Purpose & Profit Club® – The Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing Podcast

If you’re ending your workday exhausted but can’t point to how you actually moved your fundraising forward, you might be caught in the fundraising busywork trap.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why so many nonprofit leaders confuse “activity” with “progress,” and how fear, comfort, and overthinking keep your mission stuck in motion but not momentum. You’ll learn how to identify low-ROI tasks, make courageous decisions that drive funding, and replace cluttered calendars with confident action that actually grows your organization. Because the opposite of busy isn’t lazy, it’s focused.

Topics:

• The fundraising busywork trap and how to recognize it
• Why working harder doesn’t always mean raising more
• The difference between “activity” and “aligned action”
• Adam Grant’s concept of cognitive comfort and how it stalls growth
• Why procrastination often disguises itself as preparation
• Real client examples: saying no to low-ROI events and sponsorship decks
• The three ingredients of brave leadership: boundaries, focus, and support
• Why coaching and systems prevent burnout and build momentum

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

If you’re done following the same old fundraising playbook, the polite one that keeps your goals small and your growth stuck, this episode is your permission slip to break the rules.

In The Rule-Breaker’s Guide to Year-End Fundraising, I share how safe, “board-approved” strategies are quietly capping your potential, and how modern fundraisers are rewriting the rules to build momentum, trust, and record-breaking campaigns. You’ll hear how one of my clients ran two back-to-back campaigns that both exceeded goals by leading with authenticity, urgency, and story, not fear or etiquette. Because the truth is, safe doesn’t scale. It’s time to stop waiting for approval, stop softening your message, and start leading with conviction. Rule breakers don’t just raise more money, they raise more energy, excitement, and impact.

Topics:

• Why playing it safe keeps your campaigns stuck on repeat
• The biggest lie in year-end fundraising (and what to do instead)
• How to release the “parking brake” on your campaigns and gain real traction
• What modern, momentum-driven fundraising looks like
• How one client ran two campaigns in a row, and hit both goals
• Why innovation looks risky until it works (and then everyone copies it)
• How to stop fundraising like it’s 2005 and lead with courage instead

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

If you’ve ever hesitated to hit send, make the call, or follow up because you didn’t want to “bug” your donors, this episode is for you.

That fear isn’t really about your donors, it’s about you. It’s your ego trying to keep you safe from rejection, discomfort, or embarrassment. But every time you let that fear win, you lose more than a donation. You lose momentum, trust, and connection. In this episode, I share how I coach fundraisers to move from me mode to mission mode. Because when you stop performing and start leading, everything changes. You’ll learn how to reframe rejection, build confidence, and lead with courage instead of apology. Your donors aren’t tired of hearing from you; they’ve just stopped hearing you. Generosity doesn’t happen in silence, it happens because you asked.

Topics:

• The real reason fundraisers fear “bugging” donors (and what it costs your mission)
• How ego and self-protection masquerade as “strategy”
• Moving from “me mode” to “mission mode” in your fundraising approach
• Why consistency builds donor trust and silence erodes it
• The mindset and language shift from apologetic to confident asking

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

GoFundMe launched a new “Nonprofit Pages” feature — automatically creating donation pages for over 1.4 million nonprofits across the U.S. without direct consent -- here's the latest update on the pages being unpublished and de-indexed. 

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

GoFundMe launched a new “Nonprofit Pages” feature — automatically creating donation pages for over 1.4 million nonprofits across the U.S. without direct consent.

If your organization never set up a GoFundMe campaign, you might still have a live, searchable page collecting donations right now — with funds routed through the PayPal Giving Fund and a 15–45 day delay before the nonprofit ever sees them.

In this episode, Christina breaks down:

• What’s actually happening behind these auto-created pages
• Why this isn’t just a communication misstep — it’s a compliance and consent issue
• The potential financial, trust, and risks nonprofits now face
• Why “visibility” doesn’t justify bypassing consent or control
• What to do immediately if your nonprofit was included

You’ll also hear Christina’s take on why this move adds unexpected administrative burden for small teams during the busiest fundraising season of the year — and why the only ethical solution is to make this feature opt-in by default.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

What if your next big fundraising win wasn’t about adding more grants, galas, or gimmicks, but about simplifying and believing it could work?

In this episode, I’m joined by Kim Wardlow and Penn Street from Aftersight, an incredible organization supporting the blind and low-vision community through accessible media, podcasts, and programs. They share how they went from uncertainty to running a $20K in just 20 days campaign that exceeded its goal, using storytelling, matching gifts, and genuine connection. We talk about how they built confidence, engaged their board, and reimagined fundraising as something fun, creative, and totally possible. Plus, they share how their growing podcast network and the White Cane Project are helping more people than ever. If you’ve ever doubted whether your next campaign could actually take off, this story is proof that it can.

