Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro (Amy Milne)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jan 2023 | What the heck is Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro Podcast? | 00:15:33 | |
Welcome to the Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro podcast! In this trailer episode, you'll meet your host, Amy Milne, CEO of Beyond Fundraising and non-profit event guru. Amy shares her story about how she started in the non-profit event world, why she's so passionate about it and what led her to launch this podcast. Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro aims to introduce you to the good humans that share our passion for changing the world through epic events, hear their perspective and learn along the way. There is an endless list of topics to discuss including marketing, logistics, sponsorship, peer-to-peer fundraising, volunteers and so many more!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 02 Feb 2023 | You Can't Do it All: How to Choose the Right Events For Your Supporters | 00:46:14 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jamie Lamont, Director, Special Events & Sponsorship at SickKids Foundation in Toronto, Canada. Together, they talk about the importance of taking a closer look at your event portfolio so you can start producing events that will have an even bigger impact on your organization. Jamie walks us through the difference between signature, partnership and third-party events, and explains why it's crucial to tailor your event portfolio for different audiences and look for fundraising sources at different levels. Amy and Jamie both emphasize that non-profits need to maximize their donor base data and that there should be a holistic approach to getting to know your donors/participants to best understand how they want to support your organization. Whether you're part of a large hospital foundation or a small local charity, Jamie's shared experience and practical advice are sure to help you get the most out of your events!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 09 Feb 2023 | How to Make Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Work for You | 00:47:44 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Ally Brooks, National Peer-to-Peer Director at OP 3 Events. Ally has been helping non-profits build fundraising campaigns, grow their participant base and raise more money for over 16 years. As an expert in participant coaching, she takes us on a journey to better understand how to build those relationships and foster a sense of community by always remembering to keep personal connection at the core of what we do. Amy and Ally are both firm believers in charging a registration fee for your event and have strong arguments to back it up. Together, they go deep into the importance of opening ceremonies, the benefits of choosing the right speakers, why it's crucial to invest in a proper sound system and they clear up the confusion between a lectern and podium once and for all! This episode is jam-packed with practical and actionable things that you can do right now to take your events to the next level. You don't want to miss it!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 16 Feb 2023 | 10 Tips to Take your Events from Good to Great | 00:26:09 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real about how to take your events from good to great with her top ten tips that will have the biggest impact on your event experience. And the good news is, they don't cost a lot of money! Have you thought about revamping your communications, but don't know where to start? Not a fan of your event t-shirts, but at a loss of how to make them better? Amy dives deep into each tip with real-life examples and practical ways for you to make your events epic. From decluttering your participant emails to streamlining your registration area, and everything in between, you'll want to make sure you have a pen and paper ready so you can take notes and start to put these thoughts into action right away!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 23 Feb 2023 | In with the New: Why Change is Necessary to Take your Events Beyond | 00:39:25 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Becky Mitts, Vice President, Community at Multiple Sclerosis Canada. To kick things off, Becky gives some insight behind a brand refresh and why it's important for the organization, which was founded in 1948, to stay current. A deep dive into the third-party fundraising program reveals how MS Canada has been able to have significant growth by not being afraid to make changes. They started to highlight a wider variety of their third-party fundraising stories, so that their constituents could see themselves in the program and be inspired to host their own event. They invested in new digital infrastructure that effectively supports third-party fundraisers, rather than leaving them feeling like an afterthought. And finally, they engaged the right people to lead a community of gaming content creators advocating for their cause. Becky's passion and enthusiasm for fundraising events really shines through, and it's contagious. Whether you're looking to add a new event to your portfolio or make changes to an existing event to keep up with trends, this episode is a good reminder that while trying something new can be scary, it's worth taking the risk.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 02 Mar 2023 | Putting the 'Why' Back into your Fundraising Events | 00:38:56 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Erica Helphand, Managing Partner & COO at OP 3 Events. Erica's passion for non-profit events started over 20 years ago when she went to cheer on friends at the finish line of The Northeast AIDS Ride (now known as Cycle for the Cause), and she's been in the biz ever since. Erica talks about how the pandemic gave non-profit organizations the opportunity to reset their priorities, allowing them to come back their 'why' and focus on what is important to their constituents. Together, Amy and Erica share some of the small things you can do to not only elevate your event experience, but make it fun. At the top of their list: make parking a priority and don't be afraid of cheeky signage. Erica has always been a crew member to the core and really encourages non-profits to view their volunteers as participants rather than an after-thought. To wrap things up, Amy and Erica have an important conversation around gender equity for women in the non-profit sector, and take a moment to celebrate that OP 3 is a certified Women Owned company!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 09 Mar 2023 | Reaching New Audiences: How to Empower Young Professionals and Engage Corporate Partners | 00:32:32 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Lindsay Strevens, Director, Development and Partnerships at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada. While working at St. Michael's Hospital Foundation (alongside your host Amy!), Lindsay was one of the first fundraisers to see a need to empower young professionals to champion their cause. She goes into detail about the creation of three fun events that were specifically tailored to this demographic and the steps she took to ensure their success. From there, Amy transitions into Lindsay's current role and takes a deep dive into the Science Centre's annual fundraising event, The Innovator's Ball. Lindsay walks us through the event's Fund-a-Need moment and how tying impact to the ask can lead to exponential growth in donations. Lindsay is a guru when it comes to corporate partnerships, so we didn't want to miss this opportunity to pick her brain about how to not only get them in door, but also provide them with the appropriate recognition and benefits so they continue to support your organization for years to come. If you've ever wondered how to empower a younger demographic to fundraise for your cause, or engage corporate partners in a meaningful way, you'll love to hear what Lindsay has to say!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 16 Mar 2023 | It Takes a Village: Partnering with Charities to Change More Lives | 00:39:21 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Rick Kelley, Executive Director at SAY Detroit in Detroit, Michigan, a non-profit organization founded by author Mitch Albom, widely known for his best-selling memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie. In addition to a very successful annual Radiothon fundraiser, Rick walks us through EAT Detroit, a culinary experience that not only benefits SAY Detroit, but also local restaurants and other non-profits in the community. Rick smashes the stigma that supporting other charity partners is harmful and gives us some thoughtful advice around how to listen to your donors and bring them into your organization. Rick shares not only his passion for doing good in the world, but also his many 'Rickisms' that are sure to spark new ideas for you and your organization. Listen today and implement tomorrow.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 23 Mar 2023 | Don't Be Afraid to Shake Up your Event Portfolio | 00:29:55 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Lynn Wilson, Chief Development Officer at the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, a non-profit organization that champions childhood cancer care. Lynn is a career fundraiser and not only used to work with Amy at SickKids, but they are dear friends. The two chat about their mutual appreciation for the role that events play in fundraising and filling your pipeline. Lynn walks us through the reasons why POGO decided to retire their well-established gala and the journey that led to the creation of their new (super fun!) signature event, The POGO Pajama Party. If you've been thinking about making changes to your event portfolio, we have no doubt that Lynn's story will inspire you to take the next step.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 30 Mar 2023 | Raising More Money in a Cashless World: How tiptap Can Help | 00:31:35 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Mark Jordan, North American Solutions Lead at tiptap, an innovative company with the world's simplest way to accept touchless payments. After careers in both marketing & advertising and the non-profit world, Mark is leading the charge at tiptap and giving non-profit organizations a simple and effective way to raise more money. The tiptap device can be embedded into almost anything (although they haven't tried trees yet) and only requires a source of power - no phone, app or wifi needed here! In order to get the most out of tiptap, Mark encourages us to think about the things we're doing at our events and be creative in the way that tiptap is integrated into the overall participant experience. Over the last 5 years, the return on investment is anywhere between 3 and 6 times, on average. So what are you waiting for?
