Podcast
The Nonprofit Show
The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily broadcast for the business side of nonprofits — bringing you practical insights, expert interviews, and real-world strategies to help your organization run smarter, lead stronger, and fund better.
Each weekday, our co-hosts and guests break down the most current topics in fundraising, board governance, leadership, staffing, technology, communications, and financial strategy — giving nonprofit professionals the tools they need to build sustainable, high-performing organizations.
With more than 1,500 episodes and growing, our on-demand library is a trusted resource for executive directors, team members, fundraisers, board members, and sector leaders who are ready to move beyond inspiration and into implementation.
🎥 Watch the daily show on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3A0Dqlw
- Episodes
- 1,088
- Releases
- Daily
- Typical length
- 30 min
- On air since
- 2021
- Latest episode
- 4 days ago
Episodes
1,088 episodes, newest first
-
29 min
A Pirate, a Piñata, and a $250,000 Near-Miss: Preventing Nonprofit Fraud!
Season 7, Episode 65
Show notes
Nonprofit fraud doesn’t always kick down the door . . .sometimes you invite the vampire in and approve its invoice! Join pirate-costumed Justine Townsend of Your Part-Time Controller for a howling Halloween lesson in spotting sinister payment requests, protecting your nonprofit’s treasure, and keeping internal controls alive through the year-end fright fest. The pirate is friendly. The invoice might not be!
With Justine in pirate gear, Tim Sarrantonio dressed as a piñata, and Julia C. Patrick emerging from a cauldron, this annual Halloween episode delivers plenty of laughs and a serious reason to rethink who gets through your financial front door.
Today’s scams can borrow familiar writing styles, imitate executive voices, and arrive disguised as vendor paperwork you were already expecting. As Justine puts it, “You have to unmask the monster before you open the door.”
Discover how social engineering uses urgency and authority to push staff past normal approvals. Justine shares a chilling near-miss: changed payment instructions on an expected construction invoice could have diverted $250,000. The lesson is simple: independently confirm changes before money moves.
The conversation also explores holiday distractions, donation-platform card testing, third-party security, and check tampering. For smaller organizations, Justine explains how a board treasurer or finance chair can provide independent bank oversight, even when one executive director handles most daily tasks.
Your monster-fighting toolkit includes segregation of duties, two-factor authentication, verified vendor information, and payment processes that leave time for human judgment. Automation can reduce repetitive work, but it still needs clear approvals and review.
"Our job is to protect ourselves from the fraudsters,” Justine reminds us. That means reviewing controls when responsibilities change, staying alert to new schemes, and keeping safeguards in place through the year-end rush.
Key Takeaways:
- Confirm changed vendor payment instructions through an independent outgoing call.
- Treat unusual urgency as a reason to pause and verify.
- Separate vendor setup from bank reconciliation; add board oversight when staffing is limited.
- Maintain approvals and verification through holiday deadlines and incident cleanup.
- Review controls whenever staff responsibilities or financial processes change.
#NonprofitFraudPrevention #NonprofitFinance
00:00:00 Nonprofit fraud: the real Halloween monster
00:01:55 AI impersonation gives fraud a convincing costume
00:04:02 Social engineering: how urgency opens the door
00:05:44 Pause before you pay: the nine-second rule
00:08:22 Voice spoofing and independent callback verification
00:08:42 Holiday deadlines and distracted finance teams
00:12:00 Vendor security and ghost invoices
00:15:40 The $250,000 invoice fraud near-miss
00:16:40 Check tampering and payment risks
00:18:24 Internal controls: your monster-fighting toolkit
00:19:55 Small nonprofit oversight and segregation of duties
00:24:49 When to reassess your nonprofit’s fraud controlsFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
34 min
AI Data Privacy for Nonprofits: What Did You Agree To?
Season 7, Episode 64
Show notes
Nobody ordered a robot for the finance office. Yet AI may already be working inside your accounting platform, donor database, payroll system, or grant management software. Surprise! Your next technology conversation belongs on the leadership agenda.
AI data privacy for nonprofits starts with the software your team already uses. Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher of JMT Consulting explains how nonprofit leaders can ask sharper vendor questions, protect sensitive information, and welcome AI efficiencies with clear business controls.
Stephanie, JMT Consulting’s chief operating officer, connects nonprofit AI governance with everyday purchasing and operational decisions. As she observes, “Our CFOs become sort of accidental CTOs.” When there’s no dedicated technology leader, the person approving the software bill may also be making consequential decisions about donor, employee, and organizational data.
Start with your five most important applications. Then identify four or five non-negotiables for your organization before meeting with vendors. What information can they retain? How can it be shared? What AI uses are permitted, and what opt-out choices does your agreement actually provide?
The conversation also makes tenant isolation understandable: your organization needs clarity about how its information stays separated and protected within shared software infrastructure. And when AI performs financial functions, convenience needs a paper trail. Stephanie puts it plainly: “I got to be able to audit it and prove it and be secure.”
Bring these questions to your account representative during a purchase, renewal, or review of an essential system. Better answers can help your team make informed choices and benefit from automation while maintaining human oversight.
Watch to build a stronger nonprofit software contract review, and give that “I agree” checkbox the attention it deserves. Stephanie also previews JMT’s Innovate conference, announced for May 12–14, 2027, in Savannah, Georgia.
Key Takeaways:
- Prioritize five essential applications for vendor and AI-use review.
- Define organizational non-negotiables before comparing vendor answers.
- Examine data retention, ownership, sharing, and available opt-outs.
- Ask how vendors separate and protect your organization’s information.
- Require audit trails to verify AI-performed financial work.
- Use vendor conversations to strengthen purchasing and ongoing oversight.
00:00:00 The nonprofit leader’s AI toolkit
00:02:11 Leading change without losing human judgment
00:03:37 Embedded AI and the terms you agreed to
00:07:47 Why nonprofit CFOs become accidental CTOs
00:08:49 Data use, opt-outs, and vendor questions
00:12:18 Where your nonprofit’s data goes
00:16:47 Start with your five essential applications
00:19:43 Define your data retention and sharing non-negotiables
00:23:25 Tenant isolation: how your data stays separate
00:24:54 AI audit trails for nonprofit financial controls
00:28:08 Innovate 2027: nonprofit finance learning and connections#NonprofitAI
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
29 min
Direct Mail Fundraising: Who to Mail . . . .and Who to Skip!
Season 7, Episode 63
Show notes
Nonprofit direct mail donor acquisition works best when your mailing list and your financial expectations are on speaking terms!
Before you blame the envelope, inspect the audience. A beautifully written appeal can still flop when it lands in the wrong mailbox. With postage and paper taking a bigger bite, “send it to everyone” deserves a tougher budget conversation. Jeff Kruszyna of JMK Victory joined the Show to explore donor segmentation, testing, and the longer game behind fundraising returns.