Topics:

• The story behind Aftersight’s “$20K in 20 Days” win
• How Kim and Penn overcame fear and doubt in fundraising
• Why podcasting became their tool for accessibility and donor engagement
• How they used matching gifts + storytelling to motivate donors
• The importance of accessible technology in fundraising (like Givebutter)
• How board members became advocates after campaign success
• What’s next: monthly giving and influencer partnerships 

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Got a fundraising question you want Christina to answer?

Send the campaign problem, donor situation, email question, board issue, or fundraising advice you want a straight answer on. Christina is answering listener questions on upcoming episodes of The Purpose & Profit Club® Podcast.

Submit yours at splendidatl.com/ask

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

GoFundMe recently created more than 1.4 million donation pages for U.S. nonprofits — many without notice or consent.

In this episode, Christina Tzavaras Edwards unpacks what this means for your organization, your SEO, and your donor trust. You’ll learn why these pages exist, how to check if your nonprofit has one, and the key pros and cons of keeping, claiming, or removing it.

Christina also explains why she’s advising nonprofits who’ve never used GoFundMe before to unpublish until they intentionally opt in — citing compliance, consent, and donor ownership concerns. Plus, she explores how AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping donor discovery and why it’s more important than ever to control your digital giving experience.

You’ll learn:

• What this mass GoFundMe rollout means for your org’s online giving
• How to find out if your nonprofit has a page
• The pros and cons of claiming vs. unpublishing
• Why consent, clarity, and control should drive every tech decision

Mentioned in this episode:
Special thanks to George Weiner, Lauren Atherton, and T. Clay Buck for their insights that helped inform this discussion.

Resources mentioned:
* Whole Whale GoFundMe Takedown Template: https://nonprofitnewsfeed.com/news/1-4-million-donation-pages-without-permission-created-by-gofundme/ 

Note: This episode is for informational purposes only and based on publicly available reporting as of October 2025. It does not constitute legal advice or an allegation of wrongdoing.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

Getting new donors feels exciting, new names, new gifts, fresh energy. But if you can’t keep them, you’re stuck on the hamster wheel.

In this episode, I talk about the retention wall, why most nonprofits struggle to keep donors giving year after year, and how to fix it. We’ll unpack why first-time donors ghost you, what for-profit brands get right about loyalty, and the exact mindset + strategy shifts you need to turn one-time givers into lifelong supporters. If you’ve ever wondered why donors don’t come back, or felt frustrated that your list keeps growing but revenue doesn’t, this is the episode that will change how you think about fundraising forever.

Topics:

• What is the retention wall, and why do most nonprofits hit it
• Why donor acquisition without retention is a losing game
• The psychology of why donors don’t give again
• Simple ways to create loyalty and connection after the first gift
• How to measure retention (and what numbers actually matter)
• Stories and examples of organizations breaking through the wall

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

You don’t need to send more emails. You need to send the right ones. 

In this episode, I’m breaking down the five email types every nonprofit must use if you want to double, triple, or even 9x your campaign results. These aren’t random updates or long newsletters that no one reads. Each type has a specific role in moving your donors from curious to committed. We’ll talk about why your current email strategy might feel flat, how to stop repeating yourself, and the exact sequence that creates urgency, connection, and momentum. If you’ve ever wondered, “But what do I write next?” this is your roadmap.

Topics:

• Why fewer emails equals fewer donations
• The five types of emails that keep donors engaged
• How each email type plays a unique role in the campaign arc
• Why story-driven emails outperform newsletters every time
• Real examples of campaigns that grew 2x–9x by retooling emails

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Got a fundraising question you want Christina to answer?

Send the campaign problem, donor situation, email question, board issue, or fundraising advice you want a straight answer on. Christina is answering listener questions on upcoming episodes of The Purpose & Profit Club® Podcast.

Submit yours at splendidatl.com/ask

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

The fear of “bothering” donors has nonprofits sending fewer emails than Sephora sends about mascara. And you know what that means? Fewer emails = fewer donations.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on why silence in your donor’s inbox is way more damaging than showing up with short, story-driven emails. I’ll tell you why Patagonia, Old Navy, and Jimmy John’s can email you daily without you hitting unsubscribe, and why nonprofits should stop hiding behind once-a-quarter newsletters that nobody reads (hello, donor amnesia). This conversation is all about making email fun again and turning it into your #1 fundraising engine. If you’re tired of being ghosted by donors, I’ll show you how to stay top of mind, raise more money, and build genuine relationships… all from your inbox.

Topics:

• Why “fewer emails” is a myth that’s keeping your nonprofit broke
• Donor psychology: why silence feels worse than consistent outreach
• What nonprofits can learn from Sephora, Old Navy, and Jimmy John’s
• How one org went from $1,600 → $9,000 by shifting their email strategy
• The difference between transactional emails (tax receipts) and true connection
• Why good emails build trust while quarterly newsletters build amnesia
• How to create fundraising campaigns that feel like conversations

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

It's not too early to start developing a strategy for the end of 2026! Snag Bloomerang's 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists here. 

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator   
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers 
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter  
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links