The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailIn this thoughtful Fundraisers Friday conversation, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall take viewers inside one of the most persistent tensions in fundraising: the distinction between donor appeals and donor relationships. Using real experiences, honest stories, and decades of shared sector knowledge, they walk through why these two ideas are often treated as opposites—when in reality, they function best in tandem.Their convo opens with warmth and camaraderie, quickly shifting into a substantive examination of how appeals work. Tony offers a clear definition, noting that appeals are intentional, seasonal communications designed to spur timely action. Year-end campaigns, back-to-school initiatives, and Giving Tuesday messages all fall squarely into this category. They carry a sense of immediacy, a call for participation “in the here and the now.”But as Julia points out, the urgency of an appeal can mask deeper strategy concerns. Organizations sometimes over-rely on “spray-and-pray” messaging, sending thousands of identical asks without considering whether the recipient is already deeply invested, newly aware, or somewhere in between.From here, the cohosts explore the more nuanced terrain of donor relationships—a slower, more personal rhythm grounded in trust, communication, alignment of values, and long-term stewardship. As Tony states in one of the episode’s most resonant lines, “Building the relationships, maintaining the engagement… will ultimately result in a larger gift.” It’s a reminder that fundraising is seldom about instant gratification; it is about cultivating connection over time.The two also address the emotional dynamics of how appeals are perceived. Tony shares a striking moment when he received a letter with the single handwritten word “Help!”—a gesture intended to convey urgency but which instead signaled distress. Julia and Tony use this example to emphasize the responsibility fundraisers have when they frame need, motivation, and tone. They move into donor segmentation, donor tiers, and the organizational realities faced by nonprofits of every size—from kitchen-table startups to high-rise institutions.Throughout the conversation, the cohosts reinforce the idea that appeals and relationships should not be competing strategies. Instead, they are complementary tools within a bigger architecture—one that acknowledges the emotional, operational, and strategic layers that shape philanthropic investment.#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday #NonprofitLeadershipFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailA valuable and thought-provoking conversation with Carrie Wright, consultant and coach at Wright Consulting. Joined by cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Wendy F. Adams, Carrie guides leaders toward a more thoughtful, rigorous, and human-centered approach to nonprofit organizational performance.Rather than rushing into resolutions and planning cycles, Carrie urges leaders to adopt a practice of year-end reflection—an intentional look backward before charting the year ahead. As she states, “There’s a saying that ignorance is bliss, but I genuinely believe that knowledge is power.” That philosophy becomes the cornerstone of her framework: understand what fueled the team, what depleted it, and what priorities still belong at the table.Carrie challenges organizations to treat mission, vision, and values not as decorative phrases, but as practical tools that recalibrate purpose. When teams drift from their “why,” burnout rises and cohesion dissolves. One method she employs is asking every team member to restate the mission in their own words and connect it directly to their daily responsibilities. This creates clarity, alignment, and ultimately ownership—an essential sequence for high-performing teams.Quarterly rhythms also play a central role in Carrie’s approach. Instead of waiting an entire year to revisit goals or assess team health, she encourages predictable check-ins, extended conversations, and off-site sessions where challenges, ideas, and wins can surface in psychologically safe ways. These rhythms reduce confusion, prevent moving targets, and strengthen trust through consistency.Carrie also emphasizes leadership development at every level. With her mantra, “Lead from where you sit,” she reframes leadership as an act accessible to all staff—not a title. This perspective urges team members to examine their habits, define one development goal, and consider what needs to be eliminated, automated, or delegated to make true progress.Finally, she offers a compelling metaphor: culture as a thermostat—not something you set and ignore, but something requiring constant monitoring. Pulse checks, real communication, and people-first decisions are essential to preventing turnover and maintaining momentum.With clarity, warmth, and strategic depth, Carrie presents a blueprint for nonprofits seeking resilience and alignment in the year ahead. #TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #TeamCultureFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailRethinking nonprofit success usually begins with new metrics or another training calendar. In this conversation, educator and learning strategist Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting