Newsletter: No Survey? Try an AI Focus Group 🤖 ; Strong Partnerships Start with Waht You Already Sell 💪 ; Stop Posting, Start Responding 💬

If you've been reading my newsletter for a while, you know I'm a broken record that knowing your audience is the key to partnership success. When you understand who your audience is and what they care about, you can better match them with companies and create more valuable opportunities.

But let’s be honest. How often does this really happen?

You run a great event. You’re exhausted. The dust settles. And then you realize… you never surveyed your audience. And if you send one now, you’ll get so few responses it’s not even worth it.

Or maybe you did, but the response rate is low, or the questions weren’t quite right. Either way, you’re left guessing. And that’s a tough place to be when you’re trying to grow sponsorship revenue.

That’s why this article caught my attention: ​using AI to simulate focus groups​.

Now, this isn’t about replacing real audience feedback. If you can survey your attendees, DO IT. And if you got a great response, bravo! Nothing beats hearing directly from real people.

But if you missed that window, or want a smarter starting point, AI can help you fill in the gaps.

Here’s how it works (in plain English—because Christopher Penn goes deep, and I’m giving you the lite version):

You create a few simple audience types based on the people who actually attended your event. For example:

🧍A loyal attendee who comes every year

🧍🏽‍♀️A first-timer checking things out

🕴️A corporate guest who might influence sponsorship

Then you ask AI to respond as those people to questions like:

• “What did you enjoy most about the event?”

• “What would make a sponsor feel relevant vs. intrusive?”

• “What kinds of brands would you want to see involved?”

What comes back isn’t perfect, but it’s surprisingly useful. Try it.

It helps you see patterns. Spot opportunities. And maybe most importantly, think more clearly about how your audience experienced your event.

And that’s the key to better sponsorships.

Because sponsors don’t just want visibility—they want connection. They want to know that your audience will care about them, engage with them, and see them as a natural fit.

When you can articulate that—when you can say, “Here’s what our audience values, and here’s how you align”—you’re not just selling sponsorships.

You’re offering insight.

So no, AI focus groups aren’t a replacement for real feedback.

But if you missed your shot, or want a smarter starting point, they might be the next best thing.

👉🏻 And in partnerships, a better understanding of your audience is always a good place to start.

✍️ Partnership Notes

One partnership insight that matters.

🧥 ​The strongest partnerships start with what you already sell​.
Carhartt’s Outdoors Made Possible campaign shows how brands can tie their core product directly to purpose—supporting outdoor access through a broader commitment to funding and storytelling. Instead of creating something separate, the campaign builds the cause into what customers already associate with the brand. The partnership lesson: your most powerful asset isn’t a new idea—it’s what you already do. When you connect your product, service, or everyday activity to impact, participation becomes natural and scalable.

🤑 Marketing Your Cause

Two moves you should steal.

💬 ​Stop posting. Start responding​.
This research confirms that replying to comments on Facebook can significantly boost engagement. The algorithm rewards interaction, not just posts. I've found this to be true on LinkedIn, too! The takeaway for nonprofit marketers: don’t just publish and move on. When you respond, you extend the life of your content, deepen relationships, and increase visibility. In a crowded feed, the brands and nonprofits that win aren’t just posting—they’re showing up in the conversation.

📊 ​If your results don’t tell a story, they won’t get shared​.
This post from the wonderful team at For Momentum 🥰 makes a simple but important point: data doesn’t move people, stories do. Metrics show what happened, but it’s the narrative around them that helps people understand why it matters. The takeaway for nonprofit marketers: don’t just report results—translate them. What changed? Who benefited? Why should anyone care? When you turn data into a story, your impact becomes easier to understand, easier to share, and more likely to attract the next partner.

😎 Cool Jobs in Cause

Find your next adventure.

🤝 AVP, US Corporate Partnerships, ​Operation Smile​, Virginia Beach, VA

🧠🍌 Brain Food

One thing that is feeding my thinking.

🧍​In an AI world, you have to prove you’re human​.
As AI-generated content floods the internet, what stands out are the signals of real human experience: original ideas, personal stories, and imperfect but authentic perspectives. That’s exactly what I’ve been wrestling with in my own writing. AI can help organize and polish, but it can’t replace lived experience. The takeaway: the more AI improves, the more valuable being distinctly human becomes.