We all know that stories are important to fundraising, but do you know how to create one? Join us for a conversation with Vanessa Chase Lockshin, talking about how to craft good fundraising stories.

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Are you ready for some pretty big #truthbombs about our sector? Mixing humour and honesty, Vu Le calls out our sector out on all the charitable sector’s shortfalls and challenges and helps us do better. 

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We all know that a strategic plan is so important for organizational growth and operations - but it can feel overwhelming and expensive. 

In this episode, Ashley Whitworth, senior manager at BDO, teaches us how to run a strategic planning process in a small non-profit organization. Learn about how to facilitate your process in a busy environment, how to get feedback from BOTH introverts and extroverts, and how to move your organization forward!

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LinkedIn is known for being a professional social media platform that can help you find a job and make stronger connections with individuals in your industry. However, it’s also a great place for nonprofits to make new connections or do prospect research, or find people who can help or volunteer.

In today’s podcast, Dee Boswell-Buck, Digital Marketing Strategist and Consultant of Boswell-Buck Creative, will talk about how nonprofits can leverage LinkedIn to advance their mission and grow visibility online. 

Myths that Dee wants us to walk away from:

• LinkedIn is only good for job seekers: LinkedIn is also a great way to build a business, share your content, connect with individuals who are aligned with your organization, start a conversation and move those conversations off of the profile. 
• You can’t create meaningful connections on LinkedIn: If you are looking to build your online network, LinkedIn is a great place to start. In building meaningful connections, you have to be genuine with your message and engage intentionally with your audience.

Dee’s thoughts around leveraging LinkedIn

• Optimize Your Profile. Choose a great image for your profile picture. Include some important keywords about what you do in your banner or headline. In the summary section, highlight keywords about how you help, what your skills are, or other relevant services you offer. 
• Build genuine connections. With LinkedIn, you can make connections with individuals within your industry or who share similar interests. You can engage with them by learning more about them before you send personalized or intentional messages. 
• Be active and consistent. Dee suggests sharing content in your profile at least four times a week, by sharing relevant posts, and spending time to engage with your connections. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“There's no set of rules, but you want to spend time on LinkedIn where you're actually engaging with those who you have connected with, or, you know, when you're surfing through engaging with posts that you like, because when you are engaging on content of others, and even if you're not connected with them, then that opens it up for others to connect with you. ”

Resources from this Episode

deeboswellbuck.com

The Good Partnership

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Strategic planning is one of those seemingly boring things that we need to do every once in a while to have a vision and clarity around where our organization is going. But I've never seen it done as an exciting or innovative process in most small organizations.

In today’s episode, Jennifer Riel, IDEO’s global director of strategy (and probably one of the smartest people I’ve met), talks about how you can actually use that process to think about innovation and really have a strong impact on your organization.

Myths that Jennifer wants us to walk away from:

• Strategy is about updating old plans: Doing the status quo may look risk-free, but it may be extremely risky because the world has changed, or we lack the capabilities, or whatever the case may be. Holding the same standard hinders us from seeing other possibilities that could lead us to where we want to be.
• Strategy is all about budget and a thick binder full of initiatives:  Strategy is a set of choices. And a choice means yes to some things and a no to other things, giving things up, trading things off. Real choices. And those choices are about how you are going to try to win in a particular way.

Jennifer’s thoughts around Strategy 

• “Winning” for nonprofits: Strategy is about making choices that will allow you to win and for nonprofits, winning means achieving ambitions and creating the change that we want to see in the world. Jennifer encourages not for profits to think of choices about what they can uniquely do and what should they uniquely do to create the change that they are after?
• Start with human-centeredness: Understanding the context in which you are operating is important for nonprofits.  You need to know what's happening in the community,  what are the folks that you are working with, and what is it that is working for them or not?  And use that to define the problem to be solved.
• Competitive advantage: For nonprofits, the competitive advantage is a reason a donor would give you the dollar instead of someone else, a reason to believe that you can achieve the outcome you're after more effectively or less expensively than someone else could. 
• Knowing Your Capabilities:  You need to know the capabilities and systems that you will need as an organization in order to implement your strategy. Be honest about where you are.  

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“The starting place is to use your existing understanding of the world, your collective wisdom as a leadership team to say what is the problem we need our new strategy to solve. Start there, then explore the possibilities. So don't try to get to that answer right away, diverge a little bit and explore different playing fields, different potential sources of advantage. Those are the two fundamental questions. “

Resources from this Episode

Playing to Win by Roger Martin 

Jennifer Riel LinkedIn 

Jennifer Riel Twitter

The Good Partnership

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These days it's easy to feel like we're not passionate about our work. Very often we get into the sector because we are passionate about changing the world. And then something happens over time and we lose that passion. And now we layer over COVID and isolation (and now a new global conflict) and all the other things, and that passion feels like a very distant memory. 

In today’s episode, Shilbee Dhalla-Kim, Passion and Social Enterprise Coach, talks about how we can reignite the fire within us and find balance in doing our passion without burning out. 

Myths that Shilbee wants us to walk away from:

• Passion is always a good thing: When there’s only one thing that makes us feel good and we give all our energy to it but less energy to other important aspects of our life, this kind of passion becomes obsessive and not harmonious.
• Passion is always about your profession: Very often we determine our worth based on our job. And then what happens is our passion for our job becomes the only thing that we identify as a passion. And then we don't find worthiness and meaning and value for other elements of our lives, where passions can also exist. 

Shilbee’s thoughts around Passion 

• Harmonious vs Obsessive: To recover from passion burnout, you need to identify which of the passions in your life currently, or passions that you had before, may have lost their essence. Which of these passions would you describe as harmonious? Or obsessive?  
• Practice detaching our identity to the passions: Attachment of our identity to passion can prevent us from seeing other things that we might be passionate about. When our passion is so linked to our identity, it can create fear and prevent us from doing something new or different.  We must be mindful of how our realities and beliefs might come up to prevent us from exploring other things that we are passionate about. 
• Embodied values: We need to identify what are those values that will help us stay anchored and grounded towards this better world. Passion can be one of our access points to help clarify our embodied values. We need to ask ourselves, what's the value that I'm willing to fight for? 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“So we determine our worth based on our job. And then what happens is our passion for our job becomes the only thing that we identify as a passion. And then we don't find worthiness and meaning and value for other elements of our lives, where passions also can exist, like me drinking this tea and drinking it mindfully and enjoying this to me, activates passions. But I think we don't give ourselves permission or that time and space or the language to call it that.“

“ We need to shift those values in order to create systems and structures and policies and laws and cultures and relations that can ensure that all of us can not only survive but thrive. And so, what are those values that will help us stay anchored and grounded towards this better world? I believe passion can be one of our access points to help clarify our embodied values.”

Resources from this Episode

Shilbee.com

Shilbee Kim Instagram

The Good Partnership

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If you’re a regular listener, you will know that we love exploring brain science.  And I am so excited to be exploring that in the context of branding. While I’ve been diving deeper into my own study of neuroscience, I haven't seen it applied to branding ever before. 

In today’s episode, Chloé Nwangwu, Brand Scientist, Digital Diplomacy Consultant, and Conflict Mediator, shares with us the brain science behind brands and how you can leverage that to connect more with your audience and create more impact with your small nonprofit. 

Myths that Chloe wants us to walk away from:

• You can’t fundraise without rebranding.  Before rebranding, think about how it contributes to the memorability of your brand and how it impacts your mission or the work that you do because if it doesn't, it's best not to do it.
• Branding is about your personal preference. Knowing the preferences of your organization's most important stakeholders is essential when developing a brand for your nonprofit. If you're familiar with these patterns and trends in your industry, you'll have a better idea of how to stand out from the crowd.

Chloe’s thoughts around brain science branding 

• Brand vs Branding: A brand is simply a system of ideas that influences the behaviour of others. Branding is brand assets that are memorable. So the job that your branding is meant to do is meant to capture attention because that's how the memory process starts. And then it's meant to be stored within the right part of your memories, your memory network.
• Brain Science of Branding: The definition of brand building from a scientific perspective is creating memories for people to recall or remember.  If you want your brand and your branding to be effective to do the job that you need them to do, if you are looking to have the kind of impact in the world that shapes the future, repetition is required.
• Behavioural Design: We figure out the steps that our stakeholders usually take between where they are now and the kind of behaviour that we would like to see from them. We can create an effective branding strategy once we know what the uncomfortably specific behaviour is and once we understand where they currently are. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“A brand's branding is really anything that can serve as a memory anchor for that brand. That just brings us back to the idea of memorability and attentional capture. If it captures attention, it stands a chance of getting past the brain's filters, which means it stands a chance of getting sorted into the right part of the memory network. Once it does that, it can serve as a memory anchor so that when people are making decisions about who to vote for, who to donate to, who to support, who to buy from, you stand a chance of being on that short list of people that they're considering are their considerations.” 

Resources from this Episode

NobiWorks.com

Nobiworks Instagram

Chloe Ngwangwu LinkedIn 

The Good Partnership

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Looking for an extra boost in productivity? In this quick bonus episode, we talk about all the tools we use at The Good Partnership and some crowd favourites in the charitable sector. From Trello to Freedcamp, you're bound to find a tool (or two) that work best for you!

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When you’re designing for any process, system or event, you’re designing for everyone. In this episode, Liz Chornenki, the annual giving officer at YWCA Toronto, shares some practical steps to internal and external design with accessibility in mind! 

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Working with a consultant can be beneficial for nonprofits. They enable organizations to focus on keeping things running smoothly and efficiently by freeing up time for the bigger picture. But how do you find the right consultant for your organization? 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about working with consultants with Jess Campbell, Founder and CEO of Out in the Boons and a dear friend of mine. She is a trained nonprofit fundraiser who has worked with big and small organizations and runs a consulting business where she helps organizations to connect with the right consultants to get the help they need. 

Myths that Jess wants us to walk away from:

• Consultants only develop the plan. Some consultants like Jess, are committed to doing things differently. They are out there to help organizations not only get the plan, but also understand it and have the tools and resources they need to carry it out.
• Nonprofit consultants are always expensive. There is a large range in price for nonprofit consultants. The right consultant will have a pricing structure that works for you and your organization's budget.

Jess’s tips on working with consultants 

• Outsourcing helps you focus on your mission: Wearing multiple hats is common in our sector, but trying to do everything at once can lead you and your team to burnout. Getting help from a consultant allows your organization to do other tasks and focus on what really matters.
• Leveling of expectations: Before you decide to work with a consultant, Jess suggests that it is critical to identify the outcome that you want out of consulting, what your expectations and needs are to make this work effective for your organization. 
• Matchmaking: In her own program, Jess uses matchmaking to match nonprofits with consultants based on their specific needs and areas of expertise. She also stresses the importance of finding the right match between the consultant's personality, working style, and the nonprofit's team.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“And like you said, your experience working with coaches and consultants when you were in-house, I had a very similar experience. They came in, they wrote a plan, and then they left and I wanted to be more hands on. It's not in my nature to really set it and forget it as they say. And I think what I've learned in doing this for the last five or so years, is that it's so much more than a plan that folks need. It's really the execution. And I know that working with coaches and consultants can be such an investment. And so I've committed myself to doing it differently, which is really helping folks, not just get the plan, but understand the plan and then have the tools and resources to execute the plan.”

Resources from this Episode

outintheboons.me/the-rolodex
Jess Campbell Instagram
The Good Partnership

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Ever look at other organizations’ strategies, get tempted to copy it but end up with less success? In this episode, Kerstin Heuer, a nonprofit marketing consultant and founder of Nonprofit Today, teaches us how to improve our marketing and branding so we can stop comparing and start seeing results in a way that’s easy and practical.

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The pandemic has changed the way that many teams work. More people are working from home, or in a hybrid arrangement. And as we rethink our culture, many of us  wonder how we can cultivate a sense of connection and create a unique and meaningful team culture in this ever-changing world? 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about how to build team culture with Ashlee Livingstone, CEO of Our Forté. She has built her career creating curated and memorable experiences for people, and works collaboratively with leaders in building stronger cultures to help teams thrive. 

Myths that Ashlee wants us to walk away from:

• Building  team culture costs a lot of money. Applying humans first approach in teams does not have to cost you money. It just has to cost you time to focus on engaging with your team and making them feel that they matter. 
• Team culture is all about company events. You need to do the foundational work ahead of time to build that team and show ongoing connection with them so that when it's time to have a year end celebration or a halfway point celebration, people are actually excited to go.

Ashlee’s tips on developing teams with EDGE

• Engagement: Engagement is about connecting with your team and how are they connecting with each other? It is important for leaders to keep their current team members engaged and feeling connected to their colleagues. 
• Development: Development looks like mentorship. It looks like understanding what your team member's goals and future is and what they want, not just what you see in them. 
• Gratitude: To show gratitude you have to really know your team and you can ask them questions such as how do you like to be appreciated? What motivates you? 
• Experience: Experience is about making your team feel empowered and heard. Helping them to enhance their experience at work.  

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favorite quote on social media to share with us!

“We can easily replace that person, people are replaceable, that mentality, even if you say it a couple of times, or you try and say it jokingly, that seeps into people. And so we guess the work that they're doing matters, but if they think they're replaceable or you can easily replace them, that's where they're not gonna feel connected to what they're doing.”

“At the end of the day, people want to be seen and they want to be heard and they want to know that they matter.”

Resources from this Episode

OurForte.ca

Teams with Edge Podcast

Ashlee Livingstone’s LinkedIn 

Ashlee Livingstone Instagram 

The Good Partnership

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Facebook and other social media tools can be effective in helping you reach your goals - but you have to be deliberate and strategic with them. In this episode, Sarah Ali, non-profit digital strategist, takes us step-by-step through Facebook advertising. Learn how to understand your audiences, create Facebook campaigns and much more!

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Nonprofit leaders are always trying to do more with less. There never seems to be enough time in the day or enough resources to handle everything that comes along, but you still have to manage and lead your organization effectively.

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about leadership and management with Kishshana Palmer. Kishshana is an international speaker, trainer, and coach with a 20+ year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management. When an organization wants to grow, find and retain people on their team, raise money, and more she is the fairy godmother they have on speed dial.

Myths that Kishshana wants us to walk away from:

• You can do it all.  As a leader, you don't need to push yourself until you're exhausted because you think you have to. Invest in the systems and people around you that will allow you to let go of things and focus on what you do best.
• You don’t have enough time. Understanding how you work, what time of day it is, what fuels you, and where you busy yourself, so you don't have to do your work, this is everything you need to know if you want to regain control of your calendar.

