Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions

Send us Fan Mail “Just because we've been told one story about philanthropy, or about ourselves as fundraisers, it doesn't have to be true. We can change the narrative.” We become what we believe in. In this special episode, Cindy Wagman, the Founder and CEO of The Good Partnership and host of our podcast talks about why it is so important to tackle our mindset when fundraising, and how...

Send us Fan Mail Advocacy is in the DNA of our sector. Every day, whether it’s a front line social agency, or an arts organization, nonprofits are doing great advocacy work at the community level.  How can we as a sector lift each other up and support each other’s advocacy efforts?  Joining us today for this discussion is Cathy Taylor, the Executive Director of the Ontario Nonprofit Network. Resou...

Send us Fan Mail In this special episode of the podcast, one of the students from our spring 2020 Flipside Fundraising cohort, Yvonne Harding, Resource Development Manager at Assaulted Women’s Helpline, to share the transformation she has experienced after she changed her fundraising mindset with the lessons learned in Flipside Fundraising.  If you want to be like Yvonne and turn fundraising from...

Send us Fan Mail In fundraising, we often talk about surprising and delighting donors. Sending them updates, creating special experiences, writing them cards etc.. But let me ask you this instead: have your donors ever surprised you? Whether it is a gift made unprompted at the time that your organization really needs it, or it's a simple message to check in on how you and your team are doing...

Send us Fan Mail Your organization is like your baby. And that is exactly why you have to make sure that it can grow on its own without you. In order to get to that state, the organization needs you to build in some great planning and set up the right culture and systems.  On today's podcast, our returning guest Michael Prosserman shares his insight on how to lead an organization from the gro...

Send us Fan Mail Imposter Syndrome - we don't talk about it very often. But when we do, there's so many nodding heads and people in agreement saying “of course, I experienced that too.”  Imposter syndrome seems to be more prevalent for people who don't see themselves reflected in the leadership around them. There's no role model so how do I know I'm doing things, right? Wi...

Send us Fan Mail When the pandemic started in March, no one knew what was going to happen. EDs at nonprofits big and small were projecting layoffs and devastating deficits. And that happened. To be sure - the impact of COVID on our sector and all of us has been significant. And mostly awful. People had to quickly adjust their work and lives to adapt. Yes. It's been a rough year.  6 months lat...

Send us Fan Mail It seems like on all fronts we are currently engaged in deep unlearning and learning. Whether it’s around anti-racism or new technologies, the world is a changing place and learning has become more routine than ever. Right now, while our learning might be accelerated, it’s a good time to reflect on how we can integrate this type of growth and development into the long-term. Today’...

Send us Fan Mail As things are slowly opening up, do you have a favourite cafe nearby your home or work that you always visit and can't wait to go back to? If you do, you'll be familiar with this scenario: you go to the cafe a few times, and the barista starts remembering your order. The next time you show up, the barista smiles at you and asks: "americano with oat milk?" (that...

Send us Fan Mail This past week, we’ve all been taking the necessary action to support the Black Lives Matter movement and holding space for difficult and necessary conversations both at work and at home. As you likely know, the work for anti-racism and anti-oppression practices has just begun. This is not a one-time effort, but something ongoing. We must address how our organizations are governed...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever make impulse buys? You know, that online sale that you just can’t say “no” to? Or you are out on a socially distant walk and you see something that catches your eye in the window? And plus, you want to support a local business! Think back to that feeling you get when you make that decision. While there might be rational reasons such as price points and needs, what made...

Send us Fan Mail Having become a parent, I now understand how hard it is for parents to let go of their babies. When my boys are not with me, I worry about them all the time. But I’m also learning that controlling them is not empowering them to carve their own paths. There's a fine line between love and control.  That same fine line exists at our workplace. Sometimes, founders and leaders of...

Send us Fan Mail If I go for a short run this morning, then I will feel energized throughout the day and be healthier in the long term. This was my mental cue that got me up at 5:30 am today. This has been my personal theory of change for the past 5 years, since I started running. Put simply, a theory of change is an “If… then…” scenario. If I do this, then this will happen. But for some reason, w...

