Purpose & Profit Club® – The Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing Podcast

What does it look like when a 35-year-old organization that has never fundraised decides to go all in on individual donors? In this special episode recorded live at GiveCon, I sit down with Penn Street, returning podcast guest, Development & Outreach Director at Aftersight, and host of The Blind Chick podcast. Penn walks us through Aftersight's transformation from a grant-only model to ru...

What's the real difference between a donor who gives once and disappears and one who goes to bat for your organization in rooms you've never been in? In this conversation, I sit down with Jaz' Vick , Managing Director of Development at One Goal Georgia , a pastor, and one of the most genuinely gifted relationship builders I've ever met. We dig into what it actually means to fun...

Americans gave $592 billion to charity last year. That was a record year, in the same economy, in the same tumultuous climate, with the same donors everyone says are pulling back. So why does it feel so hard? In this special session recorded live, I break down the summer fundraising forecast and make the case for why right now (not September, not year-end) is the most wide-open fundraising opportu...

There's a marketing concept that applies directly to how nonprofits fundraise: some messages are painkillers, and some are vitamins. Painkillers solve immediate problems: urgent, scarce, make-or-break. Vitamins build something sustainable: aspirational, visionary, long-term. Most nonprofits accidentally built their entire fundraising strategy around one extreme or the other, and both extremes...

What does it look like to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars before a single wall is built? In this episode, I sit down with Louise Henry , founder of Tim's Club , a nonprofit community space in Panama being built from scratch to support individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Inspired by her younger brother Tim, Louise spent years building an online business first so she c...

This is a special episode recorded live at GiveCon 2026 , sponsored by Bloomerang . I joined three powerhouse experts, fundraising event strategist Samantha Swaim, digital marketing consultant Julia Campbell, and Bloomerang CMO Ann Fellman, for a candid panel called "The Advice We Don't Put on Slides." No safe takes, no polished talking points, just the real stuff consultants say be...

What if the pressure you're putting on your fundraising campaign is actually the thing slowing it down? In this episode, I'm talking about something I watched play out on a Little League field this weekend: two coaches, same-age kids, same skill level, completely different energy, and completely different outcomes. And I couldn't stop thinking about how much it looked like what I se...

Your donors don't need a goodie bag, a raffle prize, an auction item, a t-shirt, or a chicken dinner. If your fundraising strategy is built around giving them something in order to get something back, that's the give-get model , and it might be exactly what's slowing your organization down. In this episode, I'm breaking down the difference between a real SPRINT™ campaign and an...

I recently got an email from a development manager telling me I send too many emails. She's not wrong for feeling that way, but that feeling is rooted in one of the most expensive beliefs in nonprofit fundraising. And that's exactly what I'm unpacking in this episode. Today, I'm breaking down the data behind email frequency, what it actually costs your organization when you hol...

AI is everywhere right now, and in the nonprofit sector, it's making some organizations' fundraising sharper and others completely generic. The difference isn't the tool; it's how you're using it. In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly where AI helps and where it quietly hurts your fundraising emails. I talk about the most expensive mistake I see nonprofits making...

If sending emails feels like something you dread, rush, or quietly avoid, this episode is for you. I walk through the seven reasons nonprofit emails aren't converting into donations, and I want you to listen not for what sounds good, but for where you recognize yourself, because the second you see it, you can change it. From writing emails that are polished but completely forgettable to stopp...

Somewhere along the way, many nonprofit leaders start carrying a version of their story that is heavier than it needs to be. A missed goal becomes proof they should be further along; a hard year becomes evidence they're behind; and what's tricky is that this story can sound incredibly responsible, measured, even accurate, but it's still a story. And it's costing you funding. In...

Online fundraising isn't hard because your donors aren't online. It's hard because most nonprofit leaders were never actually taught how to fundraise in the first place, and that's exactly what I'm fixing in this episode. In this follow-up to last week's episode on campaign frequency, I dig into why so many organizations try online fundraising once, don't hit the...