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 06 Apr 2023 | Bigger Isn't Always Better: Ways for Small Non-Profits to Unlock Their Full Potential | 00:38:17 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Cindy Wagman, President and Founder at The Good Partnership, a values-driven, social-justice informed consultancy that is working to unlock the potential of small non-profits through fundraising. Cindy was born to be a fundraiser. Her company has evolved over the last 8 years, and has currently landed as a place for the fractional fundraising movement. Cindy educates us on what fractional fundraising is and why it can be so valuable for small non-profit organizations. Amy and Cindy may have invented the concept of 'social fatigue' and discuss why smaller events may be just what your supporters are looking for. Our favourite moment is when Cindy jumps on her soap box about why not only talking to, but listening to, your donors is crucial to success. Filled with real-life examples and practical advice, you don't want to miss this episode!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 13 Apr 2023 | The Power of Human Design and How to Show Up as Your Best Self | 00:41:43 | |
Let's take a minute for some personal development, shall we? In this eye-opening episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jenn Walker, Business Coach for Heart Centred Entrepreneurs at Dive Heart First. Even though her journey to becoming a coach may have been unconventional, there is no question that coaching is what Jenn was born to do. Amy and Jenn spend the episode doing a deep dive into Human Design, a self-awareness and re-framing tool that provides a roadmap for how you show up in the world. They walk us through the 5 energy types (spoiler alert: Amy is a Manifesting Generator!) and emphasize that each blueprint is unique - only 1 in 6 billion charts are the same! From a professional perspective, knowing your type of energy and how to best show up for yourself will lead to better relationships with your colleagues, donors, participants and supporters. Learning about her Human Design has changed Amy's life, and she is so excited to share it with all of you, our good human listeners.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 20 Apr 2023 | Focusing on the Little Things to Create an Epic Event Experience | 00:13:58 | |
Straight from the sun and sand of the Dominican Republic, in this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real about why the little things are so crucial to nailing your event experience. She draws a parallel between non-profit events and guest stays at a resort hotel, opening our eyes to the fact that resorts are creating thousands of individual event experiences 24/7. It's all about anticipating the needs and expectations of your participants, which can seem like a lot of work up front but, as Amy promises, will be well worth it in the end. To wrap things up, Amy shares some of her favourite little things that are sure to surprise and delight your event participants!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 27 Apr 2023 | The Whole Picture: Why Your Non-Profit Events Should be Aligned with Your Brand | 00:34:41 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Shelley Mayer, Founder & President of Ramp Communications Inc., a marketing & communications agency focused on transforming brands into human-centered industry-leading agents of growth and change. After a career in the automotive industry, Shelley started her own company because she saw an opportunity to help organizations amplify and scale their impact. Like Amy, Shelley believes wholeheartedly that an event concept has to be intentionally linked to your organization's brand and overall strategy. Oh, and the marketing should look good too! Shelley highlights a couple of events that she has helped transform, including a Peer-to-Peer Walk for the Alzheimer Society which is a great example of how pivoting to a virtual event during the pandemic opened the door to new audiences for the organization. Make sure you listen to the end to hear Shelley's top pieces of advice for how to make your events better, including why moving away from a federated model could save your non-profit precious time and money. "The opportunity I see is not thinking about the event in a vacuum. I think we need to think about our brand, and our organization and our message and how we're engaging people." - Shelley Mayer
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 11 May 2023 | How Elevated Event Experiences Can Lead to Better Member Engagement | 00:33:25 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Amanda Kaiser, a member engagement strategist and author of Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community. Amanda is also a researcher and keynote speaker, and is passionate about helping non-profit organizations from purely transactional relationships to real engagement with their members. Do you struggle to engage fundraisers, recruit volunteers and create energy in your community? You're going to want to listen to this episode! Amanda walks us through her clear and simple framework for the five stages that people go through to make decisions on engagement. Even more important than the framework itself is recognizing which stage your constituents are at, and remembering to not rush them through the process. Amanda has so many practical tips and takeaways, including our favourite: using virtual events to build community and engagement before an in-person event. Listen now and take action tomorrow! “Experiences drive their emotions which actually drive their decision to engage.” - Amanda Kaiser
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 18 May 2023 | Finding the Sweet Spot: Building Mutually Beneficial Relationships Between Non-Profits and Corporate Partners | 00:46:41 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Heather Nelson, CEO and Lead Consultant at BridgeRaise which works exclusively with non-profit organizations to help them raise more money by prioritizing aligned values with corporate partners. Heather is a career non-profit champion who is passionate about growing relationship-based corporate partnership programs. Amy and Heather talk about the evolution that's happening in the sector as charities move beyond transactional and toward more sustainable corporate partnerships. We were cheering out loud when Heather preached that perfection is not the goal when it comes to communicating with our corporate partners. And, it might be time to do away with your uber-detailed sponsorship package and think about creating a sizzle deck - you're gonna love this! There are so many important takeaways in this episode, you'll want to listen more than once!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 25 May 2023 | The Power of Story: How to Clarify your Message to Engage More Donors | 00:38:21 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Dr. J.J. Peterson, Head of StoryBrand and certified marketing genius. StoryBrand helps companies and non-profit organizations create a clear brand story and compelling marketing in order to grow their business. As a StoryBrand Certified Guide herself and a huge Dr. J.J. fan, this was a special one for Amy! Many non-profits struggle to talk clearly and concisely about what they do in a way that engages people. Prepare to be blown away as Dr. J.J. walks us through the seven elements of a basic story framework and how to create talking points that will invite our donors/participants/beneficiaries into a story where they can be the hero. This episode has the power to change the way you build your website, write your emails and interact on social media. Not to mention, Dr. J.J. is the most fun good human. This is a must listen! “At StoryBrand, we help non-profits tell marketing stories and fundraising stories in a way that engages more people.” – Dr. J.J. Peterson
