Lead the Ask

Americans gave nearly $600 billion to charity in 2024 — so why are so many nonprofits still struggling to hit their fundraising goals? Holly Kobia breaks down the latest Giving USA data and what it actually means for your organization as you plan for the year ahead. She walks through five major giving trends — from the concentration of wealth among high-capacity donors, to the growing importance o...

If you could double your fundraising without finding a single new donor, would you be interested? Most nonprofits are leaking donors faster than they're acquiring them. And the biggest growth opportunity you have is already sitting in your donor database. In this bonus episode, Holly breaks down why stewardship isn't just a thank you letter — it's your most important fundraising strate...

Most nonprofits think they have a fundraising problem. More donors, more events, more staff — that's what they're after. But after years working in fundraising, communications, and leadership, Holly Kobia has a different diagnosis: the real problem starts at the top. In this debut episode of Lead the Ask , Holly breaks down why fundraising is a leadership issue — not a development department issue...

Fundraising gets easier when leadership gets clearer. Lead the Ask is the podcast for nonprofit leaders, fundraisers, and board members who are done guessing their way through fundraising and ready to do the real work. Host Holly Kobia — former TV journalist turned fundraising professional with $100M raised at Virginia Tech — cuts through the fluff and gets into what fundraising actually looks lik...