Nonprofit Lowdown

This episode is a little different. It's a bit of a public service announcement. I recently read new nonprofit sector data, and honestly, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. The numbers tell a pretty clear story: organizations that rely heavily on grants and government funding are feeling more pressure than ever, while nonprofits with strong individual giving and major gift prog...

One of my favorite takeaways from this conversation with Claire Wang is that fundraising and pricing have more in common than you might think. At their core, both are about understanding people their values, motivations, and the stories they tell themselves about who they are. Claire shares how great pricing isn't just about numbers; it's about listening deeply, understanding what someone...

I sat down with my friend  Glennda Testone , CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, to talk about what we're both seeing across the sector right now: burnout, funding uncertainty, increasing demand for services, and nonprofit leaders trying to do more with less. It's easy to get caught up in the anxiety of the moment, but one thing became crystal clear in our conversation: the organizations...

One of my favorite parts of this work is watching nonprofit leaders grow into fundraisers not because they become slick salespeople, but because they discover that fundraising is really about relationships. That's exactly what happened with my guest this week, Andrew Murphy. When Andrew stepped into the Executive Director role at the Wisconsin Inmate Education Association, he inherited an incredib...

Ever feel like your major gifts program is held together by spreadsheets, good intentions, and crossed fingers? This week, I'm joined by my client and friend Amy Lester, Major Gifts Officer at Polar Bears International, for a candid behind-the-scenes look at how she transformed her fundraising program in just over a year. When Amy started, she inherited a portfolio, a giant spreadsheet of pros...

This episode honestly changed the way I think about planned giving. I sat down with Tess Conrad and walked away realizing that planned giving isn’t just for giant institutions with fancy development teams. Tess made the case that even small nonprofits can start building a legacy giving program—and that some of your best future donors may already be quietly sitting in your database. We talked about...

In this episode of Nonprofit Lowdown, I sat down with Janine Quijije to talk about AI but probably not in the way you’re used to hearing about it. Instead of asking, “How can AI help us do more?” Janine asks a much more important question:  How can AI help us preserve our energy and prevent burnout? We talk about the reality of being overextended in the nonprofit sector, the pressure to constantly...

This episode felt personal for me because I’ve been watching so many development directors quietly disappear from organizations lately. And honestly? It’s not just about burnout or “bad hires.” Most of the time, it’s a systems problem. In this episode, I’m unpacking the two biggest reasons development directors leave, what it’s really costing nonprofits when they do, and why so many organizations...

This episode felt personal—because it is. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, I sat down with Lauren Carson (Black Girls Smile) and April Walker (Philanthropy for the People), and we got real about what’s actually happening right now—in our work, in our communities, and in our bodies. If I’m honest, it feels like a lot. And I know I’m not the only one. We talked about how the pressure out i...

We’re diving into a topic I have a serious love-hate relationship with: wealth screening. My guest is Tina Duong, founder of Impact ProTech and a 25+ year fundraising veteran. And let me tell you she has thoughts. We’re getting into what wealth screens get wrong, why fundraisers rely on them too much, and what you actually need to know to identify the right donors. Let’s dig in. Important Links: I...

I hear this all the time:  “Why won’t my board fundraise?”  And I get it—it’s frustrating. But here’s the truth I’ve learned: it’s usually not because they don’t care. It’s because no one ever showed them a version of fundraising that feels human. Most board members think fundraising means awkwardly asking friends for money. Of course they avoid it. When we shift the definition to something more r...

I’ve been in this sector for over 20 years, and I keep seeing the same thing: Great fundraisers don’t stay. And it’s not because they don’t care—it’s because we’re asking them to be the system. They’re holding donor relationships, strategy, and next steps all in their heads… and when they leave, everything leaves with them. That’s not a people problem. It’s a systems problem. In this episode, I ta...

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately: before you even say a word, your donor can feel you. Your energy—your calm, your stress, your urgency—it all shows up in the conversation. In this episode, I’m making the case that equanimity isn’t just a nice-to-have… it’s a real fundraising strategy. Because when you’re anxious or rushing to “get it right,” donors feel that—and they pull back. But when...