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 01 Jun 2023 | Why Your Corporate Partnerships Must Elevate Your Guest Experience | 00:36:22 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Mel Jack, Manager of Brand Partnerships at Alterra Mountain Company, a hospitality company that owns and operates 15 iconic year-round resorts throughout North America. Together, Amy and Mel take an in-depth look at how corporate partnerships are moving from transactional to experiential by making sure that the customer experience is elevated. As Mel likes to say, "we won't take money anymore just to put a sign up.", people need to experience the brand. We see so many ways to put Mel's advice into action when it comes to non-profit events. Mel shares some of her favourite activations with us and really drives home the importance of doing your research when looking at potential brand partnerships - she promises it's worth the effort! Not only is Mel an expert in her field and passionate about what she does, but she's cool, down-to-earth and an overall good human. You're gonna love her!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 08 Jun 2023 | Going Against the Grain: Finding the Courage to Do Things Differently | 00:15:14 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real about having the courage to go against the grain when it comes to fundraising and your non-profit events. As she was struggling to put together a "conventional" presentation deck for AFP ICON, Amy did what she does best: she decided to do things differently. Dive into the episode to hear what she did! She also introduces us to a fave book that she's referenced for years, You2 by Price Pritchett, which puts forth 18 key components for building massive success while expending less effort. This episode will no doubt give you the courage and motivation to believe in yourself, stop doing things the way they've always been done, and show others what's possible. Plus, we have a special treat for you! Sign up HERE, leave your details and we'll send you a copy of You2 of your very own!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 15 Jun 2023 | Change Agent to Non-Profit Event Guru: Learn from a Leader in the P2P World | 00:47:05 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Eric Epstein, President of Global Impact Productions, a full-service event production company that produces outdoor challenge peer-to-peer fundraising events on behalf of select non-profits. Eric kicks things off by sharing his unique journey into the non-profit world (spoiler alert: his first job was as a science teacher!). Eric introduces us to the ‘Platform for Engagement’, an insight-driven, integrated, branded fundraising program that will have you thinking differently about your events. Amy and Eric talk candidly about how they've been influenced by Dan Pallotta and why giving space for participants to have their own experience is worth gold on event. Make sure you listen until the end to hear a hilarious story about Eric's first time using a bullhorn; you'll be laughing out loud! We love Eric’s willingness to be vulnerable and get real, and you will too. Get ready to meet your new event bestie!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 22 Jun 2023 | Telling Your Story: How Non-Profits Can Use Public Relations to Amplify Their Message | 00:39:01 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Sandra Chiovitti, Director of Public Relations at SickKids Foundation where she leads a large team that handles media relations, issue management, internal communications, content production, and the list goes on! Sandra kicks off the episode by introducing us to the Patient Ambassador Program and sharing why these families are the heart and soul of the Foundation. She dispels the myth that celebrities work for free and drives home the idea that you have to invest in paid media - including social media influencers - to grow revenue for your organization. Amy and Sandra agree that, no matter the size of your non-profit, you can build one-on-one relationships and they remind us that that it doesn't hurt to ask. Sandra even treats us to the origin story of how a Canadian celebrity (yes, you know him!) became involved in the amazing work that they do. There is no doubt that Sandra is one of the best in the biz, so get your pen and paper ready as she shares bite-sized pieces of advice that are worth gold. “We need to think about our influencers as a part of our paid marketing mix.” – Sandra Chiovitti
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 29 Jun 2023 | The Right Fit: Finding a Style Personality and a Non-Profit Partnership that are Right for You | 00:30:36 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Mavis Huntley, Founder & CEO of Smithery Style. We're switching things up a bit this week and taking a moment to focus on some personal style development. More specifically: choosing outfits that will help you look your best, so you can feel your best! Mavis dives right into the 'shop by shape' concept that is central to everything Smithery does. She walks us through the different body shapes and explains what a 'third piece' is (hint: it's the key to making your outfit feel pulled together!). And because we love all things non-profit, we couldn't let Mavis go without telling us about Smithery's charity of choice, Pink Pearl Canada, and how the relationship was built. She's here to tell you that small businesses can make a charitable impact too! Here at The Non-Profit Event Collective, we are loyal Smithery shoppers and after listening to this episode, you will be too! “They [Pink Pearl Canada] were checking all the boxes for me and it felt so right; and it feels so good every time we can work with them or partner with them on events or donations.” – Mavis Huntley
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 06 Jul 2023 | How a Passionate Advocate for all Things Non-Profit Events was Born | 00:19:38 | |
It's time for us to take a deeper dive into your host, Amy Milne's story and what makes her tick! Grab a cup of tea (or coffee if you prefer) and join Amy as she gets real about how her career in non-profit events got started and why she's so incredibly passionate about what she does. Amy shares her favourite 'tales from the trenches' story, and talks about the time she spent at SickKids Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society before opening the doors to Beyond Fundraising Inc. in 2015. She also gives us a sneak peek into Camp Beyond, a one-of-a-kind conference curated exclusively for non-profit event pros just like you. We're bringing this back in 2024 so make sure you stay tuned for details! Also, fun fact: Amy co-authored a wonderfully inspiring book called Whisper. Want your very own signed copy? Reach out to Amy directly and she'd be happy to send you one!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 13 Jul 2023 | Big Problems Need Big Solutions: Finding the Courage to Take Risks and Make a Bigger Impact | 00:42:14 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Michael Braithwaite, CEO of Blue Door, a non-profit that provides lifesaving support to children, youth, men, women, and families at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Michael's career and passion for the non-profit sector began at age 12 when he was voluntold by his mom to volunteer at the YMCA for the summer. That kicked off a 20+ year career with the YMCA which led to an Executive Director position at 360°kids (formerly known as Pathways) and a CEO role at Raising the Roof. Michael chats with Amy about Construct, an inspiring social enterprise that not only builds affordable housing but also launches people into the trades. His enthusiasm is contagious and we love that he's not afraid of innovation or to take risks in order to try to have the biggest impact. And when it comes to fundraising, he reminds us how important it is to listen and find the right opportunity for the right donor. Michael is as down-to-earth as they come and an all-around good human. We loved this episode and we know you will too!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 03 Aug 2023 | Summer Reads: Amy's Top Five Non-Fiction Books to Help You Grow as a Non-Profit Leader | 00:08:28 | |
