598. 2025 Social Impact Trends That Matter: Community is the Multiplier. (Floyd Jones)

Summary

We Are For Good Podcast - Episode 598: 2025 Social Impact Trends That Matter: Community is the Multiplier

Introduction

In Episode 598 of the We Are For Good Podcast, hosted by Jon McCoy, CFRE, and Becky Endicott, CFRE, the focal point of discussion centers on a pivotal trend set to shape the nonprofit landscape in 2025: "Community is the Multiplier." The episode features Floyd Jones, a renowned speaker, coach, and community builder, who delves deep into the significance of community-led growth for nonprofits and purpose-driven entrepreneurs.

Main Theme: Community is the Multiplier

The central theme of the episode emphasizes that while attracting supporters is essential, sustaining their engagement through community building is what truly multiplies an organization's impact. Floyd Jones articulates this by stating:

"People are gonna come for the thing, but they're gonna stay for the people." (00:05)

This sentiment underscores the necessity for nonprofits to foster a sense of belonging and long-term commitment among their supporters.

The Power of Community in Nonprofits

Floyd Jones elaborates on how a community-centric approach can transform a nonprofit's mission. He challenges the traditional focus on product-led or marketing-led growth, advocating instead for community-led growth as the true catalyst for lasting impact.

"What’s going to make them stay? How are you going to actually bring them into the community for the long haul?" (04:56)

Jones shares a compelling success story about a small Alaskan bird rescue organization. Initially skeptical about the efficacy of social media, the organization attended a webinar on social media growth strategies. By implementing community-driven tactics—such as behind-the-scenes posts and engaging events—they experienced a viral surge in engagement, garnering over a million views on Instagram in a single day.

"It's about we. Do people see themselves in what you are doing? Are you inviting them along for the journey?" (07:01)

Strategies and Mindsets for Effective Community Building

Becky Endicott raises a critical point about the internal shifts necessary for successful community building, highlighting that it's not merely about executing tactics but adopting foundational mindsets. Floyd agrees, emphasizing the importance of creating space for community and transformation to flourish organically.

"Community is really becoming such a buzzword right now. But my question is, how are we going to go beyond the buzzword?" (09:22)

The Four C's of Community Building

Floyd introduces a strategic framework he calls the "Four C's of Community Building," designed to guide nonprofits in cultivating and sustaining vibrant communities:

1. Catalyst (22:55):

   • Capturing Attention: Utilize compelling media, such as viral videos or engaging social media content, to attract new supporters.
   • "That video going viral, that's a catalyst, right?"

2. Communicate (22:55):

   • Building Relationships: Engage in meaningful two-way communication, sharing stories and listening to the community's narratives.
   • "How are we building a long-term relationship? I want you to know what important events are in our cycle."

3. Convert (22:55):

   • Offering Opportunities: Provide tailored engagement opportunities that align with supporters' interests and contributions.
   • "Maybe a person is better for the monthly giving like I talked about."

4. Catapult (22:55):

   • Empowering Leaders: Encourage and equip community members to take on leadership roles, thereby expanding the organization's reach and impact.
   • "They're embodying all my seeds, okay? They just do it so perfectly."

This framework not only facilitates donor acquisition and retention but also transforms supporters into active, passionate advocates for the cause.

Avoiding Burnout: Sustainable Growth

Addressing the prevalent issue of burnout among nonprofit professionals, Floyd shares personal strategies for maintaining a sustainable pace in community building. He emphasizes the importance of embedding community-building efforts into the organization's core operations rather than treating them as supplementary tasks.

"Community needs to be embedded within. Like if you're not building with your people in mind, you're already setting yourself up for failure." (17:27)

Practical tips include:

• Pace Yourself: Allocate time for rest and personal well-being to maintain long-term productivity.

  "I've started booking my trips in advance and color-coding my calendar to ensure regular breaks." (17:38)

• Quality Over Quantity: Focus on deepening relationships rather than overextending with numerous superficial engagements.

