Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell

What keeps nonprofit professionals in this work, and what does it cost them to stay?

Nonprofit professionals dedicate their careers to making the world a better place, but who takes care of the people doing the work?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell sits down with Evan Wildstein, longtime nonprofit practitioner, fundraiser, author, and self-described “nonprofiteer,” to explore the realities of working in the social impact sector and his latest project, Dear Nonprofiteer, a collaborative, print-only zine created with and for nonprofit professionals.

Drawing on nearly 25 years of experience in the sector, Evan reflects on why people choose to stay in nonprofit work, what that commitment can cost them, and why burnout and self-sacrifice have become so normalized. Together, Julia and Evan explore the tension between caring deeply about a mission and feeling exhausted by the organizations carrying it out.

They also discuss the importance of staff well-being, the stories the nonprofit sector tells about passion and productivity, and what leaders often misunderstand about staff retention. Through humor, poetry, storytelling, research, and community, Dear Nonprofiteer creates space for nonprofit professionals to feel seen and heard, not simply encouraged to do more.

Because sustainable organizations depend on sustainable people, and caring for the people behind the mission should never be an afterthought.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Evan created Dear Nonprofiteer and why this project matters now
• Why nonprofit professionals stay in the sector—and what staying can cost
• The difference between mission-driven commitment and unhealthy self-sacrifice
• Why organizational sustainability must include staff well-being
• The nonprofit narratives we need to challenge, including “do more with less”
• What nonprofit leaders often misunderstand about staff retention
• How humor, poetry, storytelling, and community help us talk honestly about nonprofit work
• Why Evan chose a collaborative, print-only zine in an increasingly digital world
• What research and lived experiences reveal about why people stay or leave
• What continues to give Evan hope after nearly 25 years in the sector

About Evan Wildstein

Evan Wildstein is a nonprofit practitioner, fundraiser, author, musician, and advocate for the people who power social impact organizations. With nearly 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, he has held fundraising and senior staff roles focused on systems, programs, and people at institutions including The Juilliard School, Rice University, and Asia Society. His work has helped raise more than $30 million.

Evan is the author of The Nonprofiteer's Fundraising Field Guide and has contributed to research on nonprofit staff retention. He is also a co-lead of the Social Impact Staff Retention Project and the creator of Dear Nonprofiteer, a collaborative zine exploring why nonprofit professionals stay, what it costs them, and why the work can still be worth it.

Resources & Links

• Evan Wildstein's website: https://www.thenonprofiteers.com/
• Connect with Evan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-a-wildstein/
• Social Impact Staff Retention Project: https://www.thenonprofiteers.com/sisr

Let's Keep the Conversation Going!

What keeps you in nonprofit work, and what do you wish the sector would do differently to take better care of the people doing it?

Share your thoughts, and if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Nonprofit Nation, leave a review, and share it with a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or colleague who could use this conversation.

Because the people behind the mission matter, too.

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Stories are among the most powerful tools nonprofits have. They can build understanding, inspire generosity, and connect people across communities. But how can nonprofits tell compelling stories without compromising the dignity of the people behind them?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I sit down with Yuriy Boyechko, founder and CEO of Hope For Ukraine, to explore the responsibility that comes with telling stories of hardship, resilience, and hope.

Through nearly a decade of humanitarian work in Ukraine, Yuriy has seen firsthand how storytelling can mobilize support for families, refugees, and communities affected by war. He shares why ethical storytelling begins with listening, meaningful consent, and recognizing that the stories nonprofits tell ultimately belong to the people who lived them.

We also discuss how nonprofits can build donor trust through authentic storytelling, communicate urgency without contributing to compassion fatigue, and show the impact of their work without positioning themselves as the heroes of someone else's story.

Yuriy is also the co-author of the forthcoming book Defiant Hope: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Courage, and the Fight for Ukraine, which highlights the courage, resilience, and humanity of ordinary Ukrainians navigating extraordinary circumstances.