Kishshana’s tips on leadership and management

• Taking rest and break: We have to rethink the way we approach rest. We need to release what used to work. And now start thinking about what is going to satisfy you in your adult life in this new season.The idea of bringing in play into the work is so important in order for us to start to grab those small pieces of reset that we need. 
• You have agency and control:  You are the CEO of your responsibilities within the organization, regardless of your title in your organization. Understanding that you're actually in control of a lot more than you might think is critical when navigating the power dynamics within your organization.
• Leveraging resources: Leveraging tools and systems, developing your people and spending those dollars so that as you continue to grow. As you continue to deepen roots, you'll do so in a way that's healthy, that continues to attract folks who are there for longevity who want to have ties both to their work and ties to the community in a different kind of way, and who are healthy at work. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“Let it be the last year that at 2022, that I utter this foolishness because I want to be in a place where if something were to happen to me or if I just wanted to take a darn break that I have hired capable folks who can take on the work that needs to be done, to be able to move the ball down the field.” 

Resources from this Episode

Kishshanaco.com

Kishshana’s LinkedIn 

Kishshana's Instagram

The Good Partnership

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We often hear about #donorlove, but what about #stafflove? In this episode, Mazarine, leadership coach and founder of Wild Woman Fundraising, teaches us about the importance of improving our staff experience and in turn, they will ensure that our donors have a great experience too!

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Charity vs. Nonprofit. You may or may not know that those two have different meanings! They both doing amazing, mission-centred work! But there are more rules and regulations for charities (if you’re in the  US, that’s a 501c3) which means it takes a lot more time and resources to get going. 

Many nonprofits have aspirations to become a charity, but one of the biggest questions I get asked along the way is - “how do we fundraise without charitable status?” You see - nonprofits cannot issue tax receipts to donors.

Now - the short answer is that donors are not giving for the receipts.

But the long answer is that there is a formal structure - in Canada called a Shared Platform and in the US Fiscal Sponsorship - that allows emerging nonprofits to issue tax receipts and then some!

There are lots of reasons why this model is growing in popularity. So much so that Mackenzie Scott herself invested in today’s podcast guest’s organization - to the tune of $18.9 million.

Join me for this conversation all about Shared Platforms with Lizzie Howell, Director, Shared Platform at MakeWay. With MakeWay’s shared platform, changemakers share a suite of centralized organizational supports, and coaching when needed, so more time and money can go towards building strong, vibrant, just communities and a healthier planet. 

Myths that Lizzie wants us to walk away from:

• Only big organizations can host a Shared Platform. MakeWay is unique in that they are the only Shared Platform host that has gone through an audit - so they have formalized the operations of Shared Platforms in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency. However, there are many smaller charities that also act as a Shared Platform for nonprofits that are aligned with their work.
• It’s just about issuing tax receipts. Established Shared Platforms do much more than allow your nonprofit to issue receipts for donations. They offer structure and support to help grow your impact. 

Lizzie’s thoughts around Shared Platform

• Support:  As part of a shared platform, you can have access to a wide range of operational administrative support on the backend including financial management, human resources, grounds administration, charitable compliance, risk management. You get to focus on doing the work that you want to do, and create change in the community. 
• Efficient:  It's a way to operate within the charitable sector that's far more cost and time effective than becoming a new charity.
• Expertise: MakeWay has a great governance structure set up to support projects where they each have a steering committee who are responsible for providing strategic advice and direction for projects.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

“We really value the autonomy of projects to be able to make their own decisions around things like compensation, and again, different groups have, different values in terms of who they hire and what that looks like and at MakeWay, overrule, we have a commitment to equity, to economic well being, and we realize that we're in a position where we were providing guidance advice, and of course, with the legal employer.”

Resources from this Episode

MakeWay

The Good Partnership

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A lot of people think that once they decide they want to start a capital campaign, they can just jump right in and start raising money. But it takes a lot of planning and preparation to make sure your campaign is successful. So, how do you know if your small nonprofit is ready to launch a  capital campaign?

On today's episode, we’re talking all about Capital Campaigns with Sabrina Walker-Hernandez, Certified Consultant, Coach, Facilitator & Best Selling Author helping small nonprofits build relationships that convert into more donations. She's worked for 25 years in our sector from direct services operations all the way to executive leadership, and she took an organization with an annual budget of 750,000 to 2.5 million a year operations and launched a $12 million capital campaign in the US's third poorest county. 

Myths that Sabrina wants us to walk away from:

• You can start a capital campaign right away: If you are a small nonprofit, you need to build  your annual campaign before you go into a capital campaign because capital campaigns are all about individuals and relationships. And you want those individuals connected to you and your work before you ask them to dig deep into their pockets.
• You can ask any of your donors to give to your capital campaign: Yes - you can ask each and every donor to give towards your capital campaign (it’s not just about the big gifts), BUT you really need to have a relationship with them before you go and ask them for a special gift. You can't take a person from zero to $250,000.

Sabrina’s thoughts on Capital Campaign

• Relationships first. Start with individual giving as you build your foundation. You have to have a relationship with people before you go and ask them for the amount of money that you're going to need to complete a capital campaign. 
• Feasibility Study. Have a conversation with the individuals in the community to let them know about what you want to do and share your vision. Seek advice from people who want to be part of the campaign.  
• Identify the key person. The executive director doesn't necessarily have to lead, but you can identify a co-chair to lead the campaign or even hire a consultant that can guide you through the campaign. 
• Phases of the campaign. You can start to secure your top gifts from your top donors and board members first. Depending on your strategy, you can also have mid-level, the corporate approach, and the foundation approach. Lastly, you can also have a community approach to get everyone involved. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“People will follow success. When we first launched this capital campaign and we talked about $12 million, people did not think it could be done. So we had to come out strong and so people will follow success, invest upfront in getting those top donors on board. It will break or make your capital campaign.”

Resources from this Episode

Supporting World Hope

The Good Partnership

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What makes a good leader? If you’re an executive director in a nonprofit, you're probably thinking about how you can be more effective and motivate your team to create a bigger impact. But what are these qualities you should have to inspire others? 

To learn more about what makes a great leader, I sat down with Mathieu Yuill, Founder of Leading with a Nice, consultancy that develops leaders. Mathieu has more than 25 years of experience in the field of communication and marketing, as well as a master's degree in management and leadership. 

Myths that Mathieu wants us to walk away from:

• Leaders only give orders. Leaders who inspire their employees are those who practice empathy, listen, and genuinely care about their employees' well-being rather than just the work.
• Leaders should hide any weaknesses. Honesty and trust are qualities of a good leader that requires being vulnerable, assessing one's own weaknesses, and communicating them to one's team.

Mathieu’s  GET HG: qualities of leaders that inspire

• Gratitude: Checking in with your staff and simply asking how things are going or offering them help is a way to express gratitude because you trust the person to do their job. You're also acknowledging that they're working hard and that you appreciate it.
• Empathy: Stepping into other people’s shoes to understand their circumstances. A leader who shows empathy toward their employees reduces employee absenteeism and has a more productive team. 
• Trust: It is all about intent.  By communicating your desired outcome to your team and trusting them to choose the best path forward.
• Honesty: It is about understanding your own weaknesses and releasing control. 
• Generosity: It is simply a matter of making time to mentor your employees and check in with them.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favorite quote on social media to share with us!

“So if you have a report who's working on a project often what we do is we'll come by and be like, “Hey, you know, are you done with that yet? Or how far along are you?” That's checking up and that's like a doctor's appointment. Nobody likes it. But instead, check-in and be like, “Hey, how are things going? Is there anything I can help you with?”  That's actually showing gratitude and trust cause you're trusting the person they're doing their job and you're also acknowledging that they're working hard and you recognize like, “Hey, can I help you? Like I get this is a job that might need an extra set of hands.” That's a very simple way to show gratitude.”

”We need to understand how to communicate with each other and that's really the first base, the barrier to entry is do you know how to communicate with each other? ”

Resources from this Episode

Leading with Nice

Crucial Conversations

Culture Code 

The Good Partnership

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We constantly hear that if you don't have a fundraising board, you won't be able to raise funds as an organization. I don't believe that! In fact, I’ve had a lot of fundraising success without board fundraising. I know - call all the “gurus” and report this sacrilegious statement!

How do we build a board that is all the things we require in leadership (subject matter experts, lived experience, community members) AND get them to love and embrace fundraising?

In this episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, we talk to Elizabeth Abel, about how to motivate board members to fundraise. Elizabeth is the Senior Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a global fundraising consulting firm for nonprofits and an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. She has designed, advised, and directed development initiatives and capital campaigns that have collectively raised nearly half a billion dollars, positively impacting tens of thousands of lives.

Myths that Elizabeth  wants us to walk away from:

• Board members can’t be involved in fundraising: Board members can be one of the greatest assets to any nonprofit's fundraising efforts because they champion your mission, engage their networks and provide financial support. 
• Board members should focus on major gifts:  You need to figure out how your board members want to be involved in fundraising, find out what are their strengths? And then how can you create that synergy that allows them to be fantastic multipliers and fundraising ambassadors?
• Corporate giving is better than individual giving: According to  Giving USA 2021: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2020, individuals drove 69% of total giving in the US, which was about $324 billion. Corporations are estimated to have declined by 6.1% in 2020 to only about 17 billion. So there is a huge gap between where people think corporations are and where they are relative to individuals. 

Elizabeth’s Tips on Engaging Board Members to Fundraise

• Fundraising Ambassadors. They bring a diverse set of experiences and skills and talents.  They are multipliers of all that you're doing programmatically, operationally, and of course your philanthropy.
• Recruiting and Engaging Boards. Many people just don't necessarily know what's expected of them so you can begin with setting expectations and educating board members in their role in fundraising. 
• Best practices.  When considering how our board members can support our fundraising efforts, we want to prioritize relationship building. Elizabeth uses small events to engage and connect with donors as an example. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

“It's figuring out the ways in which your board members want to be involved in fundraising, what are their strengths? And then how can we create that synergy that allows them to be fantastic multipliers and fundraising ambassadors? ”

Resources from this Episode

Elizabeth LinkedIn 

Elizabeth Instagram 

The Good Partnership

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When you’re a small nonprofit, it’s hard to say no to any opportunity that comes your way. After all, you want to make the most out of every single day and help as many people as possible. But if you try to take on too much, it can be a detriment to your effectiveness as an organization. When should you say yes vs. no?

We're talking with Dr. William Clark, founder of Eli Patrick & Co. which provides fundraising consulting to nonprofits. He has over 15 years of experience working in city government, nonprofit administration, and public housing operations. Dr. Clark assists nonprofits with developing sustainable revenue strategies and identifying talent acquisition solutions for growing businesses.

Myths that Dr. Clark wants us to walk away from:

• Saying NO will cost you opportunities: In making important decisions, we need to think about things more intentionally rather than being driven by the need of the moment, which is most likely revenue for small nonprofits.
• You are always in control: If things didn't work out in your favour, remember that there are forces bigger than you that may have contributed to this as well, forces you couldn't and will never be able to control. You must accept the fact that you will not always be in complete control.

Dr. Clark’s Tips on the power of "no"

• Know your capacity. One of the questions you can ask yourself is: Can you do the job? It is a question of skill, talent, money and partnerships and everything that goes into running a successful business, or non-profit. 
•  Communicate.  Communicate consistently with folks that you work with, your consultant, your colleagues, and your board to get different perspectives and advice. 
• When you said no when you should’ve said yes. Every organization has its ups and downs. It's fine to rethink things and reevaluate how we proceed so that we can build up this account of goodwill with the various people with whom we were doing business.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favourite quote on social media to share with us!

“Giving yourself space to grieve, grieve in the moment, grieve in potential loss, grieve in potential failure, grieving the fact that your view of yourself is not necessarily consistent with the situation. Grieve in the fact that some people may look at you slightly differently and it might not be favourable because of changes that they may blame you for. So I think a lot of it is just processing through. And as you've worked through that, you don't want to stay in that moment way too long, because there's still work to be done. There are still clients who are looking to you for services and resources and they need you. And so you need to process through these things, but get up, dust yourself off, get back on that horse. Learn from what happened and grow ”

“ When it comes to yes-no, it’s just understanding the moment and living in that moment and responding as best as you can. And lastly being okay with that response. ”

Resources from this Episode

drwilliampclark.com

The Good Partnership

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Changes to the charitable sector? Indeed. 

You’ve probably felt those changes over the last few years—nothing like a pandemic to shake things up. You might have some anecdotes or stories of how things have changed, but today we’re diving into some of the research.

In this episode, I’m talking with Jacob O’ Connor, Senior Vice President of Charity Engagement at Canada Helps, to discuss The Giving Report 2022 which highlights insights and generational giving trends facing Canada’s charitable sector that are taking place as charities are still struggling with demands and challenges from the ongoing pandemic, and now significant challenges brought about by historic inflation rates. Don’t worry if you’re not in Canada - guaranteed you will benefit from understanding these trends (because they are likely true where you are too). 

Key findings:

• Donors care about causes over affinity to specific organizations. The younger generation has a greater affinity for cause-based donations and support as opposed to giving to specific organizations. It’s important for nonprofits to know how they position themselves as contributors to these causes. This is a great opportunity for small organizations and underscores the importance of stewardship.
• Digital is here to stay. CanadaHelps saw a 119% increase year over year in giving in year one of the pandemic. Moreover, The Giving Report 2022 highlighted that younger generations find new and strategic ways to give online such as cryptocurrencies and securities. 

Jacob’s Key Insights on Giving Trends 2022

• The giving gap: Donors aged 55+  are actually giving twice the amount of the 25 to 54 age group. This gap is growing and as a sector, we need to think about where we will be when this generation no longer has the capacity to give?
• Cause-based donations: The way you tell your stories and engage with fundamental causes or movements, such as social justice and environmental issues,  will be very important to the next generation of donors. It’s important to know where your organization stands and how are you helping specific causes?
• Leveraging current trends and reports:  Further than just education providing insights, this report serves as a call to action that Canadians need to step up and engage with the sector and support the sector that gives us so much.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“ Canadian charities have experienced rises in demand throughout the pandemic. In our panel, we saw that 11% of Canadians are accessing charitable services for their basic needs. This number,  if the effects of the inflation pandemic don't change, expects to go up to 26%, which is staggering. Charities are already struggling to meet the demands and then the effects of inflation. We need to do more, we need Canadians to step up.”

“We want to amplify that the sector needs support. Even though the pandemic is coming hopefully to an end, inflation is here and yet it was a big drop over the last few years that we need to help the sector recover from. ”

Resources from this Episode

CanadaHelps.org

The Good Partnership

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Having a “positive” relationship with your donors is a cornerstone of fundraising success. It's the key to building trust and earning loyalty, which is why so many fundraisers and executive directors are afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing. But what if you could be completely honest with your donors? What would that look like?

With Rickesh Lakhani, we're discussing the importance of “honest fundraising'' in today's episode. Rickesh has over 15 years of experience in the social good sector, and he is the current  Executive Director at Future Possibilities for Kids. He believes that we are all responsible for each other’s success.

