The Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast

Campaign stress doesn’t come from the work — it comes from uncertainty. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down how to forecast your fundraising campaign results before you launch. No fancy software. No complicated dashboards. Just four simple numbers that determine your outcome: audience size, engagement, conversion, and average gift. You’ll learn: Why campaign res...

Most nonprofit leaders don’t have a board problem. They have a clarity problem. In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom sits down with nonprofit founder-turned-consultant David Rhode , author of Passion Isn’t Enough , to unpack what’s really going wrong when boards feel disengaged, unhelpful, or frustrating. David has been on both sides — as an executive director building a bo...

Most nonprofits treat their big events like fireworks: one loud night, then silence. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly explains how the real value of events begins after the lights go out. You’ll learn why events are not fundraisers — they’re information generators — and how to turn attendee engagement into ongoing relationships, recurring donations, and year-round revenu...

Most nonprofit burnout isn’t a motivation problem — it’s a focus problem. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , hosted by Tom Kelly, we break down how the 80/20 rule applies directly to fundraising growth, donor retention, and nonprofit strategy. You’ll discover why a small percentage of donors drive most of your revenue, why a handful of messages create most of your engagement, and wh...

Most nonprofits are proud of their big annual fundraiser. The gala. The walk. The tournament. The auction night. It feels productive. It brings in revenue. It’s tradition. But what if that once-a-year event is quietly limiting your growth? In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down why depending on one major fundraiser creates compressed revenue, shallow donor relation...

Are you tired of hearing, “I’m not a fundraiser” ? In this episode, Tom Kelly sits down with nonprofit strategist Esther Saehyun Lee to reframe what fundraising really means. Esther helps executive directors, board members, and staff see that fundraising isn’t just about the ask—it’s about connection, trust, and sharing your mission in meaningful ways. They dive into: Why so many nonprofit leaders...

Most nonprofit campaigns fail to retain donors not because of lack of offers, timing, or frequency — but because the relationship feels disconnected. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down the quiet pattern behind campaigns that actually keep donors coming back: Recognition, Reinforcement, Re-entry. You’ll learn: Why high-retention campaigns feel like relationships...

Most lapsed donors don’t need another campaign, another offer, or more urgency. They don’t need to be convinced. They need to feel something again. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly explains why donors lapse in the first place — not because they stopped caring, but because the emotional connection faded — and how one carefully written story can reopen that connection with...

Most nonprofits believe their biggest growth problem is a lack of donors. More names. More leads. Bigger lists. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most nonprofits don’t have a donor problem — they have a conversation problem. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly flips the traditional growth mindset on its head and shows why the fastest way to raise more money isn’t finding n...

The message that doubled one nonprofit’s repeat donors wasn’t long, clever, or emotional poetry. It wasn’t a campaign or a big strategy shift. It was one short follow-up, sent at the right moment, with the right tone, asking the right thing. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down why most nonprofits lose donors not because donors stopped caring, but because the con...

Making donors give more isn’t about manipulation, pressure, or guilt — it’s about understanding how humans actually make decisions. Most nonprofits get it backwards: they lead with numbers, budgets, and statistics, and then wonder why giving stalls. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly explains how to use psychology ethically so donors want to give more because it aligns wit...

Most thank-you letters are polite, well-intentioned, and… completely forgettable. If they worked the way we hope, donor retention wouldn’t be stuck around 45%. Yet people give once and disappear — all the time. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly reveals the real reason your thank-you letters aren’t working and exactly how to fix them using AI and human psychology. Gratitud...

Should You Even Start a Nonprofit? Before you file paperwork, pick a name, or ask for donations, there’s one question you have to answer first: should your nonprofit even exist? In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom sits down with nonprofit governance expert Emily Gaylor to slow things way down and tackle the hard, often uncomfortable truths about starting a nonprofit. This...

Why do people binge Netflix? Because each episode hooks them, holds them, and keeps them coming back for more. Most nonprofits? Their donor journeys feel nothing like that. One donation, one generic thank-you, and then silence. Donors lose momentum. Retention drops. Engagement stalls. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shares the Netflix Strategy — a framework for turning...

Have you ever been on a bad first date — awkward conversation, no connection, way too much oversharing, and zero chemistry? That’s exactly what most donor journeys feel like. And it’s why so many donors give once… and never come back. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down why nonprofit donor journeys fail — and how to redesign them so donors feel courted, connecte...

Have you ever used AI to write a fundraising email or donor message and immediately thought, “This sounds like a robot wrote it” ? You’re not imagining it — and it’s not because AI is bad at fundraising. It’s because most nonprofits are using AI the wrong way. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down the biggest mistake nonprofits make with AI: treating it like a sho...

Most nonprofits already have AI note takers… but almost no one is using them to their full potential. In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast , Tom Kelly sits down with Faigy Gilder , marketing operations and systems expert, to unpack one of the most overlooked (and low-risk) ways nonprofits can start using AI today: AI note takers. This isn’t about replacing people or overhauling...

Have you ever used AI to write a fundraising email or donor message and immediately thought, “This sounds like a robot wrote it” ? You’re not imagining it — and it’s not because AI is bad at fundraising. It’s because most nonprofits are using AI the wrong way. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down the biggest mistake nonprofits make with AI: treating it like a sho...

When was the last time you put together a board report, and the board actually read it? Most nonprofit leaders know the answer: rarely. Hours are spent gathering data, formatting charts, writing summaries, and chasing staff — and yet engagement is low. Half the board skims it, a few dig deep, and some ask questions you already answered. Exhausting. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit ,...

Do you really need to be on every social media platform to grow your nonprofit? In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom Kelly sits down with LinkedIn fundraising expert Michelle Benson to break down why LinkedIn consistently outperforms other platforms when it comes to high-value donors, corporate partners, and trust fund decision-makers. Michelle explains why cold emails, cof...

Have you ever looked at a large nonprofit’s website, emails, or campaigns and wondered how they manage to look so polished, professional, and organized? The truth is, it’s not about having a massive budget — it’s about having the right systems. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down how small nonprofits can use AI to operate, communicate, and present themselves like...

What would happen if every donor who supported your nonprofit felt like they had a personal assistant dedicated just to them? Someone who remembered their birthday, their giving history, their interests, and their impact. Someone who responded warmly and accurately, every single time. Now imagine it happening automatically — without adding more to your workload. In this episode of The Million Doll...

How many donor thank-yous are sitting on your to-do list right now? Five? Twelve? A hundred? Donor gratitude is one of the most important parts of fundraising — and one of the easiest things to fall behind on. Not because you don’t care, but because you’re busy. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows nonprofit leaders how to automate up to 90% of donor thank-yous without...

Who’s the best fundraiser on your team? The person who always knows what to say, who donors instantly trust, and who makes fundraising look effortless while everyone else overthinks a single email. Now imagine if your entire team could fundraise like that. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows nonprofit leaders how to clone their best fundraiser using AI — not by replac...

Writing a fundraising campaign shouldn’t take weeks—or drain your team’s energy. In this episode, Tom Kelly breaks down the exact AI workflow nonprofits are using to create full fundraising campaigns in minutes, not months. From emails and social posts to landing pages, SMS, and video scripts, you’ll learn how to turn one powerful story into an entire multi-channel campaign—without sounding roboti...