  "Start small with what can be habitual, what can be put into practice over and over." (14:46)

Practical Tips and Insights

Floyd advocates for goal alignment and donor segmentation as pivotal elements for effective community engagement. By understanding donor behaviors and preferences, nonprofits can tailor their strategies to foster deeper connections.

"Pick one thing. Where are you going deep in your development operation this year?" (21:18)

He also shares insights on the importance of consistency in interactions, ensuring that organizations show up for their community members beyond mere transactional engagements.

"Consistency is all about proving and showing up over and over and being trustworthy." (13:56)

Floyd Jones' One Good Thing

Concluding the episode, Floyd delivers an inspiring metaphor about transformation:

"No one starts off as a butterfly. You got to start as a caterpillar... but soon you're gonna touch the sky." (26:45)

This analogy encapsulates the journey of community building—starting from humble beginnings, enduring challenges, and ultimately achieving vibrant, impactful growth.

Conclusion and Call to Action

The episode wraps up with encouragement for listeners to embrace the community-centric approach and leverage the strategies discussed to amplify their organizations' impact. Floyd Jones invites listeners to connect with him through his website and social media platforms for further resources and support.

"If you're a black-led nonprofit, if you're a change maker, a nonprofit leader, we got all the things for you." (28:25)

Additionally, Jon McCoy and Becky Endicott promote a free 60-minute on-demand workshop designed to help organizations implement the eight social impact trends discussed throughout the series. Interested listeners are encouraged to visit www.weareforgood.com/trends2025 to participate.

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This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for nonprofit professionals aiming to harness the power of community to drive meaningful and sustainable change. By adopting a community-first mindset and implementing the Four C's framework, organizations can multiply their impact and foster a loyal, engaged supporter base poised to champion their missions into 2025 and beyond.

Transcript

[Floyd Jones]

I always say, people are gonna come for the thing, but they're gonna stay for the people, right? They're gonna come for the product, but they're gonna stay for the people. They're gonna ask themselves, do I see myself here for the long haul? Why am I here? Right. Why am I a believer in your organization?

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

Maybe they're gonna see a nice post that you post on social media. Maybe someone's gonna invite them to your upcoming event. Maybe they're gonna go to your gala. Maybe they're gonna see a nice film that's gonna stir them. But what?

[John]

Welcome to We Are For Good Social Impact Trends that matter in 2025. In partnership with our friends at Idonate, we have hundreds of conversations each year, both on the podcast and offline with incredible change makers around the world. In this limited series, we're lifting the eight trends that have cut through to us over the past year. These ideas and shifts hold the power to transform your mission from the inside out. And so in these eight episodes, we're breaking down the trends one at a time and inviting a subject matter expert in to take us deeper and to put it into pract this.

[E]

All right, let's get started.

[John]

Hey, Becky.

[Becky]

Hey, John. The time is here. Welcome, everyone. We are launching our 2025 Social Impact Trends that Matter. I'm so excited, John. This is one of our most favorite things that we do during the year and we are excited to have you here.

[John]

Yeah, like, this series is truly like the heartbeat of what we see in conversations. And I love that we're, like taking notes throughout the year and, man, we want to see more of that. And I think that these conversations all point to change makers that are cutting through in some particular way. They've harnessed some kind of idea that we want to share and we want to spread.

[Becky]

And I hope everybody is buckled up for the guests that we have brought on to go deep into today's trend, which is Community is the multiplier.

[John]

Don't you love that? It's Community is the multiplier. It's not a multiplier. That's like the multiplier, you know, that.

