Why does fundraising matter so much for nonprofit organizations? What is the best way to measure how effective fundraising measures are? What do diversified fundraising programs look like? Today’s guests are joining the podcast to help answer these important questions.

Anne Wallestad is the President and Chief Executive Officer of BoardSource, and Andy Davis is the Director of Education at BoardSource. They join the podcast today to talk about diversified fundraising and metrics for fundraising success. Listen to the episode to hear what Anne and Andy have to say about the essential nature of fundraising for nonprofits, the best way to balance efficiency and risk in fundraising, and how organizations can measure their dependency quotient.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Why fundraising is essential for nonprofit organizations to survive
• Educating donors about why their donations matter
• Avoiding underinvesting in organizations
• Balancing risk and efficiency
• How organizations can get started measuring dependency quotient
• Understanding where the fundraising portfolio is at
• Having productive conversations about risks and rewards with board members

Resources:

Anne Wallestad, President and Chief Executive Officer, BoardSource
Andy Davis, Director of Education, BoardSource

The Right Mix: How Diverse Income Models Influence Giving

Measuring Fundraising Effectiveness: Why Cost of Fundraising Isn't Enough

 

Quotes:

“Organizations do have to help donors get to know their organizations, share how their work is having an impact, share how a donors investment would have an impact.” –Anne Wallestad

“If you think about it just in terms of shorthand, cost of fundraising is a measure of efficiency, dependency quotient is a measure of risk.” –Anne Wallestad

“Everyone knows that your weight is a measurement in some way of how healthy a person is. But what if we were told that weight was the only thing that mattered, like sometimes is the case with cost of fundraising?” –Andy Davis