Nonprofit Lowdown

This episode is FIRE.  Join me and my friend Dr. Eugene K Choi to discuss how to manage your mind to avoid burnout, anxiety and panic.  Did you know that your brain is only ever in one of two modes: survival or executive?  Learn about the characteristics of both and how to regulate yourself to stop freaking out, calming down and being effective. Want to know more? https://dreugenekc...

Most people think that when you merge nonprofits, or you’re making any significant changes in a nonprofit, it means that there’s terribly wrong that has happened. Right? But in this episode, my guest, Jess Cavagnero, a partner of SeaChange Capital Partners, dispels some of these misconceptions. Jess and I will talk about the hows, whys and whats of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships...

How many times have I seen the idea of junior board rise and then fall like a rock?  Join me and Peter Goldwasser, the Founder of the PNG Group, as we talk about his experience of finding the Young Eagles, which is the junior board of the Brooklyn Public Library. Join me and Peter as we discuss some of the pitfalls, time allocation, infrastructure, and the staff support junior boards need to...

Hey Gen X Leader: confounded by your millennial and Gen Z staffers? At a loss for how to make an organizational change and DEI happen in my conversation with Leslie Short, the President and the Founder of the CAVU group. We discuss managing the generational divide in organizations, acceleration of DEI, the difference, and the snapshot of today's generation who are entering the workforce. For more...

Join me and George Suttles as we talk about the opportunity that Diana Noriega and he have seen together in making a coalition to look for ways in collecting data to build some kind of marketplace where nonprofits were able to procure services from BIPOC vendors, contractors, or consultants and do business with them. This is an interesting topic as you will learn how to begin to organize other non...

Let’s dispel the myth that you can either have donor diversity or donor wealth, but you can’t have both.  In this episode, my dear friend  Hali Lee, the founder of Radiant Strategies and the Asian Women Giving Circle, and the co-founder of the Donors of Color Network, talks about the results of her study of high-net-worth donors of color, entitled “Philanthropy Always Sounds Like Someone...

Capital campaign.  Sounds scary, right?  Doesn’t have to be!  Join me and Sabrina Walker Hernandez as she walks through how she raised $12M for a capital campaign in the third poorest county in the US.  We get into all the details and spill all the tea on how she did it, even as a newbie “accidental” fundraiser. To know more about Sabrina’s Supporting World Hope: https://suppor...

Conflict is inevitable in the workplace or in any organization when people with different backgrounds and work styles are brought together for a common business purpose. Conflict is part of dealing with humans. So join me and Jonno White to discuss healthy versus toxic conflict and how to manage it when it (inevitably) comes. We cover basic rules of engagement so that conflict does not have to mea...

In this episode, I will be interviewing three alums of the fundraising accelerator program. We have Noelle Andreano, the Director of Development at The New School of Northern Virginia, which is a small Independent School in Fairfax, Virginia. Drine Paul is the Executive Director for Breakthrough Providence in Providence, Rhode Island. And Rosemary Ellis works in New York City. She’s the Interim Ex...

Yolanda’s journey in philanthropy had very interesting inception. It all started when she was in college. She was part of one of the first programs at school that dived deeper into fundraising and philanthropy. In her whole life, she has been seeing generosity and creation, and whole communities come together to raise young people and send them on their way. Yolanda, certainly, was the beneficiary...

In this week's episode, we speak to the amazing Trish Adobea Tchume about her thoughtful piece in the Nonprofit Wakanda Quarterly about what it means to live liberation.  We define terms and discuss four useful frameworks to help us understand how to liberate ourselves, liberate others around us and to liberate our organizations.  I loved this discussion for its practicality and tactical...

[Updated--was a snafu with original upload] Join  me and expert fundraiser Adam-Michael Royston as he unlocks the vault  on some of his secrets.  He's raised serious money for capital campaigns  and annual campaigns and he shares some of his stories from the  trenches.  We dive deep on details on how he prepares for the ask, where  he does it and what happens whe...