[Becky]

We cannot talk about Community is the multiplier without bringing in the king of community for good. Y'all, Floyd Jones is in the house. And if you are new to the We Are For Good podcast or the We Are for Good Community, you just need to know that Flo Jo is totally our phone a friend. He is a New York City based speaker, coach, and community builder, and he helps nonprofits and purpose driven entrepreneurs grow their communities and achieve lasting impact. As founder of Floyd Jones Enterprises and Back Black, an initiative that has helped raised over $2 million for black led nonprofits, Floyd's providing the strategies to turn followers into loyal supporters and donors. With over $40 million raised for grassroots organizations, Floyd has spoken at 100 plus conferences worldwide on storytelling, partnerships and community building and has been featured in little known outlets like Casual ESPN and sponsored by brands like Nike and Visa. So Floyd is equipping today's leaders with the tools to amplify their impact and drive sustainable growth. He is going to bring you so much energy and joy. Floyd Jones. Get into this house for like what, like the 10th time you've been on the podcast? I don't know what it is, but it might as well be, hi buddy.

[Floyd Jones]

So you guys have been. We are for good. If you aren't on this podcast journey, okay? You have been tracking my growth. I'm like, y'all saw me when I just got started. Y'all saw me when I was. Now I'm, I'm flying as a freebird now.

[Becky]

So y'all have that.

[Floyd Jones]

We are for. It's giving. We are for growth. We are for growth. Come on, somebody.

[Becky]

Abb always be branding. Every time.

[Floyd Jones]

We'Re gonna roll that one out, it's a new track.

[Becky]

Get ready, that's it. Floyd will sing the soundtrack because he's an incredible singer. But when we think of community, Floyd, your name immediately comes into the viewfinder. And we're looking at this sort of community first approach. And we know that community is everything. It's the final core value of our company. And we want to know why you think it's so critical for nonprofits and really purpose driven entrepreneurs to really seize hold of that community first approach.

[Floyd Jones]

I always say people are your power. People are your power. We've heard of product led growth, we've heard of, you know, marketing led growth, but really it's about community led growth, right? I always say people are going to come for the thing, but they're going to stay for the people, right? They're going to come for the product, but they're going to stay for the people. They're going to ask themselves, do I see myself here for the long haul? Why am I here? Right? Why am I a believer in your organization?

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

Maybe they're going to see a nice post that you post on social media. Maybe someone's going to invite them to your upcoming event. Maybe they're going to go to your gala. Maybe they're going to see a nice film that's going to stir them. But what's going to make them stay? That's what you have to ask yourself. What's going to make them stay? How are you going to actually bring them into the community for the long haul? That's the question you have to ask yourself in 2025. I said 2025. Your goals are going to come alive. 2025, it's time for you to thrive. But the only way that you're going to do that is if you build for believers is. What do I always say? Believers lead to breakthrough. That's why community is everything.

[E]

Yeah, I mean, we believe this, you know, I mean, not only do we bake it into like our we are for goods journey, but we learned while watching movements come to life. Like it was the difference of actually being led by people as opposed to being like a top down kind of approach. Like it's all in the grassroots mobilization. I gotta ask you, my friend, I mean, take us into a success story where you saw this happen. Like when this approach really transformed engagement at our organization when they leaned into community.

[Floyd Jones]

One experience. So I was working with, I was doing like a group coaching and this organization, they're a bird rescue and shout out to Barbara if you're listening. But this is a bird rescue, rare birds in Alaska, mind you. And they are a small team, small staff. And they were talking about social media. And listen, if you're in, if you're a grassroots organization, you probably have heard this song about. Social media doesn't work for us. What's the point? Why are we even going to invest more time into social media? It's not a thing for us, y'all. They went to our webinar. Focus on social media growth. I kid you not, put our strategies into place. Focusing on, hey, we always incur. I always encourage things like, you know, why don't you do a takeover? Why don't you actually bring people in to the rescue? Bring them into the shelter, right? Don't just give a fancy graphic. We love these platforms that have templates and stuff like that. But people want to actually be in it with you.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

We are in a time and space where we're inundated with content. People want the real thing. They want to know why are you doing this bird rescue? They want to know why you're actually saving these animals the way that you're doing it. Child, tell me why. They actually posted behind the scenes footage in their shelter and the next day that post went viral and we're talking now. They're like over a million views on Instagram. On Instagram. I'm sitting here like, huh? When I tell you she messaged so fast, talking about. It works. It really works. Like, because it does. It does. And as someone who has gone viral multiple times on multiple platforms, it's about we. It's not just about me, it's about we. Do people see themselves in what you are doing? Are you inviting them along for the journey? Are you actually bringing them on into the grander story of what you're trying to do so they can see themselves in your story? Come on, somebody. So that's an example that just happened.

