What the Fundraising

Episode highlights: (01:52) - Who is Hilary Doe? A fun reconnection from the past + Hilary’s journey from college to the present in the nonprofit world.(11:14) - What is long-run motivation?: How to find new donors and turn them into long-term givers and supporters of your organization. (18:07) - The strength behind having a solid network: What Lisa hoped she knew as a young fundraiser.(23:54) - Connecting on a human level before anything else: How to make your mission alive and resonant through real human bonds. (29:56) - On perfectionism and fear: The problem with over-controlling and the beauty of having balance and space for everyone to pitch in.  (34:30) - Create a living organism with the Snowflake Model: Hilary’s tips on creating a growing network.(39:19) - Is shapeshifting a fight or flight response?: How to not lose yourself and have a deep-rooted sense of self as an organization.(48:18) - Things to be aware of before dampening the magic in your nonprofit: Learning as you go and getting rid of ego.(52:42) - Finding strength in standing in unison + A shoutout to Hilary’s favorite nonprofit, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research!

The infinitely wise Sheri Riley is an Empowerment Speaker, High-Performance Life Coach, and Award-Winning Author of the book Exponential Living: Stop Spending 100% of Your Time on 10% of Who You Are. In this episode, she shares what is Exponential Living and some of the 9 principles included in her book to pursue peace, choose clarity and live courageously. Sheri’s work as a life strategist can help anyone achieve their better self, but I find it especially helpful for fundraisers that might feel stuck, filled with self-doubt, or worried about hitting their goals. You do not want to miss this conversation with this super-inspirational coach!Episode highlights: (01:40) - Who is Sheri Riley? Her small-town background, plus her super successful present as a life coach, entrepreneur, and awarded author.(06:29) - What is Exponential Living? Pursuing peace, choosing clarity, and living courageously.(09:30) - Go get it!: Own your inner calm, and allow confidence and drive to work together.(13:56) - How worthy and confident do you feel? Why your service work is not about martyrdom and guilt.(21:09) - Validation and hustling: Money mindset and how our own limiting beliefs leak into our work.(26:14) - Are you courageous enough to be faithful to yourself? How to become ready, willing, and committed, and move past crippling fear.(37:29) - The difference between fear and intuition: The prism of possibility vs. the condemnation of judgment. (45:56) - Own your story and become a magnet!: Sheri’s own story doing the work and becoming her better self. (49:37) - Where to find Sheri + A shoutout to the Huguely Scholarship Fund!