Jeff, founder and CEO, explained how nonprofit direct mail fundraising strategy connects audience selection, creative testing, and donor stewardship. His approach: test smaller segments, study the returns, and expand toward audiences that justify the expense.
“Ultimately the donors decide for us what works and what doesn’t,” Jeff says. Translation: your favorite fundraising letter still has to audition.
The conversation also tackles donor acquisition costs for nonprofits. Jeff describes using a three-month test series with three different creative approaches and recommends evaluating acquisition with a three-to-five-year outlook. Those are his planning approaches, rather than universal performance benchmarks.
And that modest first gift? It may be an introduction, not a ceiling. Jeff recalls seeing a $50 donor later write a $25,000 check . . .. an example of relationship potential, not a promised return!
You’ll also hear where Jeff sees AI helping with campaign research and audience analysis, why some prospects belong in other channels, and how acknowledgments and impact updates support nonprofit donor lifetime value.
Planning a year-end fundraising mail strategy? Jeff estimates roughly three weeks from a standing start to getting mail out the door, while encouraging first-quarter acquisition testing, too. . . . .“The year end isn’t the end.”
Key Takeaways:
- Segment acquisition prospects separately from existing donors.
- Test audiences and creative before expanding mailing volume.
- Evaluate acquisition beyond the first appeal’s immediate revenue.
- Redirect poorly matched prospects toward other communication channels.
- Build thank-yous, impact updates, and monthly-giving cultivation into follow-up.
- Plan production lead time and testing beyond December.
00:00:00 Nonprofit Direct Mail: Does Snail Mail Still Deliver?
00:01:43 Year-End Fundraising and Mailbox Competition
00:04:03 Donor Segmentation: Who Deserves a Stamp?
00:06:17 Mailing Economics and the Value of Small Donors
00:08:34 Testing Audiences and Creative Over Three Months
00:11:06 AI for Fundraising Research and Audience Analysis
00:14:07 Precision Prospecting: Which Names Should You Cut?
00:15:15 Donor Acquisition Costs and the Three-to-Five-Year View
00:18:28 Cultivating Donors Beyond the First Gift
00:20:08 Direct Mail Demographics and Younger Donors
00:22:16 Why Physical Mail Holds Donor Attention
00:24:22 Year-End Mailing Deadlines and First-Quarter Testing#NonprofitFundraising #DirectMailStrategy #TheNonprofitShow
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
28 min
You Hired a Fundraiser. Then Gave Them Everyone's Job!
Season 7, Episode 62
Show notes
Nonprofit development director turnover may start with a job description that expects one person to do an entire team's work. Major gifts. Grant writing. Events. Email campaigns. Database management. Apparently, your next fundraiser also needs a horn and a little glitter!! Eddie Allen of Pacific Northwest Fundraising explains how stronger systems, shared donor knowledge, and a team approach give fundraising talent a fighting chance.
Eddie joins us to challenge the nonprofit “unicorn” job description and the expensive cycle of hiring, overwhelming, and replacing talented people. The conversation connects nonprofit staffing decisions to revenue continuity, donor trust, and the workload carried by everyone left behind.
“Sustainable fundraising needs sustainable systems and processes,” Eddie says. That means examining your strategy, CRM, communications cadence, and storytelling before handing a new hire a revenue target and wishing them luck.
Discover why a donor database should hold much more than gift amounts. Volunteer history, board connections, interests, and past engagement help teams plan the next donor experience. Segmentation and automated communications can also free staff to spend more time building relationships.
For leaders wondering how long this groundwork takes, Eddie estimates roughly three to six months to build fundraising infrastructure, depending on the organization's starting point. He also discusses a 24-to-48-month major-gift timeline, illustrating the tension between patient relationship development and pressure for immediate revenue.
The conversation also explores fractional fundraising teams: specialists handling campaigns, content, and systems while organizational leaders nurture donor relationships. As Eddie puts it, “We're not trying to replace development directors. We're trying to give them a fighting chance.”
Watch before writing your next development job description, rebuilding your annual giving plan, or asking one employee to become the entire department!
Key Takeaways:
- Separate fundraising specialties before combining them into one job description.
- Build strategy, systems, and storytelling into your staffing plan.
- Use your CRM to preserve donor knowledge through personnel changes.
- Budget time for infrastructure; Eddie estimates approximately three to six months.
- Give board members defined roles through invitations, introductions, and content sharing.
- Consider fractional support to protect staff time for donor relationships.
00:00:00 The nonprofit fundraising unicorn problem
00:02:02 One development job, too many specialties
00:05:06 Why revenue demands and system building collide
00:07:41 Donor CRM strategy: protect institutional knowledge
00:09:48 Board participation and donor journey automation
00:11:48 Build fundraising systems before hiring
00:13:07 Strategy, systems, storytelling, and annual giving
00:15:03 How long fundraising infrastructure takes to build
00:17:13 The hidden business costs of fundraiser turnover
00:20:17 Fundraising capacity on a limited budget
00:21:19 How a fractional fundraising team works
00:26:43 Sustainable fundraising connects passion and missionFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
28 min
Tracking In-Kind Donations: When Generosity Backfires
Season 7, Episode 61
Show notes
In-kind donations can be a nonprofit's greatest gift . . . . .or an unexpected operational nightmare! Discover how better nonprofit in-kind donation management can reduce waste, improve donor retention, and turn everyday gifts into measurable results.
Imagine asking your community for much-needed supplies, only to receive so many of one item that you have to tell donors to STOP giving! That's exactly the kind of problem that inspired Panos Kokmotos, Co-Founder and COO of Givelink, to rethink how nonprofits collect, manage, and track donated goods.
Joining The Nonprofit Show, Panos explores an often-overlooked business challenge: generosity doesn't automatically translate into operational efficiency.
From outdated wish lists and excess inventory to anonymous donors and missing follow-up communications, in-kind donation management can create more work than organizations anticipate. As Panos explains, he's seen in-kind giving become “an operational mess.”
But what if donors could purchase exactly what a nonprofit needs, track delivery, and receive actual photographs showing how their gifts are being used? That’s what GiveLink is all about. . . Panos adds, “The photo proof that they received was the best part for them to re-engage and give again.”
You'll also hear how nonprofits can connect donation wish lists with donor relationship management, capture information with donor consent, automate acknowledgments, and create more meaningful impact communications.
Watch now and discover how smarter in-kind giving could change your organization's donation strategy!
Key Takeaways:
- Match donated products to documented needs to prevent excess inventory and wasted resources.
- Keep wish lists current as needs are fulfilled and priorities change.
- Capture consent-based donor information to connect in-kind giving with CRM and stewardship workflows.
- Use real delivery photos and subsequent impact updates to strengthen trust and encourage repeat giving.
- Evaluate donor retention and average gift values, not simply the number of donated items received.
