“I can't speak enough to how the relationship that I developed with Kivi opened a door
for me to get exactly what I needed not only as a representative of an organization but
also as an individual, to grow as a communications professional and find the next best
opportunity for me. The value of those two things alone is unquantifiable."

- Kayla Hornbrook, Stakeholder Marketing Manager at Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

Kayla embarked on the 6-month Communications Director Mentoring Program to enhance her communication skills as the nonprofit organization she worked at expanded. Little did she anticipate that a one-on-one session with Kivi would revolutionize her perspective on communications team standards and expectations.

This experience led to a profound shift in Kayla's professional identity, prompting her to redefine her role as a communications professional. Ultimately, this transformation broadened her vision and paved the way for a new opportunity that resonated with her professional aspirations.

“As a vice president of community relations for a small nonprofit, I was a team of one, responsible for communications and fundraising efforts. The organization was small when I started, and my communication skills were enough,” says Kayla.

As the organization grew and became more sophisticated, she realized she needed a solid strategy. “I had been doing communications work as the fires came up and needed a strategy,” says Kayla.

Her role also shifted from overseeing communications needs to supervising a team. “My perspective changed about how I dealt with other staff members when they had communications projects, how I was growing as a manager, and trying to be strategic about communications needs within the nonprofit,” shares Kayla.

The Mentoring Program helped Kayla reflect on her professional direction. “The value of one-on-one time with Kivi and gaining a mentor's perspective on career direction was extremely valuable. Kivi’s guidance helped me recognize the need to take the next step and explore new opportunities for personal and professional development,” says Kayla.

Before transitioning to a new role at a different organization, Kayla's experience with the Communications Director Mentoring Program was transformative. Through the program, she honed her skills and expertise in crafting effective communication strategies by aligning them with the organization's goals and objectives.

Kayla also appreciated the guidance on creating efficient systems and processes, identifying ways to work smarter and faster, and ensuring that her team was equipped to streamline workflows and track progress effectively.

“I created a content request form that triggered a set of automated flows and processes that helped me organize my work, made sure that program staff came in fully prepared, and increased efficiency over time,” says Kayla.

One of the highlights of the Mentoring Program was the opportunity to connect with and learn from fellow participants during group calls.

“The exchange of ideas, experiences, and expertise was truly invaluable. One individual, in particular, shared a game-changing presentation on generating earned media and PR strategies that revolutionized the next two months of my work! It's moments like these where I witnessed the brilliance and creativity of others that inspired me,” admits Kayla.

Kayla's experience with the Mentoring Program has been nothing short of exceptional, particularly noting her appreciation for the wealth of knowledge and practical tools.

“Communications is this huge umbrella encompassing a wide range of skills and practices. The solutions provided in the mentoring program helped me define and set clear expectations for effective communication within our team and provide guidance on what is expected when engaging in communication and how it contributes to the overall success of the organization,” says Kayla.

Before leaving her job, Kalya created a comprehensive communications content calendar and shared her knowledge and resources with junior staffers. “I was glad to leave the staff with an arsenal of resources to ensure a seamless continuation of the strategic approach with a lot more structure and intentionality,” says Kayla.

In her new position as a stakeholder marketing manager for the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, Kayla plays a vital role within a larger communications team. She works closely with states and industry partners to understand their marketing needs.

“Moving into that space was intentional. Because of the mentoring program, I recognized that the next thing for my career was not to be in a shop of one but to learn from people immersed in communications every day,” says Kayla.

Kayla's experience with the Communications Director Mentoring Program began to bear fruit during her initial weeks at the Foundation. Kayla quickly identified the valuable lessons she had imbibed from the program as she delved into her new role. A notable instance was when the social media team presented their content calendar.

“The content calendar bore a striking resemblance to the one I had created for my previous organization as a part of the mentoring program. The familiarity of the layout and its structure was a testament to the effectiveness of the mentoring program, equipping me with professional skills that seamlessly transitioned into my new responsibilities,” shares Kayla.

Witnessing the parallels between her past experiences and the present environment provided Kayla with confidence and familiarity, reinforcing the significance of mentorship in professional development.

Kayla found immense value in utilizing the supplement from the Mentoring Program to recognize her management style and her teammates' approaches to work. “Understanding and applying these lessons as I transitioned into a new workplace while maintaining healthy boundaries was helpful,” says Kayla.

A Valuable Investment Advancing Your Experience by Few Years within Six Months

Reflecting on her journey, Kayla shared that she would recommend the Communications Director Mentoring Program to anybody being a team of one or a small team in a large organization that doesn't understand communications as much. In addition, the program will benefit communications professionals undergoing responsibility changes or transitioning into new roles.

“This program focuses on shifting your mindset from reactive to strategic, empowering you to handle challenges more effectively. If you are experiencing a shift in responsibilities, it offers a valuable opportunity for growth. And the best part -- it will advance your experience by three to five years within just six months!” says Kayla.

Kayla shared that joining the mentoring program not only helped her grow professionally but also helped her overcome personal challenges, such as impostor syndrome, and allowed her to find the necessary tools and community.

“I can't speak enough to how the relationship that I developed with Kivi opened a door for me to get exactly what I needed not only as a representative of an organization but also as an individual, to grow as a communications professional and find the next best opportunity for me. The value of those two things alone is unquantifiable." 

“The Communications Director Mentoring Program gave me structure and prioritized different aspects of the work for my team in particular. I have a roadmap laid out ahead of me, with clear steps and resources, and I can see how I want my team to be functioning years from now."

- Tenaya Senzaki, Marketing and Communications Manager at Little Tokyo Service   Center (LTSC)

When Tenaya assumed the marketing and communications manager position at Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC), she found herself wearing many hats, as is often the case in the nonprofit world.

With a diverse range of responsibilities, she encountered a new communications team that needed more structure and expertise. The lack of it hindered the team's ability to perform strategically, resulting in stagnant progress and basic output. “We were operating almost like an internal agency, where we were just generating assets,” shares Tenaya.

Tenaya also felt isolated in her new role. Without a support system to turn to, she felt lost in her responsibilities and yearned for guidance. “As a small communications team, I didn’t have peers to look to; I craved professional development and mentorship,” admits Tenaya.

To enhance her skills and establish a more defined framework for the team within the organization, Tenaya sought educational resources and professional development opportunities to overcome these obstacles and elevate their communication strategies.

Shortly after registering for the Communications Director Mentoring Program, Tenaya discovered the immense value it offered. She expressed that the program resonated with her, describing it as speaking directly her language. “The Mentoring Program was exactly what I was looking for. I trusted Kivi and wanted to learn more through her. It was a no-brainer for me to go with this program,” shares Tenaya.

For Tenaya, the program offered a perfect blend of immediate applicability and long-term strategic guidance. She embraced the structured frameworks, wealth of resources, and insightful peer interactions. “I've been able to insert communications into the strategy and functioning of the organization instead of operating as an internal agency,” says Tenaya.

She also found receiving personalized support during one-on-one time with Kivi valuable and unique. This tailored approach allowed for a deep dive into specific issues, challenges, and dynamics within her team environment.

“The opportunity to engage directly with Kivi provided a platform to address my individual concerns effectively and discuss obstacles in a manner that was directly relevant to our needs,” says Tenaya.

Another aspect of the program that Tenaya found valuable was being part of a cohort of peers. “Hearing from and interacting with other professionals facing similar situations offered valuable insights and perspectives. It helped me feel connected and less isolated, knowing that others are navigating similar challenges,” says Tenaya.

One of Tenaya's biggest challenges was prioritizing audiences in terms of communications. It was a daunting task due to the diversity of LTSC's work. She learned strategies during the 6-month program that she could immediately apply to address the challenge of getting organizational agreement on the target audiences that LTSC served.

With this newfound clarity, Tenaya successfully facilitated a conversation with her directors, leading to a collective agreement on the priority audiences for their communication efforts. “Previously, that wasn’t a conversation that I felt prepared to have with our leadership, but through a one-on-one call with Kivi, I gained valuable insights, a framework, and key questions to guide the discussion with leadership,” says Tenaya.

Tenaya shares that the benefits of the Mentoring Program extend beyond individual teams and work projects. “The insights I gained significantly impacted the entire organization. I feel like I’m able to wield the full power of communications to support the organization’s mission and ultimately strengthen our impact.”

The program covered a wide area of her work and provided tools designed to be beneficial in the current situation and for years to come. “The resources I gained allowed not only myself to grow, but my team as a whole. There’s nothing else out there that speaks to nonprofit marketing and communications with the quality level that this program provides,” says Tenaya.

The program also equipped her with skills, tools, and knowledge that she can carry forward in her career. “What I loved about this program is that even though it was catered to and tailored to my specific situation, these are also skills and tools I can take with me throughout my career, not just my role in this one organization,” says Tenaya.

The Mentoring Program enabled Tenaya's communications team to have all the necessary tools to achieve significant progress and map out future success. “Because we were starting from a beginner place, this program gave me structure and prioritized different aspects of the work for my team in particular. I have a roadmap laid out ahead of me, with clear steps and resources, and I can see how I want my team to be functioning years from now,” says Tenaya.

Mary Ingvoldstad, the communications and brand strategist for Northern Nevada HOPES, was feeling disorganized and overwhelmed by marketing and communications planning. “Our organization had multiple templates for planning, multiple calendars, etc., but it seemed impossible to get the whole team on track using the same systems,” says Mary. “We usually ended up doing short-term planning, leaving us stressed and overwhelmed.”

Through her participation in the Communications Director Mentoring Program, Mary found new templates and approaches to planning that work much better for her team and the organization as a whole.

She also enjoyed learning from the other communications staff in the program. “It was really great listening and learning from peers in the group. I didn’t realize how collaborative the program would be and how much I would learn from the other participants,” says Mary. “It was nice to know other folks struggle with the same things we do, and to learn how people and organizations have resolved problems and faced challenges.”

After completing the Mentoring Program, Mary feels much more intentional in her work, rather than feeling scattered and doing last-minute planning. “I feel more strategic. Although our team doesn’t have everything figured out, I feel like I now have the tools to get us to work in a really collaborative, intentional, and creative system,” says Mary.

Anna Mullen, the communications director of the National Farm to School Network, always felt like she was flying by the seat of her pants. “I wanted to carve out time to be strategic, forward-thinking, and realistic about how communications work can best serve the mission, vision, and priorities of my organization,” says Anna. “But I perpetually felt like a very busy and not CALM communications director.”

The Communications Director Mentoring Program gave Anna the space to do that thinking, the resources to guide her through it, and the “thought partnership” to push her towards new ideas and approaches. “The month-to-month curriculum format of the Mentoring Program, with a ‘choose your own adventure’ approach to topics, was especially helpful. It gave me a structure to think about all of the essential aspects of my communications department and approaches,” says Anna.

Over the six-month program, Anna realized just how little time she had previously dedicated to thinking about her big-picture communications strategy and taking a long-picture view of the purpose and goals of communications work within her organization. “These things are just as important as the day-in and day-out project and content management I do, and yet this strategy time was always the first to go when things got busy,” says Anna.

She also enjoyed working with other communications directors in the Mentoring Program. “I greatly appreciated the peer networking that was facilitated through the program. We worked across many different nonprofit sectors, on different staff sizes, with different budgets and backgrounds.”

Anna is more confident than ever in her skills as a communications director after participating in the Mentoring Program. “Through the program, I was able to see what a great foundation I have under me, as well as ways that I can continue to strategically build on it. The access to resources, tools, templates, and trainings throughout the Mentoring Program were a major asset in helping me sharpen my skills and hone new ones,” says Anna. “I feel better equipped to tackle comms and marketing challenges head-on when I encounter them now.”

The Mentoring Program empowered Anna to trust her professional marketing knowledge and communications expertise and to lead from this place of confidence. “I’m looking forward to saying ‘Yes’ to more of the things that I know work and setting boundaries by saying ‘No’ to the things that overextend my capacity or exceed the scope of our goals,” says Anna.  “The Mentoring Program brought me back to understanding how putting in strategy time on the frontend helps mitigate those feelings of stress, busyness, and unorganized activity on the backend.”

Before Olivia Bowler signed up for the Communications Director Mentoring Program, she struggled to make time to think strategically and instead just jumped on every task. “I was overwhelmed,” says Olivia, the director of communications at Habitat for Humanity of Wake County, NC. “Being a relatively new director, I was eager to prove myself to my teammates, but I ended up taking orders more than doing the high-level work I was hired to do.”

Participating in the Communication Director Mentoring Program helped Olivia create space to plan and to think. It also underscored the importance of prioritizing her work. “The program’s structure was very helpful. Rather than just scattershot professional development, I was able to see exactly where we needed to level up and what we could do to get there,” says Olivia.

The program also validated Olivia’s need and ability to establish boundaries around her time and workload and gave her the confidence to enforce those boundaries. “Now I ask a lot of questions before taking on new projects, and regularly rely on data and metrics to make a case for prioritizing one thing over another,” says Olivia. “My colleagues have responded positively to these changes in our workflows, which also feels like a win.”

After completing the program, Olivia has a clear learning plan to guide where she goes next in improving her own leadership and her team’s performance. “I went into the program feeling overwhelmed, but I walked away from it with the path ahead of me illuminated, which is really exciting,” says Olivia. “I feel really optimistic about the systems my team has put into place and our capacity to do more sophisticated work.”

