Nonprofit411 Podcast

Your donors may not want to talk to you. They want the person doing the work. Pradnya Haldipur is the founder of Strategy. Creativity. Mentorship. She has spent going on thirty years in the sector, starting as executive assistant to the director of an art museum, where she fell into fundraising by accident. She has since worked with Doctors Without Borders, Mount Sinai, Boston Children's, and Chil...

Nonprofit Branding: Roger Starkweather on How Your Team Is Showing Up Your brand isn't the logo. It's whether everyone around you tells the same story. Roger Starkweather is co-founder and CEO of ANEWbrand, a Seattle-born agency whose motto is branding for the greater good. He got his start in sales, selling rubber stamps door to door, and has built businesses of his own ever since, including one...

Michelle Benson spent 18 years chasing funders, then crossed to the other side of the desk and watched them go looking instead. Michelle Benson is the founder of Culture of Philanthropy, online training that teaches fundraisers, CEOs, communications staff and consultants how to be found on LinkedIn by the people they want to reach. She was a fundraiser for 18 years and has spent about ten on the f...

Michelle Benson spent 18 years chasing funders, then crossed to the other side of the desk and watched them go looking instead. Michelle Benson is the founder of Culture of Philanthropy, online training that teaches fundraisers, CEOs, communications staff and consultants how to be found on LinkedIn by the people they want to reach. She was a fundraiser for 18 years and has spent about ten on the f...

People don't say yes to the item. They say yes to the reason you're asking. Jo McPartland is the fundraising coach at Dutch Mill Bulbs, a fundraising company founded in central Pennsylvania in 1960. She ran fundraisers as a teacher and as a volunteer leader before she moved to the other side of the table. Dutch Mill Bulbs works with hundreds of groups every season, and Jo coaches them through it,...

The update your donors remember is rarely the polished one. Brad Ton is a senior account executive at FundMiner. He studied sports marketing at Indiana University and sold tickets for the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers before a sales boot camp through TechPoint, an Indianapolis nonprofit, introduced him to fundraising through OneCause. After eight or nine years in fundraising technology, he...

A sponsorship pays for one program. A partnership can change what your organization is able to do next year. Dan Drucker spent more than 35 years in corporate B2B sales and marketing, the last twenty or so at Canon, running sales and marketing for the US. He retired at the start of 2024 and founded Philanthropy Fuel, where he helps nonprofits build corporate partnerships. He writes The Fuel Tank,...

Abbey Harlow works with rural nonprofits, and she'll tell you burnout isn't a personal failing. Abbey Harlow founded Harlow Nonprofit Consulting in 2022, after twenty years in nonprofit strategy, fundraising, and facilitation. She came in sideways: music venues, a semester interning at a Smithsonian museum, then fundraising jobs at museums and performing arts organizations. She works from rural Ve...

Kind Persuasion — with Madeleine Nance Your supporters have already told you why they give. Most organizations let it evaporate. Madeleine Nance has spent seventeen years in the nonprofit sector. She started in-house in Australia as a development director, working inside three organizations that ranged from an animal shelter to one of the country's largest national charities. She then spent seven...

Gold Mines of Stories — with Don Martelli Every nonprofit is sitting on a gold mine of stories. Most never mine them. Don Martelli is a former Boston Globe reporter and longtime PR agency executive who now leads PR Bunker, working with mission-driven, impact-focused organizations. He helps nonprofits tell the stories their communities need to hear so they can engage the people who fuel the mission...

The conversation covers the concept of social fundraising, the evolution of fundraising work, engaging donors and advocates, borrowing a crowd and corporate partnerships, media partnerships and retention strategies, the importance of consistent communication, and concludes with a call to action for the listeners. Key takeaways include the importance of social fundraising, understanding the donor j...

Not because they don't care but because they think they're about to get blamed. That’s why Tim Sarrantonio’s so excited about the Generosity Roundtable - a role-playing game for nonprofit professionals. It creates a safe space for nonprofit professionals to think through real problems, without the finger-pointing. Listen to the full conversation on the Nonprofit411 Podcast

STOP CALLING IT FUNDRAISING — with Tim Sarrantonio What if fundraising isn't really about money at all, but about generosity, trust, and the ways people choose to participate? Tim Sarrantonio joins Sarah to rethink what fundraising actually is. They get into why generosity and identity are tied to trust, why creative play matters for understanding it, and how a role-playing game might be one of th...