Send us Fan Mail I took a deep breath. Feeling a bit nervous, excited and scared, I pushed the button and hoped for the best. If you think I’m talking about playing a slot machine, you’re not that far off. Isn’t this how we feel every time we hit the “submit” button for a grant?  Everybody tells you to do it, but there is no guarantee or any indication of certainty that you’ll get it. This was cer...

Send us Fan Mail How we do our work is just as important as what we do. But we don’t talk about this enough at work. We get so busy. But are we productive? I’m so excited to talk to my friend Rachel Bearbower from Small Shop Strategies about this topic on this week’s episode of the podcast. If you are feeling overwhelmed by your long to-dos, or you are looking for a Monday energy boost, take a bre...

Send us Fan Mail I have heard such different stories from clients and friends. Some are having no problem working from home, as they’re able to access all of their files on the cloud. Some, however, are frustrated by databases and other tools that are crashing or are not functioning remotely at all. How organizations can remain relevant and resilient in the digital world is one of the biggest lear...

Send us Fan Mail Do you remember that icky feeling back in school, when you were assigned a piece of homework that you didn't see the point in doing, but had to do it anyway? Well, I bet that’s the same feeling you get when you’re filling out a program report and are asked to provide evaluation numbers that don’t make sense to you.  Impact evaluation is one of those things we are told that is...

Send us Fan Mail Do you ever get that nagging feeling that your voice is not heard or that it’s drowned out? Currently, with everything being communicated online, it’s so easy to feel that what you have to say is going to get buried in a conference call or countless social media posts. And when we do share our voices, we don’t love it. I remembered when I started the podcast, I also struggled with...

Send us Fan Mail In times like this, it’s so important that we stay connected. The same goes with our donors. They want to hear from you about how you and your organization is doing. I know what you are thinking: donors already have a lot on their plate right now. Why would they want to hear from me? On today’s podcast, David from The Common Good Philanthropy shares a great story about how donors...

Send us Fan Mail During this global pandemic, I know you are holding down the fort for your organization, your community, and your family. So, how can we make sure you have all the tools you need to get through these tough times. Part of that answer is resiliency. What is resilience and how can you build resilience in your everyday life? On today’s The Small Nonprofit podcast, wellness expert Moni...

Send us Fan Mail These are scary times. The world is in crisis as we work hard to contain the COVID 19 outbreak and minimize its impact. Our organizations are being challenged in ways we could never imagine. For some of us, our clients are at high risk and we are working around the clock to support them. For others, we have been forced to lay off staff because our programs have been cancelled. The...

Send us Fan Mail In our conversation today with Nouman Ashraf, we’ll debunk some myths around what a leader is and how to be a good one. In short - leadership is not a position or title, it’s a way of being and enabling those around you. Anyone can be a good leader. Everyone SHOULD become a good leader. Nouman has some tips on how to get there. For access to the show notes and resources, click her...

Send us Fan Mail What causes you to open that envelope from a charity? What is going through your mind as you decide to read on? Or make a donation? Wouldn’t it be great if you could unlock some of the secrets that influence your donors' behaviours as they think about giving to your organization? Today’s podcast guest is John Lepp and he is going to be sharing how you can use design to influe...

Send us Fan Mail I know you have a long list of “to-dos” that never seems to end. I can also guess that on that list, somewhere towards the end (and seemingly never moving) is to create a Case for Support for your organization.  Well, today you’re in luck because our podcast guest Leah Eustice is a pro when it comes to writing a Case for Support and she’s going to give you all of her tricks and ti...

Send us Fan Mail Guess what - the next generation of workers are not millennials! We’re so past the conversation of millennials in the workplace and now is the time to think about how you’re hiring and engaging the next generation. This new generation values diversity and inclusion, as well as the ability to have an impact. This is in great alignment with the nonprofit sector, but the reality is t...