The Influential Nonprofit

When you finally set a boundary, and everything seems to explode, it doesn’t mean you did it wrong; it may mean it’s finally working. In this episode, you’ll learn how to recognize and ride out the “extinction burst” so your new agreements, standards, and leadership can actually stick.   Key Takeaways: Boundaries define what you will no longer tolerate, while agreements define what you are activel...

In this episode, discover why impatiently “watching” your donors actually blocks generosity—and how to shift into “watering” relationships with trust, patience, and consistent care. Learn the WATER method to move from transactional fundraising to transformational connection.   Key Takeaways: Lasting donor relationships are built by tending to them consistently, not by pushing for quick outcomes or...

Dave LeVan is President and CEO of Water for Good. They transform lives by providing access to reliable water, sanitation, and hygiene in needy communities. He recently led a merger with Lifewater International.    Key Takeaways: Successful mergers start as honest conversations about where each organization wants to go and what assets they bring, not as a rushed decision to combine. Fear of change...

Key Takeaways: The Donor Flow Framework moves donors through four stages: Aware, Interest,  Connect, and Act. Awareness and interest are often handled well, but true giving comes when people feel personally connected. The real gap is in the Connect stage. Without structured opportunities for meaningful interaction, donors may like your work but won’t feel invested enough to take action. Small, con...

Sally is the founder and CEO of Commonwell Marketing, a heart-centered marketing and leadership firm that helps nonprofits and rural health organizations stand out. A former brain injury rehabilitation therapist turned marketer, Sally brings a rare blend of art and science to her work—applying the neuroscience of belonging, trust, and human connection to marketing, communications, and leadership s...

JD Bauman is the executive director of Christians for Impact and co-author of a new book on effective altruism, All the Lives. You can change how you turn good intentions into real impact. It shows how you could move beyond. Feel good philanthropy, I make a maximum Impact on problems that you care about. JD spends most of his time helping analytically minded Christians find careers that have maxim...

Naomi Hattaway is the founder of Leaving Well, a practice devoted to helping organizations treat leadership transitions not as crises or cleanups—but as acts of cultural maturity. She works with mission-driven teams to address board development, succession planning gaps, and workplace transition support. Through interim executive leadership and advisory services, Naomi's work lives at the intersec...

Key Takeaways: Fundraising rooted in pressure and extraction erodes trust over time. Sustainable support grows from community, shared values, and genuine connection. When relationships lead, generosity follows naturally. Over-following up and manufactured urgency often reveal anxiety, not strategy. Constant pressure weakens credibility and exhausts donors. Abundance thinking creates calmer, more e...

Heidi is a nonprofit communicator passionate about helping civic tech, human services, and food access organizations tell clear, human-centered stories. She believes marketing carries great responsibility and shapes how communities understand and access support. As the founder of Heidi Kerr Strategies, she loves building thoughtful campaigns and social videos that earn trust and inspire action.  ...

As a fundraising consultant and coach, Perry helps nonprofits develop strategies, systems, and relationships to improve their fundraising yield. She believes in creating environments that nurture all gifts - time, talent, treasure, testimony, and ties - honoring how each person is uniquely suited to make a difference within their community.   Key Takeaways: Donors are partners who bring time, tale...

Key Takeaways: Chasing a yes often comes from anxiety, not intention, and people can feel that pressure immediately. When you stop needing a specific outcome, your tone relaxes and trust increases naturally. Your role is to help others decide freely, not to manage your own fear through follow-ups. Momentum shows up as shared energy, mutual curiosity, and agreed-upon next steps. Chasing looks like...

Key Takeaways: Lasting fundraising growth does not come from better tactics alone but from changing the internal narratives that drive behavior. Coaching addresses fear, money stories, and self-doubt that silently undermine even the best strategies. Fundraising leaders often carry invisible baggage that affects how they show up with donors and teams. Coaching builds awareness, emotional neutrality...