You're in for a treat with this episode! Your host, Amy Milne, shares her top five non-fiction business book recommendations and you're gonna love them! While on the surface, they may not seem like they were written specifically with non-profits in mind, they can all help you grow as a non-profit business leader and are no doubt transferrable to your events. From Donald Miller to the Disney Institute, the hardest decision will be which to read first - or maybe you're like Amy and can read multiple books at the same time. Run, don't walk, to get these books into your beach bag so you can start to get inspired and make this a season of growth of success for yourself and your organization. “It is my goal to continue to be better everyday, and the knowledge and insights of others is my favourite way to do this.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 27 Jul 2023 | Keeping It in the Family: Using Fundraising Events as a Way to Create Community and Belonging Amongst Donors | 00:40:45 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Kevin McMahon, Sr. Director, Peer to Peer & Community Fundraising at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP for short!). When Kevin left his marketing job with the Philadelphia Eagles to join CHOP 11 years ago, he had no experience in healthcare and would get tripped up (and even struggle to pronounce!) the word 'philanthropy'. Those days are long over. Kevin walks us through their events portfolio which is divided into four categories: special events, executive events, peer-to-peer events and community events. He emphasizes the importance of being donor-centric and how having great relationships with other teams (marketing, communications, individual giving, etc.) is the key to success. Kevin lets us in on his own definition of "R and D" (it's not what you think!) and reminds us that you don't always have to create an original event idea. The Philly Spin-In event is a great example of an event concept that existed in the peer-to-peer space, and by ensuring that it made sense for them as an organization and met their strategic objectives, it became a very successful fundraising event. Kevin and Amy also have an important conversation around how to recognize those who are participating in memory of a lost loved one. Kevin's words of wisdom are worth their weight in gold, so we highly recommend having a pen and paper ready so you don't miss anything! “If we lead with community and belonging, then fundraising will follow.” – Kevin McMahon
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 20 Jul 2023 | Capture Your Audience: Why Investing in Event Photography is Always Worth It | 00:28:19 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jessica Crandlemire, CEO of Light and Shadow Photography. She describes herself as an artist, photographer and light chaser, all three of which shine through when you witness her work. Jess starting snapping photos at a young age and her passion has only grown over time. She chats with Amy about how to ensure a successful working relationship with your photographer: do your research, be open about how you plan to use the photos and give them some space to do what they do best! Gentle reminder: just because everyone has a smartphone in their hand doesn't mean everyone is a photographer! While you may be tempted to use the photography budget line as a place to find some savings, Jess is here to tell you that investing in a great photographer will always be worth it. “I do want people to feel something when they look at my images.” – Jessica Crandlemire
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 10 Aug 2023 | Why Investing (Not Spending) Time With Your People is Crucial to Fundraising Success | 00:58:29 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Ryan Baillie, Associate Vice President at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. They kick things off by reminiscing about when Amy hired Ryan onto the CauseForce team where they became pioneers of the new way to do peer-to-peer fundraising in Canada. Using this repeatable peer-to-peer fundraising formula, Ryan went on to become a fundraising event rockstar at a number of organizations including SickKids, Canadian Cancer Society and Hockey Helps the Homeless. A big key to his success? Always putting the people first. Whether it's an event participant, a volunteer, a major donor or a third-party event organizer, it is crucial to put your people at the centre of your decision-making and build relationships that are truly supportive rather than transactional. “If we take care of the people, the people are ultimately gonna take care of us, and they're gonna continue to show up.” – Ryan Baillie
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 17 Aug 2023 | Extra! Extra! How to Get Your Non-Profit Story in the Media (And Keep It There) | 00:36:51 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jennifer Singh, CEO of She's Newsworthy Media. Jennifer is a former TV reporter turned entrepreneur and CEO. She started her company to be able to amplify women's voices in the media because she feels they are underrepresented, and we couldn't agree more! She starts off by highlighting the different between public relations professionals and journalists, and then dives right into the good stuff: the importance of human interest stories. As non-profit peeps, it's crucial to think about how the average person is going to be impacted by your story or cause. The nuggets of media gold are endless in this episode, but our fave is staying relevant in the media on an ongoing basis, not just when you're having an event (we're all guilty of this!). Stay tuned until the end to hear Jennifer walk us through her step-by-step plan to pitch your story, and make sure you have a pen and paper ready because you'll want to take notes. Jennifer is smart, kind, authentic and an all-around good human and we know you're gonna love her as much as we do! If you're like us, you love a good template, so make sure you check out Jennifer's Media Pitch Template. You can find out more about She's Newsworthy Media at shesnewsworthy.com or on Instagram, and connect with Jennifer directly on LinkedIn. "You have to be able to amplify your thought leadership and connect it to the media's news cycle on an ongoing basis.” – Jennifer Singh
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 24 Aug 2023 | You're Not Alone: Let's Work Together to Continue to Develop the Peer-to-Peer and Event Fundraising Industry | 00:35:08 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Kari Bodell, Vice President, Development Programs Strategy at Susan G. Komen. To say that Kari's experience working in the peer-to-peer and event fundraising space is extensive would be an understatement. Her robust career has taken her to some of the most influential non-profit organizations and consulting agencies in the U.S., and we feel lucky anytime we get to listen and learn from her. After walking us through some of the signature event programs that her team manages at Susan G. Koman, Kari and Amy dive into the good stuff. Kari shares her favourite part of working on the agency side and hits us with the hard truth that if you're working with an agency and they're not really pushing you to think differently, you might not be getting your money's worth. Even if you don't work with a consultant, Kari and Amy agree on the fact that non-profit organizations should be asking themselves the hard questions and most importantly, reaching out to each other to help find the answers. Our 'light bulb' moment happened when Kari noted that the peer-to-peer and event fundraising industry is still rapidly developing, so let's develop it together! Not only is Kari a wealth of knowledge and passionate about the work she does, but she's one of our fave good humans, so buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 31 Aug 2023 | The Importance of Values and How They Can Shape Your Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Events | 00:36:45 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Ted McCartan, Sr. Director, Community Engagement at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation. Right from the get-go, Ted's passion and dedication for his team and what they do shines through. He kicks off by telling us his 'why' for hosting an event, and while the simple answer is to raise money, Ted proves that there's more to it. He also inspires us with stories about virtual events his team created during COVID and how he's not afraid to stop an event that's not achieving their goals. Better to try an event and stop it, then not try at all - we couldn't agree more! This episode is filled to the brim with what we like to call "Ted Tips" including why you can't sell event swag and why beer, ice cream and bubbles are all you need at your event. At the end of the day, it comes back to your organization's values which will help to guide the decisions you make. Ted is kind enough to share his team's values and trust us, they are worth listening to!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 07 Sep 2023 | Think Big, Start Small: How to Spread the Word About Your Organization Beyond Just Your Events | 00:34:27 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Nadia Tchoumi, Founder of New Hope Media. Nadia's seventeen year career as a journalist gave her the opportunity to work with many non-profit organizations where she saw first-hand the struggles to be consistent in their storytelling and maintain relationships with the media. And so, New Hope Media was born. Nadia is on a mission to make sure that non-profits engage with the media with a goal of boosting fundraising and deepening impact in the community. Along with Amy, Nadia dives into the importance of finding your 'why', building ongoing relationships with the media and sharing those data-based stories (spoiler alert: they're not boring and journalists love them!). From her top three tips on how to pitch a story to media training, this episode is jam-packed with actionable takeaways that you can start to implement in your organization today, so make sure to have a pen and paper handy!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 14 Sep 2023 | Take a Beat and Share the Love | 00:05:19 | |