Myths that Rickesh wants us to walk away from:

• Donors should only know about the good things in your organization. Being honest with your donors about the reality of your organization will help them understand how your organization works and how you are spending your funds. It can bring them closer to your organization and help you achieve more of your goals. 
• Donations should only go to programs and services.  Allowing donors to understand unrestricted funds and how they will support your services in the long term will help your organization become more sustainable. 

Rickesh’s tips on starting an honest fundraising  

• Start with your team. Write down everything you wish donors knew about the work you do and tell them the realities of everything that happens within your organization that they aren't aware of.
• Communicate with donors.  Start having an honest conversation about fundraising with board members and annual donors, or with people you feel most comfortable with.
• Make it a practice. Building trust and relationships with donors doesn’t happen overnight, that’s why you need to make sure to include them in the conversation to help them understand how the organization works and how they can help in a more meaningful way. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favourite quote on social media to share with us!

“When I say honest fundraising, it's not that we've been dishonest, but there are specific things that we have been withholding from donors and proactively sharing with them that are keeping things the way they are and what we're wanting all this change we’re wanting donors to invest in the space differently and have a different relationship. And we're holding back on some of these conversations that we're all having amongst ourselves and we're not having with donors. And so I was like,  how are we going to expect them to understand and change what they're doing? If we, as the folks who are living this day-to-day, aren't letting them into that a little bit more?”

“Trust is built through the good times and the bad, to the vulnerability.  ”

Resources from this Episode

Rickesh’s Twitter 

Rickesh’s LinkedIn 

The Good Partnership

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We've all heard the stereotypes about giving and donors: They're wealthy, they're old, and they're white. But what if those stereotypes are wrong? Perhaps it’s time to rethink what you thought about giving and donors, and start to understand who is actually giving and how you can reach out to in order to raise more money for your nonprofit. 

In today’s episode, we are going to debunk some of the myths that you know about giving and donors with Tim Sarrantonio, Director of Corporate Brand, NeonOne. NeonOne provides nonprofits and social good organizations with unified tools and services they need to help fulfill their mission. The team works hard to help social good organizations raise more money and build sustainable, long-term growth with software, services, and resources. 

Myths that Tim  wants us to walk away from:

• People with higher income are more generously.  Regardless of your income level, most people on average give between 1.5% to 2% of their income. People who earn more are NOT more generous!
• Philanthropy is for white people. The Urban Institute has done some multi-year analyses and the Federal Reserve in the US has done this too, where black families in the United States are more likely to give higher percentages of their annual income to charity versus other demographics.
• Giving makes people uncomfortable. When somebody gives, the brain's dopamine centers activate at a higher rate than either receiving or entering into a more transactional relationship. It’s important to understand that people actually WANT to give. 

Tim’s highlights on individual giving 

• Showing gratitude: When creating a thank you note for your donors or designing an appeal, always focus on the person and not the transaction. You can highlight the generosity of the person instead of the amount of donation they gave. For example, instead of saying thank you for your generous gift - try thank you for being generous.
• When do people give:  Neon One found that Thursday is the day of the week that donors are most likely to give online and during the early afternoon around 11:30. 
• Geographic analysis: Neon One also reports that donors are more likely to give to organizations that serve their local community. Small shops should look into the geography and demographics of the people who live in their community. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“And the best piece of actionable advice I can give a small shop is when you're designing something like an appeal, for instance, when you're writing your thank you notes or the emails that go out or thinking about when you are talking to somebody, ask yourself, am I looking at the person or am I looking at the transaction?”

“ But ultimately, all people are generous. There are just different ways that they're showing their generosity. ”

Resources from this Episode

Neon One Individual Giving Report 

Neon One Resources 

The Good Partnership

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It's no secret that nonprofit organizations are a bit behind the times when it comes to technology. There are many reasons why nonprofits are slower to adopt new technologies, from a lack of funding and resources to the fact that many of them work on tight budgets, which can make tech seem like an unnecessary expense. Add to that the fact that as humans, we don’t generally like change - adopting new technology at small organizations can feel insurmountable.

In today's episode, I’m talking with Beth Kanter and Allison Fine, authors of the new book “The Smart Nonprofit: Staying Human-Centered in An Automated World” to share with us how we can integrate smart tech into nonprofit work to work more effectively and improve the impact of our work on the sector.

Myths that Beth and Allison  want us to walk away from:

• Smart technology is neutral and infallible.  There are two things that can make smart tech biased. One is the assumptions and biases of the computer programmer who made the tool, and the second is the datasets on which the AI is being built, which it uses to learn and create its patterns. 
• Cost is the main barrier for nonprofits to using smart technology. The number one barrier for nonprofits is not the resources and cost of the tools but the knowledge about what the tech does and how to use it to free up time for staff to work effectively. 

Beth and Allison’s tips on integrating smart tech into nonprofit work 

• Readiness: The first step is really pinpointing the pain point from the end user's point of view. We have to go through radical prioritization of what the pain point is and make it tiny especially if you're a smaller organization.
• Setting: Know what are the tools or the technical partners that we should look for.  The vendors that you select with smart tech have to have values that are aligned with your organization. 
• Mitigation of bias problems:  Be aware of the bias of the tools and try to mitigate the problems that it creates. One way you mitigate is to ask the developers what assumptions were built into it, how it was tested and then you can test it yourself.
• Go: This is where we start to implement. We implement it in really small pilots and set it up, learn as we go, and make it better. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

“It's really focusing on this reset, focusing on making the shift to smart tech so you can improve the culture of your organization. And both of them take this intentional work. And our dream is that organizations will embrace this because what we see if they do it again, this time to think time, to breathe a time to really improve the impact of their work on the sector. ” - Beth K. 

“You don't start to solve problems with a tool. You start to solve problems in conversation with a large group of stakeholders.” Allison F. 

Resources from this Episode

The Smart Nonprofit

The Good Partnership

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We love busting myths in this podcast and in this episode, we are diving into more fundraising fallacies and why most of them are actually harmful for our beneficiaries, donors and relationships in our sector. 

Here to share their Five Fallacies of Fundraising are Tanya Rumble and Nicole McVan. These two have been showing up on virtual stages for a while now and I’m so excited to have them on the podcast to share their framework and how it can help organizations and fundraisers.

Tanya and Nicole's Five Fallacies of Fundraising: 

1. Wealth is built by the smartest and most capable people. In fundraising, we often think of white donors pictured with a racialized person or community member who's benefited from the funds that they donated. As fundraisers, we need to acknowledge the structural advantages that allowed donors to build their wealth and debunk the myth that they gained it only based on merit because this narrative creates more harm and deepens inequity in philanthropy. 
2. The donor is always right. The donor-first-at-all-cost mentality essentially gives away all of the power and creates zero or very limited boundaries for the individual fundraiser and for the organization. If we continue to please and follow our donors it will be difficult to feel a sense of control and can have a negative impact on the direction of our program and mission. 
3. Donor centricity should trump everything else. Fundraisers should not subjugate ourselves, keep donors away from work and give away our power. Donors, by and large, don't want to be on this pedestal. Oftentimes it's the charity themselves that creates these recognition grids for donors. This fills the sector with unrealistic expectations from donors and later on drains the resources of the organization for stewardship and donor recognition. 
4. Beneficiaries are deficient and need a donor to save them.  Saviorism is when we center ourselves in the story instead of our beneficiaries. As fundraisers, we need to take an asset-based lens when we talk about our communities and beneficiaries that have identities that have been structurally disadvantaged from time immemorial, and we need to be thoughtful about how we position those. 
5. Resources are scarce, and we must fight each other for funding. Charities and fundraisers are worried about losing donors because our sector is built on a scarcity mindset of there's never enough, and we're constantly having to go out there to earn the money to be able to survive. But the reality is there are tons of folks out there who think about your charity in a different way. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“We're not fundraising for fundraising's sake. We're fundraising to make a difference. And if we miss an opportunity to connect with the hearts and minds of our donors, to help them understand how they could change the behavior, not just give money, we're missing a massive opportunity to move our missions forward.” - Nicole M.

Resources from this Episode

philanthropyandequitycop@gmail.com

Nicole McVan | LinkedIn

Tanya Hannah Rumble, CFRE, MFA-P™ | LinkedIn

thegoodpartnership.com

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The nonprofit sector has a problem with racism and white supremacy. Well, not just the nonprofit sector - a lot of sectors and really, society in general. But hey - this is a podcast for the nonprofit sector, so we’re going to be focusing on that in today’s episode with Martha Awojobi,  the curator of #BAMEOnline Conference, a series of online events that centers fundraisers of colour, showcases new talent, and gets to the heart of how we can dismantle structural racism in fundraising and in the wider charity sector. Martha is a consultant for non-profits specialising in event curation, recruitment and income generation with an anti-racist lens. 

The truth is that philanthropy has a long history of excluding people of color from their missions and communities—and it's not just about money. It's also about how we think about making change. 

Myths that Martha wants us to walk away from:

• Wealth is a product of individual hard work. The wealth in our sector didn’t come out of “hard work”. There was a history of wealth accumulation based on the  theft of knowledge and on slavery that has built the riches that we see in philanthropy.  
• White supremacy doesn’t exist in our sector. As a sector dedicated to “good work”, it’s hard to see that racism is also perpetuated. This is made worse by the fact that many people just put their head in the sand and don’t engage or want to talk about their privileges and how these systemic issues affect people of colour. We have to acknowledge that it exists and reflect on how we participate to create change. 

Five Stages of Decolonization

• Rediscovery and recovery. Acknowledging racism, colonial practices and harm is hard work. This is all about learning and unlearning and discovering the ugly truth of colonization. We are all products of a white supremacist society and the first step is to recognize it in yourself and really dedicate yourself to learning. 
• Mourning. This is the social process that we are supposed to do together. It involves grief, anger, and sadness. It's not just for people of color, white people have to dehumanize themselves in order to participate in the system of racism. Learning to let go in sadness and anger is part of the process.
• Dreaming. This is about decolonizing the mind to bring in new ideas instead of using the same ideas that have been introduced by colonizers. This is perhaps the hardest stage, but also exciting.
• Commitment. Establishing the intention to manifest your anti-racist vision. 
• Action. Select the steps that you want to take and do what you have to do. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favourite quote on social media to share with us!

“The lack of learning and the lack of willingness to learn, that lack of willingness to see yourself as part of the problem and to understand the white supremacist within - it's kind of all the nature of racism and white supremacy. To make it so ugly and so terrifying that people don't want to engage with it. ”

Resources from this Episode

BAME Online Conference 2022

JMB Consulting

Martha Awojobi | Twitter

The Good Partnership

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY BRIDGERAISE: https://www.bridgeraise.com/

We hear all the time about corporate fundraising as an ~easy~ solution to all of our funding needs and we see a lot of organizations not do it quite right. 

Not sure how exactly to get started?  We are joined this week by Heather Nelson, an incredible thought leader in the corporate fundraising space, who shares guidelines for creating that valuable partnership with corporations and businesses. 

In this episode, you’re going to learn:

• How to have the right conversation with the right person at the company or business
• How to build a successful corporate fundraising program
• Advice on building and maintaining your relationship throughout the year
• What your opportunities are in big or small businesses
• The strategies you need to help turn employee engagement into financial support
• Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Through exploring the relationship nature and the bottom line of corporations, Heather deep dives into what you can do to ensure that your partnership is one that is sustainable and lasts. That win-win partnership starts with a conversation.
 
Visit www.bridgeraise.com/smallnonprofit!

Have a question that didn’t get answered in the episode? Need a cheerleader to help motivate you? Feel free to email Heather directly at heather@bridgeraise.com. We also love her partnership plan which you can find on her website [bridgeraise.com] along with more valuable resources!

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY BRIDGERAISE: https://www.bridgeraise.com/

Anti-oppression, anti-racism, inclusion is an important conversation for our organization and there's so much work to be done around this. This interview with Christina Sackeyfio, Principal of Boldly Inclusive, articulates that space between an articulated inclusion or diversity effort and what you're actually putting into practice.

Tune in to learn how to identify and address oppression, how to create an inclusive culture and how to benchmark your organization's effort on inclusion and diversity so you can track your efforts.

Connect with Heather on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonheather/

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY:  Sara Hoshooley, Charity Shift

Fundraising is all about mindset. And if you don't believe that, chances are actually that you need to work on your mindset. If you've heard me speak about my fundraising origin story, you’ll know that I have loved fundraising right out of the gate, but I know that that's not the case for everyone. And so today you're going to hear from someone who hated fundraising and learned to love it by focusing on changing the mindset. 

Mallory Erickson, CEO & Creator of the Power Partners Formula, joins us in the podcast to discuss how you can change your mindset about fundraising and raise more money for your nonprofit. 

Myths that Mallory wants us to walk away from:

• Mindset has nothing to do with fundraising.  How we feel and think about fundraising ultimately impacts how we show up and the results that we see. We can overcome the barriers to fundraising success by reframing our mindset and developing new habits.
• Great fundraisers don’t get rejected. Good fundraising is a job that involves regular rejection and it takes a lot of intentional building of resilience to be able to not internalize that rejection or make it about you, or have it relate to your stories about yourself that get in the way and keep you in a paralysis and perfectionist state.

GAIL: four primary types of thoughts that hold you back from successful fundraising

• Gremlin or self-critic is the voice in your head that says  “I am not good enough. I am not smart enough. I am not pretty enough. I am not enough” which plagues all of us. It gets triggered in fundraising because fundraising is a job that involves regular rejections and it takes a lot of work to build up your resilience so that you don't take them personally.
• Assumptions This is the result of our belief that when something has happened before, we believe it's going to happen again. For example, one donor didn't give last year, now we think that they're not going to give this year. But in reality,  the data shows the exact opposite.
• Interpretations are the stories that we make up about someone’s behavior that is not based on facts.  For instance, a donor does not respond to your email in 48 hours, and you make up an entire story about what is happening, how they feel about you, what they think about you, and if they're ever going to donate to your cause. We make these stories and hold on to them as if they were true, but in reality, they are not based on facts. 
• Limiting beliefs are things that society puts on us that restrict our ability to think outside the box. The hundred percent model is a great example of a limiting belief, where we have been trained to think that there’s too much money to overhead. This is simply the limiting belief that we are all continuing to perpetuate, even as fundraisers. However, once you begin to challenge these beliefs, they disappear. 

Resources from this Episode

What the Fundraising Podcast

Power Partners Formula 

The Good Partnership

Charity Shift is offering customized, End of Year Campaign Strategy packages for charities ready to raise more money than ever before this holiday season. Visit charityshift.ca to download our free tips and to learn more.

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY:  Sara Hoshooley, Charity Shift

Small nonprofit organizations face the same fundraising challenges over and over again. They often believe that one fundraising strategy can solve all of their problems and look to large organizations for inspiration. Better marketing, major gift campaigns, corporate sponsorship- they have so many ideas, but most of the time, those solutions are not aligned with what will raise their organization money today and in the near future and grow it into a sustainable program.

