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

Send us Fan Mail Are you introverted or extroverted? I’m right in the middle with a sway towards extroversion. It can sometimes look like the modern work environment is created for us extroverts and if you're introverted, it can feel draining or even exclusionary. Today’s podcast guest, Trina Isakson, spent years working in our sector as an introvert and created the Quiet Changemaker Project...

Send us Fan Mail I’ve had to hire my fair share of staff over the years and I’m embarrassed to say how many times I’ve heard someone comment, “we can’t hire her, she’s going to have babies soon.” This was said to me pre-kids (as I was thinking of starting my own family), and since I’ve had kids (my two sons are now 5 and 8). It’s been said by men and women. Young and old. Parents and non-parents....

Send us Fan Mail Is it really worth having interns and students? Sometimes it can feel hit or miss making it feel like you're adding to your workload instead of having a great mentorship experience. In this episode, we're speaking with Peter and Catherine from Seneca360, a program that matches yourself with a skilled student who can support very specific project-based work. With both the...

Send us Fan Mail Did you know that I’m psychic? I can tell whether or not you have challenges with your board of directors. Let me look into my magic ball. The answer is “yes” - your board is not functioning as well as it could or should be. While you may be in awe of my incredible powers, the reality is that we know most small organizations have some struggles with their boards. Or their boards h...

Send us Fan Mail Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and now TikTok - do you often feel pressure to get your organization on the latest trend? Whether that's from your board or the organization itself, it seems like everyone wants you to be on every single platform there is. Tune in to our live conversation from Happy You Year as we chat with Simon Scriver, host of Simon Scriver's Amazingly Ul...

Send us Fan Mail So today's guest really needs no introduction - we think everyone knows Paul Nazareth. He's been on the podcast before and he is, we believe, one of the most influential people in our sector in Canada. We've talked with him before about planned giving, but today we're going to talk to him about something that I actually think is even more uncomfortable for most...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year and Happy New Decade! We're kicking off season four of The Small Nonprofit with Beth Jordan, founder and principal of Adobe Consulting Services. This week we're talking about alignment - how we look forward and internally within our organizations to focus on being aligned with our core values as an organization. We've had lots of conversations around...

Send us Fan Mail When we think about our organizational culture, we refer to a nice culture deck then we're good to go. However, we know that what's on that deck isn't always reflective of how things are practiced or how things get done - a huge problem in our sector! In this episode, we chat with Maryann Kerr, Chief Happiness Officer/CEO of The Medalist Group, who is on a mission t...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been on a website where you just click and then you don't know where you came from? You don't understand where things are and then you keep clicking and can't get back to where you want to go? If you haven't updated your website in the last month, chances are, your audience is having the same experience with your website. In this episode, we'...

Send us Fan Mail Anti-oppression, anti-racism, inclusion is an important conversation for our organization and there's so much work to be done around this. This interview with Christina Sackeyfio, Principal of Boldly Inclusive, articulates that space between an articulated inclusion or diversity effort and what you're actually putting into practice. Tune in to learn how to identify and a...

Send us Fan Mail Strategy. It’s one of those things we all know is important, but we never find the time to do it properly. We're so used to the inertia of our work and it's really hard to make time to undertake a strategic planning process. Today's guest is Josie Fung the Executive Director of I Think, which is a program based out of the Rotman School of Business at the University...

Send us Fan Mail Community bonds are an alternative model of financing for charities and nonprofits, that are repayable to investors, with defined interest terms. The bonds allow organizations to collect capital for projects and pay it back over time, like a loan, but you're enabling your community to support it instead of putting money back into the big bank. Today’s guest is Ryan Collins-Sw...

Send us Fan Mail We love to talk about corporate giving because it literally comes up in every single conversation with every single organization. In this conversation with our friend Heather Nelson, the founder and principal of BridgeRaise, she talks about what it takes to be open for business to corporate giving. Tune in to learn about what kind of corporate ask to make, how to become "open...