[Becky]

I love that you brought up a bird example for this.

[Floyd Jones]

Right?

[Becky]

It is taking flight because walking together.

[E]

I mean, yes, all of it, yes.

[Becky]

But, but I do think that what you're saying is it's not just about the way that you connect. It's how you're bringing people into the experience of your mission, the experience of your community. And that's when the multiplication effort really happens, is when somebody can to. To your point, they can touch it, they can feel it, they can have a heightened level of experience. That's not just something that I can experience when I'm doom scrolling at night on my phone. And then the beauty of community activated means they're going to go back and they're going to tell their friends and they're going to bring their friend to the next thing and then they're going to be their friend is going to bring somebody else. And you see the ripple that just starts to impact because you are building community with someone, not for someone. So I got to talk about mindsets with this Aunt Floyd because it's not like you can just wake up the next day and say, okay, I'm just going to like follow this checklist. I'm going to. I'm going to do all the things to community build. Because there are some practices and shifts that have to happen internally to really take your success as a community builder to the next level. Talk about some of those mindset shifts that you see are really pivotal. Child baby, here we go.

[Floyd Jones]

That is the word. Because I was just talking to my friend about this. He is incredible. He runs an organization called ATL Friends. They have like 70,000 followers on Instagram and they're posting a bunch of, they're hosting a bunch of events across the Atlanta area. And we were just, we were at dinner talking and we were saying people aren't willing to invest the time it takes for the community to actually come to life. So community is really becoming such a buzzword right now. But my question is, how are we going to go beyond the buzzword? How are you going to actually put the building blocks in place necessary for that to actually take place? I always say we have to create space for community and transformation to take place.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

But that takes place. Time. It takes time. You can't just snap your fingers and expect the community to grow. Snap your fingers and expect the membership to pop up. Snap your fingers and expect your donors to be popping up and bringing other people. It takes time. And are you willing to put the time in so you can get the transformation on the other side?

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

And another thing I'd be asking people, inspect what you expect. Inspect what you expect, meaning if you want your members to continue showing up for you, are you showing up for them?

[E]

Yeah.

[Floyd Jones]

Is the only time that you're reaching out to them when you're asking them for some money? Is the only time that you're connecting with them when you want them to do something for you? Is the only time that you're posting online when you're asking them to take an action or are you actually telling a story? Are you inviting them into the process?

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

It takes time. I mean, look at we are for good, although We Are for great. Now, come on, somebody. Come on. Okay, right. But how long did it take y'all to get to where you're at today? Right? Look at Back Black. We're raising millions of dollars for black led organizations. But I remember the. And you know what, it's so funny because the first iteration of Back Black wasn't even Back black.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

I started doing a version of this campaign back when I was at Gift Butter. And before that, back when I was working for nonprofits, I was mobilizing black led nonprofits on my own. We're not new to this. We're true to this.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

So what you see, what you see now is an iteration of all the different things that we did behind the scenes.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

What you see is what happened behind the scenes.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

And so people don't understand if you want a community like what we're trying to build, what we have, are you willing to do the work that we're doing but in your own context?

[E]

I just gotta say, I mean, so much. Yes to this. But here's the deal. No shade if you don't like, no.

[Floyd Jones]

Shade if you don't want to create a community. Thank you.

[John]

Like you, that's your choice.

[E]

But you can't Call it a community. And it's actually just like your lead funnel that you don't care about people because it's not a community. Consistency breeds this, though. And that is like the play. I wonder if you'd talk about just what's the role consistency and sustaining that engagement really means, because it is the long game, which is one of our values too.

[John]

What does that clear up for you?

