Connected Philanthropy

Johna Rodgers shares the importance of community and communication she has observed in her 25+ years working with nonprofits. Johna Rodgers, GPC | Johna Rodgers Consulting, LLC Johna Rodgers, GPC, has been there and done that. And almost every step of her divergent path included grants. For nearly 30 years, Johna has helped organizations of all types and sizes address their most critical needs—at...

Hear ideas and strategies from funders on how they are maintaining human connection in the time of COVID. Topics: How are you building relationships with Grantees How are you building relationships with Funders How are you building relationships within your Organization Want to see additional resources? Visit resources.foundant.com Connect with other members of the philanthropic community at Commu...

Human error is what will cause you to succumb to a cyber attack, education and caution are our best tools. In this episode, Cory Brester and Tammy Tilzey talk about the simple but important ways you should be protecting yourself and your organization from cyber attacks. Cory Brester | Director of CRM and Information Systems, Foundant Technologies Cory supports a fast-growing team focused on maximi...

Trust-based philanthropy is a hot topic these days, and for good reason. Given unprecedented challenges, organizations and applicants are having to work even harder to serve their constituents. Funders are asking how they can help by reducing applicant burden. Listen as funders discuss the following topics... Topics: What prompted you as a funder to consider reducing applicant burden? Wh...

Announcement: This podcast is now "Connected Philanthropy" (formerly known as "Nonprofit Coffee Talks") Listen to discussions with experts from funding organizations, nonprofits, and all walks of philanthropy to learn about out-of-the-box programs and initiatives that are successfully tackling today’s biggest challenges in the philanthropic sector as a whole. New episodes will be released every ot...

Sharmila Rao Thakkar, MPH, MPA | SRT Advising & Consulting, LLC Sharmila is a nonprofit & philanthropy professional with more than 20 years of experience in social services, public health and education. Utilizing expertise in leadership development, program implementation, resource development and evaluation, she coaches and advises clients on operations and administration, board developme...

Listen to this Scholarship Coffee Talk where we will discuss how you are getting the word out about your scholarships.  Do you need the general community to better understand how you serve the community?  Do you need applicants, evaluation committee members, or new donors? How do students learn about your scholarship offerings? Do you solicit your community for new evaluators to particip...

Mandy Pearce, CFRE | Owner | Funding for Good In 2009, visionary, Mandy Pearce, founded her flagship company, Funding for Good, to equip organizations with all of the skills and tools needed to become successful and sustainable. She continues to enjoy evolving this company to meet the changing demands of the nonprofit world. For over two decades, Mandy and her team of experts have shared...

Christian Spearow | Jitasa Christian is the General Manager, Bookkeeping & Accounting Services, and has been with Jitasa since the summer of 2010. It was his first ‘real job’ and he’s never left. He currently works as the General Manager of Bookkeeping & Accounting Services, overseeing all accountants here at Jitasa. Previously, Christian was the Director of Client Services, supervising a...

Diane H. Leonard, GPC, STSI | dhleonardconsulting.com Diane is a Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and Approved Trainer of the Grant Professionals Association. Diane has recently become a Certified Virtual Presenter through espeakers. She is also a Scrum Trainer by Scrum Inc, Scrum Master by Scrum Inc, and Scrum Product Owner by Scrum Inc. credentialed by the Agile Education Progra...

Cynthia Adams | Founder and CEO| GrantStation.com, Inc. Cynthia Adams has been dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations identify and secure the funding they need to do their good work for well over 45 years. Cynthia founded GrantStation because she believes that grantseeking requires a thorough understanding of the funders and sound knowledge of the philanthropic playing field. Her life's work...

Darian Rodriguez Heyman | Facilitator, Fundraiser, Social Entrepreneur, and Author Darian is an accomplished facilitator, fundraiser, social entrepreneur, and author. After co-founding, globally scaling, and ultimately selling Beyond Interactive, one of the first digital advertising agencies, he began his life’s work of “helping people help.” This started during his five-year tenure as Executive D...