What happens when your nonprofit gets featured by Oprah? This week, I sat down with Kyle Woody to talk about his “Oprah moment”—and why it didn’t instantly change everything the way you might think. We got into the deeper story behind his work supporting male caregivers (who are often invisible, even to themselves), and how shifting his focus to real relationships—not big events or big hype—comple...

What if your fundraising challenges aren’t really about strategy—but about culture? In this episode, I sit down with Marcia Beckner to unpack how trust, safety, and leadership shape everything—from team performance to donor relationships. We dig into why fear holds fundraisers back, how toxic team members quietly drain revenue, and what it actually takes to build a culture where people (and fundra...

In this episode, I sit down with fundraising strategist Maria Rio, founder of Further Together Fundraising and host of the Small Nonprofit Podcast. Maria brings a powerful perspective to the conversation—not only as a longtime fundraiser, but as someone who once relied on nonprofit services herself after arriving in Canada as a refugee. We talk about one of the most important questions in fundrais...

Capital campaigns sound exciting—big vision, big gifts, big impact. But they’re also one of the most misunderstood parts of fundraising. In this episode, I sat down with my friend Amy Eisenstein, CEO and co-founder of Capital Campaign Pro, to talk about what a capital campaign actually is, how to know if your organization is ready, and why planning matters far more than people realize. If you’ve e...

If a donor has ever gone silent after a few “great” meetings, let me gently suggest: It’s probably not you. It’s probably qualification. We move from conversation to cultivation to ask — without getting real, explicit consent to go deeper. Qualification isn’t a wealth screen or a good vibe. It’s mutual clarity: Are we aligned on timing? Do you actually want to explore a bigger partnership? Did we...

Stop fundraising like you’re buying lottery tickets. In this episode, I’m breaking down why chasing random donors and one-off opportunities keeps you stuck in scarcity mode—and what to do instead. If your fundraising strategy feels like crossing your fingers and hoping for a miracle, it’s time for a shift. We’re talking about how to build a signal-driven pipeline—one rooted in consent, clarity, an...

I got so much feedback from the last episode about boards that we’re going there again. Here’s the hot take: Your board isn’t avoiding fundraising. They’re avoiding embarrassment. They’re protecting their reputation. Their relationships. Their social capital. And honestly? I get it. As an executive director, I remember thinking: “I’m out here writing grants and running events. Can you just call yo...

Real talk: I tried very hard to avoid this episode. Because boards + fundraising can get… messy. But if we’re serious about major gifts, we can’t keep skipping this conversation. In this episode, I unpack why boards and executives keep blaming each other for fundraising results and why the real issue usually isn’t effort, motivation, or commitment. It’s the system. Most of us are driving a fundrai...

If your fundraising feels scattered, exhausting, or like it all lives in your head, this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, I’m breaking down why the old fundraising model is no longer working—and why in 2026 we can’t keep relying on vibes, guesswork, or the heroics of one person. Activity isn’t a system, and burnout isn’t a strategy. I share what it actually looks like to build a donor-...

This is not a normal episode of Nonprofit Lowdown. In this one, I’m sharing something deeply personal: my experience with ayahuasca and why it mattered so much to me as a nonprofit leader. From the outside, my life looked great. The business was working. The mission was working. I was working. But joy wasn’t part of the equation. I talk about burnout that doesn’t look like collapse—but like numbne...

If your fundraising results depend entirely on one person holding everything together, that's not strategy- that's a vulnerability. And I see this all the time. Too many development programs are built on transactional asks, heroic effort, and one exhausted fundraiser keeping the whole thing afloat. That's not sustainable, and it's definitely not the future. 2026 is the year we stop...

Nonprofit friends — I’ve been thinking a lot about why so many of us feel exhausted heading into 2026. And honestly? It’s not because we’re lazy or unmotivated. It’s because we’re trying to do everything . This week on Nonprofit Lowdown , I talk about focus — real focus. Not the kind that adds another priority to the list, but the kind that asks us to choose one thing and let the rest go. The kind...