[Floyd Jones]

I mean, consistency is essential. I'm just dropping all these brands, but my good sis Julie, my good says producer. Julie was just talking about that. We both go to Orange Theory.

[E]

Yeah.

[Floyd Jones]

And right now in Orange Theory, there's something called the Transformation Challenge. And in the Transformation Challenge, it's like a six to eight week program that you have to go into and you ask yourself at the beginning, do you want to lose fat? Do you want to build muscle? But like, yes, that's a top line goal.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

But then underneath that, there are so many other different things you have to do. You got to go to specific amount of classes. You got to actually, what's my, what's my body fat percentage? You got to actually make a real life plan to get there. And guess what, y'all? If all I said is, oh, yeah, I want to, I want to have this goal, I want to lose this fat. I always say a goal without a plan is just a wish. It's just a wish. And let me tell you, you can wish upon a star. Come on, Disney. But if you want to actually see that wish come to fruition, come on, somebody. It's going to take work. It's going to take work.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

That's the gap between a wish and the dream actually coming to fruition is the work. You know what I'm saying? And I love, love, love what you said, John. I loved what you said about, it's okay if that's not your goal. It's okay if you wake up one day and you're like, yeah, I'm actually not trying to do all of that. I'm not trying to be on. I'm not trying to be, you know, connecting with people on the highs and the lows. I'm not trying to have no other people make events and suggest things to me. Like, that's okay. Be honest, though. You know what I'm saying? Be honest because you don't want people to sign up for something that you can't deliver.

[E]

Yeah.

[Floyd Jones]

And that's where consistency comes in. Consistency is all about proving and showing up over and over and over again and being trustworthy and keeping your Promises to your people. Keep your promises to your people so they can keep the promises to you.

[Becky]

Yes. And I gotta throw in a little pro tip here because I feel like you're managing expectations so well on community building that you should not start out community building doing 500. All the things, all the tactics. Start small. Start small with what can be habitual, what can be put into practice over and over that people can come to depend on. It doesn't need to be someone coming out, posting in your community, whether you have a physical community, whether you're building it on your socials, wherever it is. Please don't overextend yourself. Which is going to get me into my next question for you, Floyd.

[Floyd Jones]

Well, I was going to say one more thing on that. That's okay, Becky. So many people fall in love with the end product, but I really want you to fall in love with the process. I want you to fall in love with the process, with the pushes, with the pulls, with the ups, with the downs, all of those different things.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

I'm also a singer, if you couldn't hear me blabbing on. But one thing that we used to say when we were in school, when I was in college and we were going with rehearsal, they say you love the show, but you need to love rehearsal. And that's how I feel. I actually love rehearsal. I love going back and forth. I love creating a song. I love when I'm working on a talk, when I'm working on a speech. The reason why so many people, in my opinion, resonate with the things that I do when I'm giving a speech is because I actually enjoy writing a speech. I enjoy working on a keynote, I enjoy going back and refining and add. But if you're not willing to spend the time to get there, right, that's what's going to frustrate you. Because you're not going to get the same outcome every single time. You're not going to get the end product, but you can commit to the process.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

That's all I was going to say.

[Becky]

And the process is where the magic is, y'all. That's where the nuances come on. That's where people tell you, oh, this was my childhood dog who meant so much to me, why I'm connected to this animal rescue mission. Then you start sharing about some of that. And I, I think what, what I want to make sure that you're saying is that the process is build upon itself. It's going to deepen relationships. The more that you go back and So I, I really am loving what you're saying about go with the flow and know that everybody is coming into your community with the exact same center on their heart. They love what your mission is about. So if we can wrap ourselves around that, the end points from there are just whatever you can make it. And so I really love, and I liked what you were saying before, just about getting in a habitual pace. But something that I worry about when we talk about community building is that there is so much to do. There are so many different ways you can show up. There is so many different ways you could create a sense of belonging. But in this sort of fast paced world where nonprofit professionals, impact enthusiasts, they're spending all the plates. How do we talk about burnout as it comes to community building? How do you guide leaders toward this sort of sustainable growth in the community while all also taking care of themselves, not overextending themselves, not adding community on top to an already full plate for.

