First Day Podcast

Dr. Patricia Snell Herzog discusses how understanding philanthropic behavior across the generations is a complex concept due to its intersection between age, life stage, social, and historical factors. It's important to consider the context in which a group was born and major events experienced when coming of age. Fundraisers seeking to engage young people in their organizations need to offer more...

Dr. Chelsea Clark discusses a recent research study that sought to understand Americans' thoughts on philanthropy and nonprofit organizations. The study found that Americans associate charitable giving and volunteering with philanthropy and generally trust nonprofits while considering them transparent, but there is still a need for education to increase awareness of what nonprofits do. The study a...

Dr. David King and Rafia Khader discuss the role of religion in charitable giving, noting that religion is the largest sub-sector of the charitable giving pie in the US, with 27% of donations going to religious organizations. While there have been shifts in religious affiliation patterns, spirituality and values continue to shape and motivate giving, and fundraisers should be attentive to these fa...

Pamela Perkins Dwyer, CFRM, discusses the significance of personalized donor stewardship in fundraising. She believes that listening to the donor, putting yourself in their position with a compassionate attitude, and remembering personal details are vital to building longer and deeper relationships with donors. Dwyer emphasizes the need to show donors how their contribution is used and celebrate t...

Dr. Una Osili emphasizes the importance of recognizing philanthropy as a vital part of every community, including communities of color, which have deep expertise in addressing community problems. She stresses the need to learn from the traditions of these communities related to philanthropy, which are often overlooked. Dr. Osili notes that both formal and informal giving occurs in communities of c...

Robert Kunzman, a professor of education at Indiana University, believes that learning from failure is crucial for leaders and fundraisers to develop and improve their skills. He emphasizes the importance of feedback, making failure public, and developing skills and habits to analyze and learn from failures. Kunzman also introduces the concept of a pre-mortem analysis, which involves anticipating...

Digital fundraising requires a strategic and intentional approach that involves actively engaging with potential donors, sharing valuable content, and building a community. Building relationships, making personal connections and monitoring for future donors are some key ways to succeed in digital fundraising. Additionally, social proof can be an effective tool by quietly seeding early donations be...

Josh Birkholz discusses his book with Amy Lampe titled "Benefactors: Why Some Fundraisers Always Succeed," which provides practical advice for fundraisers on thriving in an ecosystem of fundraising that has been affected by advancements in data and technology. The authors discovered through research that leaders who readily shared credit and were collaborative as individual practitioners were more...

Dr. Pamala Wiepking discusses various approaches to understanding the motivations of individual donors, such as the eight mechanisms of charitable giving and the "Taste of Charity" model. By understanding a potential donor's lived experience and motivations for giving, fundraisers can develop a deeper relationship with them by personalizing communication and engaging with them according to their i...

Nathan Stelter, the chair of the board of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners (CGP), discussed the recently issued Standards which provide guidance for planned gift fundraising. The Standards, organized into three categories, outline the importance of leadership buy-in and sustainable program-building, realistic assessments of an organization’s ability and capacity to execute the...

Bobby Donahue and Katie Duranick Stewart discuss the importance of special events in fundraising and how they fit into the overall plan of a nonprofit organization. They suggest deciding ahead of time what the organization wants to achieve from the event and building consensus among all members of the team. The hosts emphasize not treating special events as separate projects, but incorporating the...

Andrew Hibel discusses the role of technology in planned giving. He notes that technology has allowed for easier access to information and resources, making it easier than ever for people to learn about planned giving. Hibel also stresses the importance of using technology to streamline the planned giving process and make it as easy as possible for donors. He suggests using online platforms and to...

Dr. Sarah Nathan stresses the importance of annual giving programs in fostering relationships, raising unrestricted gifts, and enabling operational flexibility for nonprofit organizations. She emphasizes that gifts of all amounts are significant and that fundraisers must embrace inclusivity while designing annual fund programs. Key planning tools such as gift range charts, donor retention calculat...

Dr. Gen Shaker discusses the importance of fundraising training for higher education Deans and faculty to effectively engage in philanthropic fundraising and convey their organizations' visions. The Fundraising School offers custom training courses, public courses, and tailored courses globally, including the Fundraising for Deans course, to provide leaders with the necessary tools and knowledge t...

Dr. Beth Breeze and Dr. Tyrone Freeman discuss how crucial volunteers are to the success of nonprofit organizations, emphasizing the unique importance of volunteers for financial contributions and civic engagement. They recommend that fundraisers engage both staff-driven and supporter-driven volunteers and follow a six-step process for volunteer management that includes matching volunteers to thei...

Dr. Elizabeth Searing discusses the importance of communication during challenging times for nonprofit organizations. She emphasizes the need for leaders to be transparent and honest with staff, board members, and donors about the organization's financial situation and the steps being taken to address it. This includes being clear about the organization's priorities and the potential impact on pro...

Amy Lampi, Associate Vice President of BWF, highlights the significance of data-driven fundraising and soft skills for successful fundraising. She emphasizes the need to utilize data to empower fundraising teams within organizations, enabling them to inform decisions and raise more funds by embracing efficiency models. Lampi advocates combining different ideas to innovate and encourages fundraiser...

Gasby Brown and Bill Stanger discuss the importance of board members donating and fundraising for their nonprofit organization. Brown emphasizes the need for board members to invest in the organization before asking others to do the same and shares tips on engaging hesitant board members in fundraising. The duo also emphasizes the importance of diversity, especially economic diversity, on boards o...

Dr. Lauren Taylor discusses the ethics of fundraising and emphasizes the responsibility nonprofits have in the fundraising process as moral agents. She highlights potential harms that may come with accepting donations with conditions that could compromise the mission of the nonprofit. Dr. Taylor proposes a "motive agnostic" framework for assessing the public impact of a donation before accepting i...

Dr. Bill Stanczykiewicz discusses chapter 19 of "Achieving Excellence in Fundraising," which focuses on fundraising planning, management, and leadership. He emphasizes the importance of leadership skills in fundraising and differentiates between management and leadership. Dr. Stanczykiewicz also discusses the concept of Nanus and Dobbs, a leadership diagram specific to those in philanthropy, and t...

John Duong, Founder and CEO of Kind Capital, explains how impact investing can align with an individual donor's aims and risk tolerance to achieve a specific outcome in a scalable and sustainable way that can also benefit nonprofit organizations. For example, impact investing was used by Lumina, which had a strong impact while being profitable. During an economic downturn, nonprofits can use impac...

Fundraisers - Stewards of Philanthropy by The Fund Raising School

Discussing DAFs with Donors by The Fund Raising School

Principles of Donor Relations by The Fund Raising School

Fundraising Update - 2nd Quarter 2022 by The Fund Raising School