proposes something far more disruptive: stop confusing information with action. Drawing on adult learning research and decades inside associations, state agencies, and community organizations, she challenges the sector’s default response to problems—more workshops, more webinars, more content.Nancy names the uncomfortable truth: only about 10 percent of training translates into behavior change. That means roughly 90 percent of our investment in “capacity building” does not reliably alter what people actually do. For a sector that prides itself on stewardship, that is a profound governance and management issue, not merely a pedagogical one.Instead, Nancy urges nonprofit leaders to move from a training mindset to a performance mindset. Rather than asking, “What session can we send them to?” she asks, “What would it take for our board members, staff, or volunteers to perform this task?” That question opens a richer design space: targeted knowledge, specific skills, practice in a safe environment, emotional connection, and practical support, such as job aids and clear task lists.At the center of her framework is a deceptively simple sentence: “our nonprofits are only as strong as their people are.” Capacity is no longer an abstract concept; it becomes the ability, confidence, emotional readiness, and structural support that everyday people need in order to act.Nancy also reframes motivation. Emotions may trigger interest, but sustained action depends on the partnership of competence and confidence, repeatedly reinforced through real practice. Her story of a board member whose service is rooted in the grief of losing a child makes this point vivid: when we slow down enough to know why people are at the table, we unlock a different level of commitment and trust.For boards, fundraisers, and executives, this discussion is an invitation to pause the endless “rinse and repeat” of busywork and reconsider how learning, performance, and human psychology intersect. 00:00:00 Today’s big question 00:02:02 Meet Nancy Bacon educator designer and learning strategist 00:03:33 Information is not action the ten percent reality of training 00:06:31 From training to performance what board members really need 00:12:48 Nonprofit capacity our organizations are only as strong as their people 00:16:01 Competence confidence and the lost art of practice 00:18:30 Motivation emotions and the gap between need to know and need to do 00:21:47 Why are you really on this board the story that changed the room 00:25:32 Nonprofits are in the people business brain and behavior science in action 00:26:18 Under pressure can nonprofits still slow down to rethink success Find us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailNonprofits love to talk about growth. New markets, new programs, new grants, new everything. But our guest, Aila Malik, founder of Venture Leadership Collective, flips the script and asks the question most boards and executives skip: Have you actually earned the right to scale up?Coming out of Silicon Valley’s “grow or die” mindset, Aila warns that scaling is not a badge of honor—it’s a high-risk move that can quietly hollow out your organization if your foundation is shaky. She walks through three blunt prerequisites before you chase expansion:·        Do you know the true cost of your model—including “motivational paychecks,” underpriced talent, and the invisible cost of managing volunteers?·        Do you know what success at steady state really looks like—revenue mix, roles, talent, outcomes?·        Do you know when to call it before your signature program starts bleeding to death?From there, Aila digs into the three C’s that separate organizations that scale with intention from those that spin out: competency (or courage), clarity, and culture. Self-aware leaders who can say “I don’t know,” data-literate teams that treat impact as their “money metric,” and cultures built on trust and transparency all become non-negotiables.As Aila puts it, “We don’t have a profit metric we’re trying to increase. We’re trying to increase the outcomes and the impact in the community.” That one line resets the whole conversation. Growth is no longer about bragging rights—it’s about whether your systems, people, and culture are strong enough to carry more weight without breaking.If you’re tired of board pressure, whiplash after big grants, and reactive leadership, this episode is your wake-up call: scale is earned, not assumed.#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #ScaleWithIntentionFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailInterim leadership is no longer just a stopgap in the executive director’s seat—it’s becoming a strategic engine for sustainable fundraising.  