Workhorse Collaborative

Workhorse Collaborative Pittsburgh-based agency specializing in marketing & organizational strategy for Arts and Nonprofits Contact us today for a free 30-minute consultation.
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We craft marketing and organizational plans, untangle webs of financial data, sell-out big events, and help scores of organizational leaders sleep better at night. We launch new brands, triple social media followings, coach hiring and pay negotiations, and elevate artists and nonprofit professionals into the roles they deserve.

The nominees have been submitted, the selection committee has convened, and the red carpet has been rolled out. It's tim...
09/03/2026

The nominees have been submitted, the selection committee has convened, and the red carpet has been rolled out. It's time for...the 2026 Workhorse (Fake) Awards! 🎉 Each August, we select some of the best work we’ve seen in the past year and shout out some hard-working, creative nonprofit workers who rarely get a smidge of the kudos they deserve. First up:

🏆 Award: Masterclass in Microcopy: Powerful CTAs 🏅Winner: Pennsylvania Women Work

Calls to Action are a thing most people would never think to give an award to. And yet, you could make a good argument that CTAs keep the world spinning. Pennsylvania Women Work’s website goes above and beyond when it comes to these crucial little buttons. Rather than overused phrases like “learn more” or “click here,” their site invites you to “make an impact today” and “change lives” and “join our club.” We give them a 10/10 for their use of meaningful CTAs that inform, entice, and speak directly to their mission.

Full list of Fake Awards in the comments. 👇

[ID: The heading text reads "The 2026 Workhorse Awards" above an image of Pennsylvania Women Work's website featuring buttons that read "Rebuild your career", "Change lives", and "Take action!". Below the image the text reads "Pennsylvania Women Work. Award: Masterclass in Microcopy".]

Every year we commission a local artist to design an image for our holiday card in their signature style. This year, we ...
09/02/2026

Every year we commission a local artist to design an image for our holiday card in their signature style. This year, we want you to tell us which artist we should work with. Is it you? We're looking for artists based in and around Pittsburgh with a singular, dynamic visual vibe.

Over the years, these artists have run the gamut - from the warm and colorful stylings of Morg (.makes.stuff) to the delightfully off-kilter grotesquerie of John Michnya () to the surreal and subversive brilliance of Darrin Milliner ( Living). We look forward to spotlighting another local arts wizard.

The pay is $400. Submit yourself or send suggestions, including contact info and work samples (like a social media or website link) to [email protected] by Friday, September 25th.

[ID: An image of a postcard featuring the Workhorse logo with a red ribbon beneath it. The text reads "Call for Artists! Submit by Sept 25".]

If you're a small nonprofit without a dedicated designer, a solo creative, or an entrepreneur wearing all the hats, chan...
09/01/2026

If you're a small nonprofit without a dedicated designer, a solo creative, or an entrepreneur wearing all the hats, chances are you could use some fresh resources to add to your branding and design toolkit. Well, you're in luck!

On any given Tuesday, you’ll find Emily leading a brand strategy session, fine-tuning a logo, or giving feedback on a campaign, so she has some hefty tools in her arsenal. She's compiled a list of her favorite free branding and design resources in our latest blog.

Follow the link in the comments and expand your palette! 🧑‍🎨

[ID: The text reads "Free Design Resources for Nonprofits & Creatives" next to a hand pointing to color swatches and font styles.]

POV: You sent out the post-event survey... and crickets 🦗. To unlock that juicy data, you need people to actually click ...
08/27/2026

POV: You sent out the post-event survey... and crickets 🦗. To unlock that juicy data, you need people to actually click submit, so here are Emily’s top tips to help you rescue your response rate:

📝Keep it short. Aim for as few questions as possible, ideally under 10. Lead with multiple choice and keep your open-ended questions to a minimum.

⌚Keep it timely. Send your survey email 24–48 hours after the event or service. This will improve your response rate AND the quality of the response.

🎁Offer an incentive. This isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential. Ideally, this incentive is unrelated to your organization to ensure unbiased feedback (we like entry to a raffle for a restaurant gift card).

🕵Guarantee anonymity. If you want people to take your survey AND give honest feedback, don’t ask for names, phone numbers, or addresses (zip codes are fine!), and let people know their responses won’t be shared publicly.

[ID: The text reads "Rescue your response rates" over an image of a lifebuoy sitting on a body of water.]

Are you a board member with a toxic executive at the helm of your organization? Are you a manager with an employee who i...
08/25/2026

Are you a board member with a toxic executive at the helm of your organization? Are you a manager with an employee who is sucking the life out of your team's morale? If so, you're probably wondering how to navigate that mess.

Toxicity can’t be fixed with a pizza party. It can only get better when leadership decides it’s worth the time, resources, mediation skills, and internal politicking. Whether it’s a specific toxic person or a generally toxic vibe, this is a structural problem that requires structural solutions.

