Your Weekly Dose of Nonprofit: Recent Episodes
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Your website, social media and video content have to be inclusive and accessible so all users can engage with it. What does that look like? Jen Frazier of Firefly Partners has the answers. In this episode Jen discusses
- How to create a joyful welcome experience for website users
- Is digital really the equalizer we think it is
- The money you're leaving on the table when your assets aren't accessible to all
- Understanding your users by getting into their shoes
- Testing jargon to ensure everyone understands your content and
- How to make sure everyone can engage with your social media content and videos.
Jason Unger of Digital Ink has been building websites for a long time. He knows what works for users and moves them to take action- and what doesn't. In this episode Jason discusses
- Website design yes's and no's
- What causes website users to become turned off
- Designing calls-to-action that convert
- Desktop vs. mobile site and
- How design can help your storytelling efforts on your site.
Fundraisers wear a thousand hats and have a million tasks to do. Fundraising smartie and coach Patrick Kirby of Do Good Better Consulting knows all about it- and wants to help you organize the chaos of fundraising. In this episode Patrick discusses
- Why the sector has a "too many hats" problem
- The 20-minute plan to organize your hats and tasks
- How to say no to a boss who wants to add tasks
- Time to organize the chaos of raising money and
- Why "we've always done it this way" is hazardous to fundraising.
As someone who educates nonprofiteers about ethics, Ryan Woroniecki of DonorSearch knows what happens when a nonprofit engages in unethical fundraising practices: Donors stop believing in you. In this episode Ryan discusses
- What is ethical fundraising
- 3 unethical fundraising practices that need to be fixed
- Donor profiles: Should you share them
- The "creepiness" of prospect research and
- Why it's critical to have a gift acceptance policy.
Jacob Kamaras has been a reporter, an editor and is now an owner of a small media outlet. He knows what you have to do to build relationships with journalists in order to place your story. In this episode Jacob discusses
- What you have to present journalists when you email them
- The importance of building relationships with media members
- What to prepare in advance of pitching a story
- Continuing the relationship after your story was posted and
- Why we need to change the term "nonprofit."
Cindy Wagman of The Good Partnership is not only an experienced fundraiser. She's an expert in helping small shop fundraisers build relationships, raise more and use their time effectively to do so. In this episode Cindy discusses
- How to change the dominant narratives around fundraising
- Changing how we think about who can give
- Why engaging small donors is critical to success
- What to do BEFORE making an in-person ask
- How to stop being The Acrobat and
- Why multi-tasking isn't as great as you think it is.
Josh Hirsch isn't just a nonprofit marketing expert. He's in charge of social marketing for Susan G. Komen, which means he has to manage a LOT of moving parts. And he does so very successfully! In this episode Josh discusses
- Knowing your audience so your posts have the right tone
- Mistakes NPOs make on social media- and how to fix them
- Measuring social success- what REALLY matters
- Connecting financial results from social media activity
- How to choose which social channels to be active on and
- Working with affiliates/chapters on pushing out content.
Fundraising authority Claire Axelrad of Clairification is an expert in major gift giving. She explains how your organization should be looking to identify potential donors, engage with and solicit gifts from them. In this episode Claire discusses
- What exactly defines a major gift
- The difference between contributor, supporter, giver and investor
- Who in your donor database is a potential major giver
- How to prepare to make a major gift ask
- The importance of who should make the ask and
- The one thing you MUST do to retain donors.
Rachel Werner of RBW Strategy has raised over $130 million in grant funding. So she knows when a potential funder is a right fit- and when it's not. In this episode Rachel discusses
- What to look for when determining if a foundation is a good prospect
- Tools to research prospective funders
- Assessing whether you're ready to seek grants
- Why you need to know your "why" and
- The importance of connections when deciding whether to approach a foundation.
Boris Kievsky of dotOrg Strategy knows all about storytelling. That's what happens when you work in Hollywood. He's taken that experience and is using it to help nonprofits tell their story. In this episode Boris discusses
- Who is the hero in a story
- How stories help us connect to others
- Using "the Hollywood Way" to tell nonprofit stories
- Telling stories across multiple channels and
- What HAS to be present with every piece of content you produce.
What type of leader are you: Always sticking with the "old ways" or willing to look out for new ways of thinking and doing? Rickesh Lakhani, Executive Director of Future Possibilities for Kids, strongly believes in trying new things and leading from the fringes. In this episode Rickesh discusses
- How "Pattern Interrupt" creates change
- Balancing best practices with the need to try new things
- What data to monitor to determine overall impact
- The overall sector and our inability to change and
- Why we should stop calling it the "nonprofit" sector.
Does your organization have a monthly giving program? If not why not??? Harvey McKinnon, the man who wrote the book on the topic, will teach you all about it and why your charity should offer monthly giving. In this episode Harvey discusses
- what stops nonprofits from offering monthly giving to donors
- advance prep before setting up a monthly giving program
- who to target with a monthly giving ask
- what channels to use to market it
- the advantages of monthly giving and
- what separates successful from not successful nonprofits.
