The Build Good Fundraising Podcast

Send us Fan Mail The last five months have shown us how volatile revenue streams can be. Almost overnight, nonprofit leaders had to figure out how to become less dependent on event revenue, grants from foundations and government grants. The best way to protect your organization from future volatility is to build a more resilient fundraising engine — one that focuses on leading individual donors al...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re like most nonprofits, this year has been a wake up call that you need to step up your game when it comes to communicating clearly, effectively and authentically with your donors.  Maybe you were getting by before, but when the system was put under stress, you didn't have the resources or the team or the tools or the strategy to move quickly – and confidently.  Today...

Send us Fan Mail You didn't see COVID coming. Nobody did. But now that the initial shock to the system is over, it's time to get back to business.  While others might wait for "normal" to return, it's time for you to embrace "the now" by creating a concrete, simple, and clear strategy that will help you survive the next 12 months — and come out of the pandemic po...

Send us Fan Mail COVID-19 is testing the systems and processes of nonprofits like never before. And many organizations are finding that their lack of data practices and data quality are hampering their fundraising efforts. Strong, direct relationships with donors are crucial to withstanding times of uncertainty and crisis. And fundraising success is always a result of strong systems that manage da...

Send us Fan Mail Finding and stewarding donors is the foundation of any successful nonprofit. But during uncertain times, it's easy to shrink back and set donor acquisition aside, leaving yourself vulnerable in the future   In this episode we hear from Tim Kersten, the CEO of the RKD Group , a fundraising and marketing agency with over 280 nonprofit clients across North America. Tim has 43 ye...

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever struggled to find the right words to say when confronted with a tough question from a donor, team member or journalist, this episode is for you. On today's show we hear from Brad Phillips, the CEO of Throughline Group, a public speaking and media training company. Brad has trained thousands of media spokespersons and public speakers including a presidentia...

Send us Fan Mail What is the secret of organizations raising record levels of money during the coronavirus pandemic? Many of the nonprofits thriving right now have one thing in common: donor-centric fundraising and stewardship. While it seems counter-intuitive, in hard times many donors actually increase their giving. They want to be part of the solution and help. But the key is, they only give to...

Send us Fan Mail One of the things the coronavirus crisis made clear is the importance of good leadership.  Specifically, the importance of leaders who communicate openly and honestly and with enough vulnerability to admit what they don’t know. We sometimes think of leadership as only being important at the board and CEO level, but if you’re listening to this show and you work in the nonprofit and...

Send us Fan Mail Are you having a hard time staying positive and balanced and sane during these crazy times? The coronavirus pandemic brings a rare combination of a scary health emergency, human isolation and an economic crisis at all once.  And I worry about you. I am not worried if you're going to survive this crisis, or if your nonprofit will survive the storm. I am worried about what the...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re like many nonprofit leaders, you’ve spent the last two weeks going back to the drawing board on what your fundraising and communications will look like now that everything is different.  And make no mistake: everything is different.   And that means all the careful planning and strategies, all the campaign rollouts and scheduled posts, and all the thank you letters and m...

Send us Fan Mail If you put yourself in your donors' shoes for a minute, you'll know they are likely sitting at home. Like you, they are watching the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe. And they might wonder what it all means for them and their loved ones.  So you might be tempted to leave them alone. Give them some space. Let them cope.  But what if your donors are longing to hea...

Send us Fan Mail If it hasn't already, COVID-19 will impact your cause and your fundraising. Maybe you’re wondering if you’re about to face the biggest revenue crash of your career. And that's a real possibility. As panic and fear about the virus spread across the globe, many nonprofit organizations are about to make some choices that could seriously wreck their fundraising for years to...

Send us Fan Mail You’ve likely heard that combining your fundraising with data analytics is the most efficient way to grow your revenue and engage the right donors at the right time. It’s true: donors speak to us through data. Data is simply a measure of our donor’s actions. And most of the time those actions speak louder than words. So we need to listen carefully to what our donors are saying. Bu...

Send us Fan Mail What do you think when you hear the words strategic planning? If you're like most nonprofit leaders today, you know strategy is important. You know a good strategy has the power to completely transform your organization's fundraising and development performance.  It can energize your staff, volunteers and donors. It can give you the clarify and focus needed to take on th...

Send us Fan Mail Today on the show, we’re talking about a massive opportunity for your nonprofit to add revenue to your bottom line for years to come.  We’re talking about the largest gift your donor may ever give to your organization. We’re talking about legacy marketing.  Did you know charitable bequests are now worth literally hundreds of billions of dollars in Canada? So if you’re not already...

Send us Fan Mail If you've worked in fundraising for some time, you'll know that direct mail still enjoys some of the best response rates of any communications channel.  But because we're living in a digital world, it's easy to think of direct mail as outdated with nothing new to offer.   You and I hear that all the time. If you still rely on the mailbox to connect with your do...

Send us Fan Mail Are you having a hard time finding and retaining a good Director of Development? If that sounds like you, you're not alone. Studies show the average tenure for a Director of Development is between 16-18 months — among the highest in any profession. And while it's true for organizations of all sizes, it's especially true in smaller organizations where more than 50% o...