Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast Practivated: Your Virtual Fundraising Coach
11 snips
Aug 12, 2025 
Join Mallory Erickson, Founder and CEO of Practivated, as she shares her journey from accidental fundraiser to a leading coach. Discover how her platform helps fundraisers practice and build confidence before meeting donors, reducing anxiety through realistic simulations. Mallory discusses the importance of ethical AI in fundraising, the neuroscience of fear reduction, and how practicing transforms fundraisers into confident partners rather than asking beggars. If you're looking to enhance your fundraising skills, this conversation is a must-listen!
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Design Choices Shape AI's Impact
- Mallory launched Practivated after realizing AI could either harm or help fundraising culture depending on design choices.
- She built it to prioritize relational, transformational coaching over addictive usage metrics.
Quick Practice, Real Outcomes
- A fundraiser used Practivated for seven minutes, then immediately made thank-you calls she'd avoided for weeks.
- A different user practiced en route to a donor meeting and secured a $5,000 gift afterward.
Reframe Conversations, Close The Gap
- Practivated helps both new and veteran fundraisers reframe conversations from asks to offers and move beyond the "friend zone."
- Focused practice reduces avoidance and increases willingness to address funding topics directly.