- Choose donation technology designed for nonprofit fulfillment, reporting, and relationship management.
00:00:00 Why In-Kind Donations Deserve Attention
00:01:46 How Givelink Connects Donors With Real Needs
00:03:16 What Counts as an In-Kind Donation?
00:04:43 Beyond Goods: Funding Services and Staffing
00:06:05 Why In-Kind Giving Becomes an Operational Mess
00:07:41 When a Nonprofit Asked Donors to Stop Giving
00:10:16 Why Traditional Wish Lists Fall Short
00:13:30 Donor Demographics and Digital Giving
00:15:16 Donor Retention and the Power of Photo Proof
00:16:54 How Donation Tracking and Impact Photos Work
00:19:23 Average Donation Values and Donor Trust
00:21:57 Donor Data, CRM Integration, and Future Giving#InKindDonations #NonprofitManagement
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
Nonprofit Budget Conversations: Say 'NO' Without Making It Personal
Season 7, Episode 60
Show notes
If your budget meetings inspire elaborate escape plans, this conversation offers a welcome reset. Nonprofit budget planning and accountability get a fresh look when “no” becomes the start of a better business conversation. Joseph Plagge of Martus Solutions and Jeremy Brown of Kari Hub explain how shared ownership, contingency planning, and monthly reviews connect spending decisions to mission results.
Joseph and Jeremy challenge the idea that an approved budget is the finish line. The bigger test: does that plan move your organization toward the financial position its future requires?
Jeremy puts it plainly: “Build a budget that’s worth defending.” That starts with identifying owners who understand their numbers, help shape their plans, and explain results throughout the year.
Joseph describes three ownership groups (executive leadership, finance, and department or program leaders) and references Martus’s nine-phase budget playbook. The goal is to make responsibilities and deadlines clear before spreadsheet season becomes a competitive sport.
The guests also explain how to prepare for surprises. Jeremy recommends writing a contingency plan before building the budget, including responses to scenarios such as expenses running 5% over plan. His suggested rhythm: two to three months for budgeting, followed by a one-hour department budget meeting every month.
And when something needs a “no”? Joseph offers a useful distinction: “So it’s not a person that we’re saying no to. It’s more the plan alignment that we might say no to.”
Discover how documenting assumptions, reviewing budget versus actuals, and redirecting resources toward stronger mission results can make nonprofit financial management more collaborative and less personal.
Key Takeaways:
- Assign budget ownership across leadership, finance, and program teams.
- Evaluate budgets against future financial needs and strategic goals.
- Write contingency responses before revenue or expense surprises arrive.
- Document spending assumptions and intended mission results.
- Use monthly reviews to sustain ownership and explain variances.
- Consider reallocating resources toward higher-impact work before defaulting to cuts.
00:00:00 Nonprofit Budget Conversations: Starting With “No”
00:04:42 Spending Access and Shared Financial Responsibility
00:06:15 Turn Budget Season Into Strategic Planning
00:07:17 Connect Annual Budgets to Long-Term Goals
00:09:10 Does Your Budget Improve Your Financial Position?
00:12:03 Build a Budget Someone Will Defend
00:14:09 Define Budget Owners, Responsibilities, and Deadlines
00:16:53 Write a Contingency Plan Before Surprises Arrive
00:18:08 Document the Mission Behind Each Budget Request
00:20:17 Say No Without Making It Personal
00:22:19 Connect Spending to the People You Serve
00:24:12 Monthly Budget Reviews, Reforecasting, and Accountability#NonprofitFinance
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
The Donor Said “Yoga.” The Kids Needed Reading.
Season 7, Episode 59
Show notes
Nonprofit program design for results starts with knowing whom you serve and what they want to achieve. Rob Jentsch of ADGN Education shows how that clarity can guide budgets, strengthen fundraising, and keep tempting funding opportunities from steering your mission off course.
A community center wants children reading on grade level. Then come a donor’s yoga classes, a science grant, and a community garden!! All good things. But are they moving those children toward the reading goal, or giving an already stretched team three more things to juggle?
Rob joins Julia C. Patrick and co-host Ellie Hume of Your Part-Time Controller for a lively conversation about nonprofit program strategy, resource allocation, and the confidence to keep funding aligned with purpose.
“It’s like an octopus tug of war where you’re pulled in so many different directions,” Rob says. Sound like your last leadership meeting?
His story about Cooperative for Education in Guatemala brings the stakes into focus. Rob reports that about 99% of the students consulted came from families with very tight resources, and all wanted access to a fair-wage job after high school. Listening to students helped clarify the support they needed: employment access, interview clothing, and soft skills. That clarity also gave the organization a stronger story to bring back to its board and donors.
Discover Rob’s results → reputation → revenue flywheel and his straightforward “theory of impact”: if we provide these supports, we expect this outcome. Ellie connects that thinking to leadership across finance, fundraising, and programs, while Rob brings HR and staff schedules into the equation.
Watch for a donor conversation that protects the reading program and still leaves room for a friendly invitation to hot yoga. Bring this discussion to your next leadership meeting and test whether your time, people, and money support the same result.
Key Takeaways
- Define the participant and desired outcome before selecting program activities.
- Assess funding opportunities against outcomes, staff capacity, and available time.
- Use participant interviews and surveys to strengthen strategy and donor communication.
- Build a written “if we provide X, then we expect Y” theory of impact.
- Align finance, HR, fundraising, and program leaders around the resources that outcome requires.
00:00:00 Designing Nonprofit Programs for Results and Revenue
00:01:41 Aligning Time, People, and Money With Strategy
00:03:38 The Stakeholder Tug of War
00:05:27 Start With the Participant and Desired Outcome
00:07:33 When Funding Pulls Programs Off Mission
00:09:52 The Results, Reputation, and Revenue Flywheel
00:12:06 Finding the Confidence to Push Back on Funding
00:15:10 Guatemala: What Students Actually Wanted
00:19:06 Communicating the “So That” Behind Your Program
00:22:19 Building a Theory of Impact
00:23:30 Redirecting a Donor Without Losing the Relationship
00:25:27 Aligning Finance, Fundraising, HR, and ProgramsFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
Independent Sector National Summit Recap: What Stayed With Us
Season 7, Episode 58
Show notes
This Independent Sector National Summit recap brings you inside the Phoenix gathering through the experiences of Tiffani R. Brown and Nancy Bacon. Discover the conversations, connections, and unexpected moments they brought home and what those experiences could mean for your nonprofit’s leadership, operations, and workforce!
Tiffani R. Brown of Monroe Impact Advisors and Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting reflect on why they invested in attending, what caught their attention, and why they left with more than a stack of conference notes.
For Tiffani, a first-time summit attendee, a standout was the CEO intensive: a full day with dozens of leaders navigating different stages of organizational life. She met a new CEO just months into the role and another with 17 years of experience already considering succession planning. Those exchanges offered perspective that can be hard to find inside your own organization.