Join me and expert fundraiser Adam-Michael Royston as he unlocks the vault on some of his secrets.  He's raised serious money for capital campaigns and annual campaigns and he shares some of his stories from the trenches.  We dive deep on details on how he prepares for the ask, where he does it and what happens when things don't go his way.  The big takeaway here is that Adam-Michae...

Y'all!  This episode is fire.  My friend and new BFF Mallory breaks down how we embody energy that either attracts or repels money.  We talk about the different types of energy, how to harness the energy and, most importantly, tips that you can employ to help you get out of the funk.  This is one of my favorite conversations with Mallory (who has amazing energy btw:)  Chec...

In order for someone to remark on something, it must be remarkable.  Michelle, Executive Director of the Human Services Council, and I talk about their last video campaigns.  In it, they had the courage to claim an edge and to use humor to make their point.  Facts: we don't need another boring, canned nonprofit video.  In this interview, Michelle talks about the creative proces...

Andrea is a Managing Partner at BDO which releases an annual State of Nonprofits report.  Join us as we discuss trends from 2020-2021 and opportunities and risks for 2022.  Will individual and foundation giving trends persist?  What risks should leaders be aware of and how can we mitigate them? What is the role of technology in the future of nonprofits.   For more about Andrea,...

Join me and my friends as we tackle the big questions: what does "disrupting" fundraising really mean in theoretical and practical terms?  How do we develop our own theories of change and operation beyond the frameworks of "donor-centric" versus "community-centric" fundraising?  This trio is a masterclass in asking important questions, practicing fundraising as justice and daring to drea...

Join me and my long-time friend Gabe Scheck to talk about how to successfully open, cultivate and solicit gifts from foundations.  Gabe has raised money for Teach for America and New Leaders among others and shares his top tips for raising major money.  He shares some early lessons learned, his guidance for how to network in order to get a warm intro and how to get the lead funder in. &n...

Join me and my friend Darren Isom as we discuss the case for endowing Black-led nonprofits.  Darren published a thought-provoking piece in the Stanford Social Innovation Review on this topic and we do a deep dive on how we can shift the conversations from the myths and unhelpful narratives that keep Black-led nonprofits from growing endowments.  In this conversation, Darren offers up hel...

Join me and adventurer, writer, environmentalist and former Patagonia executive Rick Ridgeway as talk about his many adventures and his experience in building Patagonia's famous corporate culture.  We talk about the hows and whys of his decades at Patagonia and how his adventures have informed his leadership.  This is a really fun conversation and I hope it inspires you to go outside and...

Did you know that 5% of your supporters and responsible for 100% of your word-of-mouth referrals?  Do you know how to engage and activate your best supporters?  What is the role of a CRM system in engaging your supporters?  Join me and Hilary Doe of Nationbuilder to talk about how to start, nurture and leverage networks on behalf of your nonprofit.  We discuss common misconcept...

#realtalk: I never pursued government funding for my nonprofit because I was always so deterred by the administration.  It all seemed so complicated and bureaucratic that I never invested the time and energy to pursue it.  Enter Patrice Davis.  Patrice is a government grants expert who demystifies the process and has valuable information about new money through the America Rescue Pl...

I've turned the keys over to my designated driver Patrick Kirby.  Patrick and I talk about my new book Get That Money, Honey.  We talk about my origin story, why I wrote the book and what to expect when you read it.  Patrick is a ton of fun and we have a blast shooting the sh*t about book-writing, fundraising and being in this sector.   To buy the book, visit: Get That Money, Honey! To learn more...

Do you freak out when people unsubscribe to your newsletters?  Are you overwhelmed with marketing on different platforms: Facebook, email, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, oh my?  If so, this episode is for you.  Christina, email marketing maven, walks us through some actionable tips on how to clean up your lists, increase your opens and conquer email for conversions to donations. Get Ch...

I've met my Canadian sister from another mister!  Expert fundraiser Cindy Wagman and I talk about brain science and how it trips us up in fundraising.  By unpacking the ways in which the brain works, we can unlock the power for good.  We talk about heuristics, how your fear keeps you from living your best life and why we're so messed up about money.  This is a good one for the...