What the Fundraising

Want to remember exactly who you are – and be unafraid to claim it? Then you’ll want to tap into the infectious positivity and purpose my guest shares on this episode of What the Fundraising. Ande Lyons is a Startup Champion coach who, as the founder of four successful entrepreneurial ventures, knows intimately the ups downs, joys, and losses associated with taking big risks in pursuit of a passio...

It was a thrill to spend time recently with Cimeran Kapur, the Founder, and CEO of Potion, cancer survivor, advocate for healing, and – most of all – seeker of truth. In this episode of What the Fundraising, we’re discussing the effects of coming into alignment with ourselves. It starts with sifting through and looking at who we are to uncover who we’re meant to become. Cimeran was living at break...

Megan Seamans is a Certified Life & Energy Coach and Human Design Guide. Megan supports women to tap into their magic and confidently lead their life; without people-pleasing or having fear or doubt stand in the way. After navigating the loss of her brother in 2018 and facing burnout on the thing she was the most passionate about, she changed the way she looked at purpose. Now she supports people...

The brittleness, burnout, and even breakdown that so many of us in the nonprofit world experience isn’t just an occupational hazard. It’s symptomatic of a much more far-reaching cultural framework, which is why my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is all about disruption. Rebekah Giacomantonio, a facilitator and community healer, took a necessary pause from her career in restorative ju...

It was such a pleasure to welcome Julie Solomon, an amazing brand and pitch expert, on the day of her first book’s publication. In this episode of What the Fundraising she is walking us through the very internal process undergone by the successful entrepreneurs, entertainers, and other public figures with whom she has worked over the years. But the real work? It started with Julie herself. She get...

Do you ever feel that you’re spinning your wheels or being penny-wise and pound-foolish? My guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is here with some straight talk about managing operations efficiently and effectively. A consultant who helps small businesses scale, Jhana Li is a systems thinker with a gift for optimizing organizations from both the 30,000-foot and three-foot levels. This con...

Tania Bhattacharyya, Founder of Lumos Marketing, has built her practice around empowering female leaders and their brands. She highlights the many ways that we have it within us to confront and transform the historic and systemic structures that hold us back by owning and telling our story differently.  As Tania learned through her years of work at a nonprofit supporting women and families impacte...

When an online community goes from 10k to 500k members seemingly overnight, there’s definitely some secret sauce involved. In this episode of What the Fundraising we learn from Diandra Marizet Esparza, the co-founder and Executive Director of Intersectional Environmentalist (IE), about why the platform has resonated so profoundly. It starts with understanding the way that cultural identities shape...

When we garden we are caring for more than a plot of land. It can also be seen as an expression of hope, curiosity, and of interconnectivity. This is the message my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising has evangelized to great success through her books, blog and fierce commitment to greening our planet together. Emily Murphy is here to share with us the inspiration behind her latest work,...

What does it look like to use our power and privilege for good? In some cases it involves us speaking out, in others it involves us getting quiet and listening. How do you know what to do when? Maggie Doyne and I explore all of this and more in this week’s episode of What the Fundraising. Maggie has been hailed as CNN Hero of the Year and criticized for perpetuating the white savior narrative, and...

Stepping from a nonprofit career trajectory into a for-profit consulting practice required some adjustment on the part of my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising. Trudi Lebron had to recalibrate in some unexpected and liberating ways, changing outmoded practices that are now helping her change our world. Today Trudi Lebron Impact Coaching serves a wide variety of leaders looking to get be...

Nearly a half-million people and counting have chosen to help Ukrainians by booking Airbnb rentals in that war-torn country. Why? On this episode of the What the Fundraising podcast, my guest Lynne Wester and I untangle some of the factors behind this impulse to give 1:1 rather than through traditional nonprofit organizations. The founder of Donor Relations Guru, her team partners closely with non...