Nancy describes connections stretching from frontline professionals to state and national leaders. She also noticed generations learning from one another: “And I saw such a spirit of generosity of the generations connecting.” Both guests found encouragement in the emerging leaders they met.
Their summit highlights also carry nonprofit business impacts. Tiffani was excited by shared-services models supporting nonprofit finance, HR, and IT. Nancy welcomed the attention to workforce health, including compensation, retention, morale, and benefits, as part of the sector’s long-term sustainability.
“I walked away feeling really inspired and energized,” Tiffani shares.
Watch their recap for a candid look at what made this gathering worthwhile, and why you should plan to attend the next Summit!!
Key Takeaways
- Tiffani’s CEO intensive connected leaders facing onboarding, succession, and organizational change.
- Nancy’s conversations linked frontline experience with state and national perspectives.
- Shared-services sessions offered models for strengthening administrative capacity across nonprofits.
- Workforce health emerged as a sustainability priority extending beyond individual burnout.
- Both guests saw intergenerational connections and realistic optimism as summit strengths.
00:00:00 Independent Sector Summit Recap
00:01:20 Meet Summit Attendees Tiffani R. Brown and Nancy Bacon
00:04:22 Why They Invested in Attending the Summit
00:06:17 Different Regions, Shared Nonprofit Challenges
00:09:16 Tiffani’s Highlight: The CEO Intensive
00:10:40 Nancy’s Highlights: Leadership and National Connections
00:12:43 Meeting the Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders
00:15:55 What Surprised Tiffani: Shared Services and Open Conversations
00:17:49 What Encouraged Nancy: The Workforce Health Focus
00:22:22 The Summit Atmosphere: Realism Meets Optimism
00:23:59 Serious Conversations—and Yes, Some Dancing
00:26:28 Was the Summit Worth the Time Away?#TheNonprofitShow #IndependentSector
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
29 min
What to Say When Your Board Says “Too Expensive” or "NO!"
Season 7, Episode 57
Show notes
Wondering how to get board approval for a nonprofit CRM when “too expensive” ends the conversation? Tony Beall and Julia C. Patrick explore the business case for donor management software, then tackle board reporting, outside board service, and the work-from-home debate.
It’s Fundraisers Friday, and the questions have arrived with their sleeves rolled up!
First up: a board that sees a CRM subscription as a budget burden. Tony encourages fundraisers to explain the investment through the work it supports: managing donor information, strengthening fundraising processes, and preserving knowledge when employees leave. His question puts a different number on the conversation: “So what price tag are you putting on that information walking out the door?”
Julia and Tony discuss using vendor testimonials to help make the case and exploring capacity-building support. Tony shares a local community foundation example that he believes offers up to $5,000—an illustration of a possible funding route, rather than a universal grant opportunity.
Next comes boardroom access. How often should the development director present? Julia advocates a place at every meeting; Tony favors monthly engagement when possible, with quarterly presentations at a minimum. The goal: stronger relationships, clearer fundraising expectations, and better understanding of how revenue reaches the organization.
They also consider whether fundraisers should serve on another nonprofit’s board. The conversation centers on learning, community participation, confidentiality, and knowing when to step back from a vote.
Then comes the office debate: must productive fundraising happen within earshot of everyone else’s phone calls? They explore hybrid work, employee well-being, and performance monitoring. As Julia puts it, “And that trust goes both ways.”
Watch to get fresh ideas you can bring into your next budget discussion, board meeting, or conversation with your manager.
Key Takeaways:
- Build the CRM case around fundraising processes and donor knowledge continuity.
- Explore capacity-building funding for donor management infrastructure.
- Establish regular development director presentations to strengthen board understanding.
- Address outside board service through confidentiality, conflict policies, and recusal.
- Evaluate hybrid work through performance, employee satisfaction, and available tools.
00:00:00 Fundraisers Friday: Questions Fundraising Leaders Are Asking
00:02:30 When Your Board Says a Nonprofit CRM Is Too Expensive
00:05:04 Protecting Donor Knowledge When Fundraisers Leave
00:07:31 Finding Capacity-Building Funds for CRM Software
00:08:39 How Often Should Development Directors Present to the Board?
00:11:46 Can Fundraisers Serve on Another Nonprofit’s Board?
00:15:19 Confidentiality, Boundaries, and Recusing Yourself
00:17:19 Making the Case for Working From Home
00:20:28 Noise, Neurodiversity, and Employee Well-Being
00:20:59 Explaining Remote Work Decisions Without Damaging Trust
00:24:14 The Architecture of Fundraising: Careers and Leadership
00:26:30 Send Your Nonprofit Leadership QuestionsFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
31 min
How to Improve Nonprofit Donation Forms: Donation First, Details Second
Season 7, Episode 56
Show notes
You’ve crafted the appeal, told the story, and inspired someone to give. Victory lap? Almost. Your donation form still has a job to do, and one extra field, confusing message, or inconvenient payment process can blow-up that moment of generosity! Learn how to improve nonprofit donation forms so a donor’s “yes” becomes a completed gift. Bloomerang’s Evan DaSilva shares how simpler checkout, digital wallets, and timely thank-yous can strengthen fundraising conversion and donor retention.
Evan, Senior Vice President of Payments at Bloomerang, joins us to explore the business of getting donors across the finish line. As he puts it, “You don’t want to introduce moments of friction after you’ve already won that appeal.”
One conversation-stopper: what if you collected the donation before asking for additional donor details? Evan reports that Bloomerang’s Express Donate feature has shown a 55% increase in conversion by capturing the gift first. He addresses the fear of losing contact information and why losing the donor’s attention may be the bigger risk.
The discussion connects nonprofit donation form optimization with campaign planning, internal coordination, and donor confidence. Your appeal and landing page should tell the same mission story. Digital wallets can reduce typing on mobile devices. Even the wording used to ask donors to cover processing fees deserves attention.
Then comes the chore with fundraising upside: testing. Walk through the entire giving experience on phones, tablets, desktops, and different browsers. Invite people across generations to try it, too.
And don’t leave the thank-you until later. Evan cites a statistic that first-time donors thanked within 48 hours are four times more likely to give again. He explains how consistent impact messaging and preferred communication channels help connect that first gift to an ongoing relationship.
Key Takeaways:
- Align campaign appeals, donation pages, and acknowledgments around the same mission.
- Capture the gift before requesting additional donor information.
- Offer digital wallets to simplify mobile giving and support donor acquisition.
- Test across devices, browsers, and donor generations.
- Prepare timely thank-yous before launch; ask how donors prefer to stay in touch.