Harnessing the Power of Ethical Photography in Nonprofit Storytelling In this episode of Nonprofit 4 1 1, Sarah Barton hosts Michelle Riley, founder of Lens for Change, to discuss the importance of ethical photography in nonprofit organizations. Michelle explains how authentic and ethical images can significantly impact fundraising, expand an organization's reach, and maintain credibility. They de...

  In this episode of Nonprofit 411, host Sarah Barton explores strategies to cultivate broad-based community support for nonprofits. Sarah highlights the shift from broad to narrow community support and offers practical steps to rebuild a wide-reaching support network. Key topics include engaging donors beyond monetary contributions, the importance of personal connections, and innovative ways to m...

In this episode, Sarah Barton is joined by Kel Haney, founder and CEO of Kel Haney Consulting. They dive into the power of curiosity in fundraising, the importance of personal connections with donors, and how to build relationships that go beyond transactions. Kel shares her methodology for mid-level donor engagement and explains why phone calls, though intimidating for some, can build stronger, m...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 Podcast, Sarah Barton is joined by Kelly McLaughlin, founder and CEO of From Scratch Fundraising. They discuss building individual giving programs from scratch, the importance of community-driven fundraising, and the unique approaches Kelly uses to help small organizations create sustainable funding strategies. Kelly also shares insights on engaging donors and m...

In this episode, Sean Littman, founder and CEO of Give Suite, shares his insights on how nonprofits can streamline their fundraising and marketing efforts. Sean discusses the importance of integrating donor management with marketing systems and how nonprofits can leverage technology to simplify processes and improve outreach. He also emphasizes the need for nonprofits to run like businesses and th...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 Podcast, Sarah Barton sits down with Rachel Platt, CEO of Platinum Consulting. Rachel shares her insights into the world of human resources for nonprofits, focusing on creating strategies that allow organizations to build strong, thriving teams. From improving the employee experience to developing better people strategies, Rachel emphasizes the importance of bal...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 Podcast, Sarah Barton is joined by DeaRonda Harrison, founder and president of June 1st Firm. DeaRonda shares her journey from working in higher education fundraising to launching her own consultancy focused on providing grant writing services for nonprofits. She explains how her expertise in federal grants, including HRSA, DOJ, and DOE, helps nonprofits secure...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 Podcast, Sarah Barton is joined by Anne Murphy, founder of She Leads AI and CEO of Empowered Fundraiser. Anne shares her journey into fundraising and how she transitioned from higher education fundraising to launching a consultancy that helps nonprofits leverage AI to streamline operations and enhance impact. Anne discusses the challenges nonprofits face, partic...

On this special episode of Nonprofit411, host Sarah is joined by Shannon Tschopp, Program Director of Nonprofits LEAD, to talk about why this conference is such a valuable opportunity for nonprofit professionals across West Virginia and southeast Ohio. Designed to strengthen organizations through practical, accessible training, the conference offers a full day of workshops, networking, and a brand...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 Podcast, Sarah Barton is joined by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Fractional Fundraising Movement. Cindy discusses how fractional fundraising offers small and mid-sized nonprofits the opportunity to access C-suite level fundraising expertise without the cost of a full-time hire. Cindy shares her journey from working with small nonprofits to launching her consultin...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 podcast, Sarah Barton sits down with Beth Saunders, founder and chief strategist of Beth Saunders Associates. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Beth shares her unique perspective on building authentic relationships between nonprofit organizations and their supporters. She discusses how nonprofits can better invest in their people and tech...

In this episode of the Nonprofit411 podcast, Sarah Barton chats with Casey Bryan, founder of Summit Grant Consulting, about her journey in the nonprofit world and the art of grant writing. With over a decade of experience, Casey shares her passion for storytelling through grants and her unique approach to helping nonprofits access the funding they need. From building strong relationships with fund...