If you’re sidestepping cryptocurrency because it seems too abstract or risky, you won’t want to miss this episode of What the Fundraising. It features Veronica Hash, program manager of Belonging at Coinbase, a secure online platform for buying, selling, transferring, and storing digital currency. Coinbase – among the largest crypto exchange platforms in the world – built a philanthropic mission in...

If change is hard, massive and meaningful change can seem impossible. But my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is up to the task. As head of Community Impact and Partnerships for Patagonia, Whitney Clapper is innovating strategies designed to accelerate a paradigm shift in the way we live together and treat the planet. In this episode, much of our discussion focuses on the partnership...

This episode dives right into the importance of strong relationships between donors and nonprofits. As someone who has been on both sides, but now works primarily with funders, our guest is keenly aware of what foundations are looking for in their partnerships.  In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast… Sybil Ackerman-Munson and I discuss what nonprofits can do to level up their pitch when...

Simone Gordon is a single mother of a severely autistic son and the founder of the Black Fairy Godmother Organization which helps marginalized black and brown families. To date, Simone has helped over 500 families and has housed more than 122. In this episode, we talk about the broken parts of the nonprofit sector and why we need to stop putting people in boxes and really listen to their needs. Si...

Shannon Lohr, Founder, and CEO of Factory45 helps her clients navigate the complexities involved in getting a sustainable clothing brand off the ground. What does this have to do with nonprofits? Well, her pragmatic advice applies to nonprofits too - everything from keeping your mindset right to how to prioritize the right brand and launch activities. We get into the nitty-gritty about things like...

Kate Williams is the CEO of 1% for the Planet, a non-profit whose 6,000+ members are integrating environmental giving into standard best business practices. She helps us imagine a world in which every operating budget includes line items to underwrite social causes as routinely as office space or equipment rental. Conjured some 20 years ago on the banks of the Madison River in Montana, the founder...

Megan Staples Jacob is the Senior Development Director for CSF Philadelphia and has been working in the nonprofit realm for over 13 years. Megan is deeply passionate about the underserved communities in Philadelphia and understands children gain their greatest opportunities through education.  In this episode, we discuss the drive and curiosity that fuels her openness to try different strategies i...

Inside this episode, I touch on a major golden nugget that isn’t about fundraising strategy at all, but rather involves personal growth strategies surrounding human psychology, which is a larger key element we don’t highlight enough.  I define the comfortable elements of the fundraiser hustle (you’ll get what I mean when you listen) and how that hustle mindset isn’t productive but rather detriment...

Ayelet Fishbach, Ph. D., is the Jeffrey Breakenridge Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and Marketing at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, and the author of Get It Done (surprising lessons from the science of motivation).   In this episode, Ayelet breaks down the intricate details behind donor motivation and how motivation differs based on the segment of donor. She gives us...

Lindsay Simonds is a senior, nonprofit, fundraising and management professional with notable experience partnering with organizations for transformational change.  In this episode, Lindsay provides donor retention strategies and best practices you can implement inside your fundraising approaches and use to strengthen your team, right now. You can feel our excitement around these topics while we mak...

Dethra Giles is the founder and CEO of ExecuPrep, an international performance optimization firm. She goes around the world, working with companies to make sure they are performing at their optimal level. In this episode, Dethra shares some of her views and experiences around recovering and building confidence, embracing ignorance, and feeling comfortable with rejection. She talks about getting ou...

Today’s episode (or 2-part series) is quite heavy - we are going to be talking about sexual harassment in fundraising. There is explicit content and potentially triggering storytelling so I want to make sure you listen to today’s show in the right place - mentally, physically, and emotionally.   For this series, I have the incredible honor of interviewing Dr. Ann Olivarius who is recognized around...

Today’s episode (or 2-part series) is quite heavy - we are going to be talking about sexual harassment in fundraising. There is explicit content and potentially triggering storytelling so I want to make sure you listen to today’s show in the right place - mentally, physically, and emotionally.   For this series, I have the incredible honor of interviewing Dr. Ann Olivarius who is recognized around...