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Episode 003: The One Where We Talk Digital Donor Acquisition
Welcome to Episode 003 of The Nonprofit Syndicate Podcast.
This week: We take turns talking about how we'd spend $100k in digital acquisition budget, what nonprofits get wrong on acquisition, and how to scale your programs with infrastructure first.
00:00 – Episode kickoff + year-end nonprofit chaos
Quick intro and real talk on burnout, calendar-year pressure, and year-end fundraising stress.
01:05 – Giving Tuesday performance is… weird
Why Giving Tuesday volume felt flat this year and what’s actually happening behind the numbers.
03:22 – “What digital channels are actually printing money?”
The core question every nonprofit asks—and the uncomfortable silence that follows.
04:09 – Hot take: No channel is printing money anymore
Why strategy beats channels and why the old “just pick a platform” mindset is broken.
06:11 – Why channel testing fails (and clients get frustrated)
A real agency example of Meta ads, short timelines, and unrealistic expectations.
09:38 – The patience problem in digital fundraising
Why most orgs quit campaigns right before they would’ve worked.
10:44 – Cheap leads ≠ donor intent
Why $1 email leads don’t mean anything if there’s no giving motivation.
12:55 – Thumbs up or down on Meta, Google, YouTube, OTT
A candid vibe-check on today’s major digital channels (spoiler: effort is way up).
13:25 – Why Bing & AI search might be a hidden opportunity
How ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Bing are quietly reshaping donor discovery.
17:02 – Is Giving Tuesday losing its power?
A spicy debate: cultural momentum vs donor fatigue—and why opinions differ.
26:12 – “You have $100k for donor acquisition. What do you do?”
Portfolio thinking, infrastructure first, and how pros would actually spend the money.
34:43 – Influencers, PR, and borrowing trust at scale
Why micro-influencers and partnerships may outperform traditional ads.
37:15 – The leaky bucket problem (and why acquisition alone fails)
Why retention, experience, and infrastructure matter more than media spend.
43:40 – Shocking data: $0 correlation between ad spend and revenue growth
Five years of data that flips common nonprofit assumptions upside down.
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By The Nonprofit SyndicateWelcome to Episode 003 of The Nonprofit Syndicate Podcast.
This week: We take turns talking about how we'd spend $100k in digital acquisition budget, what nonprofits get wrong on acquisition, and how to scale your programs with infrastructure first.
00:00 – Episode kickoff + year-end nonprofit chaos
Quick intro and real talk on burnout, calendar-year pressure, and year-end fundraising stress.
01:05 – Giving Tuesday performance is… weird
Why Giving Tuesday volume felt flat this year and what’s actually happening behind the numbers.
03:22 – “What digital channels are actually printing money?”
The core question every nonprofit asks—and the uncomfortable silence that follows.
04:09 – Hot take: No channel is printing money anymore
Why strategy beats channels and why the old “just pick a platform” mindset is broken.
06:11 – Why channel testing fails (and clients get frustrated)
A real agency example of Meta ads, short timelines, and unrealistic expectations.
09:38 – The patience problem in digital fundraising
Why most orgs quit campaigns right before they would’ve worked.
10:44 – Cheap leads ≠ donor intent
Why $1 email leads don’t mean anything if there’s no giving motivation.
12:55 – Thumbs up or down on Meta, Google, YouTube, OTT
A candid vibe-check on today’s major digital channels (spoiler: effort is way up).
13:25 – Why Bing & AI search might be a hidden opportunity
How ChatGPT, OpenAI, and Bing are quietly reshaping donor discovery.
17:02 – Is Giving Tuesday losing its power?
A spicy debate: cultural momentum vs donor fatigue—and why opinions differ.
26:12 – “You have $100k for donor acquisition. What do you do?”
Portfolio thinking, infrastructure first, and how pros would actually spend the money.
34:43 – Influencers, PR, and borrowing trust at scale
Why micro-influencers and partnerships may outperform traditional ads.
37:15 – The leaky bucket problem (and why acquisition alone fails)
Why retention, experience, and infrastructure matter more than media spend.
43:40 – Shocking data: $0 correlation between ad spend and revenue growth
Five years of data that flips common nonprofit assumptions upside down.