00:00:00 Make It Easy for Donors to Give
00:01:43 Capturing the Gift at the Moment of Generosity
00:04:04 Align Your Donation Form With Every Campaign
00:07:08 Connect Fundraising, Marketing, and Form Design
00:08:19 Donation First, Donor Details Second
00:12:14 Improve Form Copy and Processing-Fee Requests
00:12:56 Digital Wallets for Mobile Giving and Donor Acquisition
00:15:41 Test Donation Forms Across Devices and Browsers
00:17:33 Test the Giving Experience Across Generations
00:19:49 Plan the Thank-You Before Campaign Launch
00:21:52 Match Donor Follow-Up to Communication Preferences
00:24:32 Ask Donors How They Want to Stay in Touch#TheNonprofitShow #DigitalFundraising #DonorExperience
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
31 min
Did You Hire the Person or Their Chatbot?
Season 7, Episode 55
Show notes
AI recruiting for nonprofits can help teams manage a mountain of applications, but a polished résumé still leaves one big question: can this person do the work? Dana Scurlock, Managing Director of Staffing Boutique, explores smarter screening, candidate transparency, and hiring practices that keep human judgment in the process.
Joining Julia C. Patrick and Sherry Quam Taylor, Dana considers a hiring puzzle that deserves a seat at your next leadership meeting: employers want candidates who can use AI, yet still need to understand what those candidates can contribute themselves.
That résumé might sparkle. The interview still has a job to do.
“AI is not a replacement for the human portion of recruiting and hiring, and it shouldn't be looked at as such,” Dana begins.
She describes recruiting situations where a single job posting brings hundreds of résumés, making screening efficiency a real operational concern. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help organize candidate information, and AI-assisted screening raises questions about keywords, access, and who advances.
For nonprofit hiring managers balancing recruitment with an already-full workload, the discussion connects technology choices to staff capacity, candidate experience, and the quality of hiring decisions.
The conversation also moves beyond résumé screening into AI interviews and hiring assessments. If candidates will use AI on the job, how should that affect the assignments used to evaluate them? What should employers disclose and what should applicants explain about their own AI use?
Discover why even relationship-centered fundraising roles increasingly involve technology, how résumé optimization can signal a willingness to learn, and why impressive presentation deserves a closer look at actual capability.
Dana’s recommendation for nonprofit leaders: develop employee guidelines that explain where AI belongs, where human judgment matters, and what your organization expects.
Key Takeaways:
- Use AI to support screening while retaining human evaluation.
- Assess demonstrated ability beyond résumé polish and keywords.
- Disclose when candidates are interacting with AI.
- Set clear AI-use expectations before hiring assessments.
- Define organizational boundaries for AI in employee guidelines.
00:00:00 AI Recruiting and Nonprofit Hiring
00:03:29 AI Skills Are Appearing in Job Descriptions
00:06:57 Nonprofit Employers Weigh Efficiency and Ethics
00:08:04 Keeping Human Judgment in Recruiting
00:10:53 Applicant Tracking Systems and Résumé Screening
00:12:11 Keywords, Candidate Access, and Technology Skills
00:14:19 Why Fundraising Roles Need AI Fluency
00:15:58 What AI-Ready Résumés Signal to Hiring Managers
00:18:24 Transparency in AI Screening and Interviews
00:20:20 Setting AI Rules for Hiring Assessments
00:22:23 Evaluating Capability Beyond a Polished Application
00:25:37 Employee AI Guidelines and Human Judgment#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitHiring #AIRecruiting
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
Your Nonprofit Says the Right Things. Now Look at Who Gets Hired.
Season 7, Episode 54
Show notes
Nonprofit leadership equity strategies come to life when they shape hiring, board decisions, and everyday operations. Dr. Orletta Caldwell and Erick Seelbach explore how to close the gap between stated values and organizational behavior . . . . .especially during leadership transitions!
Your nonprofit has a values statement. Wonderful. But does it show up when the board chooses its next executive director, evaluates organizational culture, or decides which problems can wait?
Joining host Julia C. Patrick, Dr. Caldwell of Beyond Existing Enterprises and Seelbach of Third Sector Company bring candid perspectives on nonprofit governance, equitable hiring, and interim leadership. Their conversation connects equity to the business of running an organization: talent, revenue, donor relationships, and the conditions a new leader inherits.
Dr. Caldwell addresses the barriers facing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leadership candidates and the funding fears affecting African American-led nonprofits. Her starting point is straightforward: “If it is not written, it hasn’t happened.” Written policies give an organization something concrete to discuss, implement, and revisit—and responsibility belongs across the organization.
Seelbach brings the assessment perspective, explaining how an outside leader can identify gaps, help boards prioritize improvements, and prepare for an equitable executive search. That includes examining the board’s own behavior. The mirror comes with the assignment!
As Seelbach comments, “It’s not about wanting to do good. It’s about what actually happens.”
The two guests also describe organizations retreating from equity commitments, communities strengthening their own resource networks, and the value of bringing politically charged questions back to mission. These are observations from their work, offering leaders useful starting points for conversations inside their own organizations.
Watch to discover where your policies, leadership practices, and mission messaging could work better together. Bring this conversation to your next board discussion and give those good intentions a job to do!
Key Takeaways:
- Translate stated equity values into written policies and observable leadership practices.
- Examine executive searches for barriers that overlook qualified BIPOC candidates.
- Use organizational assessments to identify short-, medium-, and long-term improvements.
- Include board behavior and executive support in the organizational diagnosis.
- Evaluate outcomes and people’s experiences when assessing equity.
- Prepare board ambassadors to connect difficult questions back to mission and values.
00:00:00 Advancing Equity in Nonprofit Leadership
00:02:17 When Equity Values Have No Operating Plan
00:03:16 Funding Fears in African American-Led Nonprofits
00:05:43 Leading Through Fear
00:09:33 Turn Equity Commitments Into Written Policies
00:12:03 Interim Leaders as Organizational Truth Tellers
00:15:46 Measure Outcomes Beyond Good Intentions
00:16:29 Connect Equity to Fundraising, HR, and Culture
00:18:17 Board Accountability and Equitable Executive Searches
00:21:18 Mission Clarity Under Political Pressure
00:24:23 Prepare Board Members as Mission Ambassadors
00:25:36 Community Resources, Mutual Aid, and ResilienceFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
charity: water’s Approach to Fundraising Data and Teamwork
Season 7, Episode 53
Show notes
Nonprofit revenue operations strategy starts with helping fundraisers succeed. Your operations team clears the report queue. Your fundraisers get their spreadsheets. Everybody’s busy . . . .but is the work helping fundraising move forward?
Thomas Turner of charity: water reveals how a customer success approach can sharpen priorities, simplify data access, and strengthen donor relationships.
Thomas, Vice President of Revenue Operations at charity: water, joins us to explore a different approach: make fundraising success the mandate for the team supporting it.
That means agreeing with development leaders on the two or three priorities that deserve focused attention. A routine report might take longer because operations is building something that will save time or improve decisions across the team. The trick is making that tradeoff clear, and making it together!