Myths that Cindy wants us to walk away from

• A donor meeting is an ask for money. Donor meetings are not an ask for money. It is not a pitch and it's not talking about your organization very much. This is an opportunity for you to get to know your donors, why they support you, what they care about. Maybe they even have feedback around your fundraising or ideas to help you raise more money.
• It’s okay to make assumptions about your donors.  We make so many assumptions about our donors based on our beliefs around fundraising and the value of our work, and almost always we're wrong. And then we use these wrong assumptions to then drive our fundraising strategy and decisions, which leads to us making bad fundraising decisions, which leads to us not raising the money we want to make or raise for the organization. 

Cindy’s thoughts around fundraising 

• Get to know your donors. Most of our fundraising decisions are made by people sitting in a boardroom or around zoom and we make assumptions about our donors. And almost always these assumptions are wrong. We need to stop making assumptions and start verifying information about our supporters. The more information we know the more we can think about fundraising strategies that make sense for their donors and of course for our mission.
• Donor meetings help you find more donors. By getting to know your donors, it will help you see patterns and learn about their values. They have probably shared these values with their friends and networks.  Your donors are one of the biggest untapped resources in finding new donors to your cause so the more you get to know them and build that fundraising strategy in line with them, you're also creating opportunities for them to welcome more people and introduce your organization to more potential donors.
• Communicate with donors. Getting to know your donor is an opportunity to understand how to communicate with them. By leveraging tools and technology, you can find ways to connect more with them. And to be effective, you need to communicate in a way that is aligned with your organization’s mission and what your donors are supporting. This could also be an opportunity to fix some problems with donors who are misaligned with your mission and lead them to learn more about your organization. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

“We always get so caught up in elaborate fundraising plans and strategies, and we have to do these big things. It's not fundraising. Success comes from consistency and finding those points of intersection between your organization, its mission, and your donors.”

Resources from this Episode:

Charity Shift is offering customized, End of Year Campaign Strategy packages for charities ready to raise more money than ever before this holiday season. Visit charityshift.ca to download our free tips and to learn more.

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Imagine building a plane while you’re flying it - not an ideal scenario but one that forces you to do what you can so you can eventually level out the plane and keep it steady. This is what growing a small nonprofit is like. In this episode, Michael “Piecez” Prosserman, Founder of Unity Charity and CEO of Epic Leadership xChange, discusses understanding personal limits and how to break them with smart and strategic investments - regardless of where you are in your organization!

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Kim Peterson, Cedar Fundraising

I know you have a long list of “to-dos” that never seems to end. I can also guess that on that list, somewhere towards the end (and seemingly never moving) is to create a  Case for Support for your organization. 

Well, today you’re in luck because our podcast guest Leah Eustice is a pro when it comes to writing a Case for Support and she’s going to give you all of her tricks and tips. The best part about it - she shows you how you can write your Case quickly and still make it meaningful.

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Kim Peterson, Cedar Fundraising

In times like this, it’s so important that we stay connected. The same goes for our donors. They want to hear from you about how you and your organization are doing. I know what you are thinking: donors already have a lot on their plate right now. Why would they want to hear from me?

On today’s podcast, David from The Common Good Philanthropy shares a great story about how donors felt so connected to a small nonprofit that they got upset when they were not called to help in a time of crisis. David wants us to think about fundraising as community building, and offers great advice on how to connect with our donors as our authentic selves. Take a listen!

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: IMAGINE CANADA

Guess what - the next generation of workers are not millennials!

We’re so past the conversation of millennials in the workplace and now is the time to think about how you’re hiring and engaging the next generation. This new generation values diversity and inclusion, as well as the ability to have an impact. This is in great alignment with the nonprofit sector, but the reality is that as many as 30% of employers struggle to fill their entry-level roles.

Want to build your pipeline of talent in a meaningful and lasting way? Listen to today’s podcast with CivicAction and their HireNext program.

For more HR resources, including on topics related to workplace wellness, decent work and equity, visit HR Intervals - an entirely free, bilingual toolkit specifically designed to help nonprofit professionals better understand, address, and guide people management in their organization.

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: IMAGINE CANADA

From lack of opportunity to develop leaders or train managers to pay transparency, there are so many issues and topics about HR that we never seem to have time to do or be able to make the proper investments. It's going to be a big problem for our sector because our work is only as good as our teams. Our organizations are only as strong as our culture.

In today’s podcast episode, Bruce MacDonald, President, and CEO of Imagine Canada,  is going to share with us HR Intervals - a new and entirely free human resources toolkit specifically designed for nonprofit professionals to help them manage new challenges and opportunities in our work cultures.

Myths that Bruce wants us to walk away from

• Small nonprofits can’t afford human resources. Some leaders may need to find some volunteers to help them out, whether it's a member of the board or just networking to find some HR folks. Start that conversation with the staff about the priorities and urgent needs of the organization and be willing to listen to them. A talented staff member who is inspired by this work could be the staff lead supported by the executive director. They can also access the information and resources they need to perform HR functions at their organizations with the new HR Intervals toolkit. 
• Nonprofits shouldn’t invest in human resources. The pandemic posed new challenges in terms of attracting and retaining employees. Private-sector firms are improving their ability to attract and retain talent, which has an impact on charities and nonprofits. Companies are now offering incentives to work there, and it is critical to ensure that we have the best possible workplaces, fair workplaces, reasonable, transparent compensation, that the culture is there, that this equity and equality is more vital than it has been in quite some time because of this competition for talent.

Bruce’s thoughts around HR Intervals for Nonprofits 

• Access to free information and resources. A vast majority of our sector does not have paid human resources talent inside their organizations, there can be a gap in terms of how organizations think about the management of their people. HR Intervals is made to bring a service that organizations can go to, to help leaders better understand, address, and guide people management in their organizations.
• Be intentional. HR Intervals offers a variety of resources and practices that can be utilized by nonprofits to assess their organizations. They can leverage this information to develop realistic opportunities and set priorities that will create a better workplace for their employees and enable them to do their mission effectively.

Favorite Quotes for Today’s Episode

“I think the one thing I've learned is you can't do it all at the same time or can do it all at once, but over time can create a basket of offerings that make it a place where people want to be, want to go and want to stay.”

Resources from this Episode 

• HR Intervals 
• The Good Partnership

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Jordana Merkin, Voice for Good

What makes a good leader? If you’re an executive director in a nonprofit, you're probably thinking about how you can be more effective and motivate your team to create a bigger impact. But what are these qualities you should have to inspire others? 

To learn more about what makes a great leader, I sat down with Mathieu Yuill, Founder of Leading with a Nice, consultancy that develops leaders. Mathieu has more than 25 years of experience in the field of communication and marketing, as well as a master's degree in management and leadership. 

Myths that Mathieu wants us to walk away from:

• Leaders only give orders. Leaders who inspire their employees are those who practice empathy, listen, and genuinely care about their employees' well-being rather than just the work.
• Leaders should hide any weaknesses. Honesty and trust are qualities of a good leader that requires being vulnerable, assessing one's own weaknesses, and communicating them to one's team.

Matthieu’s  GET HG: qualities of leaders that inspire 

• Gratitude: Checking in with your staff and simply asking how things are going or offering them help is a way to express gratitude because you trust the person to do their job. You're also acknowledging that they're working hard and that you appreciate it.
• Empathy: Stepping into other people’s shoes to understand their circumstances. A leader who shows empathy toward their employees reduces employee absenteeism and has a more productive team. 
• Trust: It is all about intent.  By communicating your desired outcome to your team and trusting them to choose the best path forward.
• Honesty: It is about understanding your own weaknesses and releasing control. 
• Generosity: It is simply a matter of making time to mentor your employees and check in with them.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode 

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“So if you have a report who's working on a project often what we do is we'll come by and be like, “Hey, you know, are you done with that yet? Or how far along are you?” That's checking up and that's like a doctor's appointment. Nobody likes it. But instead, check-in and be like, “Hey, how are things going? Is there anything I can help you with?”  That's actually showing gratitude and trust cause you're trusting the person they're doing their job and you're also acknowledging that they're working hard and you recognize like, “Hey, can I help you? Like I get this is a job that might need an extra set of hands.” That's a very simple way to show gratitude.”

”We need to understand how to communicate with each other and that's really the first base, the barrier to entry is do you know how to communicate with each other? ”

Resources from this Episode

Leading with Nice

Crucial Conversations

Culture Code 

The Good Partnership

Connect with Jordana on Instagram @voiceforgood, or on LinkedIn.

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Jordana Merkin, Voice for Good

Working with a consultant can be beneficial for nonprofits. They enable organizations to focus on keeping things running smoothly and efficiently by freeing up time for the bigger picture. But how do you find the right consultant for your organization? 

In today’s episode, we’re going to talk about working with consultants with Jessica Campbell, Founder and CEO of Out in the Boons and a dear friend of mine. She is a trained nonprofit fundraiser who has worked with big and small organizations and runs a consulting business where she helps organizations to connect with the right consultants to get the help they need. 

Myths that Jess wants us to walk away from:

• Consultants only develop the plan. Some consultants like Jess, are committed to doing things differently. They are out there to help organizations not only get the plan, but also understand it and have the tools and resources they need to carry it out.
• Nonprofit consultants are always expensive. There is a large range in price for nonprofit consultants. The right consultant will have a pricing structure that works for you and your organization's budget.

Jess’s tips on working with consultants 

• Outsourcing helps you focus on your mission: Wearing multiple hats is common in our sector, but trying to do everything at once can lead you and your team to burnout. Getting help from a consultant allows your organization to do other tasks and focus on what really matters.
• Leveling of expectations: Before you decide to work with a consultant, Jess suggests that it is critical to identify the outcome that you want out of consulting, what your expectations and needs are to make this work effective for your organization. 
• Matchmaking: In her own program, Jess uses matchmaking to match nonprofits with consultants based on their specific needs and areas of expertise. She also stresses the importance of finding the right match between the consultant's personality, working style, and the nonprofit's team.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“The biggest pet peeve is I see small organizations trying to do it all themselves. Or one person or two person team trying to do it all. And I wish that people realize that there's no trophies for burnout. You don't get a gold star for that. ”

Resources from this Episode

outintheboons.me/the-rolodex

Jess Campbell Instagram

The Good Partnership

Connect with Jordana on Instagram @voiceforgood, or on LinkedIn.

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Lacey Kempinski, Balanced Good

How do we recover from the exhaustion and pain of the pandemic? How do we lead our organizations into the post-pandemic world with responsible leadership in service for our communities? On today’s episode, social impact leader Chi Nguyen gives us the real talk on how to approach our leadership and the way we show up with a feminist and inclusive lens.

Chi’s tips on approaching leadership from a feminist and inclusive lens:

1. Caregiving is deeply feminist. Caregiving translates into leadership at all levels of our society. Leaders who understand the value of caregiving have the potential to transform how we are organized and governed.
2. Purpose and responsibility driven. Think about responsibility not just for ourselves and our immediate community, but our collective responsibility for this planet and future generations.
3. Show up as our whole selves. We carry what’s going on in our lives, our identities, and our values to the table and so let our authenticity and experience shine through our decision-making and leadership.
4. Be ok with the discomfort when wrestling with power. Disrupting systemic privilege and the power structure is uncomfortable but a necessary part of the work in service for our communities. And it’s not just about disrupting power structures outside of our own organizations and our sector. We have to be able to look inward as well.

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“When I think about inclusive leadership and feminist leadership, it’s about bringing that whole person and all of the weight of that into decision making, into how we run our organizations with lots of forgiveness and resiliency, and frankly, real humanity.”

“The best community programming and best response to community initiatives is a program that is for us by us — fundraised, led, designed, implemented. That is the model for ownership of community solutions, but it is not how our systems have been built. We need to move from a charitable model to collective impact model.”

Resources from this Episode

The Good Partnership

Chi Nguyen

Balanced Good

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RE-RELEASE CURATED BY: Lacey Kempinski, Balanced Good

These are scary times. The world is in crisis as we work hard to contain the COVID 19 outbreak and minimize its impact. Our organizations are being challenged in ways we could never imagine. For some of us, our clients are at high risk and we are working around the clock to support them. For others, we have been forced to lay off staff because our programs have been cancelled. The emotional toll on each and every one of us is significant, at a time when we are most isolated.

We’re also seeing stories of hope, community, and caring. I’ve seen breweries turn the alcohol they have into free hand sanitizer. My neighbours created a mini food drive for a local shelter. Communities coming together in song.

While this podcast episode was recorded a little while ago, the content is perhaps even more relevant now. Our guest is Sam Laprade and we are talking about burnout. Sam has been talking about mental health so that we can better take care of ourselves and our colleagues. Now more than ever. Sam joins me in today’s podcast, talking about burnout, mental health and self-care. So, take a breath and take a listen.

Connect with Lacey Kempinski at Balanced Good

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Re-release curated by: Morgan Domijan, Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

On today’s podcast, David Love, seasoned fundraiser also known as the Godfather of Good, shares with us his take on the role of fundraisers in achieving change in the world. When we centre our work around the mission and the journey that we are on as an organization and how that aligns with the journey our donors are making - we can impact meaningful and lasting change in the world.

Myths that David wants us to walk away from

1. The nature of a fundraiser's work to raise money. What fundraisers actually do is create value and make connections - connecting donors to the causes that matter deeply to them. 
2. Less people are donating nowadays. Donors are stepping up again and again for different causes. Less people are donating just for a charitable receipt, but more people are giving to causes they are deeply passionate of regardless of the tax receipt. This is why we don’t yet have a great metric on the current state of philanthropy.

David’s tips on working with donors:

1. Recognize that the donors’ journey already started and you’re here to support them on their journey. No hard sell is needed. There is a reason that a potential donor is interested in the organization's mission and vision. You’re just here to support them on a path that they’re already on, guided by their own values, interest, and passion.  
2. Help them to find and support initiatives that speak to their values and the changes they want to see in the world. Ask questions or guide the donors to hone in what is it that will make them feel the spark or the connection with the impact that matters to them. 
3. Show passion and authenticity in your communication with your donors. Do away with aloof and formal language and focus on showing that you too deeply care about the mission and vision that your donors are invested in. 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favourite quote on social to share with us!

“It’s a fallacy to think that fundraisers raise money. What fundraisers spend their lives doing is creating value. Fundraisers make dreams come true. Small organizations with difficult causes need to find ways to make the values that are at the heart of what they do come alive in a donor’s soul.”

“Donors are already on a journey. We as fundraisers didn't actually start that journey. They come to us because they're on a journey and they're actually trying to find out whether the road that we’re showing them is one we want to go down or not.”