If you're a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or communicator, this conversation offers a meaningful reminder that storytelling isn't just about raising awareness or generating donations. It's about honoring people's experiences, building trust, and creating genuine connections that inspire action.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why the stories nonprofits tell ultimately belong to the people who lived them
• What ethical storytelling looks like in practice
• How to preserve dignity when sharing stories involving hardship, trauma, and crisis
• The importance of meaningful consent when telling someone's story
• How to create emotional connections without exploiting someone's pain
• Why nonprofits shouldn't always position themselves as the heroes of the story
• Building donor trust through transparency and authentic storytelling
• Combining personal stories with data and evidence of impact
• Communicating urgency and hope without contributing to compassion fatigue
• How to keep nonprofit communications authentic as an organization grows
• What nearly a decade of humanitarian work has taught Yuriy about leadership and resilience
• The meaning of Defiant Hope and what ordinary people can teach us about courage and community

About Yuriy Boyechko

Yuriy Boyechko is the founder and CEO of Hope For Ukraine, a humanitarian organization established in 2016. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he has helped lead efforts to deliver essential humanitarian aid, including food, medical supplies, shelter, clean water, and solar power solutions to communities in crisis.

Born and raised in Ukraine, Yuriy brings a deeply personal connection to his humanitarian work. He is also a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and co-author of the forthcoming book Defiant Hope: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Courage, and the Fight for Ukraine.

Learn more about Yuriy and Hope For Ukraine:

• Website: https://hfu.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuriy-boyechko
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hope4ukraine/

Coming February 16, 2027: Defiant Hope: Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Courage, and the Fight for Ukraine.

Enjoyed this episode?

Subscribe to Nonprofit Nation, leave a review, and share this episode with a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or communicator who wants to tell stories that inspire action while honoring the dignity of the people behind them.

Because the goal isn't simply to tell a more compelling story. It's to become a better steward of the stories people trust us to tell.

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Nonprofit leaders are carrying a lot right now. Between funding uncertainty, team burnout, political instability, and growing community needs, it can feel like there’s always another challenge to tackle. And through it all, leaders are expected to inspire their teams, communicate hope, and keep their missions moving forward. But what happens when the people doing the work are running out of energy themselves?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell sits down with Lisa Bennett, author, facilitator, advisor, and award-winning journalist, to explore how purpose-driven people can continue making a difference without becoming depleted by the work they care so deeply about.

Lisa, author of the forthcoming book Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It, challenges us to rethink what it means to be committed to a cause. She shares why constant urgency can undermine our clarity, creativity, and decision-making, and why sustaining ourselves is not separate from sustaining our missions.

Together, Julia and Lisa explore the idea of savoring, not as another self-care task to add to an already overwhelming to-do list, but as a way to reconnect with what gives our work meaning. They also discuss how storytelling can help nonprofit leaders and teams remember why their work matters, especially when progress feels difficult to see.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, fundraiser, or mission-driven professional who wants to stay engaged without sacrificing your well-being, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on burnout, leadership, and finding the strength to keep showing up for the causes that matter.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why nonprofit leaders and purpose-driven professionals may be especially vulnerable to burnout and depletion.
• How constant urgency affects clarity, creativity, and decision-making.
• How to lead with honesty and hope when the future feels uncertain.
• Why burnout is not simply an individual self-care problem, but can also reflect organizational culture.
• What it means to savor the world and how it differs from traditional approaches to self-care.
• How storytelling can help nonprofit teams reconnect with their purpose and find meaning in difficult work.
• How to build an organizational culture where commitment is not measured by exhaustion.
• Practical ways to make room for joy, beauty, humor, and connection while continuing to address urgent challenges.

About Lisa Bennett

Lisa Bennett is an author, facilitator, advisor, and award-winning journalist whose work explores how purpose-driven people can tackle difficult problems without being depleted by them. She is the author of the forthcoming book Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It and co-author of Ecoliterate with emotional intelligence pioneer Daniel Goleman.

Throughout her career in journalism, education, communications, facilitation, and organizational leadership, Lisa has worked with people tackling consequential challenges across sectors and communities. Today, she helps purpose-led organizations reconnect mission, people, and resources, supporting leaders and teams in finding clarity, staying grounded through setbacks, and recognizing where their efforts can make a difference.

Resources & Connect with Lisa

• Website: https://lisabennettwrites.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisabennettwriter/
• Book: Savor the World: How to Draw Strength From What You Love and Keep Showing Up for It (forthcoming)

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Nonprofit Nation, leave a review, and share it with a nonprofit leader or fundraiser who could benefit from this conversation.

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What happens when unimaginable loss becomes a catalyst for service, advocacy, and community?

In this deeply moving episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell sits down with Joseph Samaha, Director of Victim Advocacy and Outreach for VTVCare, an organization rooted in the community of families and survivors brought together following the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.