Discover how self-service analytics can give fundraisers useful dashboards and filters without requiring them to become CRM report writers. Thomas shares a geographic filtering example that replaces repeated requests with a few selections and an export.
CRM adoption gets a refresh, too. Instead of selling staff on “more data,” connect documentation to a situation they recognize: inheriting donors with three years of missing relationship history. As Thomas puts it, “And so we do these things in service of the future.”
The conversation also connects donor portfolio management with giving capacity, project sponsorship, and longer-term partnerships. Thomas describes a target of around 150 major donors per portfolio and recommends measuring internal service before a culture shift, then repeating the survey after three or six months.
For context, Thomas reports that charity: water has served 22.1 million people with clean water, with roughly 700 million still without it. He also explains its 100% model: public donations fund water projects, while separate supporters fund operations.
Key Takeaways:
- Set two or three shared operational priorities with fundraising leaders.
- Replace repeat report requests with usable dashboards and filters.
- Explain CRM documentation through donor continuity and portfolio transitions.
- Treat fundraisers’ relationship insights as inputs to engagement analytics.
- Establish a service baseline and reassess after three or six months.
00:00:00 Revenue Operations: Helping Fundraisers Succeed
00:01:57 charity: water’s Mission and Scale
00:02:53 The 100% Model and Funding Operations
00:04:51 Donor Portfolios and Moves Management
00:07:01 From Project Sponsorship to Multi-Year Partnerships
00:08:51 Self-Service Analytics for Fundraisers
00:11:21 Building a Partnership Around Fundraising Data
00:14:34 Defining Internal Customer Success
00:17:10 Choosing the Priorities That Move Fundraising Forward
00:18:47 CRM Adoption and Protecting Donor History
00:20:58 Portfolio Targets and Measuring Culture Change
00:24:29 Fundraiser Insights and Donor Engagement Scores#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisingOperations #charitywater
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
31 min
Before Your Nonprofit's Budget Fails Again, Give Your Team a Voice!
Season 7, Episode 52
Show notes
Nonprofit budgeting beyond the annual budget starts with a surprising shift: stop treating the numbers as a deadline and start using them to guide decisions! Peyton Burch of Martus Solutions and John Tiso of JMT Consulting explore how shared ownership, stronger revenue assumptions, and ongoing forecasting can turn budget season into a leadership advantage.
“We don’t have the budget!!!.” Conversation over. Idea shelved. Everyone back to their spreadsheets.
But what if that familiar response is hiding the problem your nonprofit actually needs to solve?
Peyton and John challenge the annual scramble to produce a budget, secure approval, and move on. Their conversation connects nonprofit financial planning to the decisions leaders make every day: hiring staff, funding programs, responding to revenue changes, and keeping the board informed.
As John puts it, “The budget is a mirror of the organization and the team and the processes and the systems.” When the numbers stop working, the underlying issue may be communication, data quality, or assumptions that nobody has revisited.
The duo explain why revenue forecasting deserves closer attention, how financial literacy strengthens department-level participation, and why reforecasting should become a normal response to changing conditions. They also explore the cultural shift that happens when program managers understand how their decisions contribute to organization-wide financial goals.
Peyton offers a memorable priority: “So the time needs to be spent in conversations and being strategic, not in building a budget spreadsheet.”
There’s a milestone, too! Peyton announces that Martus has reached 1,000 customers using Sage accounting platforms, including 600 added over the previous three years, with JMT closing the 1,000th deal.
Watch the full discussion for a fresh perspective on collaborative nonprofit budgeting, and bring this conversation to the people who build, approve, and work within your financial plan.
Key Takeaways:
- Test revenue assumptions; accurate expense estimates cannot compensate for unreliable income projections.
- Make budget ownership a leadership responsibility shared across finance and program teams.
- Build financial literacy so department managers understand the consequences of their assumptions.
- Communicate funding and expense changes immediately, then reforecast as needed.
- Reduce spreadsheet maintenance to create more time for analysis, collaboration, and mission decisions.
00:00:00 Stop Blaming the Nonprofit Budget
00:01:47 Budgeting, Reporting, and Financial Planning
00:04:16 Martus Announces 1,000 Sage Customers
00:07:26 Turn Financial Technology Changes Into Growth
00:11:24 Why Budgets Fail: Revenue Assumptions and Ownership
00:14:16 Move Beyond the Once-a-Year Budget
00:15:48 Financial Literacy and Department Participation
00:17:06 Build a Culture of Collaborative Budgeting
00:19:39 Structure the Budget Process Into Manageable Steps
00:22:10 Connect Leadership, Finance, and Program Goals
00:24:02 Shared Assumptions, Trust, and Strategic Conversations
00:26:55 Communicate Changes and Reforecast Promptly#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitBudgeting
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
Planned Giving for Nonprofits: The “Department of No” Could Save Your Next Big Gift
Season 7, Episode 51
Show notes
A donor offers land. Wonderful! Then comes a condition: your nonprofit must farm it for the next 50 years! Suddenly, “thank you” needs a little company . . .
Planned giving legal support for nonprofits can help turn complex donations into gifts your team is prepared to accept. Jamie Holzer White joined us to explore noncash gifts, donor confidence, and why bringing an attorney in early can keep generosity moving.
Jamie, J.D., LL.M., Vice President of Legal Services at Crescendo Interactive, explains how legal expertise can help fundraising teams identify obligations, shape realistic expectations, and protect relationships before a promising gift gets tangled in surprises. When should counsel join the conversation? “And my answer is always early.”
The opportunity extends well beyond cash. Jamie estimates that probably 90% of the gifts she encounters are noncash, with examples ranging from publicly traded securities and business interests to cryptocurrency and farming equipment. She also references Dr. Russell James’s research linking consistent securities giving with roughly six times the contribution growth of cash-only fundraising.
But opportunity needs an operating system. Gift acceptance policies should help staff understand which assets the organization accepts, who approves them, what due diligence is required, and how receipt and liquidation work. Jamie recommends reviewing policies at least annually, with more frequent reviews where changing assets warrant attention.
The conversation also explores independent donor counsel, concerns about paying donors’ legal fees, and ways local planned giving councils may connect nonprofits with legal expertise. Separate attorneys can support a shared goal: “They complement each other, but there are different interests that are being represented on both sides of the table.”
Watch to discover how stronger preparation can help your team welcome generosity with confidence, and give the “Department of No” a more productive assignment.
Key Takeaways:
- Involve qualified counsel before donor expectations harden.
- Define approvals, due diligence, and handling procedures for noncash gifts.
- Preserve separate representation for donor and nonprofit interests.
- Review gift acceptance policies annually; update sooner when needed.
- Train staff and board members to communicate the gift process confidently.
- Explore planned giving councils for legal connections and possible pro bono support.
