The Nonprofit Podcast

Send us Fan MailSlow Fundraising: How to Do Less and Raise More with Chad BargerFundraising feels busy. Packed calendars, constant campaigns, endless asks. But results are not keeping pace. Many teams are working harder than ever and still missing growth targets.Jena Lynch sits down with Chad Barger, founder of Productive Fundraising, to unpack his approach to slow fundraising. His work with nonprofits focuses on cutting through noise, using data to guide decisions, and building systems that actually deliver results.Slow fundraising is not about doing less for its own sake. It is about doing the right work, consistently. This conversation breaks down how to focus your time, strengthen donor relationships, and build a fundraising approach that supports long-term growth without burnout.What You’ll LearnWhy many nonprofit teams are stuck doing too much and how slow fundraising helps identify the few activities that actually drive resultsHow to use simple data tracking to understand what is working, what is not, and where time is being lostWhat it takes to build a sustainable fundraising rhythm that avoids burnout and supports long-term growthWhy donor retention and stewardship matter more than constant acquisition, and how small improvements can increase revenueA practical approach to donor engagement that strengthens relationships without adding more to your workloadMore About Our Guest:Chad Barger is the founder of Productive Fundraising, where he helps nonprofits simplify their fundraising strategies and focus on what drives real results. He is a trainer, speaker, and coach known for his practical, data-informed approach to building sustainable fundraising programs, including his work around slow fundraising.Head over to Productive Fundraising's well-stocked library of fundraising resources here.Chapters00:00 – The Fundraising Hamster Wheel01:26 – What is Slow Fundraising?03:00 – The 3 Principles That Change Everything05:32 – Do Fewer Things (80/20 Rule for Fundraising)07:38 – Fix Your Data First09:06 – The Relief of Doing Less With a Plan10:34 – Stop Burnout: Find a Sustainable Rhythm11:54 – Time Blocking and Deep Work for Fundraisers14:47 – Donor Retention and Stewardship18:20 – Simple, High-Impact Donor Engagement IdeasWhat makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.Support the show

A practical look at how nonprofits move supporters from one-time donors to true members. The conversation contrasts membership with monthly giving and highlights signals an organization is ready. Listeners hear tips on starting simple, pricing to signal commitment, recruiting founding members, and the operational basics needed to sustain a membership program.

They dig into a frequently missed donor segment sitting between one-time givers and major philanthropists. Conversations focus on data showing revenue concentrating among repeat supporters and why mid-level donors matter. The hosts outline where fundraising systems fail this group and offer simple steps to better engage and retain these loyal, high-potential supporters.

Cara Augspurger, Executive Director of Grace Care Center Foundation and frontline nonprofit leader. She explores why quiet, recurring donors often become the most valuable supporters. Short stories show how small monthly gifts accumulate into big lifetime impact. Practical tactics include simple welcome flows, inviting supporters to events, and easy prompts to convert one-time donors into steady supporters.

Esther Saehyun Lee, founder of Elevate Philanthropy Consulting who helps nonprofits build community-centered fundraising. She explores how care shows up beyond work. Short stories about neighborly acts, peer-led movements, and holding institutions accountable. Calls for leaders to model rest, translate informal care into practice, and expand care from self to collective.

They unpack three quiet fundraising leak points that quietly cost donations. They explain why friction at checkout and slow mobile forms stop people from giving. They highlight how clearly positioned recurring support steadies income. They stress capturing in-person momentum with instant, easy payment options.

Bruce Arbit, an impact advisor with 30 years in the nonprofit sector, shares how organizations bring real value to cross-sector collaborations. He discusses why traditional fundraising feels strained. He reframes power dynamics, explains the “business of impact,” and advocates rapid experimentation and place-based, collective strategies.

Cara Augspurger, executive director and hands-on fundraiser, shares practical experience in donor communication and retention. She talks about treating email as the ongoing relationship and why clarity beats volume. Short, personal 'newsie' updates, one-job-per-email, and simple systems to keep consistency are highlighted.

Send us Fan MailWhere do donor relationships go after the gift?Donor retention is shaped by what carries the relationship forward over time. When that continuity isn’t intentionally supported, donors don’t disengage all at once...they slowly lose their sense of connection. In this episode, Jena Lynch unpacks how simple, repeatable structures, not more asks, help relationships hold between campaigns, especially for small teams.Join Jena to discover:What fills the space between gifts and campaignsWhy donor relationships drift without clear structureHow consistency supports retention without adding more workWhere intentional engagement replaces reactive communicationAnd don't forget to download our handy, free resource here:Sample Stewardship Plan: Plan Out Your Stewardship Activities for Maximum Donor Engagement📑  https://library.donorbox.org/sample-stewardship-plan/A practical starting point for mapping follow-up and stewardship so supporter relationships don’t fade over time.What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode:The Nonprofit Podcast is available every Thursday on all popular podcast platforms.🎙️ Apple Podcasts: The Nonprofit Podcast🎙️ Spotify: The Nonprofit Podcast🖥️The Nonprofit Podcast 🎙️🎙️ - YouTubeSupport the show

Send us Fan MailMost teams learn pretty quickly what happens when they give feedback and adjust accordingly.   When people feel safer being honest anywhere except work, trust isn’t the issue...safety is.Britt Stockert chats with Tasha Van Vlack, founder of The Nonprofit Hive, about psychological safety in nonprofit teams...and why silence often shows up long before burnout or turnover.Together, they unpack what psychological safety really looks like in day-to-day nonprofit work: the ability to speak up, ask for help, name concerns, and make mistakes without fear of backlash.We explore:Why nonprofit staff often feel safer processing challenges outside their own organizationsHow well-intended leadership behaviors can unintentionally shut people downThe difference between performative care and real psychological safetyWhat silence is actually signaling inside teamsWhat helps rebuild trust after it’s been brokenRather than offering quick fixes, this episode invites nonprofit leaders and teams to look honestly at how trust is built - or eroded - through everyday actions, follow-through, and response.Where do honest conversations actually happen on your team, and what has speaking up led to in your organization?  Share your experience with us, and join the broader conversation:Connect with Tasha Van Vlack on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasha-van-vlack/Learn more about The Nonprofit Hive:https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-nonprofit-hive/Contact Tasha:tasha@thenonprofithive.com What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode:The Nonprofit Podcast is available every Thursday on all popular podcast platforms.🎙️ Apple Podcasts: The Nonprofit Podcast🎙️ Spotify: The Nonprofit Podcast🖥️The Nonprofit Podcast 🎙️🎙️ - YouTubeSupport the show