The Beacon

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Karen Baldwin speaks with Howard Cohen, a senior advisor at Lighthouse Counsel who has 50 years of experience in the area of leadership and strategic planning in the higher education sector. Karen and Howard discuss the importance of strategic planning for colleges and universities, but the advice can easily be expanded to...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Alice Ferris and Jim Anderson, the fundraising powerhouse team behind Goalbusters Consulting.  Jeff and the Goalbusters discuss how the pandemic is changing how we communicate with donors and, ultimately, how we raise money for our important causes. Jim and Alice share some great insights and some examples w...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Adam Dretler, a principal in the Nashville office of wealth management company Diversified Trust, which designs and implements portfolios that sustain the mission of institutions. Jeff and Adam discuss a subject that is critically important to the financial health of a nonprofit organization but can seem int...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy talks with Russell James, professor of charitable financial planning at Texas Tech University. Jeff and Russell talk about the important part storytelling plays in planned giving and how it differs from storytelling for other kinds of fundraising. Russell answers questions including: How do the stories that a nonprofit...

In this podcast, Margaret and Marc discuss Marc’s new book, “The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be” and how self-doubt can propel leaders out of their comfort zone and into greatness. Marc also talks about traits the make a great nonprofit leader, answering questions including: • Self-doubt has long been thought to be something that hold...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Jim Anderson, a founding partner of GoalBusters Consulting, about donor motivation and how properly motivating donors can lead to increased engagement and giving. Jeff and Jim discuss the positive flip side of donor fatigue, which is donor motivation, and Jim answers questions, including: • What are some typ...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy talks with Dr. Kent Keith, author of “Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments.” You no doubt have heard of the “paradoxical commandments” — if nowhere else, then on social media, where, unfortunately, they often are attributed to Mother Theresa. The commandments are guidelines for finding personal meaning in the face of adversity, for example: People...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy talks with Sally Bryant, president and CEO of Bryant Group, an executive search and leadership consulting firm. Jeff and Sally discuss the hiring and workplace landscape in the nonprofit world and the effects the coronavirus pandemic has had on it. Sally shares her thoughts and answers questions including: • What trends...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy talks with Frank Parsons, principal consultant at Parsons consulting, where they provide leadership development, succession and executive recruiting services. In this conversation, Frank shares his thoughts on how nonprofit organizations can stay the course even in times when their leadership is undergoing changes, Frank and Jeff discuss four core...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy talks with Lilya Wagner, retired director of Philanthropic Service for Institutions, a consulting office specializing in services for faith-based organizations. In this conversation, Lilya shares her thoughts on the timeliest of subjects: cultural diversity and its important role in philanthropy. Lilya and Jeff discuss and define cultural intellige...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Jeremy Park, CEO of cityCURRENT, about identifying and maintaining relationships with corporate donors. Jeremy shares that and addresses: • How nonprofits can identify which corporations they should seek a gift from • The importance of finding corporate donors whose values align with the mission of the nonprofit • How nonprofits can nur...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant David Key speaks with Patricia Ramirez Pinckney, founder of the RIMA Strategy & Marketing, about philanthropy in the Hispanic and Latino market. In their conversation, Patricia and David explore what nonprofit organizations need to know about the most effective ways to connect and engage with this deeply charitable populat...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Cecil Staton, president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), about how associations can advocate for their membership during the pandemic. Cecil shares about the impact of COVID-19 on his association and shares: • What his association’s leadership did to pivot and what changes were made at the beginning of the...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy and Dan Ryan, CEO and president of Ryan Partners, discuss succession planning and the importance of building bench strength. Dan explains: • by which roles should have succession plans; • how to begin succession planning; • who's responsible for succession planning; and • what it means to build bench strength.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Joan Bahner speaks with Matthew Winston, former senior associate vice president for alumni relations at Virginia Tech, about diversity and inclusion in university advancement. Through their discussion, Matt explains why diversity and inclusion is a critical aspect of university advancement and answers: • What areas in advancement typically fall short when thi...

“The better, the deeper, the more connected the relationship, the easier, the faster the resources, infrastructure, and so on will come.” – Derek Young In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Derek Young, owner of YMG Enterprises, about strategically building relationships for your nonprofit. Believing that relationships are an organization’s most valuable asset, Derek shares...

“You need to be sensitive; you need to be a professional about how you approach people. But it is important to recognize that these are some of your best donors.” – Joe Chickey In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Sharpe Group Vice President Joe Chickey about estate giving, and why it is especially important for nonprofits to focus on planned giving now. Joe addresses: Why...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Bloomerang’s Chief Engagement Officer, Steven Shattuck, joins Jeff Jowdy for a conversation about fundraising automation. Steven explains what fundraising automation is and: • How nonprofits can use automation to their advantage • The biggest dangers • Tips for implementing automation in your fundraising strategy

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy and Jay Lemons, president of Academic Search, discuss fundraising in higher education and the importance of maintaining relationships when fundraising. Jay shares: • What university fundraising professionals can do every day to nurture relationships with the university. • How to keep alumni connected to their alma mater. • Trends in higher educatio...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy and Bill McMorran, founder, senior partner and planned giving consultant with Green Oak Consulting, discuss the tools donors can use when making a planned gift. Bill shares: • The different mechanisms donors can use to make a planned gift • The differences between those mechanisms • How these tools benefit both the donor and the nonprofit

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy talks with president of CZ Strategies, Dave Goetz, about nonprofit positioning strategies. Dave explains what a positioning strategy is and shares: • How nonprofits can craft a positioning strategy • Who should be involved • When nonprofits should consider revising their strategy

“It’s in everybody’s best interest – ultimately the students’ – that the board chair and head of school are figuratively on the same page when it comes to governance and administrative responsibilities.” – Bill Mott In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Bill Mott, an adjunct instructor for the master’s in education, independent school leadership program at Vanderbilt Univer...

“If you have met one foundation, you have met one foundation. Don’t treat all foundations the same.” – Steve Rasmussen In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Steve Rasmussen, executive director of the Andrea Wiatt Carlton Family Foundation. Through their discussion, Jeff asks Steve for advice for fundraising professionals. Steve shares: What he wishes he knew as a fundraisin...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with fundraising consultant Clay Buck about donor data, how to use it and how to keep it secure. Clay emphasizes the importance of maintaining donor databases in order to increase the effectiveness of your fundraising and addresses: How to develop data-informed strategy How often data and strategy should be revised How nonprofits can keep th...

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Jeff Jowdy speaks with Vern Snyder about university advancement, the field from which he retired after a long and successful career. Vern discusses: • The changes in university advancement over the decades • How university fundraising work differs from that of other nonprofits • Advice he would give to someone looking forward to a successful career in univers...