The Business Behind Fundraising

Kim Zoeller has dedicated over 30 years of work to the Ray Graham Association, empowering people with disabilities to reach, grow, and achieve in their everyday lives. An organization with the scope of the RGA requires a large amount of funding from different sources. To help position their organization better, Kim saw a need to emphasize relational fundraising. Sherry and Kim discuss this shift i...

Kelly Hill is the leader of Heart of Missouri CASA. As an organization who advocates for abused and neglected children, the need to grow and serve more kids, and in deeper ways, has weighed on Kelly's heart her entire career. Kelly set out on a determined path, taking the organization from 3 to 13 staff members and growing their annual budget by 5x over 10 years! But, she knew they could grow even...

Laurie Quinn strives to make learning better for all. Working with both teachers and students, the Stern Center for Language and Learning strives to stay at the forefront of innovation to be experts at applying knowledge learned in the classroom. As President, Laurie is following in the steps of a founder that had been with the organization for 38 years! Sherry and Laurie discuss the challenges an...

As the Director of Development at the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Melissa Frueh helps center the voices of farmers and workers in the food system to champion impactful changes and create a system that works for and feeds everyone. This crucial community work requires consistent funding, and consistent funding requires belief in your cause from your donors. With a sales background in hand, Melis...

Drew Moran knows the importance of culture in an organization, and to understand that culture requires an understanding of your mission. Through 12 years of growth at Nourishing Hope, Drew has gotten hands on every aspect. Now, as the Chief Development Officer, his vast insight allows Nourishing Hope to operate as more than just a food pantry, providing additional mental health and social services...

Lauren M. Scott is working on growing a healthier world to help change the trajectory of human health. Such a task might seem daunting, but the President of the Foundation for Fresh Produce has used her prior experience in crucial ways to help bridge the gap between sharing their big vision and providing tangible results. The process has not always moved at a rapid pace, but Lauren's patience is p...

Carina Santa Maria is a first time ED making veteran moves at her organization. At Shelter Inc., Carina helps youth experiencing homelessness find emergency shelter, transitional housing, and clinical care, filling a crucial need for a vulnerable population within her community. Such a need requires great funding, and when Carina stepped into the role, things weren't where they needed to be.  Fast...

Janelle Miller Moravek describes herself as an "accidental" nonprofit employee, but when you see the thought and care she puts into her organization, the results are no accident at all! As the Executive Director at Youth & Family Counseling, Janelle works on providing and educating her community on affordable mental health care. She has done a bit of everything at the organization, and that experi...

Julia Patrick exemplifies that it's never too late in your career to make an impact on the world around you. After a career in media covering social, political, and cultural issues in Arizona, Julia pivoted and dedicated her life to helping the nonprofit sector through the American Nonprofit Academy. As the CEO and Founder, as well as being the co-host of The Nonprofit Show, Julia allows nonprofit...

On the final episode of this year's Fall Funder Series, Sherry Quam Taylor speaks with Aba Taylor of the Brookline Community Foundation. Located in the immediate suburbs of Boston, BCF partners with nearly 50 organizations, seeking to improve the financial equity and economic growth of vulnerable populations in their area. As Executive Director, Aba not only cultivates relationships with organizat...

In the next edition of the Fall Funder Series, John Tracey of the Simons Foundation joins the show. As the Program Director managing the Science Sandbox, an incubatory portfolio focused on funding science communication practitioners, John helps organizations emphasize the importance of science in our everyday lives, helping build trust in modern practices and expanding access into new communities....

Welcome to the Fall Funder Series, where Sherry Quam Taylor demystifies common misconceptions about how organizations can secure general operating revenue. First up is Shireen Zaman of the BUILD program at the Ford Foundation. As a Program Officer, Shireen works directly with organizations in identifying their greatest fundraising needs and preparing a funding strategy that best supports those eff...

