After an enlightening interview with Olga M. Woltman of LemonSkies (queue it up next!) left us pondering the role of storytelling in the nonprofit world, we realized that our focus on advanced fundraising practices parallels the aspirations of ethical storytellers. Namely, ethical storytelling is the future of the nonprofit story (and the heart and soul of nonprofit fundraising). But to fundraisers searching for the perfect nonprofit campaign, ethical storytelling can feel elusive and fuzzy. Like, what exactly is it and how exactly do you do it? Today’s guest, Philippe Lazaro, is here to bring ..read more

Coming from a cathedral of redwoods, from shared moments between a collective of concerned colleagues, this episode of the Nonstop Nonprofit podcast brings together visionary nonprofit leaders Justin Wheeler and Brett Hagler. Justin is the CEO of Funraise and sometimes-host of the Nonstop Nonprofit podcast, and Brett is CEO of New Story, a nonprofit pioneering solutions to end homelessness. Together, they sat down at Camp Redwood, a creative gathering for social entrepreneurs, to talk about the state of the nonprofit industry—now and long-term. As he and Justin discussed leaning into opportuni ..read more

The winds of change are blowing, and nonprofits, ahem, the for-good sector, isn’t immune. Today we’re talking to a seasoned nonprofiteer who has experienced his share of change and made it his mission to shepherd for-good organizations through transformational moments. In this conversation with Todd Hiestand, Co-owner of Liminal, a creative branding agency for nonprofits, we touch on the effects that change has on the for-good sector, how to foster these shifts, and the value of leaning into the liminal spaces where change happens. One change that host David Schwab would like to see could be v ..read more

Today, we’re talking about a serious subject that has inspired a seriously enlightened discussion: Retention in the for-good sector. If you’ve been working in this sector for any length of time, you’re probably aware that keeping mission-oriented staff is harder than ever. But why? If you’re a nonprofit leader seeing your staff burn out and move away from causes that they’re passionate about, what can you do? Today’s guest, Amber Christoferson, is here to help you answer that question. With a career path that’s taken her from United Way to the Fortune 500 and back to the for-good sector as VP ..read more

Let's start with a phrase that we don’t say often enough: “Get that money, honey!” Today’s guest, nonprofit leadership coach and major gifts consultant, Rhea Wong, comes to the charitable sector with experience as a recipient of nonprofit services, a green-but-hustling ED, a self-taught fundraising expert, and a charitable board whisperer. And as we’ve established, the title of Rhea’s book Get That Money, Honey! The No-Bullsh*t Guide to Raising More Money for Your Nonprofit isn’t just fun to say, it’s full of actionable strategies and learn-from-my-mistakes moments—and Rhea is here to dig thro ..read more

It’s that time of year—the time that we’re all focused on new beginnings and upcoming trends, brimming with hope that there’s some groundbreaking tactic, tool, or trick on the horizon. (Unless you’re listening to this in August, of course.) Nicole Nidea, Program Director at SODA, has lots to say about a trend that’s been sweeping 2023 and is poised to change the face of fundraising in 2024: What Nicole calls “findability”. We’re talking AI-assisted search experiences, long-game scaling strategies, social mixing tactics that target specific audiences, and more. For example, using specialized SE ..read more

When Jon DeLange agreed to come on the Nonstop Nonprofit podcast, we planned a conversational angle to keep the discussion from spinning out—if you know podcasters, you know staying on topic can be tough! Jon’s topic was "12 Rules for Fundraising: an antidote to tactical overwhelm during the EOY fundraising season”. As a longtime fundraising consultant and Summit Ministries’ Direct Mail and Digital Fundraising Manager (not to mention one of 2023’s top 25 Fundraising Experts in America), Jon relies on these rules to help fundraisers stay the course when it all gets to be Too Much. So is it “12 ..read more

It’s a safe bet that when nonprofiteers talk about their work, the word “passion” will come up pretty quickly. But does passion alone drive impact? Julie Ordoñez says character matters more than passion when it comes to fundraising. From directing philanthropy and being a Major Gift Officer at organizations like New Story, Lift, and United Way of Greater Los Angeles to coaching leaders in raising game-changing gifts, Julie has a unique perspective for growing any organization’s impact—and that perspective hinges on courage. Julie even leads an intimate program called Courage Lab designed to he ..read more

It’s a universal truth that people love to feel special. We all want to feel like we’re an indispensable part of something. It’s also true that each and every one of us has limitations on our time, money, and attention. So with these realities coexisting, how can nonprofits interact with supporters on a personal level while not draining them of resources? Katelyn Baughan, nonprofit email marketing expert and consultant to Trevor Project, UNHCR, and Amnesty International, has more than a few tactics to share with Nonstop Nonprofit listeners. As nonprofit fundraisers, you and I are used to feeli ..read more

Talk about a jam-packed podcast episode—this conversation with Cameron Bartlett has it all: anecdotes, examples, trends, cautionary tales, solutions, trends, strategies… and did we mention cutting-edge trends from the trenches? That’s right; as we talked, Cameron had a story and a trend that related to each and every topic we brought up. And it’s no surprise… Cameron’s a fast-moving, trend-setting, high-growth fundraising consultant who’s worked with nonprofits like New Story, IJM, Compassion, Cure, and World Vision to reach hundreds of millions of people and drive important global initiatives ..read more