[Floyd Jones]

Non profit professionals in that especially, community shouldn't be added on top. Like if it's just something that you're adding on top, I don't think you're doing it right. Community needs to be embedded within.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

Like if you're not building with your people in mind, you're, it's already, it's already going to set yourself up for, for, for failure. Okay, so that's one, the second thing that I would say is pace yourself with everything. I mean, this year in particular, I mean, John and Becky are my friends, so you all know all of the different things that I had to traverse and all the different ups and downs. And so this year I literally started booking my trips in advance. And one thing that I do is I actually color code my calendar so I can see when I have a break coming up. And I was like, hold on, why? Why I got a break every month. And then I was, I started to feel bad. I was like, oh, I'm going on here. And not everyone is like me going abroad, right? But like I have a quick weekend trip here or a quick thing here that I'm doing here. But now I'm giving myself something to look forward to so I can actually put on the, put on the, the gas pedal when I'm in the, in the midst of things, you know what I'm saying? So yes, that's, you know, actually taking physical rest and going some. For me, I also realize that quality time is my love language. So I've built in quality time, right. I'm making sure that I'm spending real time with the people who I love so I can get my cup filled up again.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

So that's a couple practical things let's talk about in your work. If you don't put down all 50, 11 goals that you have set this year, let me tell you that right now, okay? I don't want, not, we're not doing 11 million resolutions. I want revelation in 2025. Okay? Less resolution, more revelation. Meaning what is going to change?

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

And how are we going to sustain that change? It's not going to happen by doing 22,000 things. So now one of my biggest things that changed when I turned 30, to be perfectly honest, was me setting less goals and being okay with it. Like literally these past couple of years have been me being like, you know, I'm gonna set less goals. I'm, I'm okay just handling that one thing. And I'm gonna do that one thing real well and I'm gonna see that one thing real through. But guess what? When I did that and when I leaned into that, now we're getting six figure grants for my organization. Not just quick little things. We're getting real. Because guess what? When I go to a funder, I said, I only want to do this actually. Like, I'm only gonna accomplish this one goal. And they're like, wow, we want to partner with you on that. That's why I always say alignment determines your assignment. I always talk about donor retention. I'm just going to get real practical, right? So many times we said, I want to start the monthly recurring giving program. I want to get a major donor. I want to get corporate partnerships. I want to get the grant. And yes, I want those things for you too. But how are you doing on it currently? So here's, here's what we're going to do. We're going to, we're going to do some donor segmentation. And I know segmentation ain't sexy. And a lot of people will say, you cussing at me now? I'm going to say we're going to focus on the donors who are actually giving me between X, Y, Z amount and ABC amount.

[Becky]

Right?

[Floyd Jones]

Why not? Because that number is more important than another number. But because the data is telling me I have a, I have 60% of my donors are falling in this bucket. So I need to know, who are these people? Who are these people? And how do we go deeper with these people? How do I cement their commitment to these people? How do I say, hey, I noticed a trend. I noticed that you've been giving a specific amount for the last three years. How about we just make it official? Let's. Let's start dating. Let's make it official. Can you do a monthly giving now? You know, I'm saying. But you're only going to do that when you take time to actually know your people. So pick one thing. Where are you going deep in your. In your development operation this year? Where are you going deep in your marketing operation this year? Where are you going deep in your program and volunteer recruitment operation this year?

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

And when you go deep, that's when you're going to see deep results.

[Becky]

Yeah, right.

[Floyd Jones]

That is what community longs for. It longs for a. Well, we don't want no puddles no more. What if tlc waterfalls. We want jet.

[Becky]

Yes.

[Floyd Jones]

Okay. We want depth this year.

[Becky]

All right?

[Floyd Jones]

That's what your community needs. It craves depth because that's how you get to build deep relationships. That's how you're going to get deep commitment, and that's how you're going to get deep community and results.