Joan Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Interim Executives Academy, and David M. Nicole, CFRE, founder of Headwinds Consulting, share why interim development leadership may be one of the most underused tools in the nonprofit sector.Together, Joan and David contrast short-term revenue fantasies with the realistic, process-based nature of fundraising. They call out unrealistic expectations—boards and CEOs who imagine the interim will arrive with a magic button and instant major gifts—and instead emphasize assessments, strategy teams, and shared ownership across staff, board, and executive leadership.Joan opens by reframing the “interim world” as an intentional, structured response to leadership transitions, not just a temporary patch. Interims, she explains, aren’t there to keep a chair warm; they’re there to guide organizations through CEO, COO, and chief development officer transitions with clarity, planning, and structure. With turnover rising and leadership expectations evolving, the data point is clear: every leader leaves, so organizations need a plan that goes beyond wishful thinking.David brings numbers and nuance from his six interim roles—split between CEO/executive director and development director positions. He describes a model where interim development directors are explicitly hired with clear objectives, defined timelines (often 12–18 months), and a mandate to build systems, not personal empires. His philosophy is summed up in a powerful line:“My success is not necessarily what I accomplish while I'm there. My success is measured by what the organization accomplishes after I leave.”The conversation also explores how donors and funders respond when organizations are transparent about using interim leaders. Surprisingly, many donors appreciate the foresight, especially when the message shifts from “we’re in crisis” to “we’re investing in long-term stability.” Community funders are beginning to require succession plans and even encourage interim solutions as a sign of sound governance.You’ll agree, interim development leadership looks less like a temporary fix and more like a strategic on-ramp to sustainable fundraising, stronger boards, and healthier organizations!! #TheNonprofitShow #InterimLeadership #NonprofitFundraisingFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when a kid who scribbles “play soccer at Ohio State” in kindergarten actually does it—and then decides his story shouldn’t be the exception? That question sits at the center of this episode with Channing Chasten, professional athlete and founder of The One Percent Kid Foundation.From the start, Channing describes a childhood shaped by two steady forces: the soccer pitch and a mother who refused to let academics trail behind. Homework came first, the ball came second. Years later, that same mix of discipline and imagination is now driving a nonprofit built on three pillars: soccer, literacy, and mindset.Channing explains why he believes in the power of tiny, consistent gains instead of giant leaps. As he puts it, “If you break it down into a small step, you realize starting is the easy part.” That simple idea—1% better every day—guides everything from his youth programs to his fundraising strategy.We follow his journey through literacy camps where reading comes before drills, turning books into the ticket to soccer practice. He shares what he’s learning about plummeting reading scores, the heartbreaking link between third-grade literacy and incarceration, and why his team expanded from early grades to high schoolers who have already fallen behind.The story widens as he walks through how he built a board full of nonprofit veterans and soccer leaders, deliberately choosing people who know both the sport and the sector. Their mentoring shapes his ambitions: building a national model starting in Arizona, creating mindset workshops in schools, and eventually launching a scholarship fund for under-resourced students who come through the program.Along the way, we glimpse the grind behind the dream: chasing grants, securing a city award from Chandler, collecting impact data, filming quality videos so donors can actually see the work, and constantly revisiting big revenue targets in six- and twelve-month windows.By the end, The One Percent Kid isn’t just a catchy name—it feels like an invitation to kids, donors, and communities to believe that small, steady progress can rewrite a life story. 00:00:00 Welcome introduction to Channing Chasten 00:01:05 What is The One Percent Kid Foundation 00:03:04 Why 1 percent progress matters for big goals 00:04:41 Mission soccer literacy and mindset explained 00:06:34 How reading becomes the ticket to play 00:07:31 Expanding from early grades to high school students 00:10:07 Building a nonprofit board with real sector experience 00:13:20 Learning from mentors and planning for sustainability 00:15:22 Literacy first or soccer first what donors care about 00:16:53 Showing impact through video data and testimonials 00:19:45 Big long term vision for The One Percent Kid 00:24:26 The One Percent Kid book school visits and SEL 00:27:01 Where to find Channing and final mindset message #TheNonprofitShow #YouthSoccer #LiteracyMattersFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailYear-end generosity is a perfect storm for cybercrime—and most nonprofits don’t see the danger until after the damage is done. We talk with Alex Brown, Director of Business Development at Richey May, about why the busiest time of your fundraising year is also one of the most hazardous for your systems, donors, and reputation.Alex explains how attackers watch for holiday chaos: staff on vacation, rushed year-end gifts, last-minute tax receipts, and overloaded inboxes. “Attackers know you’re not paying as much attention,” he warns, “so you have to be a little extra diligent this time of year.” From fake donation pages to altered bank details, the tactics are increasingly