Resources from this Episode

The Good Partnership

Connect with David on Linkedin

David’s new book: Green Green: Reflections on 51 Years of Raising Money for Nature

Learn more about Morgan at Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

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Re-release curated by: Morgan Domijan, Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

Every year before GivingTuesdays, a lot of fundraisers and Executive Directors are scratching their heads and wondering whether they should do something on GivingTuesday, and if do do something, what can make their organization’s messaging stand out? On today’s podcast, Lys Huggesen, the VP of Partnerships at CanadaHelps and one of the pioneers and leaders of GivingTuesday Canada, shares her insights on how charities might best leverage this day of giving and generosity.

Myths that Lys wants us to walk away

1. GivingTuesday is not just about fundraising. Giving Tuesday is a day to celebrate generosity that over 73 countries are now participating in. Any form of generosity is celebrated. There are 100 different ways to celebrate generosity without making a money ask. 
2. People are tired of GivingTuesday asks. 52% of people say that they want to give on GivingTuesday because they want to be part of something bigger. Lys likened it to Black Friday - just because everyone is having a sale, does that mean you shouldn’t? Of course not - it’s an opportunity to capitalize on people’s planned behaviour.

Lys’ tips on leveraging GivingTuesday

1. Don’t treat GivingTuesday as just a day-long campaign. The best campaigns launch before the day, and the campaign can continue beyond GivingTuesday. Be intentional about the campaign launches and the different touch points you design with your audience and donors. 
2. Have good messages in your ask and don’t rely on “just because it’s GivingTuesday.” GivingTuesday or not, people give when they are emotionally motivated and inspired. While the day provides a great opportunity to make an ask, make sure your communication also includes compelling messages and storytelling.
3. Thank your supporters and express gratitude. If you are not planning to make an ask on GivingTuesday, there are still many ways to engage your audience. It is a day to celebrate generosity, and so why not thank your donors and share messages of gratitude and community togetherness? 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

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“People are primed to give. 52% of people say that they want to give on GivingTuesday itself because they're part of something bigger.”

“I think one of the biggest myths is that GivingTuesday is just a day. It's more than just a day. The best campaigns start well before.”

Resources from this Episode

The Good Partnership

Download toolkit and resources to support your GivingTuesday campaign

Connect with Lys on Linkedin

Learn more about Morgan at Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

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“Sometimes you have to have the courage to say that you are walking away from a potential supporter because it's not missionly aligned.” - Janaiha Bennett

BROAD AND DEEP RELATIONSHIPS FOR FUNDRAISING SUCCESS WITH JANAIHA BENNETT

In today’s episode, we are joined by  Janaiha Bennett from Youth Leadership Foundation to teach us how to develop relationships with our donors and how to treat them as humans first than people who would just give you money.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• How she got into fundraising without being a fundraiser herself
• The importance of leadership in raising funds
• Developing a community who share the same vision 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Youth Leadership Foundation 
  • Website
  • Instagram
• The Good Partnership

CONNECT WITH JANAIHA:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janaiha/

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One of the biggest tenets of empathy is just listening and doing an act of deep listening. So understanding where people are at. You know how to be able to engage with them in a way that makes sense. If you have the patience and ability to just be in a moment with people, understand what they do. I think that can, that can work wonders. - Kyle Empringham

FUNDRAISING THROUGH AN EMPATHETIC LENS WITH KYLE EMPRINGHAM

In today’s episode, we have Kyle Empringham from Starfish Canada to discuss building connections and empathy’s power in making small nonprofits stand out in their fundraising.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Why fundraising is like selling (the good and the bad)
• Applying an empathetic lens to fundraising
• Tools and tips for fundraising in a small organization where everyone can get involved

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Starfish Canada
• ESG Partnerships
• ThoughtExchange
• The Good Partnership

CONNECT WITH KYLE:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kbempringham/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kbempringham
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbempringham/

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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“If you're learning about what indigenous protocols are applicable and relevant to your work? That's a journey. If we're learning how to balance decolonization and philanthropy, that's a journey. And I feel like that's also aligned with what I understand, or the people who I've worked with from the indigenous communities looking at how they've approached just everything. It is a journey.” - Rowena Veylan

INDIGENOUS PROTOCOLS IN FUNDRAISING WITH ROWENA VEYLAN

In today’s episode, we are joined by Rowena Veylan from New School Of Fundraising to talk about how to meaningfully incorporate Indigenous Protocols in fundraising through an authentic and impactful approach.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• What are Indigenous Protocols and why is it important to fundraising
• Meaningful and authentic land acknowledgments
• Fundraising, colonization and anti-oppression work

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Good Partnership
• New School Of Fundraising

CONNECT WITH ROWENA:

• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/newschoolway
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newschooloffundraising/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowena-veylan

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“What am I doing in modeling for future leaders? I firmly believe everyone is a leader. Everyone has that ability just innately from birth. And so what are we doing to support the next leaders of the community, of the nonprofit sector in particular? - Jarrett Ransom

NONPROFIT SECTOR ROLE MODELS WITH JARRETT RANSOM

Join our conversation with Jarrett Ransom, known as The Nonprofit Nerd. We reflect on the legacy that we would want to leave behind in the nonprofit sector, which led to a discussion of the mindsets we don’t want to pass on, and how we can overcome these.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. The responsibility of teaching the next generation of nonprofit professionals
2. Why investing in people is so important for our sector (and why we’re bad at it)
3. Shifting to an abundance perspective

CONNECT WITH JARRETT RANSOM:

• Jarrett’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrransom/
• Jarrett’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonprofit_nerd/ 
• The Rayvan Group: https://www.therayvangroup.com/

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You might have heard about the benefits of testing in your fundraising. Tweaking copy and sending to two different groups to see which performs better. Testing different web pages to see which gets more conversions. Maybe you’ve also tried to survey your donors to see what they like. This can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! On today’s podcast join Cherian Koshy to deep dive into all things testing in a way that’s accessible to small organizations with limited resources. 

Highlights:

1. Why you should be testing and getting to understand your donor’s behaviours
2. How to use market research and other tools to get a clear picture of how your donors actually behave (vs. what they say they will do)
3. Testing behavior through conjoint analysis (and what even is conjoint analysis)
4. Framing questions to avoid bias and social desirability bias

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Endowment Partners
• Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion

Connect with Cherian:

• http://www.cheriankoshy.com/ 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cheriankoshy/
• Twitter: @cherian_koshy

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“I'll talk often to clients about the idea of building a culture of succession so that we know from the get go that when we hire someone into the organization, that our hope is to offer development pathways. It doesn't necessarily mean climbing the ladder, but an opportunity for professional growth and naturally with professional growth, we need to be open and honest around feedback.“ Danielle Rocheleau

leveling up your leadership with Danielle Rocheleau

Your employees are your BEST asset when it comes to having an impact, yet it’s also one of the most under invested in resources. In today’s episode, we have Danielle Rocheleau from Laridae sharing ways to support your employees in honing their skills and empowering them as leaders.

Highlights:

• The reason why investing in your team is important for your organization 
• Identifying opportunities and providing support to employees
• The importance of onboarding process for internal candidates 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Laridae Website
  • Website
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
• The Good Partnership

Connect with Danielle:

• Email: danielle@laridaemc.com

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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“Patience is getting beyond yourself. If there's a lack of patience, it's because you're putting yourself as a priority to any situation that there is.” - Patrick Rodriguez

tending the seeds that you sew with Patrick Rodriguez

In our work in the nonprofit sector, it often feels like things need to happen right away - the needs are, after all, urgent. But today on the podcast we’re talking all about patience - the ability to play the long game to have a greater impact. I’m joined by first-time ED and formerly incarcerated Patrick Rodriguez, from the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison. Patrick’s journey from inmate to ED along with his deep reflections and patience, teaches us how to look beyond the immediate needs to a more strategic long-term vision.

Highlights:

• The benefit of having patience for long-term growth and mission fulfilment
• How to take time to do things well to set your organization up for success
• The role of relationships to get buy-in for patience and long term planning

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison
  • Website
• Good Partnership

Connect with Patrick:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Email: patrickleerod@gmail.com
• Outlook: patrickleerod@outlook.com

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“We're not changing for the sake of change. We're changing because we wanna do something different or grow or improve.” - Ashley Fontaine

get unstuck with Ashley Fontaine

We’ll all be there - stuck! In a rut. Bored. Trapped.

It feels like this is just part of the nonprofit experience. But this can be hurting our missions. And ourselves. In today’s episode, Ashley Fontaine, founder of Flux AF Consulting shares with us how she is helping nonprofits navigate getting “unstuck” by building skills, improving leadership, and avoiding burnout.

Highlights:

• The story behind her upcoming book “Unstuck: Disrupting the Status Quo”
• Dichotomy of change and status quo bias
• Power and influence of nonprofit leaders
• Values-based leadership for creating change

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Flux AF consulting Website
  • Flux AF Consulting
• Get a copy of: Unstuck: Disrupting the Status Quo 
• The Good Partnership

Connect with Ashley:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fontainea/

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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Have a hard time finding and keeping new donors? Not getting any responses from mailing appeals?

In this episode, Whitney Brown, digital director of Public Outreach, goes through each step of the donor journey and how you can use Facebook to get the best results. Learn how to find and target your donors, engage with them to develop an ask, and keep them giving over time - even with a small budget!

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“And number one question I would get usually is how many emails should I send in a year? So if you're starting from that big picture and I was like, oh, great, great, and I want to write a book, how long should it be? And you get why is that an appropriate response? And it's like, well, you shouldn't write bad content. And it turns out you can write seven books about a middle school kid who's a wizard. And it's like, if we do great content that's really engaging, keep going, please.” — Ben Johnson

the secrets to successful emails with Ben Johnson

Email marketing is the most effective way to engage your supporters. But how do you leverage it for maximum impact? In this episode, we'll discuss how to use email marketing to maximize your nonprofit's fundraising efforts in a way that is aligned with your values and mission. .Join Ben Johnson as he deep dives into the successful ways and strategies to engage community and raise more money for your nonprofit.  

Highlights:

1. Trends and best practices of email marketing for small nonprofits
2. Benefits of email list segmentation for fundraising
3. How to leverage email marketing tools and funnels to raise more money
4. How you can communicate effectively with donors using email
5. 
   

Connect with Ben:

• https://www.frontier.io/
• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mrbenjohnson

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"Grant writing is one of those things that small organizations love and hate. I would say the idea of grant funding, that is, funding programs that feels like large amounts of money coming in and one ask is really a dream for so many small organizations, but they struggle with how to do it.” — DeaRonda Harrison

get those grants with DeaRonda Harrison

Are you still hesitant to hire a grant writer for your organization? Maybe you’ve had great success with grants and the portfolio has become time-consuming and too large to handle. Or, maybe your sending out applications left, right, and centre and still not having any luck. Join DeaRonda Harrison to deep dive into all things grant writing - from benefits, challenges and the importance of it!

Highlights:

• How can grants help small organizations
• How to get started with grant writing
• Guide to hiring grant support and internal training
• Outreach and networking for grants
• Managing relationships after getting the grant

Connect with DeaRonda:

• https://junefirstfirm.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/DeaRondaharrison
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DeaRondah/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeaRondah
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3zRU5o_FjbL3P4BDpQx16w

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There's more fear than there was courage. We had to sort of change into, you know what, we're trying something new. We are not asking the clients to give to their own campaigns or to give to anyone else's campaign. We are asking them to tell their story to their friends and family and invite their friends and family to support us. — Deborah Gold

From a plan to implementation with Deborah Gold

Planning to change the world might seem daunting. Getting help with your fundraising - maybe even more daunting! Today’s podcast is a conversation with one of our clients about how she made the leap to hiring a fundraising consultant, what she learned along the way, and what’s working for them now. On today’s podcast, join Deborah Gold to dive deep into all things fundraising for BALANCE for Blind Adults.

Highlights:

1. Making a decision to seek fundraising help
2. Behind the scenes, challenges and wins in implementing a fundraising plan
3. Raising funds and awareness through peer-to-peer campaign
4. How the campaign evolved over time, including lessons learned about what works and what doesn't

Connect with Deborah Gold:

• https://www.balancefba.org/
• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/deborahgold
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balanceforblindadults/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balanceforblindadults/
• Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/balancefba

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"What are those moments where we can captivate our audience in a different way,  because otherwise, they would just be standing around. And how can we use those moments to also encourage donations in giving?” — Rebecca Alfred

Optimizing your event revenue in surprising ways with Rebecca Alfred

Fundraising events can be hard for small organizations. The time and effort to get it off the ground and make it “profitable” doesn’t often work out. But if you are going to host an event or have a legacy event that is profitable, our guest for this episode will make sure you achieve maximum results. Join Rebecca Alfred, Charity Relationships Lead, Trellis Social Enterprise Inc. to learn how to raise more money and have a bigger impact with your events. 

Highlights:

• Optimizing fundraising events for meaningful giving opportunities
• Fundraising drivers that are helping organizations hit and succeed their fundraising goals at their events
•  The future of fundraising events - hybrid, online, in-person
• Creating better donor experience at events

Connect with Rebecca Alfred:

• https://trellis.org/
• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-alfred
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/trellis.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trellisorg
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/trellis_org
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCegTxlyqGK8R3lxMn7sA0pw

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“Your first goal is let's create a win where we can begin to work on these relationships, where we can begin to build some trust, and then we're going to come back and we're going to see what the next step is. ” - Michelle Shumate

networks for impact with Michelle Shumate

In today’s episode, we are joined by Michelle Shumate from Northwestern University and the author of Networks for Social Impact. If you’ve ever wondered about working in partnership with other organizations, Michelle shares her experience and framework to help that go smoothly so that everyone benefits.

Highlights: 

• How small nonprofits can benefit from collaboration
• How to make partnerships work for your organization without depleting your resources
• Two paths of sharing vision and goals in partnerships
• Implementing an equitable collaboration
• Managing collaborations during unexpected circumstances

Connect with Michelle: 

• Website: https://nnsi.northwestern.edu
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ProfShumate
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleshumate

Resources:

• The Good Partnership - FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide

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And the small charities can slow down a little bit and stop automating. I remind people that direct response, whether it's direct mail or if it's online, I don't care what it is. It is an opportunity for conversation. You are talking to other human beings that we call donors. And that's an opportunity to have something, a meaningful connection with someone who wants to help you achieve your goals. And just like relationships are in real life. - John Lepp

direct mail isn’t dead with John Lepp

In today’s episode, we are joined by John Lepp, a partner at Agents of Good and the author of Creative Deviations. He has over 25 years of experience in the fundraising and design industry and is an expert in direct-response fundraising. John is breaking down how to raise more money through direct mail using design and authenticity. 