Joe’s daughter, Reema, was killed in the tragedy. In the aftermath, Joe and other families found themselves navigating profound grief while also discovering the power of community, people coming together, sharing what they were learning, supporting one another, and creating a path forward when there was no roadmap.

Over time, that community became something much larger.

Joe shares what it means to lead a mission-driven organization when the mission is deeply connected to your own lived experience. He talks about the long-term needs of survivors and families after the public attention surrounding a tragedy fades, the role of community in recovery and resilience, and the challenges of turning individual support into systemic change.

We also explore what nonprofit leadership looks like when the work is deeply personal, how to think about impact when outcomes involve grief, healing, and human connection, and how VTVCare is working to create more sustainable resources for people affected by mass violence. Nonprofit Nation Podcast Prep -…

In this episode, we discuss:

• Starting a nonprofit while navigating profound personal grief
• How the Virginia Tech community came together after tragedy
• The role of community in long-term recovery and resilience
• What survivors need long after the initial attention disappears
• How lived experience shapes nonprofit leadership and decision-making
• Creating boundaries and sustainability when the mission is deeply personal
• Measuring impact when the work centers on grief, healing, and human connection
• Moving from supporting individual families to advocating for systemic change
• Creating sustainable, long-term resources for people affected by mass violence
• Carrying Reema’s memory forward through service Nonprofit Nation Podcast Prep -…

About Joseph Samaha

Joseph Samaha is the Director of Victim Advocacy and Outreach at VTVCare and a lifelong resident of Northern Virginia. Following the Virginia Tech tragedy, Joe and his wife, Mona, established scholarships and funds in memory of their daughter, Reema, and Joe became a tireless advocate for Virginia Tech families and other survivors.

He has served as the first president of VTVFOF and works as a consultant and speaker with the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center. He also consults with the Medical University of South Carolina’s National Mass Violence and Victim Resource Center.

Joe has helped advise states and institutions on VTVCare’s investment model for sustaining the cost of assisting victims of mass violence. His advocacy contributed to Virginia and Maine becoming the first states in the nation to establish non-reverting Mass Violence Care Funds for citizens impacted by mass violence.

Learn More

Learn more about VTVCare at vtvcare.org.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a nonprofit leader or fundraiser who could benefit from this conversation.

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If your nonprofit is preparing for year-end fundraising, there’s a Facebook development I want you to know about.

Facebook expert Mari Smith is reporting that some Facebook Pages and professional-mode profiles are encountering a limit of two organic external-link posts per month. Under the restrictions she describes, putting a link in the comments can count, too.

Two links per month.

If you’re promoting a fundraising campaign, a volunteer opportunity, and an event, you can see how quickly that becomes a problem.

Availability varies, so check your own Page for notices before assuming you’re affected. I’ll link to Mari’s article in the show notes.

But this development raises a question every nonprofit should consider:

How much of our fundraising depends on Facebook allowing supporters to reach our website?

Today, we’re going to look at what the data tells us, what paying for more link sharing actually gets you, and three practical steps you can take before year-end.

Mari Smith article

Jon Loomer podcast

Meta's Widely Viewed Content Report: What People See on Facebook

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What if sustainable nonprofit growth isn't about getting bigger, but about making your organization stronger?

Nonprofits are constantly being told to grow, scale, serve more people, raise more money, and demonstrate greater impact. But what happens when the need for growth moves faster than an organization’s ability to actually sustain it?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell talks with Suzanne Smith, founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects and author of The Nonprofit Flywheel: A Playbook for Sustainable Growth, Smarter Strategy and Lasting Impact, about what it really takes to build a stronger, more resilient nonprofit. 

Suzanne introduces the idea of the nonprofit flywheel, a way of thinking about how interconnected parts of an organization can work together to create sustainable momentum. Rather than treating growth as simply getting bigger, Suzanne makes the case for strengthening the systems underneath the work, including mission, strategy, leadership, trust, storytelling, revenue, operations, culture, and governance.

Julia and Suzanne dig into why nonprofits sometimes try to scale programs before building the organizational capacity needed to support them, why a fundraising problem may actually be a problem with mission clarity or trust, and why so many strategic plans lose momentum once the retreat is over.