Send us Fan Mail You know your work has impact. You see that impact every day. You feel it in your bones. That’s why you get up and go to work every morning. But do your supporters know and understand that impact? Small organizations often struggle with how to communicate that impact. We live it and breathe it every day and it’s hard to share it with others in a way that they understand and connec...

Send us Fan Mail We’ve all been in meetings wondering... “why am I here?” In fact, I imagine that’s what you’re thinking during most meetings. Or, “when will this be over so I can get back to my real work!?” Whether it’s going on for too long or someone else seems to be dominating the conversation, meetings can feel time-consuming and unproductive. In our conversation with Rebecca Sutherns, founde...

Send us Fan Mail Hands up if you have a full-time bookkeeper!  Ha ha - joking! Most small nonprofits we work with don’t have a full-time, professionally trained bookkeeper. You’re not alone. In this episode, we’re chatting with Omar Visram, CEO of Enkel Backoffice Solutions about cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting solutions that will save you time and money. Tune in to learn about how to move...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the podcast, we’re talking about Google Ad Grants with David Botwick-Ries and Simon Choy from ConnectAd, an organization dedicated to assisting charities to obtain and manage free advertising through Google Ad Grants. Tune in to learn what Google Ads are (if you’re just starting out), how to get the grant, how to set up your account and ads, and how to optimize...

Send us Fan Mail Time. Sigh. If only we had more of it. Time is the most precious resource for small organizations. But we don’t treat it that way. Instead, we disregard it. Treat it badly.  We can take ownership of our time and make it work better for us. But it takes commitment and practice.  I love this quote from Charles Buxton, “You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must...

Send us Fan Mail When people want a rebrand, it’s easy to automatically think of a new logo, website and so on. But that’s just the marketing component of your brand. Your brand is so much more. Laura challenges us to imagine our brand is a beautifully decorated cake. Your logo, website and all the visual things people see are the icing and sprinkles. This is what makes the cake look good and enti...

Send us Fan Mail Today's bonus episode is live from EconoUs which is a conference for community economic development organizations but we thought some of the content would be relevant to all of our listeners. This third session is led by Ted Howard who is the co-founder and president of the Democracy Collaborative. Tune in as we look at co-ops and ways that we can redistribute wealth and prov...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a very special episode - the first of a few very special episodes. We are podcasting live from EconoUs, which is the Community Economic Development Conference in London, Ontario. We are bringing you some of the excellent sessions as a bonus to the podcast. This first episode is a great panel discussion about social enterprise and funding opportunity, which is fantastic....

Send us Fan Mail In this special bonus mini-series recorded live at EconoUs 2019,  we're learning all about leadership for new innovation and leadership for a new economy. And so many of what Amanda Fernandez talks about rings true to my experience and I'm excited to share with you! Definitely pay attention to some of what she says around giving and receiving feedback around failing up....

Send us Fan Mail Media coverage is something that pretty much all organizations want, but very few actually get. In this episode, we’re speaking with Jennifer Singh, founder of She’s Newsworthy Media a public relations agency that specializes in helping small businesses get recognized. Tune in to learn about how to pitch properly, timely and to the right person! For access to the show notes and re...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to season three of the Small Nonprofit! We’re kicking things off strong with a discussion about the state of the charitable sector in Canada. You work on the frontlines supporting our community… but how is our government supporting you? In this episode, we’re speaking with the Honourable Ratna Omidvar, to talk about the recent Senate report on the charitable sector that sh...

Send us Fan Mail The way we do our work plays a huge role in our organizations - especially in a world where digital is the new normal. In this episode, Aine McGlynn, our very own COO of The Good Partnership, drops some truth bombs about systems and processes.  Get the FREE 30-Day Board Fundraising Challenge here : https://www.gofurthertogether.ca/30-day-challenge We guide your board through 30 ac...