00:00:00 Planned Giving: Who Belongs on Your Team?
00:02:19 Legal and Tax Expertise in Gift Planning
00:04:00 How Legal Support Helps Shape Complex Gifts
00:05:25 Major Gifts Beyond Cash
00:07:03 Noncash Gifts and Fundraising Growth
00:08:55 When to Bring an Attorney into the Conversation
00:11:49 Legal Costs, Donor Capacity, and Unhappy Heirs
00:13:24 Who Pays for the Donor’s Attorney?
00:16:33 Gift Acceptance Policies That Build Confidence
00:19:44 Policy Reviews and Team Training
00:22:21 Separate Attorneys, Shared Giving Goals
00:23:12 Finding Legal Support and Building Capacity#TheNonprofitShow #PlannedGiving #NonprofitFundraising
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
32 min
Four Generations, One Nonprofit—and Everyone Wants to Be Heard
Season 7, Episode 50
Show notes
Managing multigenerational nonprofit teams takes more than a shared mission. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z bring different experiences to nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and daily operations. But assuming someone’s age tells you how they communicate (or whether they embrace technology) can send your management strategy sideways before the meeting even starts!
Our Co-hosts, Tim Sarrantonio and Julia Patrick, explore how communication standards, clear decision ownership, and better feedback help four generations work together without turning every difference into a workplace showdown.
The conversation gets wonderfully specific with a fish tank. Tim explains RACI—Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed—through his family’s fish-feeding responsibilities. Multiple people can perform tasks, but one person remains accountable for the outcome. Translate that to a campaign, board meeting, or finance deliverable, and suddenly “I thought somebody else had it” becomes much harder to hide behind.
As Tim puts it: “And then once people understand the rules of communication, I think a lot of the friction goes away.”
Julia shares a leadership approach that gives employees room to think: bring two or three possible solutions, then work through them together if support is needed. Tim also challenges overreliance on feedback scores and makes the case for listening long enough to hear what people actually mean.
Their discussion connects staff retention, leadership access, and hybrid work to a fundamental human need. Tim points to the most important question: “I've worked for people younger than me, older than me, and really it comes down to, do you see me?”
Key Takeaways:
- Define communication channels before preferences become organizational friction.
- Use RACI to distinguish task responsibility from final accountability.
- Help employees make decisions by requesting two or three proposed solutions.
- Combine feedback measures with conversation, observation, and patient listening.
- Make leadership accessible while keeping decision authority clear.
- Approach hybrid work through team needs and individual circumstances.
00:00:00 Four Generations, One Nonprofit Mission
00:01:29 Learning Across Generations Through Play
00:02:27 Generational Labels and Shared Experiences
00:04:44 Why Workplace Stereotypes Get in the Way
00:09:25 Set Communication Standards Before Friction Builds
00:12:34 RACI: Who Does the Work, Who Owns the Outcome?
00:15:50 Finding the Right Balance of Team Feedback
00:17:47 Beyond Feedback Scores: Listen and Observe
00:19:41 Help Employees Feel Safe Making Decisions
00:23:20 Give Teams a Place to Practice and Experiment
00:24:21 Staff Retention, Leadership Access, and Authority
00:26:12 Hybrid Work: Balancing Flexibility and Connection#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitTeamManagement
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
31 min
Philanthropy in the South: Investing in Women and Girls of Color
Season 7, Episode 49
Show notes
Funding women of color-led nonprofits in the South means looking closely at who receives philanthropic investment, and who keeps being overlooked. Carmen James Randolph of the Women’s Foundation of the South shares how funding, leadership support, and regional collaboration can build health, wealth, and power for women, girls, and gender-expansive people of color.
These leaders are holding communities together. Is philanthropy giving them the resources to keep going and grow?
Carmen explores the relationship between Southern generosity and unequal access to funding. Drawing on 28 years in philanthropy, she describes how racism, patriarchy, and judgments about “worthiness” can influence which organizations receive support.
She also shares accounts from nonprofit leaders whose work appeared in funding proposals without resources reaching their organizations. For grantmakers, fundraisers, and boards, that raises a business question: are funding relationships strengthening the organizations doing the work?
WFS approaches that challenge as a regional public foundation that raises and invests money, connecting donors with community organizations across the South.
Leadership support is part of that investment. After opening in August 2021 and encountering Hurricane Ida within 30 days, WFS changed its approach to engaging exhausted nonprofit leaders. Care and connection came before another listening session.
“What would freedom look like for you in your work?” Carmen recalls asking participants at a two-and-a-half-day retreat.
Their responses helped shape WŌC @ Rest and ongoing capacity support. Carmen reports reaching 131 leaders across six states, with support addressing succession planning, effective teams, boards through crisis, messaging, and branding.
“We have to think more collaboratively and understand that we’re all in this together,” she says.
Watch to discover how regional relationships, more inclusive funding decisions, and investment in women of color leaders can strengthen nonprofit operations and community outcomes. Learn more about WFS at https://womensfoundationsouth.org.
Key Takeaways:
- Examine how funding criteria can overlook women of color-led organizations.
- Ask foundation partners whom they fund—and whom they cannot fund.
- Build capacity support around needs identified by nonprofit leaders.
- Treat rest and peer connection as investments in leadership.
- Align personnel policies with the values your organization promotes.
- Connect leaders across states to exchange strategies and resources.
00:00:00 Regional Philanthropy and Community Change
00:01:52 Building Health, Wealth, and Power in the South
00:03:10 Why a Regional Foundation for Women of Color
00:05:40 Connecting Donors and Community Organizations
00:06:20 Building Organizational Values Into Personnel Policies
00:07:56 Hurricane Ida Changes WFS’s Approach
00:09:34 Rest and Connection as Leadership Investments
00:11:08 Capacity Support for 131 Leaders Across Six States
00:13:28 Generosity, Race, and “Worthiness” in Southern Philanthropy
00:17:30 Underinvestment in Women and Girls of Color
00:20:00 Shared Benefits, Donor Narratives, and Family Leave
00:27:02 Finding Overlooked Grantees and Following Through#TheNonprofitShow #WomenOfColor #Philanthropy
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
28 min
Year-End Fundraising Reality Checks: One Thumb Can Make It Or Break It!
Season 7, Episode 48
Show notes
How can you improve the year-end donor experience before the giving rush begins? Bloomerang Chief Marketing Officer Ann Fellman showed us where a donor’s path to giving can get difficult and what to do after the gift arrives!
This Nonprofit Power Week finale follows the donor journey from campaign message to donation page to the first welcome. Ann asks teams to walk through their website and giving process with fresh eyes: Can a first-time visitor quickly understand what the organization does, where a gift goes, and what difference it makes? Does a recurring donor have an equally clear path?
