What the Fundraising

Jenny Nuccio is the founder and CEO of Imani Collective, a leading global ethical home decor brand that serves over 170 artisans in three locations in Kenya. She is an expert in social entrepreneurship, social work leadership, and management, and on this episode of What the Fundraising we are talking all about how she needed to learn the hard way that relationships with stakeholders, whether they...

Maya Angelou famously said, “Now that I know better, I do better.” It’s a sentiment that perfectly captures the spirit behind EmbraceRace, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing children who are thoughtful, informed, and brave in taking on all aspects of equity and justice. On this episode of What the Fundraiser its founder, Andrew Grant Thomas, helps us explore difficult conversations – why we need t...

What would it be like if nonprofit teams got past the labels and stigmas? Traded in silos for collaboration? This episode of What the Fundraising features a panel of 13 marketing and fundraising experts who are here to discuss how cross-departmental integration advances overall organizational goals by building both brand and donor relationships. They are sharing personal perspectives and busting f...

When it comes to making consumer choices, it’s well known that humans don’t always act rationally. In fact, as amply documented by economists, we very often actually act against our own best interests! On this episode of What the Fundraising, we’re getting down to the science of giving. Behavioral science, that is! If you haven’t been using the powerful tools and research out there, Evelyn Gosnell...

When we look at fundraising, we tend to silo marketing, acquisition, cultivation, and stewardship. But Simon Mainwaring, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, is explaining why in fact they are all a piece of the puzzle. He is breaking down for us the ways in which each element of the donor journey is a link in the chain that is indicative of the nonprofit’s overall brand. When we get...

Sometimes it’s our job as integral change leaders to be the reality check – even when it’s not easy or means leaving money on the table. Bessi Graham, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, is helping us think in new ways about bravery – the willingness to stand up as nonprofits and claim our value propositions, state our limitations and insist on donor partners whose values align with...

When it comes to Gen Z, there is a cultural investigation going on that is challenging older generations to reflect and in many cases reset. Danielle Farage, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, is a “Workplace Futurist” helping the first fully digital generation create a new sense of work-life harmony. As Director of Growth & Marketing at Café, a platform fostering development and co...

When it comes to accessibility, do foundation’s insides match their outsides? This episode of What the Fundraising – the second of two parts – takes a closer look at how (or whether) funders embrace the full spectrum of disabilities, not just in the projects they fund but in the accessibility of their funds in the first place. Staying aligned to our missions means ensuring our systems are integral...

Sharing that I’m a person with ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) has definitely sparked feedback and conversation, which should come as no surprise. As Margaux Joffe, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is perfectly positioned to explain, neurodivergence is a reality across all kinds of workplaces in every imaginable sector. “It represents the diverse range of human brai...

Is so-called “dumb luck” really so dumb? Or is it, in fact, the result of an invitation? As my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising explains, there’s an art and science to this thing called “serendipity.” Christian Busch, author of "The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck," is showing us how to cultivate the unexpected, with insights about why an abundant approa...

When my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising peers into the future, she sees a world in which well-being isn’t an afterthought but the centerpiece of creativity, innovation, and productivity. As Co-Founder and CEO at Quan, Arosha Brouwer is creating a platform to support sustainable workplace environments through science-based inquiry and behavioral insight. Whether in a for-profit or non...

This episode is a quick personal note from me to you. It includes some recap, a look ahead and what I am thinking about for the sector and fundraisers in 2023 and beyond. It also includes my deep gratitude for you, this community, our guests and our amazing sponsors. Some of the episodes I highlight in the recap include: Britt Frank - THE SCIENCE OF STUCK & HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR FUNDRAISING...

It’s easy to feel intimidated – or even a little clueless – when it comes to leveraging potential funding sources like stock, cryptocurrency, ETFs, or IRAs. But when we’re avoidant, says my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, we’re leaving money on the table. Vance Roush, Founder & CEO at Overflow isn’t suggesting that people running nonprofits need to become experts in any of these non...