Key Takeaways: Fundraising nos and prolonged indecision often reflect emotional readiness, not the quality of the ask. Letting go of over-attachment to a yes allows fundraisers to listen more clearly. The Map of Consciousness offers a practical way to understand donor behavior without ranking people as better or worse. Effective fundraising adapts presence and strategy to a donor’s current emotion...

Key Takeaways: Centering fundraising on genuine care, honesty, and alignment creates trust and long-term support rather than transactional gains. Actions from authentic relationships feel meaningful, while actions solely for money feel manipulative. Loving donor relationships are honest, authentic, and aligned. They are not transactional or performative, and both the donor and organization benefit...

Key Takeaways: 90 days is long enough to get something done, but short enough that there’s some urgency to it. The 90-day MOST stands for Mission, Objective, Strategy, and Tactics. It accounts for having an overall vision and creating simple strategies to implement each quarter.  We need to have a clear vision so that we know what we’re looking for. Before creating a plan, take time to create a vi...

Key Takeaways: Reframe goals as guides, not judgments. Traditional output-focused goals can create pressure and burnout; goals should inform your direction, not define your worth or success. Wrap up the year holistically. Reflect on wins, surprises, and growth beyond numeric targets, release what no longer serves you, and recognize internal and relational progress as real achievements. Make goals...

Key Takeaways: Sustainable change begins by raising standards, not just managing expectations. Standards define the floor you will no longer fall below, while expectations shape the ceiling you desire. Boundaries and agreements act as the walls that uphold both. Boundaries focus on what you no longer want to tolerate or experience. Agreements clarify what you do want and how it will work in practi...

Key Takeaways: Many nonprofit leaders enter the new year already depleted from the holiday rush. Emotional residue from 2025 lingers in the body and shapes early decisions. A reset begins by acknowledging how much energy was carried forward unnoticed. Leaders often bring guilt, unfinished conversations, and unresolved pressure into 2026. Closing loops matters more than fixing everything that happe...

Key Takeaways: Influence is the art of getting people you have no authority over to do what you want them to do, not just because they have to do it, but because they choose to. Your ability to influence others is critical to your success.  The first step in mastering the art of influence and showing up as an influential leader is knowing yourself. It’s not about anybody else. Train yourself first...

Key Takeaways: Understanding how thoughts and feelings contribute to decision-making is key to influential leadership. Influential leadership creates sustainable workforces with less turnover and more productivity. The first step towards becoming an influential leader is to go inward. Be willing to understand how the thoughts, beliefs, and experiences that you had when you were young impact the de...

Key Takeaways: Supporters engage for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, each bringing unique value. Instead of expecting long-term loyalty from everyone, recognize the natural ebb and flow. Gratitude for every contribution keeps the relationship healthy and grounded. Tourists, seasonal residents, and townies each play a meaningful role in the ecosystem. One-time donors bring energy, visibility, an...

Key Takeaways: Goals are meant to guide, not judge. When they serve as a compass instead of a scorecard, they inspire growth and unity instead of strain or shame. Progress becomes something to celebrate, not a verdict on worth. Nonprofit leaders often walk the line between big dreams and achievable results. Rigid focus on financial targets can create tension and burnout, but realistic goals rooted...

Key Takeaways: Goals are meant to guide, not judge. When they serve as a compass instead of a scorecard, they inspire growth and unity instead of strain or shame. Progress becomes something to celebrate, not a verdict on worth. Nonprofit leaders often walk the line between big dreams and achievable results. Rigid focus on financial targets can create tension and burnout, but realistic goals rooted...

Key Takeaways: True commitment begins with finding like-minded people, not convincing others to care. Instead of pitching or pushing, nonprofits should focus on shared values and invite donors into a community built on authentic connection. Meaningful conversations start with listening, not selling. By asking thoughtful questions and validating donors’ stories, organizations create space for peopl...

Javan Van Gronigen is the Co-Founder of Donately, a leading fundraising platform that has processed over $180M in donations for 1,400+ nonprofits. With 15+ years in digital marketing and social impact, he helped create accessible, transparent fundraising technology after his work on the global Kony 2012 campaign.   Key Takeaways: Nonprofits thrive when they align marketing, storytelling, and data...