They also explore the nonprofit sector's leadership pipeline, the importance of investing in organizational infrastructure, and what boards and funders can do to help—or hinder—organizational resilience.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What the “nonprofit flywheel” is and how it creates sustainable momentum
• Why growth and scale aren't necessarily the same thing as impact
• How to determine whether your organization is actually ready to grow
• Why nonprofits often scale programs before strengthening the organization underneath them
• The connection between mission clarity, trust, storytelling, and revenue
• Why fundraising challenges aren't always fundraising problems
• Why strategic plans so often stall after the planning retreat
• How to turn strategy into everyday organizational decision-making
• Why organizational capacity should be viewed as essential infrastructure, rather than simply “overhead”
• What resilient nonprofit organizations have in common
• The leadership pipeline challenge facing the nonprofit sector
• How boards and funders can strengthen or undermine organizational resilience
• Practical ways nonprofit leaders can begin building sustainable momentum.

About Suzanne Smith

Suzanne Smith, MBA, is the founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects and the author of The Nonprofit Flywheel: A Playbook for Sustainable Growth, Smarter Strategy and Lasting Impact, launching October 1, 2026.

Drawing on 16 years of research, testing, and work with hundreds of nonprofits, Suzanne's book explores six interconnected drivers—impact, brand, revenue, operations, culture, and governance—and how they work together to build stronger and more resilient organizations. 

A question to think about:

Is your nonprofit actually growing, or are you simply doing more without building the infrastructure needed to sustain it?

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a nonprofit leader or fundraiser who could benefit from the conversation.

Learn More About Suzanne

• Connect with Suzanne on LinkedIn, Social Impact Architects and MeetSuzanne.com.
• Social TrendSpotter — Suzanne’s weekly newsletter on the future of the social sector.
• The Nonprofit Flywheel: A Playbook for Sustainable Growth, Smarter Strategy, and Lasting Impact launched October 1, 2026, with a free digital edition, companion tools and resources, and print editions on Amazon.

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What does it really mean to be community-led?

In the nonprofit sector, “community-led” has become a popular phrase, but what does it actually look like when an organization is willing to transfer real decision-making power to the people closest to the work?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell talks with Carolyn Daly, Executive Director of Nuya’, a nonprofit partnering with Indigenous Maya women in Guatemala to improve health, education, and economic opportunity through community-led solutions. Carolyn has spent the past 13 years working alongside local women leaders as programs have increasingly been designed, led, and sustained by the communities they serve. She is now helping lead a long-term transition of executive leadership to Nuya’s Indigenous Guatemalan leadership team. 

Carolyn shares how this experience has challenged her assumptions about leadership, philanthropy, growth, and sustainability and what nonprofit leaders may need to unlearn and let go of in order to make meaningful community ownership possible.

We also dig into a question that many nonprofits and funders wrestle with: Does bigger actually mean better? Carolyn shares what a failed program experiment in Guatemala taught her about the idea of “enough,” and why sustainability and lasting impact may require organizations to rethink their relationship with growth. 

In this episode, we discuss:

•  What “community-led” really means beyond simply asking for community input 
•  The difference between community participation and community power
•  What it takes to develop local leadership over many years—not just within a grant cycle 
•  Why transferring leadership is about much more than changing someone's title 
•  What Carolyn has had to unlearn about leadership and power
•  How boards, staff, and organizational structures need to evolve when leadership is being transferred 
•  The important work of community leadership that philanthropy often doesn't see or fund 
•  Why leadership development can be difficult to fit into traditional funder metrics 
•  The importance of patient and unrestricted funding
•  What happens when funder priorities don't align with what a community actually needs 
•  Who should define what “impact” means: funders, nonprofits, or the communities being served? 
•  Why nonprofits and funders often equate growth with impact
•  What a failed program experiment in Guatemala taught Carolyn about knowing when “enough” is enough
•  Rethinking sustainability beyond simply having enough money to keep an organization running 
•  Whether a nonprofit leader's success can eventually mean becoming less necessary
•  One uncomfortable question nonprofit leaders and funders should be willing to ask if they genuinely want to become more community-led  

About Carolyn Daly

Carolyn Daly is the Executive Director of Nuya’, a nonprofit that partners with Indigenous Maya women in Guatemala to improve health, education, and economic opportunity through community-led solutions.

She is currently helping lead a long-term transition of executive leadership to Nuya’s Indigenous Guatemalan leadership team. Over the past 13 years, Carolyn has worked alongside local women leaders to build programs that are increasingly designed, led, and sustained by the communities they serve.

Carolyn writes about philanthropy, nonprofit leadership, and community-led development, exploring questions around growth, sustainability, and how philanthropy can better support local leadership. Before joining Nuya’, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. 