Note the disparity: while commercial businesses have a near 90% returning customers, the nonprofit sector has a staggering 40-45%. Surprising? Then you’ll want to spend some time with Jay Love, Co-Founder of Bloomerang, and my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising. After 11 years as the CEO and Co-Founder of eTapestry, Jay started Bloomerang specifically to address the donor retention issu...

Giving Circles have been around as a concept since the 1980s, but in combination with new technologies, those circles are wider and more generous than ever before. As we learn from Emily Rasmussen, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, having a platform around which to congregate strengthens the communities that are fueling movements. She founded Grapevine in 2018 specifically to facil...

Have you met people in the fundraising space who think tech is a silver bullet? And because of that, they invest a lot of time and resources in making decisions around the tech adoption and fail to anticipate the implementation of the tech solution. It’s quite common, and the truth is that I was guilty of it as an Executive Director too. But we need to start talking about technology differently, a...

How’s your data hygiene? No need to panic! As we learn on this episode of What the Fundraising, our metrics don’t need to be perfect. In fact, according to my guest, Nejeed Kassam, Founder & CEO of Keela and Co-Founder of Fundraising Kit, missteps and gaps are a given. But that’s not the bigger problem here. The first hurdle is the tendency to bury our heads in the sand. Prone to perfectionism, ma...

15 years ago Lynne Twists’ first book - The Soul of Money - completely changed the trajectory of my life, and it became the foundation for much of the work I do today. It is one of my greatest honors to get to interview someone on What the Fundraising who has been so instrumental in changing the course of my life and my relationship with money. Over the course of her extraordinary 40-year career,...

What might happen if we removed the veil and said that no one was a fundraising expert? I think it might lead to a lot more fundraisers trusting their gut, taking risks, testing, and realizing that their constant learning around fundraising is what matters - not being an ‘expert’. That’s what I’m talking about in this episode of What the fundraising with Tim Kachuriak, Chief Innovation & Optimizat...

Today’s episode of What the Fundraising is a conversation with Emmie Erickson, my 3-year-old daughter. For months Emmie has been asking me to ‘make a podcast’ and I decided that GivingTuesday would be a great time for Emmie to read you her favorite book - I Am: Book of Reminders by Juana Medina. There are affirmations inside this book that feel particularly important to remind you of this GivingTu...

Are you ready to get uncomfortable? Whether in the nonprofit sector or the entrepreneurial startup space, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is advocating for a growth mindset that says “okay!” to rejection, makes friends with Imposter Syndrome and just says no to self-critic noise. Estelle Giraud, CEO & Co-Founder of Trellis Health, demonstrates the power of honoring ourselves – eve...

Can you imagine a vibrant social impact marketplace built on outcomes-based data? My guest on this episode of What the Fundraising certainly can – because that’s exactly the platform he and his team at 60 Decibels are building out. CEO & Co-Founder Sasha Dichter explains the why behind creating a foundation for genuine benchmarks and repeatability when it comes to measuring nonprofit results. The...

You could sit back and relax if only you had a big celebrity attached to your nonprofit, right? Well not quite, as my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising explains. For all her professional skills and the competent staff behind Usher's New Look, President & CEO Careshia Moore still works hard to keep the organization financially healthy, vibrant and strong. Even with the deep, long-term i...

In this episode of What The Fundraising, James Citron, Founder and CEO of Pledge, shares his top advice for nonprofits wanting to dream big and launch partnerships with companies. Having founded and/or led the growth of three of the largest mobile messaging and engagement companies in the United States and the world, James took a leap of faith eight years ago when he decided to dedicate his life t...

Here’s a thought: What if we had a platform for nonprofit grant writing like the online Common App that colleges and universities have adopted with such great success? That was similar to the initial inspiration for my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, Gauri Manglik. Gauri is the CEO and Co-founder of Instrumentl, a platform that brings grant discovery, research, and tracking to one p...