Bright Nonprofit

If you ever second guessed the validity of advice you've been given, then you are not alone. In this podcast we talk with Zoot Velasco from zootvelasco.com. He shares his insights on how to bust the myths we are all told about how to run our nonprofits.

In this podcast he breaks the myths of:

• Holding gala events. Is the money worth the effort?
• The board runs the nonprofit. Uh oh, I hope you know better than this...
• My nonprofit idea should start now! Watch your ego...
• Nonprofits shouldn't make money? Hmmm...
• Strategic planning. Are you following your plan? Or is it just making you feel good because you did it?
• Our mission statement should cover everything we do. OK... tell me your mission... in one sentence.
• We need to have more fundraiser. Do you? What for? Be specific.
• We have more "likes" than you. Ha - we have more supporters.

If you are ready to hear it like it is (instead of how you want it), then tune in to this podcast and get your nonprofit myths busted.

Zoot's website: zootvelasco.com

Zoot's podcast: 501(c)(3)(b)(s)

Social fundraising (sometimes called crowdfunding... but it is more) is becoming more sophicated and more useful. It is more than just a way to raise money. It is a way to connect with supporters, garner new donations, build relationships with your community and increase awareness of your organization.

In this podcast, we talk with Gary Wohlfeill from CrowdRise.com. Gary describes social fundraising as a way to go "beyond the donation". It let's your supporters "share out", via their own networks, the actions they take with your organization. This can be via a donation, the purchase of an event ticket or the simple sharing of a story that moved them. This can help create new donors and raise an incredible amount of awareness.

Gary explains how techology can help you find new opportunities to have your supporters spread the word about your services, mission and/or fundraiser.

This is a great interview that delves into the psychology of our donors combined with the ability to harness their desire to do good.

A must listen.

Check out CrowdRise at www.crowdrise.com

Want to Learn more about Crowdfunding? Get the free ebook, Crowdfunding A to Z

It takes a special kind of person to be a fundraiser. Or at least that is what we tell ourselves. For most people, fundraising is intimidating. After all, who wants to go around asking other people for money. For most of us, fundraising doesn't come naturally.

And yet, fundraising is an essential part to running a successful nonprofit.

So, here is some good news. Fundraising can be learned. AND it can be enjoyed.

In this podcast I interview Mitchell Linker, author of the book, "Nobody Dreams of Being a Fundraiser". He talks about his evolution of becoming a good fundraiser. And the struggles he went throught that helped him learn his craft.

Mitchell walks us through a start-to-finish scenario of how to approach potential donors to ask for major gifts. Within this scenario he discusses:

• How to identify potential major gift donors
• How to start a major gifts program
• What to say (and ask) during face-to-face visit with potential donors
• And, in the end, how to ask for money

This is a great podcast for anyone interest in raising money for their nonprofit. And especially if you want to start a major gifts program.

Special Gift! Leave a comment below to be automatically entered to win a free copy of Mitchell's Book.

Mitchell's Website: NooneDreamsofBeingaFundraiser.com

Mentioned at beginning of podcast, podcast featuring Steve: Epidemiology Podcast

If you run a nonprofit then you likely write grants. But it is easy to take grants for granted (pun intended). With competition for grants increasing and available funding decreasing it is now more important than ever to research your grants and target your funding needs.

In this podcast I talk with Holly Rustic from Grant Writing and Funding. Holly is a professional grant writer who offers consulting services, courses, workshops and a podcast.

Holly gives tips on how to work together with other nonprofits to help increase your chances of getting a grant. She also talks about how to use grants to "start up" your programs and projects. Holly then brings this all together and explains the role grants have in building a sustainable nonprofit. (Note - the answer may be surprising.)

Holly's website: GrantWritingandFunding.com

Free Crowdfunding Course: Crowdfunding A to Z

If you are a growing nonprofit, then you likely have spreadsheets, paypal accounts, book keeping software, volunteer mailing list, etc. It can quickly turn in to mess of documents that are hard to manage.

Eventually, you need a place to put this all. That is where todays guest, Ro Valiao, with Flipcause comes in.

Maybe you have looked in to getting some type of software platform for you nonprofit, but were turned away by the cost of it - or the sheer enormousness of the product. Flipcause is different. It is geared to help you build relationships in the community, grow your programs and raise more money. And it is targeted for the smaller nonprofits, like you.

Are you ready for software?

Ro gives us a great baseline to start with. He says start with:

• Website (use WordPress - make your own website)
• Paypal (some way to do online transaction)
• Google Suite (email server)
• Mailchimp (or other email marketing client)
• Quickbooks Online

Once you have all this in place you should be good for awhile. If fact, this will likely help you greatly build your capacity. The next step is putting all this all together in its own platform. What you need next is a CRM.

When do you need to take the next step?

Ro is upfront about the need for Flipcause. If you are making less that $40,000 a year, stick with the above list of baseline apps. But once you reach $50,000 or more, then you should seriously look into getting a software solution that integrates your major software needs.

Ro shares with us how Flipcause integrates community outreach, fundraising and email marketing all in to one affordable and easy to use platform.

If you want to take you nonprofit to the next level, then this podcast is a must listen.