This blog from Jackie outlines what you can do to detoxify your workplace. Check out the link in the comments. ☢️

[ID: An image of a bottle containing a dark liquid. The text reads "The Antidote".]

This one is for the nonprofit social media managers (or the staff members currently wearing that hat).Coming up with reg...
08/20/2026

This one is for the nonprofit social media managers (or the staff members currently wearing that hat).

Coming up with regular content is hard, especially for nonprofit workers who are busy working as the service delivery engines of their organizations. How do you find original, funny, informative ideas for posts 2-3 times a week that will engage your followers? If you're feeling stuck, you're not alone. We've been there. In fact, we are there, because Emily literally came up with this idea for a post after running out of ideas for content for this month. 😜

Check out the links in the comments for a few tools to help you get over your block 👇

[ID: The text reads "What to post when your brain is empty for the overworked nonprofit marketer." The word "empty" is repeated three times in bold text underneath the image of a brain.]

Emily has worked with a dozen different survey tools over the years. Here’s her review of her current favorites to help ...
08/18/2026

Emily has worked with a dozen different survey tools over the years. Here’s her review of her current favorites to help you decide which is best for you!

🏆SurveyMonkey - Best Overall

Comes complete with a huge library of pre-written, optimized questions, robust user-friendly analytics, advanced survey logic, and built-in survey design safeguards. It's the clear winner for beginners and intermediate researchers. 👎 Cons: Standardized design templates that are not very flexible. The per-month price is steep, so if you need a one-off solution, platforms like Jotform are more cost-effective.

💲Jotform - Best for Low-Cost One-Off Surveys

Designed for registration and workflows, Jotform's drag-and-drop form builder is easy to use and allows you to create custom, branded surveys and forms. This platform is best for intermediate users who don’t want to be locked into an annual plan. 👎 Cons: It features basic analytics functions, so you’ll need to download your data to perform more in-depth analysis.

⭐ Honorable mentions:

Qualtrics - While this is the gold standard of survey platforms and a great super-powered choice for more advanced users, it has a steep learning curve and hefty price tag (you know it’s not cheap when you have to “request pricing”!).

Google Forms - On the other end of the scale from Qualtrics, Google Forms is free, but extremely limited. It works best for basic internal polls or simple quizzes.

[ID: The text reads "Survey Tools" above an image of a toolbox.]

Ever see a coordinator job description that expects them to single-handedly design a 5-year organizational strategy? Or ...
08/13/2026

Ever see a coordinator job description that expects them to single-handedly design a 5-year organizational strategy? Or a manager who is left completely on their own to define their leadership responsibilities?

Scope creep runs rampant in the nonprofit sector, and it's a fast track to staff burnout and operational chaos. Here's a handy glossary to help you nail down who does what. We use references like this often in our work collaborating with Shannon Parris Consulting, assessing job descriptions, workflows, and staff capacity.

Sure, you might have an outstanding coordinator who has vision for days. That can be a spectacular thing, so don’t discourage it. But be clear about how your people are fitting into the ex*****on pipeline. When your staff members show an acumen for work beyond their current scope, fuel it with encouragement, professional development opportunities, and paths to promotion.

[ID: Slide 1: The text reads "Nonprofit roles and responsibilities: a quick guide." Slide 2: The text reads "Coordinator: An entry-level role that primarily executes based on direction and oversight from a manager." Slide 3: The text reads "Manager: Mid-level role who sometimes manages a function, sometimes people, sometimes both. They turn strategy into ex*****on." Slide 4: The text reads "Director: Leadership role that converts strategy into goals, then disburses those across the manager level." Slide 5: The text reads "Executive Director/CEO: Top of the org chart who sets the vision, then works with directors to translate it into a strategy."]

Marketing has become exponentially more complicated in the age of AI. Digital visibility isn't just about showing up in ...
08/11/2026

Marketing has become exponentially more complicated in the age of AI. Digital visibility isn't just about showing up in search engines; your content now needs to be part of the information machines powering ChatGPT, Claude, Google AI Overviews, etc. It's a brave new world, but if you enter it armed with knowledge, you can still succeed in the digital marketing game. Here are the three pillars that should be part of your strategy.

Check out the link in the comments to learn more about making friends with the robots. 🤖

[ID: Slide 1: The text reads "SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The classic, the oldie but goodie. This involves optimizing websites to rank higher on traditional search engine results pages (like Google or Bing) to drive organic clicks. Good SEO involves: strategic use of keywords, a smoothly running website, and backlinks to your site from reputable sources." Slide 2: The text reads "GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Optimizing content so Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Claude can understand, trust, and cite your brand in their conversational responses. GEO strategies include: using consistent language to identify your brand across the digital sphere, publishing substantive content on relevant subjects, and logical page hierarchy throughout your website." Slide 3: The text reads "AEO (Answer Engine Optimization): Focuses on appearing as a direct answer or featured snippet in AI search features, like Google's AI Overviews, Siri, or Alexa. Clear, concise FAQ pages and well-organized structured data code help you out here."]

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+14124478209

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