In this episode, we push pause on our regularly scheduled programming so that host Amy Milne can be real. She openly and honestly speaks of a sudden loss in her life. It is a reminder that by being in the non-profit world, death is something that we face almost daily. Whether we're trying to eradicate it, prevent it or honour it, death surrounds many of the asks we make to our participants, donors, sponsors and volunteers. It is important to take a moment, and show love and support for ourselves and those we serve. Sending hugs and high-fives to Amy and all of you, our good human listeners.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 28 Sep 2023 | Twas the Night Before Event Day | 00:06:50 | |
In this episode of "Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro Podcast," Amy dives into the excitement of the fall event season. With unwavering enthusiasm, she shares her love for event day, especially as they prepare for the Bay St Rides FAR charity bike ride. Amy takes us through a quick look at the behind-the-scenes chaos of event planning, from permits and volunteers to snacks and logistics. The episode culminates in a touching recitation of an original poem, written just for you, "Twas the Night Before Event Day," capturing the anticipation of the event eve. This episode is a little bit of fun and a big dash of gratitude for you, the non-profit event pro. “Remember, YOU and your events matter!” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 26 Oct 2023 | Listen Up! The Voices in Your Head Have Something to Tell You | 00:40:55 | |
We're back! In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Alicia Wood, former TV producer turned human behaviour expert, intuitive healer and certified mind coach. She is also the host of The Fuel Your Fire with Alicia Wood podcast and passionate about helping good humans embrace their inner wisdom and make soulfully informed decisions. We've all had those moments while producing an event where our gut tells us something, and we ignore it. And what happens? Usually we were right. Alicia wants us to start making a habit of listening to our intuition. She leads us through a fun experiment of asking ourselves a question and paying attention to what we feel when we hear the answer - you have to try it! Together, Amy and Alicia remind us that when something happens, we have a choice about how we respond and attach meaning to it. This episode is a beautiful conversation about tapping into your intuition and learning to trust it - we know you're gonna love it! Want to hear more from Alicia? Listen to The Fuel Your Fire with Alicia Wood podcast or reach out directly on Instagram. ”I think that any situation that happens in our lives we can gain, learn, grow, heal from.” – Alicia Wood
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 02 Nov 2023 | Branding and Marketing Strategies to Attract Your Audience, Keep Their Attention and Have Fun Doing It! | 00:31:57 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Taylor Shanklin, Graphic Design On-Demand Founder & CEO of Barlele and Creative Shizzle. She is an expert in marketing & growth strategy servicing both the corporate and non-profit sectors for over 15 years. Taylor kicks things off by giving us a branding vs. marketing 101 which is the lesson we didn't know we needed (or maybe we did know but were too afraid to ask!). She shares her go-to marketing tactics and a hot tip about engaging on other people's social media accounts to build relationships. In one of our favourite moments, Taylor talks about why she started Creative Shizzle and that while Canva is her love language, it shouldn't be everybody's. Taylor is the shizzle and we know you're gonna love her as much as we do!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 09 Nov 2023 | Laugh, Cry, Cheer! How to Create Your Most Impactful Opening Ceremonies Yet | 00:51:54 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Matt Glass, Partner & Chief Creative Officer at Eventage, a full service event production company that creates, designs, develops and executes live events for Fortune 100 companies as well as blue-chip non-profits. From his start as the Production Manager for many high profile Macy's annual events, including the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (so awesome, right?!) to now running Eventage with his wife, Jennifer, Matt is a passionate advocate for planning and executing events that matter. Like Amy, Matt has many soapboxes but the one he focuses on for this episode is opening ceremonies. He's on a mission to take them from afterthought to front & centre! Matt takes a deep dive on everything from where the ceremonies should take place, who should speak, what to say, how to say it and so much more. Make sure you listen to the end for a crucial reminder to create an epic event experience that brings people together to rally around your cause. Grab a pen and paper and buckle up to hear from one of the best in the biz!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 16 Nov 2023 | Grace & Gratitude: Ways to Improve Well-Being in Our Post Pandemic World | 00:33:52 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Julie Fotheringham, Partner at HAGEMAN, a leadership development agency that, through coaching, training, facilitation and leadership development events, brings experience, wisdom and caring to support others in realizing their full potential. One of the things that Julie is diving into more and more these days with her clients is well-being and what that means in this post-COVID world. News flash: stress is higher than we expected coming out of the pandemic and we're all feeling it. So what's the solution? Julie has lots of tips, but it all starts with giving ourselves grace. Not only does Julie talk about how we can help ourselves as individuals, but she also discusses what leaders can do when it comes to connecting with the people on their team. This episode is filled with "a-ha" moments, so sit back, relax and take it all in! ”Taking in that good, it can really help, otherwise it just gets dismissed.” – Julie Fotheringham Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 30 Nov 2023 | REPLAY: Change Agent to Non-Profit Event Guru: Learn from a Leader in the P2P World | 00:47:05 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Eric Epstein, President of Global Impact Productions, a full-service event production company that produces outdoor challenge peer-to-peer fundraising events on behalf of select non-profits. Eric kicks things off by sharing his unique journey into the non-profit world (spoiler alert: his first job was as a science teacher!). Eric introduces us to the ‘Platform for Engagement’, an insight-driven, integrated, branded fundraising program that will have you thinking differently about your events. Amy and Eric talk candidly about how they've been influenced by Dan Pallotta and why giving space for participants to have their own experience is worth gold on event. Make sure you listen until the end to hear a hilarious story about Eric's first time using a bullhorn; you'll be laughing out loud! We love Eric’s willingness to be vulnerable and get real, and you will too. Get ready to meet your new event bestie!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 07 Dec 2023 | REPLAY: 10 Tips to Take your Events from Good to Great | 00:26:10 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real about how to take your events from good to great with her top ten tips that will have the biggest impact on your event experience. And the good news is, they don't cost a lot of money! Have you thought about revamping your communications, but don't know where to start? Not a fan of your event t-shirts, but at a loss of how to make them better? Amy dives deep into each tip with real-life examples and practical ways for you to make your events epic. From decluttering your participant emails to streamlining your registration area, and everything in between, you'll want to make sure you have a pen and paper ready so you can take notes and start to put these thoughts into action right away!
