The message that doubled one nonprofit’s repeat donors wasn’t long, clever, or emotional poetry. It wasn’t a campaign or a big strategy shift. It was one short follow-up, sent at the right moment, with the right tone, asking the right thing.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down why most nonprofits lose donors not because donors stopped caring, but because the conversation stopped. Most organizations think follow-up means asking again. Real follow-up is something different entirely — it’s continuing a conversation that most nonprofits never actually start.

You’ll learn:

• Why traditional follow-up fails and silently kills donor retention
• The exact follow-up message that doubled repeat donors (and why it worked)
• How timing, tone, and curiosity outperform pressure and urgency
• Why asking for perspective builds more loyalty than asking for money
• How to automate this process using AI without losing the human touch

Tom walks through a real example where a nonprofit sent a simple follow-up question three to five days after a donation. No links. No buttons. No ask. Just curiosity. The result? Donors replied, shared their motivations, felt seen — and stayed.

Making donors give more isn’t about manipulation, pressure, or guilt — it’s about understanding how humans actually make decisions. Most nonprofits get it backwards: they lead with numbers, budgets, and statistics, and then wonder why giving stalls.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly explains how to use psychology ethically so donors want to give more because it aligns with who they already are. No guilt. No pressure. Just human behavior.

You’ll learn seven principles that drive giving:

1. Identity drives giving. People give to express who they believe they are, not just to support a mission.
2. Anchors shape decisions. Frame giving amounts so donors know what’s normal.
3. Specific impact beats vague need. Concrete, visual moments inspire action.
4. Momentum matters. Small steps create generosity.
5. Timing beats persuasion. Ask right after a win, story, or thank-you.
6. Fewer choices = more action. Clear, simple giving options remove hesitation.
7. Belonging multiplies generosity. Language and inclusivity make donors feel part of something bigger.

Real results: One nonprofit didn’t change its ask amounts, just applied these psychological principles. Average gift doubled in six months. Same donors. Same cause. Better understanding of people.

Most thank-you letters are polite, well-intentioned, and… completely forgettable. If they worked the way we hope, donor retention wouldn’t be stuck around 45%. Yet people give once and disappear — all the time.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly reveals the real reason your thank-you letters aren’t working and exactly how to fix them using AI and human psychology. Gratitude isn’t a formality — it’s the foundation of donor relationships.

You’ll learn the 5 truths most nonprofits get wrong:

1. Letters are for you, not the donor. Donors give to express who they are. Thank the person, not the gift.
2. Letters arrive too late. Gratitude delayed is gratitude diluted — timing matters.
3. Letters are too long. Donors don’t need a report, they need one feeling, one moment, one impact.
4. Letters don’t show impact fast enough. Concrete details stick. “Because of you, a mom didn’t have to choose between groceries and medicine this week.”
5. Letters accidentally end the relationship. Instead, open the door to belonging: “You’re part of this now. I’ll share more with you soon.”

Tom walks you through a thank-you formula that works:

Should You Even Start a Nonprofit?

Before you file paperwork, pick a name, or ask for donations, there’s one question you have to answer first: should your nonprofit even exist?

In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom sits down with nonprofit governance expert Emily Gaylor to slow things way down and tackle the hard, often uncomfortable truths about starting a nonprofit. This conversation is for anyone who’s thinking about launching an organization, is on the verge of registering one, or is questioning whether starting something new is really the right move.

Emily breaks down the critical work most founders skip, including how to clearly define the problem you’re trying to solve, conduct a real gap analysis, validate community need, and assess whether your idea adds true value or simply duplicates existing services. They dig into founder motives, ego vs. impact, and why “wanting to do good” isn’t enough to justify starting a new organization.

You’ll also hear an honest discussion about leadership readiness, board structure, taking a founder salary, long-term sustainability, and the toll nonprofit work takes on founders and their families. Emily shares the biggest red flags she sees when nonprofits fail, what successful founders do differently, and the one hard question every founder must be able to answer to funders and the community alike.

If you’re serious about impact, sustainability, and doing this the right way from the start, this episode is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen now and find out if starting a nonprofit is truly the best way for you to make a difference.

Please find Emilys free downloadable here

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16t03bcKDLtELOG43X5N5365GKl69EzV9A0_BkZss4oU/edit?usp=sharing

Connect with her on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilygaylorcfre/

Why do people binge Netflix? Because each episode hooks them, holds them, and keeps them coming back for more. Most nonprofits? Their donor journeys feel nothing like that. One donation, one generic thank-you, and then silence. Donors lose momentum. Retention drops. Engagement stalls.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shares the Netflix Strategy — a framework for turning one-time donors into “binge givers.” Donors who don’t just give once, but return again and again because they’re emotionally invested in your story.

Using the framework Hook. Hold. Habit., Tom shows you how to make donor journeys:

• Hook: Make the first giving moment unforgettable. Emotional micro-story. Immediate payoff. Future promise.
• Hold: Build sequenced donor journeys that create narrative momentum, emotional arcs, and soft cliffhangers.
• Habit: Turn giving into a predictable, recurring experience donors look forward to.

You’ll learn how to replicate Netflix’s psychological principles in your fundraising, using AI to craft cinematic, relational donor journeys — without overwhelming your team.