Eve Turow-Paul didn't set out to start a nonprofit, but once she identified a crucial need in her community, the pieces quickly fell into place. As the founder and Executive Director of Food for Climate League, she's helping change the narrative of sustainable food systems by addressing the emotional underpinnings that drive people's food choices. The women-led team is influencing culinary workers...

As the principal of teenyBIG, Emily Taylor helps nonprofits at an inflection point make big decisions that affect their community so they can move from indecision to intentional, next-level growth. She empowers bold leaders to gather the information they need to make big decisions with buy-in so they can move from a holding pattern and into next-level growth. Emily discusses the need for nonprofit...

Veronika Trufanova always had a passion for environmental sustainability, making her the perfect fit for her role as Director of Development at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, a historic linear park system in Boston that introduced one the first example of green infrastructure in the nation. Nika now works to sustain the parks impact on the city while growing awareness for its rich history, a hu...

Suzy Myers Jackson didn't expect to have a career in fundraising, but when the opportunity to lead an organization that aligned with her passion for theatre presented itself, she hit the ground running. After 17 years at Opening Act New York, Suzy became the Executive Director of SparkYouth NYC. Now, she's bringing a refreshing style of tried and true fundraising opportunities to expand opportunit...

Melissa Hilton uses her diverse background to get the most out of the relationships she holds with her donors. As the Vice President of fundraising efforts for Erie Family Health, a $100M+ FQHC, you have to think outside of the box to not only maintain relationships with donors, but help them understand the most important needs of your organization, and the funds it requires to achieve that. Sherr...

With over 40 years of experience, Mary Hiland knows what it takes to truly grow your nonprofit. In the ever evolving landscape, relationships have always been the utmost importance, and that includes the relationship with your board of directors. Mary wants to reshape the way we approach these relationships to get the most for your organization. Mary shares how her journey in the nonprofit sector...

Maiya Holliday builds websites that make it easier for good people to do great work. And no, these aren't just your corporate, run-of-the-mill, cookie cutter websites. These sites are built with accessibility at the forefront, making it easier for everyone to succeed and allowing businesses to reach new customers. Through her background in international development and nonprofit work, Maiya notice...

When Arlene Siller reached a career crossroads, she knew she had a choice: continue trudging through a field that was no longer aligning with her personal values, or take a leap of faith and apply her skills in a completely new industry. She chose the latter and never looked back, entering the world of grant writing for nonprofits.  Arlene's research background proved valuable as a grant writer. S...

Bofta Yimam has quite the story. After an award winning career in television journalism, where she was always on the move, Bofta felt called to shift gears and apply her skills in a new field. That's when she created StoryLede, a minority owned, female led marketing agency with the expertise to help businesses and individuals reach their strategic vision.  Bofta found that too many people were "bu...

Erin McPartlin's organization was doing important work, but conveying their purpose proved more difficult than she anticipated. They were experiencing an identity crisis, and donors just weren't getting the message. Rather than racing forward, Erin slowed down, rebranded, and got to work on creating an effective and malleable strategic plan. Breaking out of their routine allowed Erin and the newly...

Green City Market Executive Director Mandy Moody inherited an established nonprofit that's growth was plateauing. Their work was essential in her community, but few outside of the nonprofit truly understood what that work was. How could she get their message to the world despite having so many responsibilities on her plate? The first step was figuring out what that message was. Then she had to com...

Rapid growth entails rapid changes. It also means recalibrating your nonprofit's vision to fit with the current times. Brooke Richie-Babbage joins us to share her expertise in creating an efficient and honest strategic plan in five steps, making your donors a part of the outcome, finding your North Star, and setting up a finance engine that can fully fund your vision. Tune in to The Business Behin...

How many books have you already read? Articles you've saved for reference? People you've consulted? Workshops you've already attended? When it feels like the faucet's left dry and your fundraising efforts are still not working for your organization, it's time to seek a better way to address areas needing improvement and get help.  For STEM From Dance Executive Director Yamilée Toussaint Beach, she...