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 23 Nov 2023 | Keeping Your Event Traditions Alive | 00:11:19 | |
In this episode, your host Amy gives us a peek in the window of one of her favourite holidays, and it’s probably not the one you’re thinking of! Amy and her family have been celebrating American Thanksgiving (her bonus holiday!) for as long as she can remember. Time spent with family & friends, incredible food, football, Black Friday shopping - it’s all steeped in tradition. And guess what? So are your events! Listen up as Amy shares her top tips for ensuring that your events continue to bring people together, engage the audience, and build the community that your participants hold near and dear to their hearts. “It’s not just about raising funds, it’s about creating a legacy of impact one tradition at a time.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 14 Dec 2023 | Full Circle Moment: Reflecting on the Difference a Year Can Make | 00:35:21 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne brings us back full circle with the return of our very first podcast guest (and one of our faves!), Jamie Lamont. When we first heard from Jamie, he was leading the Events team at SickKids Foundation, however he has recently moved to the Sinai Health Foundation as Vice President, Events - congrats Jamie! With an exciting new career move and the end of the year approaching, it seemed the perfect time for Amy and Jamie to reflect on all that can happen in a year. They dive into the importance of continuing to grow and learn, ways to embrace change and new opportunities and how to take risks (some might say, calculated risks!) when it comes to your events. To wrap the episode up with a bow, listen to what Jamie has in store for 2024 and get ready for Amy to tell you how you should start thinking about selling your events and why bigger, bolder and more confident is better! ”It's not worrying about who are we competing with, it's more like how are we helping each other?” – Jamie Lamont Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 21 Dec 2023 | Read, Listen & Watch: Amy's Top Recommendations for This Holiday Season | 00:14:03 | |
Looking for something to read, listen to or watch this holiday? Look no further! Your host, Amy Milne, shares her top book, podcast and TV show recommendations and there's something for everyone! Whether you want to grow with some personal development, be captivated by a gripping true crime story, or tune in to some light-hearted fun, grab a hot cup of cocoa, a cozy blanket and dive in! The hardest part will be deciding what to do first. No matter what you decide, we hope that you will take some "me" time over the holiday break to relax, recharge and reconnect so you're ready to hit the ground running for your organizations in 2024. Wishing all of our good human listeners and your loved ones a very happy holiday season! “Dive in, explore and indulge in these delightful finds.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 28 Dec 2023 | Year End Round-Up: Thoughts, Inspiration and Takeaways from 2023 | 00:23:19 | |
In this episode, we're serving up a full plate of year-end goodness as we hear from some of our favourite guests from 2023. Your host, Amy Milne, kicks things off by sharing that her year had more cry than laugh and cheer due to some events in her personal life. However, staying connected to the people and things that she loves the most meant that each day got a little bit better. With 2024 shaping up to be a great one (50th birthday celebrations, here we come!), Amy gives us a list of a few things that she's excited about accomplishing this year. Then we dive right into hearing from some of our awesome guests from the past year. Grab a pen and paper and get ready to jot down not only great pieces of advice and takeaways, but also book and podcast recommendations. We want to take a moment to thank all of our amazing guests for giving their time, sharing their knowledge and making this season of the podcast epic! And one more HUGE thank you to all of our good human listeners - we can't wait to kick off 2024 with you! “When we just say it, we don't take action. We keep ourselves safe and free from judgment, however we risk not sharing our gifts with the world.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 04 Jan 2024 | Happy New Year! Kicking Off Season Two! | 00:08:25 | |
Happy New Year! One year ago, this podcast was simply an idea so believe us when we say we are beyond excited to bring you another year of amazing guests doing what they do best to change the world one day at a time. In this episode, to start us off on the right foot, your host Amy Milne gets real about why we need to wave goodbye to those old new year's resolutions and usher in the era of setting intentions. This is also the 'year of 50' for Amy which means lots of celebration! We have a some gifts up our sleeve to keep the party going all year long, so make sure you enter your email at startingbeyond.com and you'll be the first to know when the first gift drops! We can't wait for you to join us next week with our first guest of Season 2! “Resolutions demand instant results but intentions, they nurture and grow allowing us to bloom beautifully throughout the year.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 11 Jan 2024 | Together is Better: The Benefits of Partnering with Other Non-Profit Organizations | 00:39:13 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jen Garden, Chapter Director for Northern Alberta at Make-A-Wish Canada. Jen has been in the non-profit sector for almost 15 years and her passion for fundraising and building relationships is contagious. Amy and Jen first met in person pre-pandemic at Camp Beyond, a one-of-a-kind conference for non-profit event pros. Jen is a big believer in finding opportunities for personal development which is why she obtained her CFRE Certification in 2021 and is currently working on her Masters in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. Jen kicks things off by walking us through her career journey with Make-A-Wish Canada for which she is so grateful. From there, her and Amy dive right into why all non-profits organizations should be creating partnerships with other charities. They talk about how to get the conversation started, the keys to having a successful partnership, and why the benefits outweigh the challenges. Jen gives us some real life examples of Make-A-Wish partnerships - be prepared for a few moments that will tug at your heart strings! Make sure you stick around to the end to hear about why Amy likes to give out small rubber ducks to her colleagues - you don't want to miss it! ”All we can do is change the world.” – Jen Garden Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 18 Jan 2024 | The Power of Peer-to-Peer Events and Why They're Here to Stay | 00:53:31 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Brian Carney, CEO of Blue Sea Foundation. The vision at Blue Sea is a more generous world where charities thrive and Brian is an incredibly passionate advocate for non-profits, specifically in the peer-to-peer fundraising space. Blue Sea offers national peer-to-peer fundraising events for social service charities to consider, including the well known Coldest Night of the Year. We all know that Amy could talk about the positive impact of P2P events forever and Brian is here for it! The two of them dive right in to why the power of P2P events is real, how non-revenue results are often overlooked and the fact that these events feed so many of your organization's other development programs. Buckle up for some soap box moments! Brian also wants all of us to start taking more risks in our marketing, even if it ends up offending some people - don't be scared! Listen to the end to hear both Brian and Amy's thoughts on new artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT and how you can start using them to your advantage. You don't want to miss it! For more information on Blue Sea Foundation, check out bluesea.org. Also make sure you check out cnoy.org to find out more about Coldest Night of the Year and lovesweatandgears.org for more on Love, Sweat + Gears. Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 25 Jan 2024 | It's the Little Things: How Small Moments Can Have a Big Impact at Your Non-Profit Event | 00:34:07 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Cassidy Spencer, Director, Annual Campaign & Special Events at YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South. Cassidy has been in the non-profit sector for several years, she's passionate about events and a fan of the podcast! Amy and Cassidy dive right in to how small moments can have a big impact when it comes to bringing your cause to life, being thoughtful about sponsor gifts and treating your event volunteers like the rock stars that they are. Make sure you have a pen & paper handy because Cassidy is full of real-life examples and simple (and inexpensive!) ideas for your next event. She's also on a mission to say goodbye to "rubber chicken" dinners forever and we're here for it! Cassidy's positive energy, ability to build meaningful relationships and love for all things events truly makes her a one-of-a-kind good human; we know you're gonna love her as much as we do! ”If you're making the gift all about you, it's not a gift, it's a transaction.” – Cassidy Spencer Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 01 Feb 2024 | Food For Energy: How to Best Fuel Ourselves, Volunteers and Participants for our Events | 00:36:49 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Seanna Thomas, Food and Nutrition Consultant and Host of Meal Prep Mondays on CP24 Breakfast in Ontario, Canada. She is a mom of three and passionate about helping parents, families and young athletes make easy, nutritious and budget-friendly meals. As busy event planners, we've all had those days where we're run off our feet and barely have time to grab a muffin, a bag of chips and a slice of leftover pizza - sound familiar? Well, we can do better! Seanna gives us some simple, yet effective ways to best fuel our bodies while setting up and on event day so that we have the energy and focus to last for the long haul. She also reminds us that eating the right foods post event is so important to help our bodies recover and repair. And don't worry, you don't have to give up all of your favourite treats. Seanna is a firm believer that we CAN have it all when it comes to our nutrition, and teaches us how to get the right balance. Seanna dishes out a lot of 'food for thought' around how we can better feed not only ourselves, but also our staff, volunteers and participants so that everyone is feeling their best! ”It really isn't about overhauling everything, it's just about tweaking it to make you feel better.” – Seanna Thomas Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 08 Feb 2024 | Rewards & Perks & Benefits, OH MY! How to Add a VIP Experience to your Non-Profit Event in a Meaningful Way | 00:18:32 | |