Have you ever been on a bad first date — awkward conversation, no connection, way too much oversharing, and zero chemistry? That’s exactly what most donor journeys feel like. And it’s why so many donors give once… and never come back.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down why nonprofit donor journeys fail — and how to redesign them so donors feel courted, connected, and emotionally invested instead of pressured and rushed.

Using the simple framework Spark. Sequence. Sustain., Tom shows how to turn transactional donor experiences into real relationships.

• Spark: Create a first touchpoint that feels warm and emotional, not like a receipt or a brochure.
• Sequence: Build a donor journey that flows naturally — gratitude, identity, story, value, and connection — before asking again.
• Sustain: Keep the relationship alive with ongoing, no-pressure touchpoints that make donors feel seen and appreciated.

You’ll learn why most nonprofits overshare too fast, ask too soon, and treat every donor the same — and how AI can help you create personalized, relational donor journeys that feel human at scale.

Have you ever used AI to write a fundraising email or donor message and immediately thought, “This sounds like a robot wrote it”? You’re not imagining it — and it’s not because AI is bad at fundraising. It’s because most nonprofits are using AI the wrong way.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down the biggest mistake nonprofits make with AI: treating it like a shortcut instead of a force multiplier. When AI is used as a replacement for thinking, the result is bland, generic, robotic messaging. But when it’s used as a collaborator, everything changes.

Using the framework Partner. Personalize. Prompt., you’ll learn how to turn AI into your most powerful teammate — not just a writing tool.

• Partner: Stop outsourcing your thinking. Give AI raw material — stories, bullet points, drafts — and co-create better fundraising messages together.
• Personalize: Train AI on your voice, tone, and donor psychology so everything it writes sounds human, warm, and consistent.
• Prompt: Learn how clear, directional prompts instantly eliminate robotic copy and produce donor-centered results.

Most nonprofits already have AI note takers… but almost no one is using them to their full potential.

In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom Kelly sits down with Faigy Gilder, marketing operations and systems expert, to unpack one of the most overlooked (and low-risk) ways nonprofits can start using AI today: AI note takers.

This isn’t about replacing people or overhauling your entire tech stack. It’s about capturing the gold that already exists in your meetings, donor calls, board conversations, and interviews — and actually putting it to work.

Faigy breaks down how nonprofits can:

• Move beyond “just meeting notes” and turn transcripts into actionable insights
• Automatically capture action items so nothing falls through the cracks
• Organize conversations by donors, board members, volunteers, and prospects
• Use AI to uncover patterns, language, and emotional triggers that improve fundraising and marketing
• Reduce overwhelm by starting small — without ripping out existing systems

They also dive into tools like NotebookLM, simple automation workflows, naming conventions that make everything easier, and why AI works best as an assistant not an autopilot.

If you’ve been curious about AI but unsure where to start, this episode shows how one small shift can save time, sharpen messaging, and help your nonprofit make better decisions — starting this week.

🎧 Listen now and discover why AI note takers might be the most valuable tool you’re already ignoring.

Connect with Faigy Gilder & Resources

🌐 Website: missionmarke.tech

📧 Email: [email protected]

🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faigy/

🎁 Free Resource:

Download Faigy’s newly updated Nonprofit Technology Starter Pack:

https://missionmarke.tech/nonprofit-technology-starter-pack/

Have you ever used AI to write a fundraising email or donor message and immediately thought, “This sounds like a robot wrote it”? You’re not imagining it — and it’s not because AI is bad at fundraising. It’s because most nonprofits are using AI the wrong way.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down the biggest mistake nonprofits make with AI: treating it like a shortcut instead of a force multiplier. When AI is used as a replacement for thinking, the result is bland, generic, robotic messaging. But when it’s used as a collaborator, everything changes.

Using the framework Partner. Personalize. Prompt., you’ll learn how to turn AI into your most powerful teammate — not just a writing tool.

• Partner: Stop outsourcing your thinking. Give AI raw material — stories, bullet points, drafts — and co-create better fundraising messages together.
• Personalize: Train AI on your voice, tone, and donor psychology so everything it writes sounds human, warm, and consistent.
• Prompt: Learn how clear, directional prompts instantly eliminate robotic copy and produce donor-centered results.

When was the last time you put together a board report, and the board actually read it? Most nonprofit leaders know the answer: rarely. Hours are spent gathering data, formatting charts, writing summaries, and chasing staff — and yet engagement is low. Half the board skims it, a few dig deep, and some ask questions you already answered. Exhausting.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shows how AI can automate 90% of your board reporting, compressing complex data into a one-page snapshot that boards actually want to read. Using the framework Collect. Compress. Communicate., you’ll learn how to:

• Collect: Gather all your donor, program, financial, and operational data in one place, and let AI summarize insights for your board.
• Compress: Turn chaos into a digestible, one-page report with simple visuals, a clear narrative, and action-oriented decisions.
• Communicate: Deliver the report in layers — quick snapshot, easy-to-read visuals, and optional deep dive appendix — so every board member engages at their preferred depth.

You’ll hear real examples from nonprofits that cut 12–15 hours per report, improved board engagement, and ran more focused, productive meetings. AI didn’t just make reporting easier — it made the board better.

Plug-and-play prompts help you automate each step, from summarizing data to creating charts and rewriting narratives in a warm, readable voice.