Short Description

What does it really mean to become community-led? Carolyn Daly of Nuya’ joins Julia to explore transferring power, not just titles, to Indigenous Guatemalan leaders, the challenges philanthropy creates for community-led work, and why nonprofit leaders should question whether growth always equals impact.

Suggested Episode Hook

What if becoming a more effective nonprofit leader means learning to give up control?

Carolyn Daly joins Julia Campbell to talk about what it really takes to transfer power to the communities nonprofits serve and why sometimes the most meaningful measure of success isn't how much an organization grows, but how much ownership it is able to give away.

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What if your nonprofit doesn't need to post more, it just needs to post better?

Nonprofits are constantly told they need to be more active on social media. Post consistently. Create more Reels. Follow the trends. Keep feeding the algorithm.

But what if doing more isn't actually the answer?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia sits down with Reuben Harney, founder of Motus Reach, to challenge the idea that nonprofits need to constantly create content to succeed on social media.

Reuben shares his philosophy of “posting less, but better” and explains why focusing on real people, real stories, and meaningful outcomes can create stronger engagement without adding more work to already-busy nonprofit teams.

Drawing from his work with Family First, a Jersey-based charity, Reuben shares how a more focused and sustainable social media strategy helped increase engagement while reducing the organization's content workload.

We talk about how nonprofits can uncover compelling stories within the work they're already doing, collect testimonials without overwhelming staff, and turn those stories into content that inspires supporters to actually take action.

We also dig into the difference between engagement that simply looks good and engagement that genuinely advances the mission—and why nonprofits should stop posting simply because they feel like they have to.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why posting more doesn't necessarily lead to better social media results
• The difference between being active on social media and having an actual social media strategy
• Why real names and real stories can be more powerful than generic impact statistics
• How to find compelling nonprofit stories without creating more work for staff
• How to gather testimonials while respecting the people your organization serves
• Why a sustainable content strategy can outperform an aggressive posting schedule
• How to connect storytelling with fundraising and supporter action
• Which social media metrics nonprofits should actually pay attention to
• How to distinguish engagement that looks impressive from engagement that actually moves your mission forward
• What small nonprofits can realistically accomplish with limited time and resources
• What nonprofits should stop doing on social media
• How to build a content strategy around impact instead of algorithms

A Few Key Takeaways

You don't have to be everywhere.
Being constantly active on social media isn't the same thing as having a strategy. For nonprofits with limited time and resources, a smaller number of thoughtful, strategic posts can be more effective than trying to keep up with an endless content schedule.

People connect with people.
Numbers can communicate scale, but individual stories can help supporters understand the human impact behind those numbers. Reuben's approach centers on real people and real stories to help organizations communicate their impact more meaningfully.

The best content doesn't have to create more work.
Nonprofits already have stories happening every day. The challenge is creating simple systems that allow program staff to capture those moments naturally instead of making communications teams constantly chase down content.

Engagement isn't the end goal.
Likes and comments can feel good, but nonprofits ultimately need supporters to take meaningful action. The goal is to connect storytelling to what you want people to do—whether that's donate, volunteer, share, subscribe, or simply pay attention.

About Reuben Harney

Reuben Harney runs Motus Reach, a social media management agency that works exclusively with charities.

His approach focuses on real names, real stories, and posting less but better. Through his work with Family First, a Jersey-based charity, Reuben grew their engagement by 272% in under five months while developing a streamlined content strategy designed to increase engagement and support without creating an unsustainable workload for the nonprofit team.

He works with a small number of charities at a time, helping organizations communicate their impact, build trust, and make it easier for supporters to understand and act on their mission.

Learn more: MotusReach.com

🎧 Enjoyed this episode?

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What if your nonprofit doesn’t actually have a communications problem?

When a nonprofit’s messaging isn’t landing, the instinct is often to rewrite the website, create a new communications plan, post more content, or bring in a communications expert. But sometimes, the real issue goes much deeper.

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell talks with Christine Koh, a strategic communications advisor who works with mission-driven leadership teams to repair narrative breakdowns, strengthen leadership communication, and build the infrastructure organizations need to communicate effectively.

Christine shares why communications problems are often symptoms of deeper leadership or organizational challenges, and what happens when everyone inside an organization has a different understanding of its story.

They dig into what “narrative breakdown” actually looks like, how internal misalignment eventually shows up in external communications, and why communications teams can end up being asked to solve problems they don't actually have the authority to fix.