Website: Flipcause

Free Crowdfunding Ebook: Crowdfunding A to Z

If you are a growing nonprofit, then you likely have spreadsheets, paypal accounts, book keeping software, volunteer mailing list, etc. It can quickly turn in to mess of documents that are hard to manage.

Eventually, you need a place to put this all. That is where todays guest, Ro Valiao, with Flipcause comes in.

Maybe you have looked in to getting some type of software platform for you nonprofit, but were turned away by the cost of it – or the sheer enormousness of the product. Flipcause is different. It is geared to help you build relationships in the community, grow your programs and raise more money. And it is targeted for the smaller nonprofits, like you.

Are you ready for software?

Ro gives us a great baseline to start with. He says start with:

Once you have all this in place you should be good for awhile. If fact, this will likely help you greatly build your capacity. The next step is putting all this all together in its own platform. What you need next is a CRM.

When do you need to take the next step?

Ro is upfront about the need for Flipcause. If you are making less that $40,000 a year, stick with the above list of baseline apps. But once you reach $50,000 or more, then you should seriously look into getting a software solution that integrates your major software needs.

Ro shares with us how Flipcause integrates community outreach, fundraising and email marketing all in to one affordable and easy to use platform.

If you want to take you nonprofit to the next level, then this podcast is a must listen.

*Please note: The ability to sell raffle tickets, as discussed in this podcast, may not be available for all Flipcause clients. Raffle ticket sales are subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations. 

Website: Flipcause

Free Crowdfunding Ebook (mentioned on podcast): Crowdfunding A to Z

How do you use your website? Is it a simple page with basic information about your mission, your services and a contact page? Do you have a blog? Do people comment on your blog? Do you have "landing pages" that encourage visitors to "opt-in" for resource?

How do you use your website?

Most websites are what I call "Brochure" sites. They have basic information about an organization (home, about, services) and a contact page. This is a good start. But if you want visitors to engage with your organization online (sign up for newsletters, volunteer, donate, read advocacy related news) then your website has to be optimized for engagement and conversions.

This is what we talk about with Barbara Carneiro, from wordrevolution.com. Word Revolution is a wed design company that specialized in helping ministries and religious based organizations delivery online messages to new and returning audiences.

Barbara shares her insight about how to engage your audience and then, more importantly, convert your visitors to donors, volunteers and advocates.

If you have a website, and you want to start using it to increase your nonprofits awareness, then this is a great podcast to listing to.

Just visit Barbara's website for more information. www.wordrevolution.com

Advocating for the rights of others is not an easy job. It is difficult to bring awareness of your cause to the general public. There are 100's of ways to get your message out and your audience could be scattered across the country. This is the challenge.

In this episode, I talk about with Jay and Shira Ruderman from the Rudeman Foundation. They are the President and Director of the foundation and advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout our society. They have run advocacy campaigns that have been picked up on national TV and recieved millions of views on social media.

Their Advice on Successful Advocacy

You have to be prepared to produce content. The importance of this can't be underestimated. Take control of your message, don't be afraid to take a position and then disseminated it on as many media platforms (social media, tradition media, flyers, advertisements). It is also be important to produce your content with a variety of mediums (photo's, video, essays, audio).

• Be prepared to do a lot of work. Jay stresses there is no shortcut. Advocacy is work.
• Build relationships with the media. Continually pitch stories
• Build alliances with other organizations and individuals
• Use social media: take a position
• Say it strongly. Have a message. Don't waiver.

And in any campaign it is important to

• Authentic
• Relevent
• Timely

Website: rudermanfoundation.org

Facebook: facebook.com/RudermanFamilyFoundation

Twitter: twitter.com/RudermanFdn

Nathan Runkle started an animal rights advocacy group when he was just 15 years old. Move ahead 18 some years and Mercy for Animals is now a nonprofit with 130 employees and $12M in revenue. How did Nathan do this? Well, it's a long story. And it is a story Nathan shares in this interview.

Nathan talks about the four pillars of his nonprofit and how it has blossomed into an international nonprofit affecting government regulations and corporate policy. During this growth, Nathan worked on building a great team of talented advocates, expanded his infrastructure and nurtured the support of supporters who helped fund the Mercy for Animals mission.

To create a multi-million dollar nonprofit takes strategy, planning, budgeting and goals. Nathan shares with us the road map he used to build his nonprofit.

Website: mercyforanimals.org

Mercy for Animals Book: .mercyforanimals.org/book

Most start up nonprofits share one thing in common… they have little, to no, resources. In this podcast, I talk with Coby Schoffman. He is the founder and executive director of Nation Foundation (nation-foundation.org).

He talks about how his visit to a Ugandan school inspired him to start a nonprofit to help the students finish their studies. He organized volunteers, coordinator with school representative, found students that needed help and, of course, raised money. Much of this was cooridanated from 1,000’s of miles away, part-time (while attending school) with very few resources. Oh, and it should be noted, Coby is just 24 years old.

Coby engineered a grassroots startup that appears to be on its way to sustainability.  It’s a great example of how to use “what you have” for the “maximum impact”. Using a combination of Google Ads, a website, a few boots on the ground and a team of volunteers, Coby has been able to set a solid foundation for the Nation Foundation to deliver its mission.

Nation Foundation Website: nation-foundation.org

Google Grants (mentioned in Podcast): Google Grants for Nonprofits