[E]

Boom. I mean, that alignment is everything because when you have that clarity, the things that are inevitably going to come at you are either going to fit with that or not. And it becomes so much more clear as those things start to come in and as the challenges kind of arise. So I love that. I mean, Floyd, you've got pro tips for days. You've built a lot of communities. You come alongside organizations to help them build what are some rapid fire, like, what is on your mind that you want to say? Do this in thinking about community building this year as a great multiplier.

[Floyd Jones]

So I. The thing that popped into my head was the four C's of community building. If you know me, you know I love alliteration. You know, I love something that can help you remember. So that's all I have. But for me, I started thinking about this model when I started thinking about donor acquisition and bringing donors deeper with you. Right. And a lot of times when we're thinking about the traditional model, it's all about going. Getting your donor to give more.

[Becky]

Right.

[Floyd Jones]

We're always thinking about how do you get your donor to give more and how do we get them to operate more and just continue? And also the thing is we put the gift on the pedestal, right? Like, the gift is the highest goal. But I'm like, no, I want you to go deeper. And so that's why I thought about the four C's of community building. Are you ready? Come on now.

[John]

I'm Ready.

[Floyd Jones]

First is Catalyst. How are you capturing the attention of the people? If you listen to earlier in this conversation, I talked about the example of social media, right? That video going viral, that's a catalyst, right? That's gonna bring people in the door that's gonna say, okay, we wanna know what's in store for us now that we're in this journey, right? You caught my attention. So maybe that's when you're making good media about your, about your organization, you know, maybe that's when you're making a good short film. That's when you're making your social media assets and whatnot, right? That's going to be a core component of your. Catalyst two is Communicate. So now that you get them in the door, how are you communicating with them? And I'm not just saying asking them for donation, right? This is you telling your story, this is you hearing their story, right? This is you inviting them in. How are you getting in for a longer journey? And this is why moves management is incredibly important, right? And again, it's not just moving them up the ladder to a different donation. It's saying, how are we actually building a long term relationship? I want you to know what important events are in our cycle. I want you to know the important things that are happening. But I also want to know what's happening in your life. And me saying happy birthday to you and me knowing what's going on with your commute with your company, right? So that's Communicate. Three is convert. So now you're giving them the opportunity, right? You're saying, okay, hey, now here's what we want to get involved. One example of this that I love is not just inviting people to a one, one size fits all thing. Maybe a person is better for the monthly giving like I talked about. After you've seen them donate over a certain amount of time, you're inviting them to join a monthly giving program. Or maybe one thing that I used to do is I used to plan endurance fundraising opportunities. So I would invite people to say, to go to do the New York City Marathon, right? Or whatever city you're in, if there's a marathon, you're inviting them in that way. Or maybe you're inviting them to join your board, right? You've seen them become consistently give you some, be a leader. So you're saying, okay, now you're best here. But the only way you're going to direct people to the right position is if you know who your people are, right? You have to know your people to put them in the right position. Come on, somebody. And then the last C is catapult. So we had Catalyst. Share the spark. Communicate, share what's going on. Convert, share the opportunity. And catapult is Share the baton. Share the baton. Now the ball is in their hand. They're saying, I'm going to be a leader for your organization. Not only am I going to join your board, but I'm going to now be the board chair. And only a few people going to get to Catapult now, and that's okay. Not everyone's going to be the leader. But in the we are. For good example, who's now running your city meetup, they're coming to you saying, we're ready. We want to lead this city meetup. They're saying, okay, we want to leave this book club. Y'all just. Just study. Be over. Good. Okay? They, they. They embody all my seeds, okay? They just do it so perfectly. But when you see people who are so excited that they are now taking the baton on themselves, that they're iterating, they're ideating, they're coming to you with ideas, maybe you have a good community.