Lisa Fabrega is the founder, CEO, and coach at Capacity Shift where she teaches the Capacity Framework, a model to understand and grow your ability to hold, handle and receive every next level of your impact. In this episode, Lisa walks us through the six areas of capacity work, plus she tells us how scarcity mindset and transactional relationships are keeping us from expanding. You really don’t want to miss this conversation on how to continually grow and level up your leadership and fundraising. Because how can you face gallon-sized challenges with a pint-sized capacity, right?Episode highlights: (01:35) - Who is Lisa Fabrega? And her amazing work developing and teaching her Capacity Framework.(06:10) - What is capacity? Boundary capacity and how to make clear what you are and aren’t available for. (18:32) - Self-worth and the deep-rooted beliefs about ourselves: Why being afraid of losing an opportunity is scarcity thinking.(26:10) - Embodiment capacity and showing up to ask for money: How to navigate challenges with ease and confidence.(33:06) - Rejection is information! Why you should never feel bad for asking for money and communicating your needs.(41:47) - The history behind transactional relationships and how to turn them into healthy and authentic win-win negotiations.  (48:55) - How to get in touch with Lisa + a shoutout to Lisa’s favorite organization, One Light Global!If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Breauna Dolerus is Founder and Chief Cause Consultant at Connecting the Cause. Her work is centered on uprooting harmful volunteerism practices especially in black and brown communities based on the principle that transformational service must help instead of harm.Join this very real conversation with Breauna white supremacy and its relationship with voluntarism, how to truly partner with a community, and the deep-rooted biases that need to be cut short in the nonprofit world.Episode highlights: (01:48) - Who is Breauna Dorelus? Community-centered volunteerism.(05:18) - Are you really of service? Some of the most hurtful common practices in volunteerism.(09:38) - How to build truly community-centered strategies: The first step to admitting to deep-rooted biases.(19:27) - Can we fundamentally break the system for co-liberation? The true empowerment of black and brown voices in the nonprofit sector. (24:42) - White supremacy and its relation to volunteerism: Why we need to work as a resource center for the communities’ dreams, not for corporation’s interests. (29:19) - Finding true mutually beneficial alignment in volunteer opportunities: Assessing a dignified way to partner with others. (38:44) - Relationship dynamics: Building strong community relationships and truly working together.(43:57) - Scarcity mindset and hurtful money: How to break the cycle and search for real solutions. (47:36) - Where to find Breauna + A last piece of advice: Find a black or brown organization doing the work. If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Do you feel psychological safety in your work environment? Avary Kent is a serial social entrepreneur and consultant who since the pandemic has focused on a crucial topic: mental and emotional wellbeing for business leaders and their teams. In this episode, Avary and I talk about why and how we as a society have dehumanized professional roles, how to build a healthy organizational culture and what paradigms we need to change to improve every leader’s and employee’s wellbeing.Episode highlights: (01:37) - Who is Avary Kent? A serial entrepreneur who is now open to talking about mental health and wellbeing.(04:59) - Effective philanthropy and burnout: The paradigms that need to change for healthy fundraisers and healthy work environments.(12:07) - Can I do everything at the same time? The fundamental pillars of a thriving culture and what executive directors need to be healthier leaders.(20:17) - What is holding us back from changing? Old management, entrenched culture, untrained leaders, and talking about discomfort and fears. (25:07) - The problem with untrained leaders + some techniques to disrupt power imbalance.(32:17) - How we fundamentally changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the positive shifts this brought to work culture.(40:13) - Why we have dehumanized professional roles: Ideas, beliefs, and ways of collaborating.If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Are you listening to yourself? In this episode I talk to the fabulous American illustrator, body-confidence advocate, and author, Stephanie Chinn about limiting beliefs, learning to listen to ourselves, and giving ourselves permission to feel all of our feelings. Plus, we dive deep into taboos and why we need to break the silence around these topics now, especially as women!Episode highlights: (01:47) - Who is Stephanie Chinn? An illustrator and soon-to-be author for unapologetic women empowerment and liberation.  (06:18) - The stories we tell ourselves as excuses and building positivity from within.(14:13 - Toxic positivity vs. giving ourselves permission to feel: Why resistance and judgment towards ourselves is not the answer. (22:01) - Decatastrophizing and how to combat that wave of negativity in times of stress (even when we get negative feedback).(30:30) - Sharing safely and with bravery: Why it is important to take time to process things, and talk to the right people, before sharing with everyone. (35:31) - Time for disruption! Stephanie’s beliefs on taboo topics and how to approach them with more freedom. (45:17) - How we can find Stephanie + A shoutout to her favorite nonprofit, The Runaways Shelter.If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Do you want to convert your YouTube views into donations? In this second part, I continue my conversation with YouTube coach Jamar Diggs to understand how to build an effective conversion strategy around an organization’s channel. Jamar teaches us how to turn those viewers into donors and the best practices to really connect with your audience. This conversation covers basic video production recommendations, common mistakes, and a deep dive into what holds us back from bringing in new funders from YouTube. Make sure you do not miss this amazing part two!Episode highlights: (01:23) - We are back with Jamar Diggs! How to convert people into an actual customer or donor.(05:56) - How to make quality freebies: Information, design, accuracy, and engagement. (11:25) - Simple, clean, and forward: Jamar’s video production recommendations for any organization. (15:32) - Common mistakes: The things you should NOT do in your videos if you want them to convert!(23:49) - Value, money, and getting out of the scarcity mindset: Why you should trust your value and ask.(32:49) - Invest in advancing!: It’s not about the price tag, it’s about missing an opportunity.(40:26) - Set a specific goal! How to design your strategy and make it easy for people to understand you. (47:17) - What is your strategy? Length, expectations and not giving away everything for free.(53:06) - Jamar’s golden takeaway, where to reach him plus a shoutout to Norfolk LGBT Life Center!If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