In this episode, we get a front-row seat to Amy's wonderful world of creativity, thoughts and ideas all centered around the theme of reward programs. She shares that a recent (joy-inspired!) spontaneous 48-hour trip to Dublin, Ireland was booked with airline points and it got her thinking about perk programs and why adding VIP benefits to our non-profit events is a must. The reasons why credit card companies offer reward programs are the same reasons why non-profits should be offering them too: to attract and retain customers. Amy walks us through many different ways that your participants can earn points or become eligible for certain benefits, as well as provides a laundry list of opportunities to incorporate a VIP experience into your event. Amy has so many great ideas of ways to reward and recognize your VIPs (Very Important Participants, that is) that you're going to want to have a pen & paper handy to write them all down; they are pure gold! “You are motivating people to do what you want them to do, what you need them to do, to reach your fundraising and participant goals.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 15 Feb 2024 | Living Your Best Life: How to Shift Your Thoughts and Actions to Achieve Your Goals | 00:34:33 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jodi Wilding, a Certified Integral Associate Coach with a private coaching practice and a passion for helping people become who they want to be, achieve the success they desire and make the impact they are meant to have. Jodi kicks things off by talking about intentions and gives us our first of many "a-ha" moments of the episode. At the beginning of the year, many of us are busy thinking about action words that will drive us toward our goals, but what if we asked ourselves, "How do I want to FEEL this year?" instead? Powerful, right?! In the non-profit sector, it's easy to focus on what we don't have, but Jodi reminds us that we can flip the script and that we have a choice about how we respond to our circumstances. Want to try a fun exercise? While we all know that things can go wrong at an event, try to write a list of all the things that could go right and see how your perspective shifts. Jodi is an inspiring good human and we know this episode will motivate you to start living your best life! If this episode really hits home for you and you're looking for a coach to help you gain clarity and chart the path forward toward achieving your goals, look no further! You can connect with Jodi directly at hello@jodiwilding.com. Also, make sure you check out her website. ”Whatever we put our intention on, and our focus on, that is what's gonna grow.” – Jodi Wilding Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 22 Feb 2024 | Marketing & Comms Mini-Series: How to Transform your Tired Taglines and Phrases | 00:08:26 | |
In this episode, we are excited to kick off a mini-series that is focused on all things marketing and communications. We all know how important it is to foster deeper and more meaningful connections with our community, however we sometimes lose sight of the vital role that our communications play in developing those relationships. Let's face it, as non-profit event professionals, you wear many different hats and finding the time to make changes to the language in your communications can seem not only overwhelming, but nearly impossible. But fear not, Amy is here to help! And she's making it really easy to put her practical tips into play. As a non-profit mailing list junkie, Amy has rounded up a list of ten tired phrases that are no longer inspiring your constituents and is providing a fresh and unique perspective, and all you have to do is fill in the blanks. So if you're still using phrases like "Make a difference" or "Help us reach our goal" (don't worry we're not judging), make sure you take notes so you can start effectively engaging your audience to take action and raise money. You got this! “In communications, as Donald Miller taught me, if you confuse, you lose.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 29 Feb 2024 | Want to Take Your Non-Profit Events Beyond All Expectations? We Can Help! | 00:38:09 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Lisa Cohen, Chief Copywriter & Wordsmith at Beyond Fundraising Inc. And we have a surprise in store for you: we're flipping the script as Amy takes the hot seat and Lisa asks the questions! After a career in Commercial Banking at Scotiabank, Lisa was was lucky enough to meet Amy through a mutual acquaintance and start her second career at Beyond as an event logistics manager, fundraising specialist and most recently, copywriter extraordinaire. She's since taken on a third career as a health & fitness coach, but more on that in another episode. Lisa kicks things off by taking us back to when Amy was a child & youth worker - bet ya didn't know that! Then we dive deep into some of Amy's favourite moments from producing the first ever Weekend to End Breast Cancer, what led to her decision to start her own non-profit event production company and how she continued to leverage her entrepreneurial spirit to navigate the pandemic (and come out on top!). Amy shares about some of the services Beyond offers that can help take your events to the next level, and take some of the load off your plate. Amy's undeniable passion for all things events really shines through, and she's here to remind us that non-profit event professionals matter, and her team is here to take you and your organizations beyond! “It was amazing, this epic feeling of changing individual lives as well as lives of people we'll never know.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 07 Mar 2024 | The Weight of a Problem: How Shifting to Solution Mode Leads to More Successful Events | 00:15:58 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with a personal story; a real life experience about the virtues of perseverance and problem-solving and how it relates to all of us as non-profit event professionals. We've all been in a situation before (likely more than once!) where everyone only seems to be focused on the problem, and there's no solution in sight. Events are fraught with potential problems, so this episode is a great reminder to shift our mindset to solution mode if we want to be successful. Amy shares a one-of-a-kind story about one million pennies (actually a few more than that!) that is sure to have you scratching your head and praying that you're never faced with this problem in your lifetime. She ties everything together at the end with some of her top learnings and takeaways from this experience, you don't want to miss it! “It's never about the problem, it is only about the solution.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 14 Mar 2024 | REPLAY: The Power of Story: How to Clarify your Message to Engage More Donors | 00:40:44 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Dr. J.J. Peterson, Head of StoryBrand and certified marketing genius. StoryBrand helps companies and non-profit organizations create a clear brand story and compelling marketing in order to grow their business. As a StoryBrand Certified Guide herself and a huge Dr. J.J. fan, this was a special one for Amy! Many non-profits struggle to talk clearly and concisely about what they do in a way that engages people. Prepare to be blown away as Dr. J.J. walks us through the seven elements of a basic story framework and how to create talking points that will invite our donors/participants/beneficiaries into a story where they can be the hero. This episode has the power to change the way you build your website, write your emails and interact on social media. Not to mention, Dr. J.J. is the most fun good human. This is a must listen! “At StoryBrand, we help non-profits tell marketing stories and fundraising stories in a way that engages more people.” – Dr. J.J. Peterson
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 21 Mar 2024 | Hot Off the Press: Hot-Seat Coaching Opportunities! | 00:04:43 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne drops some exciting news! As part of our ongoing marketing and communication mini-series, we're introducing a new segment and it involves YOU: hot-seat coaching! We know how much is on your plate and that you don't always have the time to review your marketing and communications, or an outside expert to help you with those burning logistics and event experience questions. Now's your chance! Tune in for more details and to hear how it all works (it's easy, we promise!). We can't wait to welcome you to the show and serve up some practical solutions that you can take back to your organization.