[Becky]

That is the masterclass quickly and succinctly on how to build community. Thank you for that. Something really magical happens at the end of that. It's not just the life, the donor life cycle that we're used to seeing. You know, when someone makes a gift and we put them in the. Thank you. And we put them back in. No, this is, again, a multiplier. Because when you get somebody that's asking you, you know, or giving you ideas or sharing their story, they're at another level. And they're going to bring so many people into the love of your mission. Whether that's online, whether that's telling them at the water cooler, or maybe in their Sunday class, wherever people meet. And so that is the long game play that we want to get you to. Flo Jo, you are the master of community. We thank you so much. We gotta round this out with a one good thing. Bring it home, my good friend. One good thing for community.

[Floyd Jones]

This hit me today when I was making my afternoon tea, not you. No one starts out a butterflies. No one starts off as a butterfly. You got to start as a caterpillar. That means you're crawling on the ground, okay? That means things are hard, things are difficult, you're in the mud. But you start with a caterpillar. Then you get into your cocoon, okay? Then there's the chrysalis and all the things that has to happen. Then you gotta fight out of that cocoon. You gotta actually break out, go on YouTube and actually look what the picture is. You gotta fight your way out. Meaning sometimes you're in your mindsets that are keeping you stuck. Sometimes you're in situations that are keeping you stuck. Sometimes you're in piss that are keeping you stuck. And you're on people who are keeping you stuck. But baby, you got to break out of that cocoon. You got to break out of your shell. You got to break out of the things that are keeping you down. And you got to say, 2025, my goals are coming alive. 2025, I'm going to touch the sky. And then, baby, when you break out that cocoon, then you are a butterfly. And baby, when you're a butterfly, that's when you're going to touch the sky. That's when you can get to a new level. That's when you're going to have the beautiful colors. And guess what? Those colors come from experience. The things that are on those wings, they come from experience. You wouldn't have those colors if you weren't on the ground first. You wouldn't have those colors if you weren't a caterpillar first. So, baby, that's what my one good thing is today. It's okay if you're a caterpillar because soon you're gonna touch the sky.

[E]

FloydJones Co go check him out right now, my friend. Just love the way that you love community. You love change makers. You make us all feel like gets possible and get us re centered to how to take care of ourselves in this work. Always an honor to sit in your presence, my friend. How can people connect with you and what you're up to this year? Point us to all the ways.

[Floyd Jones]

FloydJones Co is my website and on all social media the Floyd Jones Stay in touch with me. We got so many good things coming. If you're a black led nonprofit, if you're a change maker, a nonprofit leader, we got all the things for you. FloydJones Co and on social media, the Floyd Jones and not only is the.

[Becky]

Content absolutely fantastic, but you get a friend and an ally in Floyd Jones. So please go connect with Floyd. He's extremely active on LinkedIn, a lot of the social channels. You are amazing, my friend. Thank you for coming in here and multiplying our enthusiasm about the possibilities of community. You make us see what is possible.

[Floyd Jones]

Love you all.

[Becky]

Love you back.

[John]

Thanks for being here, friend. Alongside this series, we've created a free 60 minute on demand workshop and we'd love to see you there. Inside you'll get mobilized to put these eight trends from the series into practice at your organization. And of course we would love to have you join us. Head over to weareforgood.com trends2025. Can't wait to see you there. Have a great day.

[Becky]

Every week. We're For Good Podcast listeners, friends and community members reach out to us for both recommendations and introductions to people, products and services to help them take their nonprofit mission further. And you know what? We love it.

[E]

Totally.

[John]

This community is fueled by the support of Value Line partners who've invested in making this community and content accessible for all. And they just happen to be powered.

[E]

By really good humans too.

[Becky]

So we want to give a shout out to We Are for Goods Partners, Donor Doc, RKD Group and Virtuous and we hope you'll check them out. We deeply believe in their progressive tech tools and offerings that are truly powering and we generous world.

[John]

So reach out to them directly. And if you do mention We Are For Good sent you, you'll get that red carpet treatment or head over to weareforgood.com refer to learn more or you can even click the link in today's episode Description.