Then comes the thumb test. Pick up your phone, scan the QR code on a direct-mail appeal, and try to give one-handed. Tiny text, unexpected steps, or a difficult form can turn an interested donor’s moment of generosity into a frustrating errand.
A small team does not need to rebuild everything before December 31. Ann recommends choosing one or two improvements with the greatest effect on the donation experience. As she puts it, “Pick one thing to do it and do it really well.”
The work continues after someone clicks submit. Ann describes a young event attendee who made a $25 gift partly to see how the organization would thank her; she had more to give, but wanted to experience its response first. The lesson for fundraising teams is to plan the welcome, impact update, and next contact for every new donor, whether the first gift is $10 or $25.
Ann also explains why a recognizable look, voice, and message should carry from direct mail and email through to the donation page. Donors may encounter only a few pieces of a campaign. Each one should help them know they are in the right place.
Watch for a focused way to strengthen this giving season—and build the relationship that carries into the next.
Key Takeaways
- Test the full giving path as both a new and a recurring donor.
- Use a phone and one thumb to check QR codes and donation forms.
- Fix the one or two points most likely to stop a completed gift.
- Segment messages around whom you want to reach and what they need to hear.
- Plan the thank-you, impact update, and next contact before gifts arrive.
- Keep campaign identity consistent across mail, email, ads, and landing pages.
00:00:00 Nonprofit Power Week finale
00:01:47 Ann Fellman on sharing sector knowledge
00:04:39 Why the giving season needs an after-gift plan
00:08:24 Test the donor journey before year end
00:10:07 Try the one-thumb donation test
00:11:56 Choose the fixes with the greatest donor impact
00:13:54 Segment messages before building the campaign
00:14:53 What a $25 gift can reveal about your welcome
00:18:10 Keep campaigns recognizable to donors
00:20:33 Connect mail, email, ads, and donation pages
00:23:28 Do one or two things wellFind us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
You Got the Donation. Will You Keep the Donor?
Season 7, Episode 47
Show notes
How do you retain first-time donors after their first gift? An event can take months to produce. The room responds, new supporters give, and the team celebrates. That moment deserves celebration, but the donor journey has barely begun! . . . .“It’s just starting.”
During Day 4 of Nonprofit Power Week with Bloomerang, James Goalder examines the follow-up, engagement, and measurement that keep a promising donor relationship moving.
So what happens next? James urges nonprofits to send thanks quickly and address donors personally. He recalls donating $25 to more than 1,000 organizations as an experiment, then receiving correspondence addressed to “Dear Donor” or “Dear Friend.” A timely acknowledgment can still feel impersonal when the organization fails to use what it knows about the person who gave.
He also challenges teams to offer engagement beyond another message. A tour or volunteer experience, where appropriate, lets supporters see the work behind the numbers they heard at an event. Those visits can deepen understanding and reveal interests that a donation record alone cannot show.
When it is time for another conversation, James recommends looking across giving history, event participation, volunteering, capacity, and interest. That fuller picture can help a fundraiser decide whether a recurring gift or a larger individual ask fits the donor.
Finally, James put donor retention rate on the leadership agenda. James shares cost estimates he has heard: about $1.30 to raise $1 from a new donor, compared with about 25 cents to raise $1 from an existing donor. He also recalls that only about 20% of a roughly 100-person conference audience knew their current retention rate. His point is direct: “If you’re not measuring it, you’re not going to pay attention to it.”
Key Takeaways:
Treat the first gift as the start of a managed relationship.
Send prompt acknowledgments that use the donor’s name.
Offer tours or volunteer experiences when the mission permits.
Use participation and giving data to shape the next conversation.
Track donor retention rate and discuss it with leadership and the board.
Examine recurring giving alongside major-gift opportunities.
00:00:00 Nonprofit Power Week: From First Gift to Retention
00:01:51 Why the First Gift Starts the Relationship
00:04:08 How Quickly Should You Thank a Donor?
00:05:28 The Cost of “Dear Donor”
00:08:48 What Meaningful Donor Engagement Looks Like
00:10:32 Tours and Volunteering After an Event
00:17:38 Using Donor Data to Plan the Next Ask
00:22:34 Why Leaders Should Measure Retention
00:26:27 Growth Opportunities Among Existing Donors#DonorRetention #NonprofitFundraising #TheNonprofitShow
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show -
30 min
They Were Ready to Donate. . . . Then This Happened!
Season 7, Episode 46
Show notes
How can nonprofits improve donation conversion without losing sight of the donor relationship? During Day 3 of Nonprofit Power Week with Bloomerang, Kirsten Wantland examined what happens when someone is ready to give . . and what can still get in the way!
Kirsten starts with a deceptively simple move: record how each donation came in. A supporter who has given digitally seven times may respond differently to a direct mail appeal than someone who regularly returns a mailed gift. That history can guide segmentation and help a team decide where a more costly channel deserves its budget. If your records are incomplete, Kirsten says you can begin tracking today and learn as the data builds.
Then comes the ask itself. Donors can better picture their contribution when an appeal connects an amount to a clear purpose. Kirsten discusses giving ladders with examples at $50, $75, and $200 . . .and why descriptions beside those amounts matter more than a list of numbers alone. Specificity can reveal which part of the mission first draws a donor in. Over time, fundraisers can introduce that supporter to the organization’s broader work, including opportunities to provide unrestricted support.
“The best thing you can do as a fundraiser is reduce the friction,” Kirsten says. The conversation turns to online donation forms, unnecessary decisions, payment options, and the steps that can interrupt a gift after a donor has decided to make it.
The episode wraps with trust between appeals. Kirsten recommends showing donors what their support accomplished and making “kindness deposits” through updates and recognition. If the only message a supporter receives is another request for money, the organization misses a chance to build a lasting partnership.
Key Takeaways:
Record each gift’s channel so future appeals can reflect observed donor behavior.
Start tracking now if historical records are incomplete.
Connect suggested gift amounts to specific outcomes donors can understand.
Use interest in a particular program as an entry point to a broader relationship.
Review donation forms for extra decisions and steps that could interrupt completion.
Report impact and recognize donor milestones between fundraising asks.
00:00:00 The Ask: Making It Easier to Say Yes
00:01:45 Track How Donors Choose to Give
00:02:47 Segment Appeals by Giving Channel
00:06:05 What If You Haven’t Tracked Gift Sources?
00:08:23 Make the Impact of Each Gift Specific
00:12:37 Specific Asks and Unrestricted Support
00:16:24 Remove Friction from Donation Forms
00:18:45 Give Donors an Easier Way to Pay
00:22:43 Earn Trust and Show the Receipts
00:24:23 Make Kindness Deposits Between Asks
00:26:05 Invite Donors to Participate#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitPowerWeek #NonprofitFundraising
Find us Live daily on YouTube!
Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!
Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show
Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show
Management lists
More Management shows picked out from the charts
More in Management
Placed highest on Apple Podcasts' Management chart right now