It’s true, doing content for social media is a difficult job for nonprofits, but how else will we get visibility for our causes, right? YouTube is a great option for letting potential donors know you. Listen to this week’s conversation with Jamar to learn that it is not necessary to spread thin across all social media platforms to get your message across. I promise, Jamar does more than teaching you tricks on technology, he helps you overcome the fears that are holding you back from creating amazing content to help your organization! If you want to do it but there’s something holding you back, this episode is for you.Episode highlights: (01:28) - How Jamar Diggs went from being bored in the world of corporate marketing to being in LOVE with YouTube marketing, helping businesses and personal brands make money and drive growth through video content!(05:44) - The perks of YouTube: Why it’s a platform to show your true self and connect with your audience authentically.(09:22) - How to get quality traffic to your nonprofit: Jamar’s top 3 types of content to get started on YouTube and be discoverable right away. (17:24) - Who should I be speaking to? How to segment your audience strategically to reach the right people (and donors!).(23:02) - Solve the actual problem!: The biggest barriers stopping people from getting on YouTube.(26:56) - Jamar’s HIT (hook, introduce & transform) formula for scripting KILLER intros to any video.(30:21) - How to keep people watching your content!: Tips on info links & end screens.(33:41) - Do you fear technology or do you fear visibility? The perfectionist phenomenon and how to get over it.(39:56) - “If you are for everyone, you are for no one”: The price (and rewards!) of picking a position and being fully authentic. (43:11) - Shout out to Jamar’s favorite nonprofit: LGBT Life Center in Norfolk, Virginia.  If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

What does it take to let go of pre-established narratives? Duke Stump is a marketing expert and founder of Bonfire With Soul. His approach to business is far from conventional and partly based on nature’s knowledge. In this episode, Duke and I talk about burning dogma, the potential for good in the for-profit and nonprofit world, and the power of cross-sector symbiosis. Tune in now!Episode highlights: (02:21) - Trust your own radar: What does it take to go a different path especially in business? (7:05) - Burning dogma for breakfast: Duke’s experience giving himself permission to be creative and the importance of human connection.(13:40) - Can for-profit businesses be a force of good? How making a nonprofit/for-profit distinction can minimize possibility and shrink your horizons. (36:48) - Duke’s principles and barriers of mutual benefit: Trust, honesty, and our obsession with perfection.(44:00) - Helper energy and martyrdom: Fundraiser’s most common leadership characteristics and what needs to change.  (48:13) - Groundbreaking nonprofits and why the sector needs to tackle debilitating stigma.If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Our brains work on prediction. Even before events happen, our brains prepare a reaction based on our past experiences. But what if our brains fabricate an incorrect forecast? Just like a weird feeling in your body isn’t necessarily pain, uncertainty doesn’t have to translate into negative emotions. In this episode, I chat with Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, an expert in affective neuroscience, psychology of emotion, and social and personality psychology. Lisa and I talk about how our brains work based on prediction and how we can train them away from pain and anxiety and into a brighter present. Plus, she gives life-changing tricks that can radically improve any fundraiser’s experience out there!Episode highlights: (02:01) - Who is Lisa Feldman? Her extensive career in science and understanding brain function. (04:38) - Let’s talk about emotion! How emotions really work and what are some misconceptions around them. (10:20) - ‘Is this really pain?’: Why your brain is constantly anticipating and what happens when it can’t predict correctly.(17:45) - Chronic pain and other ailments that may actually come from a brain disorder. (21:31) - Handling anxiety and uncertainty for fundraisers: Train yourself to make a different sense of the present. (35:04) - Tips and tricks for regulation: Why we have to recognize that we have socially dependent nervous systems. (41:16) - Where to find Lisa + Shout out to her favorite nonprofits! If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.