Highlights:

• The role of creative design in fundraising
• The importance of direct mail in fundraising, despite the common belief that it is no longer effective.
• The advantages that small organizations have in terms of being able to stand out and be more personal with their donor communications.
• Debunking myths about direct mail in fundraising 
• How can small nonprofits stand out in direct mail to raise more money

Connect with John: 

• Website: https://agentsofgood.org/creative
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnlepp/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnlepp_aog/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnlepp

Resources:

• The Good Partnership - FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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Events - it’s a lot of work, the financial return is often a surprise or isn’t there at all and there are many misconceptions about what goes into making an event successful. In this episode, Amy Milne, founder of Beyond Fundraising, shares step-by-step how to ensure your next event does more than just make money so you can advance your long-term fundraising strategy.

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Sometimes fundraising in a small nonprofit can feel start-stop. You put in effort and maybe see results, but then as soon as you slow down, the money stops coming in. 

But on today’s podcast, guest Mike Duerksen, Founder and CEO of BuildGood, shares with us his “flywheel” method for creating a fundraising program that operates on momentum, so that the longer you fundraise, the less effort it takes to grow.

Sounds dreamy, right? Mike covers:

• The Flywheel analogy of fundraising for small nonprofits
• Five parts of Flywheel analogy 
• Listening to donors
• How to engage donors through virtual and in-person events
• The tactics of a good “ASK”

Connect with Mike: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen

Website: https://buildgood.com/

Resources: 

5minutefundraisingfix.com

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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“Community-Centric Fundraising is about reimagining how we engage our communities, so whether that's our service users or volunteers, our donors, to make everyone feel really valued and invested in the work. - Maria Rio”

practicing community centric fundraising with Maria Rio

You may have heard of a growing movement called Community Centric Fundraising (CCF) but have lots of questions of how it works and how you might apply it to your organization.

Maria Rio, joins me in this conversation today on The Small Nonprofit Podcast. She has been working in nonprofits for ten years, has personal experience as a service user, and has spent the last year and a half testing out various CCF approaches. Maria is going to talk about how community-centric fundraising works—and how it can enable your fundraising program to raise money AND fulfill your mission at the same time. 

Highlights: 

• What is community-centric fundraising and what makes it different?
• Equitable donor stewardship
• Building non-transactional relationships in fundraising events
• Community Advocacy and public policy work
• Collective mission

Connect with Maria: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/

Resource: 

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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“Everybody pays, nobody pays. Because I think one of the most important principles that we put in place with our clients around corporate is transparency” - Heather Nelson

employee volunteering with Heather Nelson

Is corporate volunteerism trendy right now? Absolutely! Should you still include it in your corporate giving strategies? Probably.

In this episode, I sat down with Heather Nelson of Bridgeraise, and talked about how your nonprofit can benefit from corporate volunteerism and how to get started with building a strong relationship with your corporate partners.

Key Highlights:

• The value of corporate volunteerism to for-profit organizations and how to leverage it for your small nonprofit
• Types of employee engagement: In-person, online, employee education
• Activity ideas for an employee engagement program
• How to gain revenue from corporate volunteering
• How to set up corporate partnerships with transparency

Connect with Heather: 

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/nelsonheather

Website: https://www.bridgeraise.com/

Resources: 

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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So many small nonprofits don't know where to start when it comes to managing the data they have. How can we use our data effectively and efficiently? And how do we make sure it’s being used with an equity lens? If you're struggling with this, definitely give this episode a listen!

On today’s episode, I’m joined by Meena Das, Founder & Philanthropy Analytics Consultant at NamasteData, and her focus of work is grounding data and analytics solutions for nonprofits in the ideas of equity and inclusion.

Key Highlights:

• Best practices of equitable data management for small nonprofits
• How to apply an equity lens in data collection as a nonprofit?
• Ethical challenges of data collection in the nonprofit sector
• How to balance DEI values with funders and partners?

Connect with Meena Das:

• Meena’s LinkedIn https://ca.linkedin.com/in/meenadas 
• Website: https://www.namastedata.org/

Resources: 

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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Whether you’re on the employee or employer side, job negotiations are something that gives everyone butterflies. In this episode, Denise Lloyd, CEO and founder of Engaged HR, teaches us that employee compensation is ultimately about creating an environment where your employees can thrive. Learn how to create this environment and how to have these conversations from both perspectives - making your work and mission have a bigger impact.

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The cloud is changing the tech game. In fact, it's already changed it. But how can you adapt to this new technology? How can your small nonprofit make sure that you're ready for what's coming next? On this episode, I speak with Kevin Christopher George of Green Merits Consulting, about cloud technology with a grounded, real life, practical perspective on what it means to research, select and adapt cloud technologies.

Key Highlights:

• The benefits of cloud-based technology for small nonprofits
• Why the cloud is better than an external hard drive
• Building partnerships with technology providers
• How to get started and adapt cloud-based technology
• Cloud collaboration and accessibility

Connect with Kevin:

Website: https://www.greenmerits.com/

Email: kgeorge@greenmerits.com

Resources: 

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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On today’s podcast, we’re bringing you someone else’s podcast! That’s right, from time to time we’ll be featuring some friends and their podcast episodes that we think are worth a listen. Today it’s Dana Synder’s podcast, Missions to Movements. 

If there is an organization to watch, Hope for Haiti is it, and today, you’ll meet Community Director of Innovative Philanthropy, Sarah Porter, and CMO Taylor Hebble. Hope for Haiti is pushing the boundaries with incredible creativity and innovation! A new VR experience transports supporters to a partner school in rural Haiti, they created a beautiful NFT collection in partnership with Haitian artists to fund the build of new schools after the earthquake, AND they’re using LinkedIn as an outlet to reach the media and have already more than doubled their following in the process.

It’s time to step into the future and imagine the possibilities as we consider VR experiences as a launchpad for deeper social impact.

Key Highlights:

• Bringing Haiti to everyone through VR experiences
• From concept to execution: how long it took Hope for Haiti to launch their VR experience
• How Hope for Haiti grew to over 8,000 followers on LinkedIn

Connect with:

• Hope for Haiti: https://hopeforhaiti.com/
• Missions to Movement Podcast: https://positiveequation.com/podcast/

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When you're a small nonprofit, your work often involves doing more with less—which is why it's so important to know which tasks are essential and which just add up to clutter. Today, we’re talking about one approach that helps streamline our workload while staying focused on the biggest priorities- minimalism.

Danielle Russell walks us through minimalism in nonprofits. Danielle S. Russell, CAE is a Canadian Not-for-Profit Industry Leader, Consultant, Author, Speaker, YouTuber, and Artist. She loves connecting ideas and people so that each individual can achieve their greatest potential impact. From keynote podiums, to the boardroom, to YouTube; Danielle leverages her unique strengths to help foster collaboration, empathy and action.

Key Highlights:

• What is Minimalism in nonprofits?
• Practical guide to minimalism for nonprofits 
• Letting go of “sentimental items” in your small nonprofit

Connect with Danielle:

Website: http://daniellerussell.ca/

Instagram:@Danny_S_Russell

Resources: 

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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In today’s podcast, we’re chatting with Sabrina Walker Hernandez about how she moved from being completely burned out (including how that affected her health) to growing a business that allowed her to still serve nonprofits but in a way that protected herself and her own well-being.  Through her company, Supporting World Hope, Sabrina is a trainer, facilitator, and coach who specializes in strategic planning, fundraising, and leadership development.

Highlights:

1. How Sabrina invested in herself - for her health, but also in learning to start a business 
2. Getting clear on your business’ offerings and services
3. Working in your business vs. on your business and how to balance those two 

Connect with Sabrina:

• Website: sabrina@supportingworldhope.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supportingworldhope
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/supportingworldhope?fbclid=IwAR1cQd9zCUNADjoUr_WMSiaqp_aD4gsJZE6_kJpngs7IwejJ3H05zbBcyNk

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Are you struggling to demonstrate your organization's impact? Are you looking for ways to engage your donors and keep them coming back? In this episode, I’m joined by Julie Gilbert, an independent consultant and coach in Julie Gilbert Consulting. She has over 25 years of experience working with public sector and nonprofit organizations, focused on helping organizations measure and communicate their impact. Julie talks about the meaning of impact, strategies and how solid measurement work can benefit organizations in attracting funding, and achieving their mission. 

Key Highlights:

• The meaning of impact 
• Why it is crucial for nonprofits to communicate their impact to stakeholders, funders, and donors.
• How Julie’s Stepping Stones Impact framework can help nonprofits
• What are the “impacts” that nonprofits should measure and strategies to evaluate change
• How to use narratives and storytelling strategy for impact measurement

Connect with Julie:

Website: 
Julie Gilbert Consulting: https://juliegilbertconsulting.com/
Impact Institute Academy: https://juliegilbertconsulting.com/impact-institute
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliegilbert001/

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As donors get older, it's essential for nonprofits to find new, younger donors to keep their organizations running. In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, I talk to Emily Taylor, the founder of Teeny Big, where she helps nonprofit leaders create clear, defined paths to build engagement with people so they can achieve their goals faster. Emily talks about the challenge of engaging younger donors and her insights on how to understand and connect with them.

 Key Highlights:

• How can nonprofits better engage with younger donors?
• How strategic listening can help connect your organization with new audiences or deepen connections with existing ones.
• How can we recognize and overcome unconscious biases to make better strategic decisions?

Connect with Emily:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-taylor-teenybig/

Free worksheet on biases: https://mailchi.mp/teenybig/beyondbias

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In this episode of the Small Nonprofit Podcast, I’m joined by Sean Kosofsky, aka the Nonprofit Fixer, to discuss the impact of isolation on small nonprofit organizations in a post-pandemic world. Working remotely or changing jobs can leave nonprofit professionals feeling disconnected and lonely, but Sean offers practical advice for breaking through the isolation. 

Key Highlights:

• The impact of working remotely for small nonprofits 
• Practical tools for combating isolation 
• Productivity hacks: setting top three priorities and four-day workweek 
• The importance of recognizing burnout and ways to overcome it
• Creating a meaningful environment for team collaboration 

Connect with Sean:

Website:  www.NonprofitFixer.com

4 Day Workweek: https://www.nonprofitfixer.com/nonprofit-fixer-blog/the-complete-guide-to-implementing-the-four-day-workweek

FREE Fundraising Strategy Guide: https://www.thegoodpartnership.com/guide

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In today's episode of the Small Nonprofit Podcast, I'm introducing you to the Fractional Fundraising movement and our new private podcast series that will give you an inside look at how we do this revolutionary approach to fundraising that has helped many small nonprofits thrive. 

Key Highlights:

• What fractional fundraising is and how it can benefit fundraisers and charities
• The behind-the-scenes of our Fractional Fundraiser Academy
• The stories and experiences of our current members in the network

If you're interested in learning more, visit thegoodpartnership.com/pod to get exclusive access to our limited-time private podcast series. Don't miss out on the opportunity to change the fundraising game for your small nonprofit.

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Have you ever considered hosting an event for your nonprofit organization? Do you know how to incorporate sponsorship into the profitability of your event? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit podcast, Mariah Monique,  founder of The Sponsorship Catalyst, shares some insightful tips on how to leverage strategic partnerships and potential sponsors to make your event a success.

 Key Highlights:

• How to get started with sponsorship for your nonprofit events 
• The mistake nonprofits make in hosting an event and how to avoid it
• Building long-term relationships with potential sponsors and funders
• How to deliver meaningful experiences to sponsors and event attendees

Connect with Mariah:

Website: https://www.thesponsorshipcatalyst.com/

Free resource: What to offer sponsors https://colossal-hustler-635.ck.page/104885a769

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesponsorshipcatalyst/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesponsorshipcatalyst/

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Do you work with equity-seeking populations? Is your organization on the front-line of social justice change? So often we see our values challenged in traditional fundraising and communications and don’t know how to reconcile our need to fundraise effectively with our beliefs and values. The good news is that we can still be powerful communicators and respect, honour, and empower the equity-seeking populations we work with.

In this episode, Andrea Gunraj, vice-president of public engagement at the Canadian Women’s Foundation, teaches us all about recognizing our bias, rethinking our storytelling and engagement strategies, and how to ensure our organization is reflective of the communities we serve.

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Are you struggling to turn your organization's strategic plan into a reality? Do you feel like your efforts to create change within your nonprofit are falling flat? Today on the podcast, I'm joined by Veronica LaFemina, a strategic advisor to nonprofit leaders with over 20 years of experience in change management. In this episode, Veronica shares her insights on why change often fails in organizations and what you can do to set yourself up for success.

Key Highlights:

• The importance of implementing a strategic plan in organizations
• The significance of having a visible and engaged executive sponsor
• How to involve staff members in the change process 
• Different stages of change 
• Being intentional about pursuing change in your organization 

Connect with Veronica:

Website: https://lafemina.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vlafemina

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Our sector has a clear response when someone asks about starting a nonprofit - “please don’t”. I’ve seen this in Facebook groups and discussions. But what if starting a nonprofit is an act of equity and justice? Tune in to hear from our guest, Tiffany Allen, CEO of Boss On A Budget, as she shares her experience and expertise in the world of nonprofit startups.

Key Highlights:

• The challenges of starting a nonprofit and accessing vital information
• Key questions to ask yourself before starting a nonprofit
• The importance of having a vision and a plan for your nonprofit
• Essential skill sets for nonprofit founders
• First things to outsource or get help with
• Recognizing the impact of small and new nonprofits

Connect with Tiffany: 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BossonaBudget

Website: www.bossonabudget.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bossonab/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bossonab

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Are you tired of watching your nonprofit's most passionate and dedicated employees leave due to burnout and exhaustion? It's time to address the elephant in the room - the exploitation of nonprofit staff. In this episode, we're joined by Nicole Gagliardi, an innovator and changemaker in the nonprofit sector with over 10 years of experience leading small nonprofits.  Join us as we discuss the pervasive issue of staff exploitation in the nonprofit sector and explore practical solutions to create a healthier workplace culture. 

Key Highlights: 

1. Why the exploitation of nonprofit staff is a pervasive issue
2. The role of charity and scarcity mindset on this issue 
3. The importance of connecting sector-wide understanding with the daily lived realities of nonprofit workers
4. Why nonprofit organizations do not think of themselves as employers
5. The importance of creating a healthy workplace culture and how it affects the organization's mission
6. Using an equity lens to review HR practices 

Connect with Nicole: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolegagliardi1/

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Are you struggling to connect with your audience and make an impact with your organization's messaging? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, I speak with Jordana Merkin, founder and CEO of Voice for Good, about the power of words in moving people to action. Join us as we dive into the world of nonprofit messaging and show you how to make a lasting impact with your words.