sophisticated—and AI is making fraudulent emails and voice calls nearly impossible to spot by eye or ear alone.The conversation walks through your “front door” risks, starting with your website and WordPress plugins, then moving into infrastructure scanning tools, outdated software, and weak admin logins. Alex shows why role-based access matters: if every staffer can see and change everything, one compromised account can expose your entire donor database and even your bank relationships.He also tackles the human side of cybersecurity. Alex explains phishing and vishing in plain language, and why urgency (“this is a one-time exception,” “we need this code right now”) is such a powerful pressure tactic. He urges leaders to replace fear and punishment with ongoing micro-training and a culture where people feel safe admitting, “I clicked something weird.” Silence is exactly what attackers are counting on.Finally, the episode turns to donor communication. Nonprofits must be crystal clear about how they will and will not contact supporters—what domains they use, which links are legitimate, and what information they will never request by phone, text, or email. Clear expectations protect donors and preserve trust, even if attackers try to impersonate your brand.This is not a technical luxury; it’s a governance and stewardship issue. If your organization depends on digital generosity, you also depend on digital safety. 00:00:00 Why year end giving is peak cyber risk for nonprofits 00:02:24 From audit firm to cyber team The Ritchie May story 00:06:03 Your website as the front door and WordPress plugin dangers 00:09:21 Infrastructure scanning tools and the cost of skipping updates 00:11:13 Donor data as gold role based access and endpoints explained 00:15:01 AI tools laptops at desks and unsafe workarounds 00:18:51 Phishing vishing and how attackers hijack email and voice 00:25:12 Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility and micro training 00:27:35 Why punishment backfires and reporting mistakes matters 00:29:59 Setting clear donor communication rules to prevent fraud 00:31:33 Final thoughts and Julia’s personal cyber to do list  #TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitCybersecurity #Find us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailGrant writers and fundraisers share the same mission, but often work in different corners of the building—and sometimes entirely different worlds. In this Fundraisers Friday convo, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall peel back the curtain on how these two roles can move from quiet coexistence to true collaboration.Julia opens with gratitude—for long standing sponsors who have never tried to steer the show’s content, and for a sector that now offers far more professional development than when many fundraisers began. She reflects on her own journey from community fundraising to co-authoring The Architecture of Fundraising with Tony, noting how accessible tools and training could have transformed her early efforts. “I could have raised so much more money for my community if I had been educated,” Julia admits, inviting viewers to keep learning alongside them.Tony adds his perspective from years in executive leadership, where he saw the strain between event heavy fundraising teams and grant writers tucked away in quiet corners—or now, working remotely. He reminds us that grant writing is both demanding and discouraging work, with many applications never funded despite excellent cases. “We have to find ways to continually celebrate the work that’s being done by grant writers, whether the grant is being approved or not,” Tony says, naming the emotional labor behind every proposal.Together, Julia and Tony explore how shared language, aligned metrics, and thoughtful use of technology can connect these roles. They talk about separate goals for grants, events, and individual giving, all tied together through dashboards, regular communication, and clear expectations. They even walk through ethical ways to use board and community relationships to support grant applications—without crossing any lines.In the end, this learning session becomes a gratitude filled call to action: respect each lane, build consistent communication, celebrate the wins, and ensure leadership is championing the relationship between grant writers and fundraisers. When those pieces come together, fund development becomes a unified team effort instead of a quiet, siloed grind.#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday #NonprofitFundraisingFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailTech, data, and generosity are not abstract buzzwords—they’re concrete levers that can stabilize funding, expand impact, and re-energize exhausted fundraisers. Chief Fundraising Officer Kimberly O’Donnell of Bonterra joins us to map out how recurring giving, trust-based philanthropy, and AI-powered tools can move the entire sector from scarcity thinking into a new “generosity generation.”Kimberly starts by reframing recurring giving as non-negotiable infrastructure, not a nice-to-have tactic. As she puts it, “Recurring giving is essential for nonprofit sustainability. Just no, hard stop there.” Bonterra’s own research shows why: in its Meet the Moment report, 58% of federally funded nonprofits report financial instability this year. In