729. The 4-Step Formula to Get Your Mission Seen by Media, Partners, and Donors - Jenn DeBarge Goonan
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About This Episode
Media coverage, a corporate partnership, a major gift — it usually starts with one email. Jenn DeBarge Goonan has sent thousands of them, and she's cut what works down to four steps: make it a one-of-one, lead with connection not credentials, make one specific ask, and never treat silence as rejection.
Jenn founded JAG Communications after launching Lululemon in the U.S. and building campaigns for Ben & Jerry's. Here she walks through all four steps, shows the formula reviving two pitches that had gone quiet, and names the one-page message guide that has to exist first.
Her frame: roughly 57 million Americans want to help a cause and don't know how. That's a communications problem, not an apathy problem.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Step 1: Why every note has to be a one-of-one, and the 10 minutes of research that makes it land
Step 2: Lead with connection, not credentials — including what to cut (the attachments, the links, the three paragraphs about your org)
Step 3: Make one specific, realistic ask instead of three, and why "a 20-minute conversation" outperforms everything else
Step 4: Silence is not rejection — the "10% more value" follow-up that turned two dead pitches into TV coverage
The one-page message guide that has to exist before any of the four steps work — and how to build it this week
You'll walk away with a repeatable formula for outreach that actually gets answered, plus the foundation that makes it credible. 🩵
Episode Highlights:
(2:44) From high school cheerleader to social impact cheerleader
(4:48) Why passionate leaders end up sounding like word soup
(5:30) The one-page message guide north star
(7:22) How to build it: your ED first, then five anonymous interviews
(9:43) Partnerships: find the overlap before you pitch
(12:29) The 4-step formula, steps 1–3
(15:33) Step 4: don't assume silence is rejection
(16:41) The formula in action: two follow-ups, two placements
(18:33) Social math, Substack, and the 57 million
(20:23) Operation Warm: "This is my first coat ever"
(22:58) One good thing: make it easy for people to help you
Meet Jenn: The Communications Strategist Who Makes Good Work Impossible to Miss
Jenn DeBarge Goonan is the founder of JAG Communications, where she helps social impact organizations and mission-driven leaders earn the visibility their work deserves. She launched Lululemon to the U.S. market and has developed campaigns for brands including Ben & Jerry's, then brought that same brand discipline to nonprofits and corporate foundations.
Jenn also writes The Greatest Good on Substack, spotlighting changemakers and giving readers a clear path to support them.
Her origin story: she was a high school cheerleading captain in Massachusetts who never stopped rooting for the underdog — she just calls herself a social impact cheerleader now.
Powerful Quotes
"Lead with connection, not your credentials." — Jenn
"Don't assume silence is rejection." — Jenn
"I always looked at no as, okay, I'm going to find another way." — Jenn
"Add even 10% more value than the note you sent before." — Jenn
"Most people want to help other humans. It's kind of built in." — Jenn
"If people are hearing word soup, they're not really taking in the clear messaging." — Jenn
"Make it easy for people to help you. Take away all the barriers." — Jenn
"Communicators don't always have the best answers, but they ask better questions." — Jon, on Jenn's approachResources Mentioned
Resources Mentioned
JAG Communications: Jenn's firm, focused on messaging and visibility for social impact organizations
The Greatest Good: Jenn's Substack spotlighting changemakers and nonprofits, with clear calls to action for readers
Operation Warm: national nonprofit providing brand-new coats that kids get to pick out themselves; the source of Jenn's story of generosity
Message Guide North Star: Jenn's one-to-two-page alignment document: mission, why it matters, key stats, testimonials, and impact
Connect with Jenn: LinkedIn (search Jenn DeBarge Goonan)
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