creative. While it’s tempting to jump headfirst into the work, we like…

As my time with Minerva Strategies comes to an end, I’ve admired seeing how communications can make a difference. Bringing positive change to the world can be a difficult and long journey–but the work that our clients do, and that Minerva supports, helps to build the world we want to live in.   Communications helps create…