Relish Studio

Salespeople say "always be closing." On a recent RelishTHIS episode, data expert Matt Ranta of Nimble Gravity gave the version that grows a modern organization: always be testing.

Change one thing at a time – a bigger donate button, one fewer form field – watch your core numbers, keep the winner, and repeat. His teams have lifted donations 50% this way, and you don't need huge traffic to start. Your one action this week: change one thing on your site and see what happens.

Ever run a great event and then wonder why nothing came of it?

On a recent RelishTHIS episode, consultant Carol Hamilton nailed why: we let people just leave without effectively framing the next desired action. There's a huge gap between a fun entry-point experience (a river cleanup, a gala) and the action we actually want (an advocate, a donor, a repeat visitor) – and most of us never design the step in between. Map the journey, and give people one clear next step before they walk out the door.

"Just go do something, anything." That was Diana Zhang's advice on a recent RelishTHIS episode. Her nonprofit, NeighborShare, funds pivotal needs of $400 or less – like the $125 that covered a young father's job certification and bus fare. The lesson for your fundraising: stop averaging your impact into a big blurry number. Tell one real story and let your donor be the hero who made it happen. That's how one-time gifts turn into recurring contributions.

"Please give" is the weakest ask in fundraising. On a recent RelishTHIS episode, Stephen King of GrowthForce – who raised more than 20 million a year for Amnesty International – shares a better one: show the tangible result of the gift.

Give voice to your real program costs so donors can picture the results their support creates ("$125 buys three villagers a day of bowling, a movie, or a trip to the petting zoo").

And a great way to increase donations is to transition one-time donors into monthly contributors. Take their highest gift in the last 3 years, multiply by 1.5, divide by 12, and ask for THAT amount monthly. A $1,000 donor becomes a $125/month sustainer – a higher annual total that feels smaller.

A construction client of ours couldn't stop talking about their fancy equipment.

Then we interviewed their customers and asked what stood out – not one mentioned the gear.

They loved how punctual and friendly the team was. So we rewrote the site around that, and it worked far better.

The lesson from a recent RelishTHIS with HR strategist Otisa Eads: what you think you're great at is rarely why people choose you. Interview your supporters, listen for their exact words, and put those on your website.

Here's a tiny branding masterclass from a recent RelishTHIS episode. Cristina Ferreri's dog day camp ends every phone call with "Tell Gracie I said hi." Nobody wins by simply writing "we care" on a wall – they win by designing a small behavior that proves it. That's show, don't tell. Pick the one value you most want to be known for, then build a small, repeatable signal into your everyday process so it happens every time. Thanks to Cheryl Farr and Cristina Ferreri of SignalCSK for a great conversation.

When it's scorching down on the flats. It's regularly 20 degrees cooler up here. You're welcome.

But here's the thing nobody tells the folks driving up to escape the heat: at 8,200+ feet the air is so dry you're losing water faster than you notice. No soggy jersey, no obvious sweat, just a slow leak. Then you bonk on the last climb and blame your legs.

It's not your legs. It's your electrolytes.

DIALING IN YOUR HYDRATION:
- Start hydrated. Chugging at the trailhead is damage control, not a plan.
- Plain water isn't enough on long hot days. You're losing sodium and you need to put it back.
- Roughly a bottle an hour, more when it's hot and you're climbing.
- Dark urine, a headache, or a crushing case of the grumpies? You're behind. Catch up.

Make sure you have what you need for the trail. We carry a variety of kickass Tin Shed bottles, hydration packs, and accessories to keep you safe on every ride.

We also stock hydration mix and it's a shop staple for a reason. Real ingredients, actual sodium, and it doesn't taste like a melted popsicle.

Grab a few packs on your way through. Your legs on the last climb will thank you.