The Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast

If every donor brought just one more, how fast would your nonprofit grow? Double. Triple. Explode. That’s the power of referrals — and the key to sustainable, scalable growth. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly reveals how to build a donor referral engine using AI and automation. You’ll learn the Identify, Incentivize, Integrate framework to find your best evangelists, mot...

Most nonprofits treat peer-to-peer fundraising like a one-off event—a 5K here, a birthday fundraiser there—and then let it fizzle out. But what if you could turn your supporters into mini-fundraising powerhouses who continually bring in new donors, and use AI to scale it all effortlessly? In this episode, Tom Kelly shares a proven framework: Recruit. Resource. Repeat. You’ll learn how to: Use AI t...

When a supporter hosts a fundraiser for your nonprofit—whether it’s a birthday campaign, 5K, or classroom challenge—who usually gets thanked? The donors. But the person who did all the work—the one who rallied their friends, shared your mission, and raised the money—often gets little more than a quick “Thanks for hosting” email. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly reveals h...

What’s the real difference between a good volunteer and a great one? A good volunteer shows up, helps out, and goes home. A great volunteer spreads the word, brings their friends, and tells your story better than your staff does. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down how to turn your volunteers into donor advocates —people who don’t just give time, but also help y...

How often do you contact your volunteers? Not just when you need them—but to thank them, encourage them, and invite them deeper into your mission? Most nonprofits are great at recruitment—but terrible at retention. They treat volunteers like gig workers, people who clock in, do a task, and leave. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shares how recurring volunteer outreach ca...

Tired of chasing down volunteers with endless reminder emails, last-minute shift swaps, and chaotic spreadsheets? You’re not alone. Most nonprofit leaders spend way too much time coordinating volunteers—and it doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to build the easiest volunteer coordination system ever, using nothing more than AI + G...

Most nonprofits think of volunteers as helping hands—but the smartest leaders see them as something more. Volunteers are not just free labor; they’re future donors, champions, and even board members. The question is: how do you move people from “I’ll help for an hour” to “I’m all in for the mission”? In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly introduces the Volunteer Loyalty Ladde...

If you’ve ever found yourself training the same volunteer on the same task for the tenth time, you know how exhausting and inefficient it can be. Not only does it drain your time, but it also slows down your events and leaves volunteers confused. The good news? Volunteer training doesn’t have to be manual. With the right tools, you can automate it once and use it forever. In this episode of The Mi...

Every nonprofit leader knows the struggle: a volunteer shows up excited to help, but within minutes, it’s clear they’re in the wrong role. The shy person stuck at check-in. The outgoing people-person hidden in the back. The volunteer who dreads tech suddenly running your auction software. It’s not just awkward—it’s a recipe for volunteers not coming back. But what if you could flip that? What if e...

Your top donors don’t just want polished newsletters or glossy gala recaps. They want access —the raw, authentic, behind-the-scenes moments that show the real heartbeat of your mission. And when you give them that insider view, their loyalty skyrockets. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly reveals how to set up an automated behind-the-scenes series that makes major donors fe...

Most nonprofits build their campaigns around their own calendars —fiscal year-end, Giving Tuesday, the spring gala. But donors live in their own rhythms: birthdays, anniversaries, first gifts, retirements, even losses. And when you connect your fundraising to their moments, not just yours , you raise more and build stronger relationships. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly...

Most nonprofits plan their year with the same old calendar—Giving Tuesday, year-end appeal, a spring gala, maybe a fall walk-a-thon. But here’s the secret: donors don’t give to dates—they give to stories. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to use AI to craft an annual giving theme that transforms your fundraising into a story donors can follow all year long....

What if you could make every donor feel like a VIP—without filming hundreds of individual thank-you videos? In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shows you how to use AI-powered dynamic video thank-yous to wow donors at scale. Learn how to record one core message, personalize it with donor names, gift amounts, and impact, and automate delivery within minutes. You’ll discover:...

Donors don’t want more emails—they want smarter ones. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shows you how to use conditional logic + AI to send donor emails that feel personal without writing hundreds by hand. Using the Segment. Script. Send. framework, you’ll learn how to: Build simple donor segments that branch automatically. Script personalized thank-you and impact emails w...

Not every donor moment should be automated—and not every moment should be personal. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down how to know the difference so you can scale without losing connection. Using the Routine. Relational. Rare. framework, you’ll learn: Which touchpoints to automate with AI and CRMs. When to slow down and send something personal. How to honor rar...

🎬 Why reinvent the wheel when you can replay your greatest hits? In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly reveals how to build a Fundraising Replay Machine —a system where your best campaigns don’t just run once, they run again and again with small tweaks, AI-powered rewrites, and fresh updates. You’ll learn the 3-step framework—Re-Run, Re-Write, Re-Raise —and discover how to:...

Your past campaigns aren’t dead—they’re dormant. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to become an AI Campaign Archivist —the person who recovers your best-performing campaigns, refreshes them with AI, and relaunches them to raise more with less effort. You’ll learn the 3-step framework—Recover, Refresh, Relaunch —plus practical ChatGPT prompts you can use righ...

Most nonprofits run a big event or campaign, celebrate the win, and then shelve it forever. But here’s the truth: if it worked once, it can work again. The key is turning live campaigns into evergreen funnels that generate donations all year long. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly walks you through his Repurpose. Repackage. Relaunch. framework: Repurpose – Transform past...

Most nonprofits don’t have a lead problem —they have a follow-up problem . Too often, someone signs up, downloads a guide, or meets you at an event… and then nothing. Silence. By the time you follow up, they’ve forgotten you. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to fix it with an AI-powered follow-up system that responds instantly, delivers value, and builds tr...

Most nonprofits blow it with new donors. A receipt. A generic thank you. Then silence. That’s not onboarding—that’s ghosting. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to build the Ultimate New Donor Onboarding Sequence, powered by AI . You’ll learn the Welcome. Walk. Wow. framework: Welcome – Celebrate donors immediately with a warm, personalized thank-you. Walk –...

The first seven days after a donor signs up or gives for the first time? That’s the most important week of their journey. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to automate the first week of donor love to create superfans who stick, share, and give again. You’ll learn the Thank. Show. Invite. framework: Day 1: Thank – Send a warm, personal thank-you that celebrat...

What if every donor action—clicking a link, attending an event, even abandoning a donation form—automatically triggered the perfect next step? That’s the power of a Donation Trigger Tree , a simple automation map that gently guides donors toward giving opportunities without guesswork. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down the Watch, Wire, Win framework for buildin...

What if your nonprofit had a fundraising assistant who never slept, never got tired, and was always ready to thank donors, answer questions, and even close gifts? With AI, you can build that assistant—and train it in a single weekend. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly walks you through a simple three-step framework— Teach, Train, Turn On —to create your own 24/7 AI-powere...

Most nonprofits lose donors because they go silent after the first gift. A thank-you email, then nothing—until the next big campaign. By then, the donor has forgotten your name. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly shows you how to fix that with Automated Donor Journeys in GoHighLevel. You’ll learn a simple three-step framework— Map, Message, Automate —to guide every donor f...

Think about the last time you stayed at a truly great hotel—where someone greeted you by name, remembered your preferences, and made you feel like the most important guest in the room. That’s the concierge experience. Now imagine giving your donors that same level of care. In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit , Tom Kelly breaks down how to build what he calls the AI Concierge Experience...