Julia and Christine also explore how nonprofit leaders can create clearer ownership around messaging, avoid “communications by committee,” and build systems that don't depend on one person carrying the entire organizational story in their head.

And, as always, they get practical, talking about what nonprofit leaders should diagnose before investing in another website, brand refresh, communications strategy, or endless stream of content.

If you've ever felt like your nonprofit is communicating a lot but somehow the message still isn't quite landing, this conversation is for you. 🎧

In this episode, we discuss:

•  Why some nonprofit communications problems are actually leadership problems
•  What narrative breakdown looks like inside an organization 
•  How internal misalignment affects external communications 
•  Why communications teams can become the catch-all for organizational dysfunction 
•  The role of executive leadership in shaping and protecting an organization's narrative 
•  How to create clear ownership around messaging and communications decisions 
•  How to avoid communications by committee while still making space for input 
•  What healthy communications infrastructure actually looks like 
•  Why more content isn't necessarily the answer to a communications problem 
•  How nonprofits can build communication systems that remain effective through staff and leadership changes 
•  What leaders should diagnose before hiring someone to redo their website or create another communications strategy 
•  Practical questions nonprofit leaders can ask to assess the health of their communications infrastructure 

About Christine Koh

Christine Koh, PhD, is a strategic communications advisor who works with mission-driven leaders and executive teams to stabilize leadership communication, repair narrative breakdown, and build sustainable communications infrastructure.

Her work draws from years of experience across media brand building, creative direction, and strategic advising for nonprofits. She also brings experience as a podcast host through Edit Your Life, where she explores ideas and translates them into practical insights. 

Connect with Christine Koh

Want to learn more from Christine or follow her work?

•  🌐 Website: christinekoh.com
•  💼 LinkedIn: Christine Koh on LinkedIn
•  🎙️ Edit Your Life Podcast: Listen to Edit Your Life

Christine is also the host of Edit Your Life, an award-winning podcast focused on practical advice for simplifying and decluttering different areas of life. 

Don’t forget: If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to Nonprofit Nation, leave a review, and share this episode with a nonprofit leader or fundraiser who could benefit from the conversation. 

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What if planned giving isn’t just for large nonprofits with massive development teams, sophisticated systems, and years of experience?

In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell talks with Tony Martignetti, the evangelist for Planned Giving and author of the forthcoming book Planned Giving Accelerated, about why small and mid-size nonprofits should be thinking about legacy giving, and why it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Tony shares a practical, approachable perspective on how nonprofits can recognize potential planned giving donors, start meaningful conversations about legacy giving, and build a program without expensive infrastructure or unnecessary complexity.

Together, Julia and Tony unpack some of the biggest misconceptions around planned giving, including the idea that only wealthy donors or large institutions should pursue it. They also explore why donor loyalty can matter more than the size of an individual gift, how to make conversations about estate plans feel natural, and what nonprofit leaders and boards need to understand about building a culture around legacy giving. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•  Why planned giving isn’t just for universities, hospitals, and large institutions 
•  The biggest misconceptions that keep small nonprofits from getting started 
•  What a simple and affordable planned giving program can look like 
•  How to identify donors who may be strong planned giving prospects 
•  Why donor loyalty can be more important than wealth when identifying potential legacy donors 
•  How to introduce planned giving without making the conversation uncomfortable or transactional 
•  What fundraisers need to know before talking with donors about legacy gifts 
•  When to involve a donor’s attorney or financial advisor 
•  The basic infrastructure a nonprofit actually needs to get started 
•  How to communicate about planned giving without overwhelming donors with technical information 
•  How nonprofit leaders and boards can support a culture of legacy giving 
•  Why the current generational transfer of wealth creates an important opportunity for nonprofits 
•  One thing fundraisers can do this week to start moving planned giving forward 

About Tony Martignetti

Tony Martignetti is the evangelist for Planned Giving and the author of Planned Giving Accelerated, a book designed to help small and mid-size nonprofits launch planned giving programs by making the process easy, accessible, and affordable.

Tony began his career as a front-line planned giving fundraiser in 1997 and launched his consulting practice in 2003. He is also a lawyer with a background in stand-up comedy and improv—an unusual combination that helps him make planned giving approachable rather than intimidating. 

Resources & Links

🔗 Tony Martignetti on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignetti/

📖 Planned Giving Accelerated: PlannedGivingAccelerated.com

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