“Nonprofit comms can feel really chaotic. It’s hard sometimes to sort through all the noise to plan, strategize, and grow,” says Olivia. “The Communications Director Mentoring Program sets that time aside for you to reflect. It leads you through exercises and idea sharing that force you to slow down and consider your workflows. This is so valuable, especially when you are just starting out and you don’t feel as if you can or should carve that time out for yourself to think.”

A year before she started the Communications Director Mentoring Program, Rilda Means was transitioned into the Communications Team at Red Cloud Indian School.  “I had no prior work in the communications field at all, and so it was overwhelming trying to wrap my head around what the communications team does,” says Rilda, who had extensive experience with the school in other departments. “I was placed into a director position, so I wanted to understand and learn how to keep the communications team machine moving while also trying to be helpful to the other teams in our organization that needed communications to do their work.“

Rilda found that learning from her fellow communications directors in the program was especially helpful. “Listening to their struggles and discussing items that have helped them in their positions truly helped,” says Rilda. “Understanding the ‘trial and error’ or ‘trial and success’ of others  has really given me the confidence to do this communications work.” Understanding that she was not alone in facing the challenges was also an important realization. “You gain friends and knowledge and a great mentor in Kivi,” says Rilda. “There was never any pressure to understand everything all at once. You have the  opportunity to grow at your own pace.”

Rilda’s team has implemented many of the tools discussed in the Mentoring Program, including outlining team goals and setting up an editorial calendar. “It truly helped us become a well-oiled communications team machine,” says Rilda.

Before the Mentoring Program, Rilda admits that she wasn’t really sure if communications work was right for her. After the program, she says, “I definitely feel differently now. I am confident, I feel like I understand more, and I am looking forward to enjoying the communications work. I’ve gained the tools and the knowledge to keep growing in this work and in myself. This program has helped self-empower me and that is the most important thing I am walking away with.”

QWOCMAP (the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project) had many elements of an effective communications strategy: an extremely successful international film festival, a loyal and engaged community of supporters and participants, and supportive management.

And yet T. Kebo Drew, QWOCMAP’s managing director (and de facto communications and development director) constantly felt stressed out and alone.  She knew what needed to happen, but she just couldn’t get it done. “I felt like I was letting my organization down every single year,” recalls Kebo.

“Each year, I had a brief communications plan in my head, specifically around the film festival. But I didn’t have time or capacity to plan communications for the entire year, much less get everyone else on the same page,” says Kebo. “As a result, our communications were infrequent and our community, especially our donors, were asking us to communicate more.” Kebo made small improvements where she could, but she knew there was only so much could do alone.

Kebo turned to the Communications Director Mentoring Program to help her concentrate QWOCMAP’s focus on communications as a team instead of her alone, to continue building her own capacity for communications, and to better align communications goals with other programmatic and organizational goals, including fundraising.

Kebo, who loves a good plan, appreciated the structure of the Mentoring Program. “Each thing is laid out so that what I was learning was a foundation block to the next item. It made it easy to measure and to see progress because we were actually getting somewhere,” says Kebo.  “This structure offers a road map for change during the program, yet I can use the materials well beyond the six  months of the program too.”

When Kebo started the program, she was quite reluctant to talk about the organization’s successes. It felt too much like bragging. “We were like those people who can’t just say thank you to a compliment. They downplay and negate the praise in a way that makes the other person feel silly,” recalls Kebo. Now, after working through the Mentoring Program, Kebo feel much more comfortable telling the organization’s story and yes, even bragging about their groundbreaking and visionary work.

“I realized that in many ways, we were doubting the brilliance of the people who love us. We want our community to know how brilliant we think they are, and part of that is telling them that they made the right decision to support us. So, yes, we can brag about being the first, the largest, and decades ahead of the mainstream. Loving our community means that we honor their love of us,” says Kebo.

Kebo also used to think she didn’t have enough content. “Now I have so much content and ideas that I’m having to pull back so that we’re not sending emails to all of our lists every single day. It’s abundance that I did not feel like I had before. It’s like when something hurts, and then all of a sudden it stops, which leads to feeling euphoric,” she says.

She also feels much more confident and less overwhelmed because she now realizes that she’s not alone. “I was able to share everything with our team, so they were excited about learning and improving our communications as well.  We now have a clear path for where our organization is going, and communications are aligned with our goals for fundraising and programs. We can clearly see how it all fits together and how to get the communications work done together,” says Kebo. “I’m sure that new problems and struggles will pop up. But I feel more capable of dealing with those challenges. It feels like, “What CAN'T we accomplish now?’”