Key Highlights: 

• The importance of a messaging guide for your nonprofit
• Strategies for crafting a consistent message that brings together all stakeholders
• Common messaging mistakes nonprofits make and how to avoid them
• The power of language in motivating and moving people to action

Connect with Jordana: 

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jordana-merkin/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voiceforgood/

Website:  https://www.voiceforgoodmarketing.com/

Freebie: https://www.voiceforgoodmarketing.com/prompts (download a free guide to building your messaging guide)

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Today we'll tackle a common challenge faced by small nonprofits – obtaining unrestricted funds. It's no secret that while many organizations excel at securing grants and program funding, the quest for those vital, unrestricted annual operating funds can be an uphill battle. In this episode, we’re joined by Aimee Lindenberger, the founder of Refocused Fundraising, an expert in fundraising communications, key messages, annual appeals, and legacy giving. Listen in as we discuss the importance of unrestricted funds and how to effectively communicate their value to your supporters.

Key Highlights:

• The importance of unrestricted funds for small nonprofits
• How to shift from program-based fundraising to vision-based asks
• Tips for tapping into your organization's unique values and personality
• The benefits of humanizing your fundraising appeals and communications
• Strategies for balancing specific asks with broader, unrestricted funding goals

Connect with Aimee:
Website: https://refocusfundraising.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aim%C3%A9e-lindenberger/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/a_lindenberger?lang=en
Unrestricted Funds Bonus: https://bit.ly/UnrestrictedFundsBonus

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Have you ever struggled with strategic planning? Do you find it challenging to bring people along in the process? In this episode of the Small Nonprofit Podcast, I talk with Carol Hamilton, Principal of Grace Social Sector Consulting, about the importance of strategic planning in today's changing world. Carol discusses how to involve all stakeholders in the process, what to do when things get off track, and how to integrate the plan into your day-to-day practices.

Key Highlights: 

• The benefits of conducting an intentional strategic planning process.
• How to identify the important stakeholders in your organization.
• The optimal ways to engage people in the planning process.
• How to manage conflict during the process.
• How to integrate the strategic plan into your day-to-day practices.

Connect with Carol: 

Website: http://www.gracesocialsector.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-hamilton-0052b71/

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At this year’s AFP Fundraising Day in Toronto, we spoke Theresa Cheng, Nayeon Kim, Michelle Yeung, Deborah Thompson amongst many other delegates about their thoughts on self-care and productivity. In this live episode, learn some tried-and-true strategies and tips for taking care of yourself and boosting your productivity.

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Are you tired of feeling like your small nonprofit is constantly trying to catch up with the big organizations? What if there was a way to shift your perspective and leverage your size to create unique fundraising opportunities? In today's episode we explore exactly that! I've invited Sara Hoshooley, founder of Charity Shift to discuss how to make small but impactful shifts in your nonprofit that can significantly boost your fundraising success.

Key Highlights: 

• Why small nonprofits shouldn't mimic large organizational models.
• The importance of creating a personalized connection with your donors.
• The effectiveness of 15-minute check-in calls in building relationships.
• Dealing with fundraising rejections.
• Using positive experiences for donor communication.

Connect with Sara: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahoshooley/

Website: https://www.charityshift.ca/

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Have you ever encountered a micromanager in your professional life? That person who just can't resist scrutinizing every little detail and checking in with you constantly? It's not only frustrating but can also hinder productivity and growth.

On today’s episode I’m joined by Erin Allgood, a social impact strategist from Allgood Strategies, to discuss the detrimental effects of micromanagement in organizations. She delves into the reasons behind micromanaging tendencies, the impact of remote work, and explore effective strategies for delegating tasks. So, whether you're a leader looking to break free from micromanagement or an employee seeking autonomy, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

Key Highlights:
The extremes of management styles
The rise of micromanagement and it’s negative impact on organizations
Delegating tasks and building relationships with employees
Finding the root cause of micromanagement
The role of empathy in addressing micromanagement

Connect with Erin:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinallgood/
Podcast: https://www.allgoodstrategies.com/rise-and-rouse

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Today's digital world demands an impactful online presence. In the era where a website is your business card and more, do you know how to leverage it for your small nonprofit organization? In this episode of the Small Nonprofit Podcast, David Pisarek, founder and CEO of Wow Digital, dive into the critical aspects of websites and digital marketing. Discover how your organization can improve its online presence, foster engagement, and attract more donations.

Key Highlights: 

• The role and importance of a website in the digital era.
• Strategies to drive visitors to your website and increase visibility.
• The importance of content and how to create a year-long content calendar.
• Understanding your audience's search behavior to better tailor your content.
• How to make your website more accessible to audience
• Five essential elements to make your website effective

Connect with David:
Website: https://wowdigital.com/
Free website audit:  https://wowdigital.com/audit
Nonprofit Websites Done-For-You: https://mightynpo.com/

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Do you ever find yourself questioning whether your message was clear or if you expressed your thoughts effectively? If so, this episode is for you. Tune in as Erica Barnhart, the CEO of Claxon, delves into the art of communication. Discover the significant impact of effective communication on both your personal and professional life, and learn how to inspire and mobilize the people around you.

Key Highlights:

• The importance of effective communication in small organizations
• Understanding your audiences
• Self-talk and its direct impact on your communication
• What the Claxon method is and how to use it for optimizing communication
• Strategies for effective communication with your team 

Connect with Erica: 

Podcast: Communicate for Good 

Website: claxon-communication.com. 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamillsbarnhart/

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Often we take government funding for granted. Or, we treat it like an impenetrable black box that’s a mystery so we write our applications and cross our fingers. Today, we’re joined by Jesse Clarke, CEO of JN Clarke Consulting who shares insider tips on how to form successful relationships with government partners to secure new funding, keep the existing funds rolling in, and have champions at the decision making table. 

Key Highlights: 

• The parallels between donor and government relations
• The significance of government investment in the non-profit sector
• Strategies to sustain and enhance funding from government sources
• How to start influencing decisions and building influence with government funders
• The importance of relationships in dealing with government funding
• Navigating through the bureaucratic systems for effective government relations

Connect with Jesse:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jnclarke/

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The way we do our work plays a huge role in our organizations - especially in a world where digital is the new normal. In this episode, Aine McGlynn, our very own COO of The Good Partnership, drops some truth bombs about systems and processes. 

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In this brand new episode of 'The Small Nonprofit'—we have some exciting news! Our beloved host Cindy is handing over the microphone to Maria Rio, another leader in the non-profit world. 

A dynamic and passionate personality, Maria started her career as a face-to-face fundraiser, climbed the nonprofit ladder with dedication and hard work, and eventually found her niche in community-centric fundraising. She's worked with many small nonprofits, and knows the struggles that come with low capacity and limited funds. She is the proud founder of Further Together, a fundraising consultancy dedicated to supporting organizations implement community-centric fundraising values. 

So, gear up, get comfortable and join us as we embark on this new season with our new host!

Key Episode Highlights:  

• Cindy and Maria talk about their respective journeys in fundraising; from how they became fundraisers to owning their own businesses
• Maria's Transition to Community-Centric Fundraising: Maria shares her journey of moving away from harmful practices to a more personal, inclusive fundraising model. This approach gave her a sense of belonging and proved to be a successful strategy.
• Fractional Fundraising: We explore the concept of fractional executives, which offer stability and transformative support for organizations. This stress-free consulting approach allows work to be done without the need for managing or administrative tasks.
• Cindy's Role Beyond Hosting: Apart from hosting the show, Cindy has made significant contributions as a consultant for nonprofits, championing fractional fundraising and innovation. She extends her expertise in the sector to her new podcast centred on supporting nonprofit consultants.
• The Future of The Small Nonprofit Podcast: As Maria takes the baton, listeners can anticipate exciting conversations around fundraising and the unique opportunities and challenges facing small nonprofits.

Links and Resources: 

Connect with Maria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/

Connect with Cindy: https://cindywagman.com/

Confessions Podcast:  confessionswithjessandcindy.com

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Struggling with staff leaving, keeping donors happy, or having competent leaders? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, host Maria Rio sits down with fundraising expert Frank Mumford, who shares his journey from student caller to nonprofit consultant and thought leader. Together, they discuss the evolving landscape of fundraising, the importance of authentic donor stewardship, and how nonprofits can navigate trends like AI and data-driven personalization to build meaningful relationships.

Frank also delves into his experiences transitioning from frontline fundraising to the vendor side, offering practical advice for fundraisers looking to amplify their impact and explore new opportunities in the sector.

Donor Relationships & Fundraising Trends - the highlights:

• Why donor stewardship is more than just a thank-you email – it’s about creating a personal connection.
• Tips for balancing professional and personal relationships with donors while keeping the focus on the mission.
• How to personalize donor engagement without overcomplicating the process, including leveraging data and thoughtful follow-ups.
• Trends in fundraising, such as the rise of mid-level giving and the use of AI to save time and prioritize donor outreach.
• Challenges nonprofits face, from staff turnover to data management, and how leaders can foster more sustainable organizational cultures.
• The importance of introducing donors to other staff and leaders to strengthen their connection to the organization.
• Why fundraisers should embrace their power and advocate for healthier workplace practices.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Frank Mumford:

Our guest is Frank Mumford, a seasoned fundraiser with 14 years in the charity sector. Frank started as a student fundraiser and now works at Gravyty, where he helps charities with new software solutions. He's been a CFRE since 2019 and is active in several nonprofit boards. Frank will share his views on the challenges that charities and fundraisers face today.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Frank on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-mumford/
• Email Frank: frank.mumford@gravyty.com
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

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Are you missing the mark when it comes to fundraising online? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, host Maria Rio dives into the dynamic world of digital fundraising and ethical storytelling with Fai Hassan, Associate Director of Digital Fundraising at Public Outreach. From leveraging social media platforms to amplify fundraising efforts to rethinking how nonprofits tell impactful and ethical stories, Fai shares practical advice and thoughtful insights for organizations navigating the complexities of the nonprofit sector.

Whether you're interested in exploring innovative digital strategies or prioritizing ethical practices in storytelling, this episode will leave you inspired and better equipped to drive meaningful change.

Storytelling & Digital Fundraising Strategies - the highlights:

• How digital fundraising has evolved and the role of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and Pinterest in donor acquisition.
• The importance of balancing organizational goals with ethical considerations in digital campaigns.
• Practical tips for nonprofits to improve their storytelling, including ensuring consent, respecting boundaries, and avoiding trauma-based narratives.
• Why testing and adaptability are crucial for digital fundraising success.
• How the rise of racialized fundraisers is reshaping the nonprofit sector and storytelling approaches.
• The potential and pitfalls of using AI in nonprofit storytelling and imagery.
• Fai’s personal journey navigating lived experience, imposter syndrome, and finding a voice in the fundraising space.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Fai Hassam:

Fai Hassam is an expert in digital fundraising. Her role is all about helping non-profit organizations create digital campaigns that engage supporters and convert them into donors. She's got a wealth of experience working with various non-profits, but what really sets her apart is her advocacy and her knack for crafting, executing, and managing compelling campaigns.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Fai on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/fai-hassan-50561b271
• Learn more about Public Outreach: https://www.publicoutreachgroup.com/
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

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Is your small nonprofit is getting the attention it deserves from key decision-makers? In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, host Maria Rio welcomes government relations expert Tristan Dewdny to explore how nonprofits can engage effectively with government to drive systemic change.

Tristan, a seasoned lobbyist and founder of his own GR consultancy, shares insights into the practicalities of lobbying, the importance of advocacy, and how nonprofits can build impactful relationships with policymakers.

Whether you're new to government relations or looking to refine your strategy, this episode is packed with actionable advice for nonprofits seeking to advance their missions by influencing policy, accessing funding, and amplifying their impact.

Leveraging Government Relations for Nonprofits - the highlights:

• What nonprofits need to know about lobbying and advocacy in Canada.
• The unique power of government officials to amplify nonprofit causes and connect organizations with key opportunities.
• Why building relationships with policymakers is vital for advancing systemic solutions.
• Key strategies for nonprofits to develop an effective advocacy and lobbying plan.
• How to structure an ask and engage politicians with clear goals and impactful messaging.
• Insights into the registration process for lobbying activities and compliance with Canadian rules.
• Real-world examples of successful nonprofit advocacy and grassroots campaigns.
• Tips for nonprofits starting their government relations journey.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Tristan Dewdney:

Tristan is a seasoned government expert with over 15 years in policy and advocacy. His expertise spans both community-level and systemic advocacy strategies, making him the perfect guide for small nonprofits looking to make a significant impact through government engagement.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Tristan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-downe-dewdney-21523b28/
• Tristan’s Website: www.downedewdney.com
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

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Is your nonprofit aligned with your values or is it perpetuating harm? In this thought-provoking episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria Rio sits down with Sheetal Puri, digital fundraising leader at Wikimedia Foundation, to discuss the critical issues of value misalignment, nonprofit burnout, and workplace culture in the nonprofit sector. Together, they explore how nonprofit professionals can navigate organizational challenges, advocate for meaningful change, and build a healthier, values-aligned workplace culture.

Sheetal brings her extensive fundraising experience, from grassroots volunteering to overseeing global digital campaigns, to offer actionable advice for fundraisers at all career stages. Whether you're navigating a workplace that doesn’t align with your values or looking to build a more equitable and inclusive nonprofit sector, this conversation offers insights and strategies to inspire change.

Burnout in Nonprofit Fundraising - the highlights:

• Sheetal's journey from an alumni caller to digital fundraising at Wikimedia Foundation.
• How value misalignment can lead to burnout and strategies to mitigate it.
• The role of storytelling in fundraising and why we must challenge "savior" narratives.
• Practical ways to advocate for equity, inclusion, and better workplace cultures in nonprofits.
• Why fundraisers hold unique power to create systemic change in their organizations.
• How privilege can be leveraged to challenge the status quo and advocate for marginalized voices.
• The importance of transparency, collaboration, and trust in nonprofit management.
• How unionization and collective action could reshape the nonprofit sector.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Sheetal Puri:

Sheetal Puri, our guest today, has dedicated her career  to non-profit fundraising, marketing and communications for organizations globally. Having raised hundreds of millions for multiple organizations over the past 15 years, Sheetal’s commitment to the sector has given her the insight to identify areas in present day fundraising models that perpetuate colonial modes of power and prevent the ability to practice and implement our core values and missions. She is a strong advocate for community-centric approaches to fundraising that prioritize the return of power and agency to those who have experienced disempowerment.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Sheetal on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sheetalpersaud
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

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Does face-to-face fundraising feel out of reach for your small nonprofit?  In this episode of The Small Nonprofit, Maria Rio sits down with Jerome Cheung, fundraising expert and Strategic Communications leader at Stratcom Canada, to dive deep into the world of face-to-face fundraising. Jerome reflects on his extensive career in nonprofit fundraising, international development, and grassroots initiatives. Together, they explore the evolution of face-to-face fundraising and its impact on nonprofit organizations.

Jerome shares his experiences with Greenpeace, Ecojustice, and Public Outreach, offering insights into how professionalized face-to-face campaigns have shaped the nonprofit sector. From the challenges of canvassing in harsh conditions to the importance of genuine connections with donors, this episode is packed with actionable advice for nonprofits looking to optimize their fundraising strategies.

