Nonprofit Problem Solver

Here’s a great idea:  let’s do a podcast episode about podcasting.  Podcasts are a simple and relatively inexpensive way for nonprofits to reach a wider audience.  But actually doing it, creating and producing your nonprofit podcast, can be daunting.  So today we’re talking to Travis Johnson, a fellow podcaster for nonprofits, who you may know as the brains behind Nonprofit Architect.  Travis is a terrific ambassador for nonprofit podcasting and has resources available on the Nonprofit Architect website to help you get started.  We’re going to walk through some of those steps to show you just how easy it is while also being honest about what the real challenges are in producing a consistent podcast.  One of those is podcasting live, as I’ve done from the start of this show, but early on in this episode I actually lose my signal completely and leave you Travis’s capable hands for a brief period.  A good example of how things in podcasting are rarely perfect.  But don’t let that put you off, let’s hear instead how you can get started.

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and sign up to get notified of new episodes at NonprofitProblemSolver.com.  Videos available on YouTube. Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

So many nonprofits are struggling with the difficult decision about whether to have an event at all in 2022 but even once you’ve decided to go ahead with one, the tough decisions just keep coming:  is it indoor, outdoor, virtual, hybrid, live speaker, video, some combination thereof.  Corporate sponsorships and donations are down, costs are going up because of the technology and the space requirements - how do you make this all work?  How do you create a rich, exciting experience for your supporters that makes them want to give?  Number one, speak to an expert, like Jennifer Saphier Whitman, who founded Saphier Events right out of college and has been building from strength to strength ever since.  She’s got all the answers - well, at least she knows what questions to ask and what the options are, which is more than half the battle.  Let’s hear from Jennifer about what’s what with events in 2022.

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

I’ve finally had to take my turn with Covid but thanks to the double-vax I was able to scrape enough energy to chat - in a strained, scratchy voice - with Lindsay Simonds, who specializes in capital campaigns, those big, special purpose fundraising efforts that take months of preparation and often several years to execute.  If that sounds intimidating, you’re not alone.  But Lindsay reminds us that most people haven’t done a capital campaign before and even if they have, each one has so many unique elements that inevitably you’re learning as you go.  We talk about some basic starting points, how to engage your Board and top donors and critically, how to work out how best to present your case for capital funding to a wider community.  Your ‘Why’ has to be convincing in order to get to the how and when.

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

In this episode, I’m joined by my dear friend Julie Morris who specializes in building audiences for nonprofits and philanthropic organizations.  We start off asking what thought leadership even means and why a nonprofit organization or professional should be interested in being a thought leader - or, more to the point, being seen as a thought leader.  Because that rather is the point - leading in your field or area of mission isn’t something you can do behind closed doors. You’ve got to get out there, using all the tools and platforms available to you.  Julie gives us a step by step guide to getting started and keeping it going.  A big takeaway is that thought leadership isn’t about an exclusive club - any leader can do it, and increasingly, should.  Listen in, jot down those thoughts and ideas swirling in your head and get ready to record yourself on your phone.     

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

Everyone seems to have a nightmare story about organizational change - why is that?  Surely the volume of change going on should give us plenty of ammunition for getting it right.  Today’s guest is change expert Nancy Murphy and we cover a lot of ground on why most change efforts fail.  It’s not because of what they do, but what they don’t do - and that is, understand and work with the emotional experience of staff going through change - especially in terms of loss and threat.  Whatever the benefits of organizational change, staff have to leave behind what they know.  They can easily perceive threats to their autonomy or status that make change look like a big negative.  And finally - this is where Nancy comes over all Indiana Jones - change efforts leave behind bits and pieces of the old regime - what Nancy calls ‘artefacts’ - that reinforce the old ways and undermine the new.  This is must-listen stuff if you’re expecting any degree of organizational change as you adjust to post-Covid work life.  

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

If you’ve spent any time investigating how to do social media as a nonprofit, you’ll soon come across Julia Campbell, whose been leading the charge for well over a dozen years with things like the Nonprofit Social Media Summit every November - totally free and online, of course.  She’s taken time out to join us today to share her guidance on storytelling specifically on social media.  Now we all tell stories, all the time - but how do you do it in a way that stops the scroll?  That connects with your audience instantly.  We talk a bit about the various platforms and then Julia explains her five building blocks for social media stories and we consider ways to think about who the hero of our nonprofit stories  really is.  

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

My guest today is Mallory Erickson, a fundraising coach who hated fundraising for most of her nonprofit career.  She had all the fears - imposter syndrome, feeling inauthentic and not up to the job.  And when it came to corporate partnerships, she didn’t have the most positive impressions of the for-profit folks she was meant to be working with.  All that changed when she trained in habits, behavior and mindset.  She applied that to her work and completely reversed her experience and, more importantly, her results.  So much so that strategic corporate partnerships are now the cornerstone of her approach to financial stability.  Understanding what makes them truly strategic, is the key.  

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

I’m no handyman but I do know that if something’s stuck, use WD-40 and if something’s moving when it’s not supposed to, use duct-tape.  And it would appear that in nonprofits we use a lot of metaphorical duct-tape to fix the shaky bits in our fundraising.  In the absence of a spray or pill that makes people suddenly love fundraising, today we’ve got Rachel Ramjattan who’s trained over 300 grassroots organizations to fundraise.  She’s laid out a huge chunk of her training in her book, No More Duct-Tape Fundraising, and today she shares her answers to the three questions she gets asked the most:  how do I find my Oprah or other super-rich benefactor, how do I get my board to fundraise and finally as Chief Everything Officer how do I find the time?  We start with why people don’t like fundraising in the first place - and of course, Rachel has a great story to share.

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live show at NonprofitProblemSolver.com or catch them on YouTube, LinkedIn or Facebook.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

If there’s one question that immediately identifies someone as being in the nonprofit world, it’s “how do I find donors”?  This is THE fundamental problem that nonprofits face every single day.  So who better to talk to about this question than donor cultivator extraordinaire, Jay Frost.  We had to wait a few extra minutes while Jay wrangled with Chrome and then Firefox browsers to recognize his camera but the wait was well worth it - listen to Jay explain where donors are and which donors you should be looking for.

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live podcasts at yot.me or at NonprofitProblemSolver.com.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com/

December is a big month for most nonprofits in terms of donations but how do you know you’re making the best of the giving season?  What plans do you need to have in place and how far in advance?  This episode I’m speaking to marketing expert Monica Pitts about the support she provides to nonprofits in planning their end of year campaigns.  It’s never too early to start (of course) but it’s also not like you’re starting from scratch.  Dust off what works, repurpose things that have resonated with your donor base and decide who’s doing what.  And don’t forget volunteers and having seasonal fun with peer-to-peer projects.  Monica has great advice for small teams with limited resources as well as those hoping to build and grow their end of year campaigns from previous years.  Before we hear from her and how to get her end-of-year checklist and other resources, let me give a shout out to this episode’s nonprofit partner, Journey to Esquire, who supports women and people of color to get their law degrees and pass the bar.  Support them at journeytoesquire.com.  

Find out more at kevkhayat.com and discover other episodes or register for the live podcasts at NonprofitProblemSolver.com.

Expertly produced by Glen Munoz at PodProAudio, https://podproaudio.com