Real Talk for Real Fundraisers

When you’re looking for your next fundraising position, how do you evaluate which opportunities are most aligned with your professional goals? What questions should you ask in your conversations with hiring managers to learn more about their culture and evaluate whether the role is a good fit? In this podcast episode, Karen and Matt are joined by special guest Paul Towne, VP of Executive Search with Cooper Coleman. As a search consultant who works exclusively with non-profit and social impact organizations, Paul has extensive knowledge about how to interview for the right roles and identify which opportunities will be the best fit for you. We hope this conversation gives you some helpful ideas and tools to use when you’re interviewing for your next fundraising role! Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  Factors impacting the job-hunting landscape across the non-profit sector How to identify roles that will be the best fit for you What candidates should look for when interviewing at a non-profit Questions to ask that will help you learn more about an organization’s culture 

Welcome to January! In these first weeks of the year, you’re likely still finishing out the year-end season, thanking donors for gifts received, and assessing your performance compared to your goals. At the same time, you’re working on communication plans and strategies for the year ahead.  In this episode, Jeff is joined by Theresa Tapocsi and Edie Dahlen, two of our Client Experience Leaders, for an overview of what fundraisers and leaders need to know right now while you’re wrapping up from year-end and getting started on your top priorities in 2024. We are honored to walk alongside fundraisers as they chart their course for a new year. If you could use an external partner to support your work as a fundraiser, we’d love to chat. Schedule a call today for a no-pressure conversation about ways we can partner with you and your organization so you can achieve even more for your mission. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  Common challenges facing fundraisers in January after a busy year-end fundraising season How to evaluate your performance, beyond whether or not you met your revenue goals Where to focus your attention at the start of the calendar year Tips for leaders to help their teams celebrate their work last year and transition to new priorities in the year ahead

When we talk to passionate fundraisers who are deeply committed to their donors, their most common complaint about their work is that they don’t feel supported by their managers. People leave organizations because of it, yet management skills are often undervalued in the non-profit space.  In today’s episode, Karen and Jeff talk through some of the obstacles that may be holding you back as a leader for your fundraising team, and how you can take steps to turn things around. For anyone managing a team of frontline fundraisers, we hope you’ll tune in to this episode for strategies to help you be the kind of manager who inspires your team to do their best work. And if you could use an external partner to support your work as a manager or non-profit leader, we’d love to chat. Schedule a call today for a no-pressure conversation about ways we can support you and your team so you can achieve even more for your mission. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  Some of the most common issues that cause managers and leaders to be ineffective in their roles Practices and actions that define the most effective non-profit leaders and managers How to change the culture at your organization and address any management issues that may be holding your team back

When an anonymous check for $100,000 arrived at the American Brain Foundation, their fundraising team was blown away. The organization certainly wasn’t so large that this level of giving was typical. Who was this anonymous person, and what made them decide to give so generously?  In this episode, Jeff and Diana interview two members of the team at the American Brain Foundation (ABF) – Jane Ransom, Executive Director, and Lisa Dahlberg, Philanthropic Advisor – to learn how they responded to this unexpected gift. Their efforts to connect with this anonymous donor ultimately led to a multi-million-dollar commitment for ABF. Listen in to learn how a transformational gift like this is possible for your organization. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  How an anonymous gift led to a multi-million-dollar commitment The steps that ABF took to learn more about the donor’s passions and goals The internal culture at ABF that supported this transformational partnership

Diana Frazier, a Senior Client Experience Leader, and Kara Ansotegui, Director of Client Engagement Services, dive into the art of transitioning donor relationships. They share essential strategies for navigating shifts from mid-level to major gifts and highlight common pitfalls that nonprofits face during these transitions. The duo emphasizes the importance of respectful communication and understanding donor profiles. Listeners will learn how to foster stronger connections and ensure a seamless experience that honors donors while enhancing their engagement with the organization.

The podcast dives into the pitfalls of rigid moves management in donor relations, highlighting how it stifles genuine connections. Speakers Richard and Jeff argue for a shift towards a continuous cultivation mindset, emphasizing the importance of nurturing donor relationships over simply tracking stages. They share insights on advocating for change within organizations and reveal how understanding donor passions can lead to more impactful engagements. By focusing on the donor experience, fundraisers can ultimately drive greater revenue through richer, more authentic interactions.

At the AFP Conference last summer, two fundraisers from the East Texas Food Bank reached out to Jeff. They wanted to share with him how taking our Certification Course two years ago has made a huge difference for them in building deeper donor relationships and bringing in more revenue for their mission. We felt so inspired by the conversation and the long-term results they’re seeing now, two whole years after taking the training. So, for today’s episode, we invited Hannah Harris, Donor Engagement Advisor, and Alex Fruth, Director of Development for the East Texas Food Bank, to come and share with us about their experience with The Veritus Way of fundraising.  If you’ve been considering taking a training with us, or you’re wondering what it would mean for your organization to adopt a more relational approach to fundraising, listen in to hear from Hannah and Alex about how it’s made an incredible difference in their work with donors.  Show Highlights: In this episode, we ask Hannah and Alex to share about…  Key takeaways from our Certification Course and how it’s impacted their work The before-and-after difference of adopting The Veritus Way Learning to use Permission-Based Asking™ in donor conversations

One of the greatest barriers to your success in relational fundraising is whether or not the rest of your organization understands and supports this work.  We hear stories all the time from frustrated fundraisers who aren’t able to get important program information, can’t easily share the impact, and don’t have donor offers to present.  So for this episode, we’re sharing some guidance, tips, and language to help you start talking about fundraising within your organization so you can get everyone on board and moving in the same direction.  Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn…  The problems that arise when organizations don’t understand or value the role of fundraising How fundraisers and leaders can educate other groups about fundraising How to connect with Program and Finance teams so they can see the impact donors have on their work How to explain a relational approach to fundraising for those without a background in it

We get a lot of questions from our community about basic best practices in fundraising. And we get it! It’s one thing to understand these ideas in theory, but even the most experienced fundraisers run into questions when it comes to implementation. So, for this podcast episode, we’ve compiled some of the most common questions we receive about the basics to encourage you and help you make sure you’ve got the basics down.   Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn…  Why you still need to ask donors to give, even though they’re receiving direct mail How to layer direct mail communications with your relational strategy Why it’s necessary to build a strategic communication plan for each major donor Why you need a 7-step donor qualification process The role of wealth ratings in qualifying your donors

For your organization to continue to grow, you need to invest in an organized program for identifying and stewarding planned gifts. Planned giving is an essential part of relational fundraising, yet so many fundraisers avoid it simply because they don’t have a system that supports them to engage donors in this way. So for this podcast episode, we’ll be talking about the three legs that make up a successful planned giving program. Listen in to learn how to build a program that will support your fundraisers in securing more planned gifts for your organization’s mission. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…  How we define the three legs of planned giving, and where these areas can support each other Organizational division of labor for these functions – whether you have a distinct position for each role, or one person who manages them all What can go wrong when an organization is not properly supporting all three areas of planned giving Opportunities for collaboration between major gifts and planned giving