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 28 Mar 2024 | Fundraise Like a Pro: Expert Tips on How to Connect With Donors and Raise More Money | 00:42:38 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Molly Fast, Director of Fundraising and Development at Event 360. Like so many of us, Molly didn't know what she wanted to do as a career and chose the oh-so-popular Communications as her major in university. However, when her sister completed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Series event during their mom's breast cancer treatment, Molly just knew she had to be a part of it and twenty years later, she's still at it. Not only is she a fundraising expert in her professional life, but she has spent the last 12 years participating in the Cycle for Survival to raise critical funds for rare cancers (Molly would argue it's a side hustle, but as you'll hear from Amy, it's far from it!). Molly likes to say that fundraising is her love language and we feel so lucky to be able to benefit from that as she shares so many practical tips and takeaways that you can start to implement right away. Buckle up for a healthy dose of inspiration and motivation; this episode is sure to get you fired up for your next fundraising event! ”The cause is secondary; they're donating because they love you and this is important to you.” – Molly Fast Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 04 Apr 2024 | Be Our Guest: How to Create Engaged Teams that Can Take Your Non-Profit Event Experience to the Next Level | 00:33:21 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Nicole Sinclair, Head of Hospitality at Destination Decoded. Nicole is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to creating engaging team member and customer journeys, and her passion for building and transforming teams to deliver branded experiences is like no other! There are so many parallels between the hospitality and non-profit industries and Nicole is here to help us take our organizations and events to the next level. She walks us through two great examples of how she and her team came up with a strategic plan for recruiting team members, designing operational procedures and creating an internal culture that translated into a unique and unforgettable guest experience. This episode is a great reminder that our fundraising events are brands, and in order for us to create an epic experience for our participants, we have to start by investing in the team members and volunteers that will help us bring the event to life! Filled with inspiration and real-life examples, this is a must-listen! During this episode, Nicole talks about The Faena Hotel Miami Beach and The Fifth Avenue Hotel, and trust us, you're going to want to add these to the list for your next vacation! ”Having that brand culture as part of their DNA helps them to be able to serve and think on their feet, but do it in a way that's consistent with the brand.” – Nicole Sinclair Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 11 Apr 2024 | Small But Mighty: How a Local Non-Profit is Using the Power of Community to Create Successful Fundraising Events | 00:32:52 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Pam Osmond, Fund Development Manager at Home Horizon, a local charity in Collingwood, Ontario that provides transitional housing, programs and support for youth at risk of homelessness. Pam kicks things off by walking us through Home Horizon's three signature events, which bring in almost 25% of their total revenue (who says events aren't valuable?!), and what she feels is one of the not-so-obvious reasons for their success: private ski clubs. As you'll hear from Amy throughout the episode, Pam is one of the best good humans and we feel lucky to have gotten a peek behind the curtain as she opens up about her personal story which includes being a hotel night manager, a cross-country tour with a group of Kenyan choir children and being a Habitat for Humanity home recipient. You don't want to miss it! Curl up with a warm drink because this is a heartwarming episode that will have you believing in the power of a small community. ”You can be a voice for us. Spreading that awareness is exactly what we need to do.” – Pam Osmond Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 25 Apr 2024 | Hot Seat Coaching: Bowls for Beds in support of Home Horizon | 00:34:30 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne kicks off our hot seat coaching series with Pam Osmond, Fund Development Manager at Home Horizon, a local charity in Collingwood, Ontario that provides transitional housing, programs and support for youth at risk of homelessness. (Side note: if you haven't already listened to our episode with Pam, make sure you do that!). The event on the hot seat? The 15th annual Bowls for Beds, which involves selling and auctioning off bowls that are hand-painted by local youth and artists. One of Amy's superpowers is being able to drill deep into the 'why' and find creative ways to tie it back to the non-profit organization. From event timing to the sponsorship deck, she gives Pam so many real, tangible tips to take her event to the next level that you're going to want to take notes because you'll be able to apply them to your next event too! Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 18 Apr 2024 | Stop and Smell the Roses: Why It's Important to Celebrate Life's Moments | 00:08:28 | |
On the eve of her 50th birthday, your host Amy Milne takes a moment to reflect on the past five decades which have been filled with both ups and downs, and she wouldn't change it for anything. Amy's gratitude for the life she has shines through as she shares her mantra and daily reminder with us to live life to the fullest each and every day. She truly believes in the power of acknowledging and celebrating life's moments, which is exactly what we do for our participants when we plan fundraising events. In this episode, Amy shares a short list of why we should always remember to honour the special times in our lives. This will not only inspire how you plan your events, but how you live your life! “I purposely look for joy and gratitude each day.” - Amy Milne
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||
| 02 May 2024 | Easy as 1, 2, 3! How to Steward and Support Your Community so They Fundraise More for Your Organization | 00:43:43 | |
In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Keith Clarke, Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Keith started his career at PMCF as a Coordinator, and his passion for fundraising to eradicate cancer in his lifetime is what has kept him going strong 14 years later. You will often hear Keith mention the word "lucky" throughout this episode and while luck may be in the stew, we also know that a lot of hard work, belief and willingness to be bold has helped his organization get to where they are today. Keith talks about the importance of always innovating and reminds us that failing fast, learning from it and trying something new is something to be celebrated. Keith's passion really shines through when he shares about his community events team. Rather than overcomplicate, his team works closely with corporations/companies/families to find out how they want to give back and provides first-class support to make it happen. The bottom line: let's make it as easy as possible for people to fundraise for our organizations! ”Every partnership and group we steward or support is unique and different.” – Keith Clarke Connect with us:
Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with? Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way! Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat! | |||