Missions to Movements

What happens when 1.3 billion people adopt AI in just 39 months… and most nonprofits are still trying to figure out where to even start?

While nearly 90% of nonprofits are already using AI, only 6-7% are seeing meaningful returns, which is why I HAD to sit down with Justin Spelhaug, President of Microsoft Elevate, to talk about why that gap exists, and how nonprofits have a once-in-a-generation chance to shape a more inclusive AI economy.

We also talk about generating personalized donor thank you messages at scale, and how to use predictive modeling to better understand giving behavior. This moment requires all of us to lean in and will challenge how you think about AI.

Resources & Links

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn and learn more about Microsoft Elevate on their website. Justin also recommends Carol Dweck and her work on growth mindsets.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Monthly Giving Awareness Week feels like the perfect time to bring back repeat guest Dave Raley, especially after he just launched The Center for Sustainable Giving, a new initiative helping nonprofits rethink how they approach recurring generosity.

The subscription economy is fundamentally changing donor expectations, which is why we’re exploring topics like “10x thinking”, generosity as a learned habit, the future of sustainable philanthropy, and why recurring giving programs deserve far more visibility, staffing, and investment than they’re currently getting. So many nonprofits are still stuck in a “single gift mindset” and this conversation is a reminder of just how big the opportunity is if you’re willing to think differently about donor relationships.

Resources & Links

Monthly Giving Awareness Week is THIS week and the deadline to apply for the 2026 Monthlies is May 13, 2026. Enter here.

Learn about The Center for Sustainable Giving.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Dion Dawson took the Monthly Giving Summit Main Stage in February and it was mic drop after mic drop. Over the last five years, his work at Dion’s Chicago Dream has generated more than $17.8 MILLION dollars in impact feeding families, building systems, and creating jobs. 

And he didn’t get there by being perfect or cracking a universal code. Dion shares how to build visibility through thought leadership, the importance of knowing where to invest your time, and why showing up over and over again is what builds trust and momentum.

If you’ve been sitting on ideas, waiting for the right moment, or questioning how you can build belief at scale, this episode will fire you up. Your mission deserves to be heard!

Resources & Links

Connect with Dion on LinkedIn and learn more about Dion’s Chicago Dream on their website.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Angelique Albert believes that scaling a mission takes bold investments in marketing, the courage to make unconventional leadership decisions, and the willingness to make a case loud enough for the right partners to find you.

Imagine getting a $50 MILLION dollar unrestricted gift. It changes what’s possible for your organization.

Angelique and I get into the practical side of growth, and what it looked like for Native Forward Scholars Fund to go from spending just $20,000/year on marketing to executing a full rebrand, upgrading systems, and intentionally putting themselves in the right rooms.

Resources & Links

Learn more about Native Forward Scholars Fund on their website and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. 

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Relational equity is going to reframe the way you think about donors. Did you know loneliness is now considered a public health crisis, comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day?!

In this bonus keynote from the Monthly Giving Summit, I’m sitting down with Allison Trowbridge, founder of Copper Books, to talk all about relationships and the compounding wealth you build by investing in people over time.

You’ll hear Allison’s personal story of going from a venture-backed startup with millions in funding to losing everything – as well as her favorite practical ways to strengthen donor relationships and community connections.

If you want to build a more sustainable movement, you’ll want to listen to every minute of this episode.

Resources & Links

Connect with Allison at [email protected] and learn more about Copper Books here.

Take Allison’s FREE Relational Archetype Quiz.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Did you know monthly donors often have 85%+ retention rates, while many nonprofits are lucky to retain just 40% of one-time donors?

In this episode, I’m asking you to take a hard look at your fundraising calendar and answer one simple question: Is monthly giving actually a priority? For most organizations, it’s not.

We’ll talk about the shift from constantly raising money to building predictable, sustainable revenue, what metrics you should be tracking, and why making monthly giving a core part of your strategy is one of the most important moves you can make right now.

Resources & Links

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Can you believe the tools that once required a full development team and a 6-figure budget can now be built in a matter of MONTHS with “vibe AI” for a fraction of the cost?

In this solo episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look into my business, and how I took my $12K-$18K Monthly Giving Mastermind and turned it into a $499/year AI-powered tool that helps nonprofits build and grow their recurring revenue.

I’m walking through what’s actually possible for nonprofits right now, from automating intake and donor communications to volunteer matching and grant research, and how to start identifying what your organization could build next.

Resources & Links

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

Monthly Giving Retreat: Learn more + apply by 4/10 here! 

What season is your monthly giving program in right now — planting, growing, or stuck in a plateau? In this episode, Dana Snyder breaks down why knowing your season matters and how the right environment can move your program forward faster than you'd get there alone.

Dana shares an inside look at the 2026 Monthly Giving Retreat — an intimate, women-led gathering for nonprofit fundraising leaders held May 6–8 at The Portal in Serenbe, Georgia. From the peer learning that happens when every person in the room is working on the same thing, to the intentional design of the space itself, this episode makes the case for going deep on one thing instead of a little on everything.

You'll hear real results from past attendees — including one leader who grew from 30 to 105 monthly donors and another who finally invited 17,000 email subscribers to give monthly — and what it actually looks like to leave a retreat with a plan, not just inspiration.

Applications close April 10th. Three spots remain.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

If you've ever been the only fundraiser in the room running the gala and fielding board questions about why an auction underperformed, today's guest has been exactly where you are. 

Andrew Edwards spent years on the front lines of nonprofit fundraising, from coaching small shops, to scaling 60+ events nationally at the Epilepsy Foundation.

In this episode, we’re getting into what helps small teams focus, larger teams scale, and fundraisers at every level work smarter, how to make the case for attending a conference (even with limited budgets), why investing in your team pays off, and how to approach networking and planning so you don’t waste the opportunity!

Resources & Links

Check out one of my favorite books, Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...

What if the thing standing between your nonprofit and a million dollar gift wasn't your programming, your data or even your ask, but your story?

Emmy Award-winning journalist and StoryLede founder Bofta Yimam is here to talk about why stepping into visibility is no longer optional for nonprofit leaders. She shares a powerful example of a leader who landed international speaking gigs, doubled her organization’s revenue, and later received a $1M gift.

We break down how to use LinkedIn to reach donors and board members, how to turn your story into content that builds trust, and why visibility is a leadership responsibility. The real question is: are you willing to push past the discomfort and step into the visibility game?

Resources & Links

Connect with Bofta on LinkedIn and learn more about StoryLede on their website.

This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.  Generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 

Now is the time to start making your plans for GivingTuesday. Visit GivingTuesday.org/participate for resources and inspiration.

Save the date for our next Monthly Giving Summit on February 25, 2027. Apply to speak here!

Applications are now open for the 2027 Mini Monthly Giving Mastermind and Retreat. If you have built a monthly giving program, join our high-touch peer coaching community for nonprofit leaders who are ready to break through.

Supercharge your monthly giving program and apply for my Monthly Giving VIP Intensive session. Only 2 spots are available this fall!

Let's Connect!

• Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
• My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab ...