Ogden — United Way of Northern Utah (UWNU) is proud to present “Branding on a Budget,” a free, five-part webinar training series focusing on marketing and communications, in partnership with KB Grants and Ogden Downtown Alliance. This professional development series aims to empower local nonprofit organizations, staff members, and volunteers by equipping them with essential skills and go-to tips in promoting programming.

Training seminars will be available via Zoom on the last Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m., from February to June. Each session will include 45 minutes of pre-recorded training and an interview with a local professional, followed by a 15-minute live question and answer period. All training sessions will include one suggested action item to complete between sessions, encouraging implementation of the covered topic.

February 24th | Simplifying Strategic Goals

Special Guest: Mike McBride, Ogden City Marketing and Communications Manager

Assess your marketing and communications plans’ status through specific evaluation tools and identify what can be improved upon to create attainable, complementary goals.

March 31st | Maximizing Digital Reach

Special Guest: Angel Castillo, Marketing and Publicity Consultant

Productively leverage social media channels, webinars, websites, digital influencers, donor campaigns, engagement tracking, Google/Facebook analytics, SEO, graphic design, and more.

April 28th | Utilizing Public Influence

Special Guest: Allison Hess, Weber State University Public Relations Director

Create and implement successful press releases, newsletters, email lists, and advertising partnerships with a cohesive and passionate organizational voice.

May 26th | Engaging Diverse Audiences

Special Guest: Stacy Bernal, Ogden City Diversity Commissioner, Published Author, Professional Speaker, and Founder of Awesome Autistic Ogden

Manage implicit bias, reach out to diverse communities, review materials for mindful and inclusive messaging, and engage audiences when public speaking.

June 30th | Inspiring Community Advocates

Special Guest: Clairesse Miljour, GOAL Foundation Operations Manager

Connect community members with your organizations’ mission, share your “why,” express appreciation, manage committed volunteers, and retain excitement.

All individual sessions are open to community members, and drop-ins are welcome. However, participants who attend all five webinars will earn a signed certificate of completion. Organizations are eligible for certification if at least one representative is present for all five sessions, offering further opportunities for organizations to share training topics with team members for whom it would be most beneficial.

For example, if one of your board members is taking the lead on managing your organization’s email list, they can join us in April. If, however, a staff member cannot attend a subsequent training, an intern or alternate staff member may join on behalf of your organization to learn and report back.

“I believe that, in working for a nonprofit, it is important to be adaptable and ready to wear many hats,” said Sara Mejeur, Development Director at YCC Family Crisis Center. “Strengthening versatile skills like marketing and communications is an invaluable experience. We are trying to budget and find new ways of promoting our organization during the pandemic, so this series could not have come at a better time! Our team plans on attending all of the training sessions so we can help support each other.”

Visit the Branding on a Budget Facebook event page for more details and register online today.