Face-to-Face Fundraising - the highlights:

• The origins of face-to-face fundraising and how Greenpeace played a pivotal role in professionalizing it.
• Why face-to-face fundraising remains a valuable donor acquisition method for nonprofits of all sizes.
• The difference between grassroots volunteer canvassing and professionalized agency-led campaigns.
• How smaller organizations can leverage volunteer canvassing to build lists and engage their communities.
• Strategies for creating a seamless donor journey, from initial contact to long-term support.
• The importance of tailoring canvassing strategies to local contexts and reducing barriers for volunteers.
• Tips for smaller organizations to implement face-to-face fundraising without high upfront costs.
• Jerome’s personal experiences managing large-scale fundraising initiatives globally and his advice for nonprofits navigating similar efforts.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Jerome Cheung:

Jerome Cheung is a seasoned fundraiser whose 18-year career has spanned across high-profile charities and agencies. His expertise in monthly giving, telefundraising, face-to-face engagement, and other fundraising avenues has made him a distinguished professional in our field.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Jerome on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jerome-cheung-a0819912
• Email: jerome.cheung@stratcom.ca
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/lDuNNHprP9I

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Is your major gifts fundraising strategy aligned with your core values? In this insightful conversation, host Maria Rio is joined by Sarah Staiger. Together, they explore the intimidating (but rewarding!) world of major gifts and the transformative power of community-centric fundraising (CCF) while also discussing actionable strategies for small nonprofits to align their values with their fundraising practices.

Major Gifts & Community-Centric Fundraising - the highlights:

• What is Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF)? Sarah explains how CCF prioritizes values, community accountability, and systemic change over traditional donor-centric models.
• Values-Based Major Gifts Strategy: Learn how to incorporate values-based qualifiers into your donor portfolios, making donor engagement more aligned with your mission and community.
• Engaging Your Board in CCF Practices: Sarah shares practical tips for training predominantly white boards to adopt CCF principles and foster long-term cultural change within nonprofits.
• The Role of Transparency in Fundraising: How being honest about deficits, challenges, and community needs can deepen trust and partnership with donors.
• Centering Community in Annual Reports: Sarah introduces the innovative concept of creating "Community Reports" rather than traditional donor-centric annual reports.
• Navigating Donor Values Misalignment: Sarah and Maria discuss how addressing misaligned values with donors early can lead to stronger, more sustainable relationships.

Throughout the episode, Sarah and Maria also reflect on the impact of the Community-Centric Fundraising movement and offer practical examples of how fundraisers can adopt these principles to increase donor trust, engagement, and overall impact.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Sarah Staiger:

Sarah Staiger is a fundraiser with over 20 years of experience. Sarah is passionate about building power through organized people and organized money. She is a partner at Staiger Vitelli Associates and has been exploring Community-Centric Fundraising methodologies since 2017. 

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/staigervitelli/ 
• Sarah’s Values-Based Donor Qualification: https://www.staigervitelli.com/vbdq
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/VhzvjcgPQcI

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Are the challenges in your nonprofit growing pains or signs of deeper issues? This episode can make your nonprofit more effective, scalable, and fundable, so listen up!

Join host Maria Rio and operational expert Miriam Dicks from 180 Management Group as they share how nonprofits can strengthen their operations, foster accountability, and streamline efficiency. Miriam highlights common issues within nonprofit operations, from lack of accountability to the challenges of change management.

Discover practical solutions to build a healthy organizational culture, optimize operations, and leverage automation to maximize impact. From preventing high staff turnover to creating a culture of accountability, this episode is packed with actionable advice for nonprofit leaders looking to enhance their organizations.

Nonprofit Capacity Building – The Highlights:

• Why accountability at all levels is critical to organizational success.
• How poor accountability structures lead to nonprofit staff turnover and burnout.
• The importance of change management to implement and sustain operational improvements.
• Leveraging automation and outsourcing to boost efficiency in small nonprofits.
• Creating systems that boost capacity + promote alignment between strategy and daily operations (without expanding your team)!

🎵 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Miriam Dicks:

Miriam has over two decades of operational management and consulting experience. She brings her insights to the operational challenges facing our sector. From the perils of toxic workplace cultures to the smart outsourcing of HR functions, Miriam opens up about what truly can move the needle for small nonprofits.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Miriam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriampdicks 
• Website: https://www.180managementgroup.com/  
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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Tired of pouring your time and effort onto social media and NOT hit your fundraising goals? In this episode, Sara Hoosholey, fundraising consultant and founder of Charity Shift, joins host Maria Rio and shares innovative strategies for small nonprofits to collect emails, engage audiences, and boost donations.

Sara explains how nonprofits can use digital strategies to build trust, retain donors, and grow their impact. Learn how to create values-aligned campaigns, collect email leads effectively, and nurture long-term donor relationships.

Email Strategies for Nonprofits – The Highlights:

• Why email is the most effective communication channel for nonprofit donors.
• How to grow your nonprofit's email list: Proven email collection strategies for nonprofits.
• How values-aligned campaigns build trust and create long-term donor relationships.
• Steps to nurture new email subscribers with a targeted welcome series.
• The role of reciprocity in donor retention and engagement.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Sara Hoshooley:

Our guest, Sara Hoshooley is a fundraising consultant and coach with a passion for small nonprofit organizations. As a former small charity Executive Director, she understands the challenges and opportunities facing small but growing nonprofits. Her unique approach uses each organization's strengths to grow fundraising in an authentic and achievable way. 

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Sara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/Sarahoshooley/
• Sara’s Website: https://www.charityshift.ca/
• Email: Sara@charityshift
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/W1PAtQ2x7dI 

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Are you feeling burned out? In this deeply insightful episode, Mike Prosserman, founder of Unity Charity and CEO of EPIC Leadership, shares his journey of starting and growing a nonprofit organization.

From humble beginnings as a high school project to becoming a national charity, Mike opens up about the challenges, lessons, and personal tolls of nonprofit leadership. He dives into his decision to leave Unity Charity, reflecting on the importance of founder transitions, avoiding burnout, and fostering sustainable organizational growth. Mike also provides actionable advice for nonprofit leaders on setting boundaries, supporting staff, and creating a healthier nonprofit culture.

Preventing Nonprofit Burnout - the highlights:

• The story of founding Unity Charity and building it from a high school project.
• Navigating the transition from founder to a sustainable leadership model.
• Insights into preventing nonprofit burnout and creating boundaries as an ED.
• The importance of empowering staff and alumni for nonprofit sustainability.
• Strategies for tackling challenges and transitions in nonprofit leadership.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Mike Prosserman:

Mike ‘Piecez’ Prosserman is a bestselling author, professional B-Boy (breakdancer), university instructor, and certified coach who specializes in scaling non-profits, team culture, and succession. In Michael’s book Building Unity: Leading a Non-Profit From Spark to Succession, he shares practical tools to building resilient and responsive organizations.

Links and Resources:  

• Mike Prosserman (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/bboypiecez/
• Mike Prosserman (Linkedin): https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelprosserman/
• EPIC Leadership: https://www.epicleadership.ca/ 
• Unity Charity: https://www.unitycharity.com/ 
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/cgxK1coghmU 

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Wanna get your voice heard at city council meetings? Join Maria Rio and Alison Stewart, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Cycle Toronto, as they explore the intersection of advocacy, public policy, and collaboration to create safer streets in Toronto. In this episode, Alison shares how small nonprofits can effectively engage with government officials, advocate for policy changes, and build alliances to achieve shared goals. Learn actionable strategies to influence public policy and create healthier, more equitable communities.

Engaging with Government Officials - The Highlights:

• Insights on building relationships with government officials to influence public policy.
• Key steps for small nonprofits to engage in advocacy and public policy.
• How collaboration with community organizations amplifies impact.
• Lessons from creating safer streets through protected bike lanes and complete streets.
• Tips for navigating municipal processes and engaging supporters to depute.

🎵 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Alison Stewart:

Alison's passion for biking paired with her desire to make Toronto a vibrant cycling city led her to take on several volunteer roles since 2013. Her background includes senior leadership roles in the post secondary sector which saw her develop strategic plans that focused on supporting the diverse needs of international and domestic students while securing funding and developing government and community partnerships. 

Links and Resources: 

• Alison Stewart (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/alisonvstewart
• Alison Stewart (Twitter): https://twitter.com/AlisonVStewart 
• Alison Stewart (Email): Alison.Stewart@CycleTO.ca
• Cycle Toronto (Website): https://www.cycleto.ca/ 
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube:  https://youtu.be/NBZsYb21eUs

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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Are you slipping into slip into siloed efforts in the nonprofit sector? Join Lanrick Bennett, Executive Director of Charlie's FreeWheels, as he discusses building a culture of collaboration in nonprofits. Lanrick shares his journey from a career in government and advocacy to leading a youth-centered cycling nonprofit, weaving themes of equity, leadership, and community into his work. Discover how nonprofit leaders can dismantle silos, foster internal and external partnerships, and implement equitable practices to drive systemic change. From his "clean as you go" approach to leadership to building trust through shared meals and safe spaces, Lanrick provides actionable insights for nonprofit teams.

Nonprofit Leadership & Collaboration in Nonprofits - The Highlights:

• The importance of collaboration to break nonprofit silos and promote equity.
• How internal cultures of collaboration can impact external partnerships.
• Key insights on building trust and leadership in nonprofit teams.
• Lessons from cycling programs that transform communities through empowerment.
• Building equity into nonprofit leadership and programming.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable fundraising tips and insights on nonprofit leadership, nonprofit governance, donor engagement, productivity & tools, and nonprofit storytelling strategies!

About Lanrick Bennet:

Lanrick is not only the executive director of Charlie’s Free Wheels, a nonprofit teaching young people leadership through bicycles, but also Toronto's first bicycle mayor, a comedian, and a champion of community engagement. Our conversation promises to be an insightful journey into what it means to be a hands-on leader who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty – quite literally!

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Lanrick Bennett on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LanrickBennett
• Learn more about Charlie’s FreeWheels: https://www.charliesfreewheels.ca/
• Email Lanrick: lanrickbennettjr@gmail.com | info@charliesfreewheels.ca
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/P9LqhfPMV6c 

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Are you torn between supporting your team's work-life balance and striving to hit those all-important milestones? Balancing parental leave and nonprofit work is no small feat, but Lacey Kempinski, founder and CEO of Balanced Good, is leading the charge in creating supportive workplace practices. In this episode, Maria and Lacey discuss the challenges faced by working parents in the nonprofit sector and actionable steps organizations can take to better support employees, retain talent, and decrease turnover. Lacey shares her journey as a working parent, insights on parental leave policies, and the importance of leading human-first in nonprofits.

Supporting Parental Leave in Nonprofits - The Highlights:

• How nonprofits can support working parents and retain talent.
• The importance of parental leave policies and workplace flexibility.
• Strategies for creating a supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Practical recommendations for balancing employee needs and organizational goals.
• Why treating employees holistically leads to better retention and engagement.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable insights on nonprofit leadership, ethical fundraising, and employee engagement strategies!

About Lacey Kempinski:

Lacey Kempinski is the CEO and Founder of Balanced Good. Balanced Good provides parental leave coverage – from the day-to-day hands-on work to big picture transition planning. Balanced Good believes that a supported transition to parenthood will benefit both our sector and the parents working in it. Lacey has a big vision, she wants parental leave to become a celebrated life milestone, not a feared employment gap.

Links and Resources:  

• Connect with Lacey Kempinski on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/laceykempinski 
• Learn more about Balanced Good: balancedgood.com
• Balanced Good LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/balanced-good/ 
• Mat Leave Workbook: https://icy-base-20781.myflodesk.com/1986644d-75ba-476f-a37f-788cd7e5d48d
• VIP Day Waitlist: https://icy-base-20781.myflodesk.com/vipwaitlist
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/tNxjzz1q6Fo 

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Is the nonprofit-industrial complex STUCK? Discover the journey of implementing Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) principles with your host Maria Rio and Marie-France, Director of Community Engagement and Major Gifts at TNG Community Services. In this episode, they discuss the complexities and rewards of aligning fundraising strategies with equity, justice, and collective mission values. Topics include practical applications of CCF, the importance of self-reflection, addressing limitations, and the ongoing work of dignified storytelling in the nonprofit sector.

Community-Centric Fundraising - The Highlights:

• How to integrate CCF principles into your nonprofit’s strategy.
• Overcoming challenges like resource constraints and systemic barriers.
• The role of gift acceptance policies in ethical fundraising.
• Empowering communities through dignified storytelling and public policy advocacy.
• Engaging major donors in values-aligned philanthropy.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable insights on nonprofit leadership, ethical fundraising, and community engagement strategies!

About Marie-France:

Marie-France is passionate about advancing economic justice and equity through dignified storytelling, trust-based philanthropy, and diverse participation in civic engagement. She brings her commitment to advocacy and an anti-poverty, intersectional feminist lens to all of the work she does. She has worked for anti-poverty organizations for the past 8 years and is currently the Director of Community Engagement and Major Gifts at The Neighbourhood Group (TNG) Community Services. She oversees the organization's major gifts and foundations revenue, drive the departmental strategy, and amplify TNG's presence in the sector.

Links and Resources:  

• Marie-France Roche (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/marie-france-roche 
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/YsndeUvRwdI 

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Can nonprofits truly live their values? Learn how to align organizational values with action from the experienced leadership of Hoang Murphy, CEO of People Serving People. In this episode, we discuss building workplace cultures of transparency, centering lived experiences in decision-making, and embedding nonprofit values into budgeting and operations. Explore how intentional nonprofit leadership can create better workplaces and stronger mission outcomes.

Aligning Nonprofit Leadership with Core Values - The Highlights:

• Why and how nonprofit budgets reflect values (and how to align them).
• Centering lived experiences in nonprofit leadership, staff, and boards.
• Practical steps for engaging teams and clients in defining values.
• The benefits of relational fundraising and building genuine connections with funders.
• Strategies for scaling transparency and culture at large nonprofits.

🎧 Listen to more episodes for actionable tips on nonprofit leadership, ethical fundraising, and community engagement strategies!

About Hoang Murphy:

Hoang Murphy is the CEO of People Serving People. He brings a wealth of experience from his journey as a teacher, a Foster, and a leader in the nonprofit sector. Hoang shares his expertise on creating impactful solutions for those affected by inequality and emphasizes the role of lived experiences in decision-making processes.

Links and Resources:  

• Hoang Murphy (LinkedIn): linkedin.com/in/hoangmurphy 
• Hoang Murphy (Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/hrcapist/ 
• Hoang Murphy (Email): hmurphy@peopleservingpeople.org  
• Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mariario/
• Watch this episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/aJ8-uNCxLvY 
• Support the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/supporters/new

Liked this episode? Have an idea? Send us a text HERE :)

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