that environment, a predictable base of sustainers—monthly and annual—can keep programs moving even as federal funds, disaster response dollars, and one-time grants fluctuate.She shares a compelling case study: a Bonterra client that introduced three choices on its donation page—one-time, monthly, and annual. By normalizing both monthly and annual recurring options, that organization grew from zero sustainers to more than 65,000, proving that donors will enthusiastically choose ongoing support when invited clearly and confidently.Kimberly also dismantles the common boardroom fear that sustainers will cannibalize major gifts. In her view, that’s simply a myth. Monthly donors should be seen as high-value relationship partners whose lifetime contributions, planned gifts, and sponsorship potential can grow over time. The real problem isn’t “small monthly donors”; it’s organizations deciding on behalf of donors when and how they will give.From there, the conversation widens. Kimberly explains how Bonterra’s vantage point—serving nonprofits, community foundations, CSR programs, and public agencies across the social good ecosystem—reveals sector-wide patterns in real time. Trust-based philanthropy, she notes, hasn’t disappeared; it’s evolving. Funders are becoming more intentional, concentrating resources on core pillars while streamlining reporting and using their networks to introduce nonprofits to new corporate and philanthropic partners.Achieving that shift, Kimberly argues, will require data, AI, and human connection working together—what Bonterra calls the generosity generation.AI, in particular, is already reshaping daily fundraising practice. Bonterra has been using agentic AI since 2016–2017, and its new tools are built with a “human in the loop” philosophy so fundraisers can test, refine, and own their messages.Kimberly’s closing message is both empathetic and urgent: acknowledging nonprofit exhaustion yet pushing leaders to resist retreat: this is not a moment to slow down—it’s a moment to experiment, ask bolder questions, and lean on tools that make the work more sustainable. #TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitFundraising #BonterraTechFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan MailDonor love is measurable, and in this lively discussion, guest Lynne Wester, Principal and Founder of Donor Relations Group, brings the receipts. Drawing on data from her seventh global donor relations survey, conducted every two years since 2013 with more than 1,000 participants, Lynne shows us why retention, not the next big campaign, is where the real money is.Her core message is blunt and refreshing: we obsess over the ask even though it represents a tiny slice of our contact with supporters. As Lynne puts it, “Retention is the secret sauce of fundraising.” Most organizations still pour staff time and budget into events and tactics with weak ROI, while reporting that they are only able to share impact with less than 20 percent of their donors. That gap is not just operational; it is a revenue problem.The survey findings expose a pattern. Many donor relations teams sit under a mountain of tasks but lack a strategic plan, making them vulnerable to “seagulling” requests that fly in, drop work, and disappear. At the same time, donor relations professionals tend to stay in their roles four to nine years, while frontline fundraisers churn in about 16 months. The people who understand donor experience best often have the quietest internal voice, and Lynne’s work is about giving them data to change that.She shares how longitudinal data helped the sector mostly abandon donor honor rolls: today, over 80 percent of nonprofits no longer produce donor lists that were costly and not meaningful. The survey is now pushing similar change around giving societies, the split between receipts and acknowledgements, and the use of AI. Lynne is candidly concerned that many organizations use AI tools without organizational policies, even as donor databases at major institutions have been compromised. For her, donor confidentiality and the Donor Bill of Rights demand guardrails before automation.Perhaps the most poignant remark is Lynne’s insistence that gratitude and listening are not “extras” but performance drivers. Retaining a donor is five to seven times less expensive than acquiring a new one, and organizations that cared for donors as human beings during crises like the 2008 downturn and COVID raised twice as much as those that just kept asking. She argues that if a donor is not “worth a stamp,” the organization does not deserve the gift.Lynne leaves viewers with a challenge wrapped in encouragement: use data to question tradition, ask donors for their opinions, and treat stewardship as strategic fund management, not a courtesy. When you align technology, policies, and human connection around gratitude and impact, you are not just being nice—you are building a durable, scalable fundraising engine.#TheNonprofitShow #DonorRelations #FundraisingDataFind us Live daily on YouTube!Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn!Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_ShowOur national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PTSend us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.comVisit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show