Amanda Day, GPC and Kimberly Hays de Muga, GPC are the cohosts of Fundraising HayDay, a podcast about grants and such. Together they bring over 50 years of grant, fundraising, project management, and “other duties as assigned” experience to the show. With episodes dropping every other Thursday, you’ll hear from industry experts about monthly giving, the art of storytelling, the power of social med...

In this episode, we discuss the definition and broader view of what it means to be a grant professional. Links: To learn more about The Grant Professionals Certification Institute visit their website here: https://www.grantcredential.org/ attend an informational fireside on the evening of June 23rd: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdOuvrjooH9S_cLjFTdsJcoa3NNflodeH Julie Assel, GPC | as...

Marc Pitman | concordleadershipgroup.com Concord Leadership Group founder Marc A. Pitman, CSP® has been leading organizations and teams for decades. His failures and successes have caused him to study leadership for over 30 years, including earning a Masters in Organizational Leadership and certification as a FranklinCovey Coach. Combining his ongoing education with his own experience, Marc helps...

Ephraim Gopin | 1832communications.com Over the last two decades, Ephraim has worn all the nonprofit hats. He has been a CEO, fundraiser, event organizer, alumni director, grant writer, marketing director and more. Ephraim also served as global communications director for an international family foundation, giving him a chance to see how things look from the other side of the table. Three years ag...

As we enter a new year, COVID continues to change how we serve students and donors. More students are seeking scholarship deferrals to take gap years or attend community colleges. There is also an increase in non-traditional scholarship applicants as many students return to complete college or decide to delay college. How we manage and communicate these changes to students and donors will be criti...

Barbara Floersch | barbarafloersch.com Barbara has over 40 years' experience managing nonprofits, writing grant proposals, and administering grants. She has raised millions of dollars in grant funding, served as a reviewer for federal grant competitions, trained thousands of nonprofit staff members throughout the US and internationally, and has testified before Congress on the reauthorization of t...

Grantmakers and the organizations they fund are partners. Grants provide the fuel, nonprofits provide the muscle, and together, funders and grantees pursue common goals. Listen to tips of the trade and straight-forward advice on a proactive approach to developing long-term partnerships with funders. Topics: What motivates funders to make grants A thorough, methodical approach to finding funders th...

As scholarship providers, we balance the needs/wants of many different groups. Donors want one thing, students need another, and we as administrators have our own preferences. Common/Universal Applications are a big topic in simplification, as are automated check-ins. In this episode, we walk through what we have heard, what we have experienced, and what we see as the pros and cons. Topics: Common...

Grant writing is a misnomer. Half of putting together a winning proposal is building and collecting all the budget and financial documents that help tell your story. Learn tips and tricks from two highly successful grant writers who learned the power of collaboration when you partner with your financial team, because who knows numbers better than finance? Topics: Tips for successful communication...

Are you a board member or nonprofit leader looking to pivot your programs in light of COVID-19? Are you a grant professional struggling with articulating how your organization will meet program goals while accounting for the impacts of COVID-19? Well, let’s face it, COVID-19 is here to stay. Listen as we discuss what it means to adapt our community programs and tell our ‘COVID-19 updated’ impact s...

Listen as your peers discuss building resilience into their year-end fundraising. We identify strategies that are working well in our current climate, and ways in which people are learning, improving, and looking forward. Topics: How has your organization adjusted your normal approach to year-end fundraising? Are you pursuing any new collaborations? How is storytelling playing a role in your year-...

Scholarships run annually for most scholarship providers. The new year means getting your calendar in order to ensure success. Though some of you may have already opened your applications, there are lessons to be gathered, reminders to be made, and new ideas to talk through. This coffee talk is a brain storming session from your peers. We learned this year that we can’t plan for everything, but we...

The CARES Act has created increased government funding for grantmakers across the country. Listen in to hear how other funders are effectively managing the process of distributing government funds to generate maximum impact in their communities. Topics: What’s an aspect of your application or administration of funding that is working well? Are you working collectively with others in your state? Wh...