Most nonprofit leaders assume that million-dollar organizations are doing something they can't: bigger teams, bigger events, bigger budgets. But when you actually look at how high-growth nonprofits raise unrestricted money at scale, the secret isn't size; it's speed. Today, I break down why million-dollar-plus organizations run five to ten times as many fundraising campaigns per yea...

What does it look like when a solo nonprofit founder stops playing small and finally breaks through her fundraising ceiling?  In this episode, I’m joined by Mary Muroski, founder and Executive Director of the Children's Legacy Partnership Foundation. After 20 years of teaching middle school and nearly a decade building her Uganda-based foundation (largely alone), Mary hit a wall. She was doin...

Sometimes the most powerful shifts in fundraising start with a simple decision: we’re not doing it the old way anymore. That’s exactly what happened for Sophia Caputo and Jami Porzl, co-founders of Sharing Hope Africa . Balancing full-time careers, they were preparing for a large gala when they decided to pause and rethink their approach. What followed was a completely different fundraising path,...

If your nonprofit feels stuck at the same funding level year after year, the problem might not actually be your donors. It might be your calendar. In this episode, I’m introducing a leadership habit I call CEO Time. It’s the protected time where nonprofit leaders step out of the constant reaction cycle and focus on the work that actually generates revenue. Too often, nonprofit leaders spend their...

What does the Winter Olympics have to do with monthly giving? More than you think. Watching Alysa Liu’s gold medal performance, I couldn’t stop thinking about magnetism, how some athletes make you want to cheer for them, root for them, watch them again and again. That’s the energy monthly giving requires. In this episode, I explain why simply adding a “give monthly” checkbox to your donation form...

Most nonprofits think influencer partnerships mean celebrity shoutouts, paid posts, or “social media strategy.” That’s not what this is. In this episode, I break down why influencer partnerships are actually about borrowed trust, not follower count. I explain why 99% of nonprofits are missing this opportunity, how to build true ambassador relationships instead of transactional posts, and why this...

What if your fundraising challenges aren’t about effort, but about design? In this episode, I break down six indicators that your fundraising strategy may be quietly underperforming. If your team feels tired, campaigns feel heavier every time, or growth has plateaued despite working harder, this conversation will give you clarity. I unpack the hidden signs I see in nonprofit teams: overreliance on...

If you want bigger gifts, stronger partnerships, and more sustainable revenue, you can’t grow in isolation. In this episode, I’m breaking down what strategic networking actually looks like for nonprofit leaders, and why staying hidden in your inbox is one of the fastest ways to stall growth. This isn’t about awkward mixers, cheesy pitches, or forcing yourself to be someone you’re not. It’s about i...

I see this pattern constantly with nonprofit leaders: staying busy, staying loyal to systems and strategies that feel familiar, and wondering why results have plateaued. Today, I break down what I call the familiarity trap ,  the tendency to cling to fundraising tactics, tools, and routines not because they’re effective, but because they’re comfortable. I talk about how burnout often shows up as i...

If you’ve found yourself feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or wondering how you’re supposed to do another year of fundraising like this, this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m breaking down what fundraising burnout actually is and why it keeps showing up for capable, committed nonprofit leaders. This isn’t about working harder, pushing through, or needing more discipline. Most burnout isn’t s...

If you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and still staring at the same fundraising numbers, this episode is your reset. In this episode, I’m breaking down why most nonprofit leaders don’t actually need more ideas, tactics, or tools; they need better systems, clearer priorities, and fewer distractions. I walk through the hidden reasons fundraising can feel chaotic, how “busy” can disguise stagnation, and...

What does it really look like to run a focused fundraising SPRINT™ without a gala, a big team, or running yourself into the ground? In this episode, I’m joined by Megan Ihnen, Executive Director of Live Music Project, for an honest conversation about what actually changed when she simplified her approach and trusted momentum over perfection. In just two weeks, Megan raised 108% of her campaign goa...