The 2021 Giving Experience Study, published by OneCause, showcases the changes philanthropy, fundraising, donors and comms have undergone during Corona. As Kelly Velasquez-Hague notes, those changes aren't going away when the pandemic does. In this episode Kelly discusses
- how lockdown made giving more accessible and diverse
- what will determine whether people want to return to in-person events
- what motivates social donors to give again
- the positive changes in Millennial giving
- how to make giving easy for social donors and
- what fundraising trends will continue after corona ends.
Can anyone become a fundraiser? David Burgess of Apollo Fundraising trains fundraisers but also helps non-fundraisers to become fundraisers for causes that are close to them. In this episode David discusses
- what fundraisers should focus on (hint: it's not the money)
- the impact of stories on donors AND staff
- 3 characteristics all fundraisers should possess
- why you should turn an ask into an invitation
- tips for making a successful ask and
- why NPOs requiring a university degree in job listings should stop it. Now.
What's it like to manage and post content for a nonprofit, such as a prestigious institution in London? Greg Leurs is a member of the team who manage the social media content for the Royal Holloway Library at the University of London. Their content is smart, engaging, funny and creative. How do they do it? In this episode Greg discusses
- the pressure of being the face behind the logo
- tips for preparing content for a brand that engages followers
- the importance of setting up guidelines, policies, calendars
- building a content strategy and showing personality
- how to deal with mistakes and
- how to deal with negative comments/responses.
Susan Detwiler of The Detwiler Group is a nonprofit strategist and facilitator. When the Board and staff have a harmonious relationship, great things happen. When they don't... In this episode Susan discusses
- the most common source of friction between Board and staff
- 3 ways to involve the Board in operations and planning
- 4 reasons for having Board term-limits
- why frequent meetings between the CEO and Board chair are critical and
- what data the Board needs to make decisions.
Reuben Herzl of Groundmaking is an expert nonprofit video director and producer. There's a lot that goes into making a great video which will mobilize supporters to take action. In this episode Reuben discusses
- the SPICE routine when preparing to record
- tips on how to successfully film kids
- what types of video your NPO should be recording and using
- why you need to find the right story circle, not arc and
- how testimonials can help your fundraising efforts.
When marketing and fundraising are in sync, beautiful things happen. That of course means planning out your marketing strategy. NPO marketing strategist Maria Bryan will explain just how to do that. In this episode she discusses
- why marketing goals aren't just numbers
- the importance of investing in brand awareness and authority building
- what 3 elements your marketing strategy must include
- how to determine what platforms to be on and
- what's your north star and why it's critical to success.
Fundraising isn't about the money. It's about getting to know donors, building relationships and understanding how they want to be communicated with. Fundraising pro Mimosa Kabir has spent her career successfully connecting with people and the causes closest to them. In this episode Mimosa discusses
- how to encourage monthly giving
- what to leave at the door before meeting a donor
- how to use digital tools to connect with people
- a different way to view the low retention rate
- the importance of segmenting donor communications and
- how often should you ask for a donation.
You need stories for your fundraising campaigns, email marketing, brochures, social media, website and more. Who better to learn from how to interview subjects and get the info you need than fundraising specialist Sam Laprade, who's also a radio host?! In this episode Sam discusses
- what makes a good story
- how to prepare for interviews of service recipients
- tips for successful interviews
- the importance of quotes and
- how to use data to get an emotional reaction from your audience.
Blogs, social posts, ebooks, guides, website copy, newsletters, emails. There's a LOT of content you can be producing. Abby Jarvis of Qgiv produces all of it- and her content gets results! How? In this episode Abby discusses
- how to find and where to look for content
- what 1 thing does every piece of content have to have
- what to prepare in advance of writing a blog post
- writing tips to keep the audience reading
- how your content helps your fundraising efforts and
- juggling everything to produce max content every year.
Have you got way too much going in your life? Too many demands from too many people? Meico Marquette Whitlock of Mindful Techie will help you tackle your work-life and tech-life balance. In this episode Meico discusses
- dealing with IDD- Intention Deficit Disorder
- why purchasing a real alarm clock is a huge help
- 3 apps to help you lessen stress and manage your time
- how to deal with an endless stream of email
- reclaiming your commute time and
- why you shouldn't die with the music still inside you.
She is a fundraising authority and a capital campaign expert. Amy Eisenstein of Capital Campaign Toolkit knows the secrets to a successful capital campaign...and why they sometimes fail. In this episode Amy discusses
- what a capital campaign is supposed to accomplish for your organization
- the 7-steps of a capital campaign
- reasons why you should NOT embark on a capital campaign
- preparing in advance to ensure campaign success and
- what's the #1 mistakes nonprofits make with their fundraising.