Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast

I don't know about you, but when I sat down and thought about the idea of disruption in the context of our current COVID-19 nationwide shutdown, I just had to laugh. I mean, if this isn't disruption, what is!?!?!?But that's not the kind of disruption I'm talking about here.On Friday I sat down with my friend, Beth Fisher. She's currently Vice President of Advancement at Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids, MI.  Beth is a highly sought after speaker, life coach, and marketing and sales leader. She's also author of the recently released book, Remorseless: Learning to Lose Labels, Expectations, and Assumptions Without Losing Yourself. Beth is an expert at leading change management initiatives in large organizations, and is currently using that experience to help reshape the processes and infrastructure to help Mel Trotter Ministries become more efficient and effective at delivering on mission. Beth helped us tackle big questions like:Can business principles used in the for-profit sector bring value to the nonprofit? What are the biggest challenges to growth and innovation in the nonprofit sector?What are the risks, to any organization, of not growing and changing? What are the greatest impediments to innovation and change within organizations?How do you keep teams and individuals motivated during large change initiatives? I hope this episode brings value to your work and helps you lead your team and your organization's change initiatives more effectively!

This week I sat down with Charity Fundraising Expert, Duncan Schieb. Duncan is a highly accomplished charity auctioneer, marketer, and fundraiser. In addition to his work managing live fundraising events for organizations, Duncan also runs a successful video production company that serves both nonprofit and commercial organizations. Duncan spoke with me from his home in Battery Park City, in New York -- near the nation's epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a charity event fundraising expert, Duncan knows all too well just how much of an impact this global pandemic has had on event fundraising. If your organization relies on event fundraising to fund operations, this is a conversation you won't want to miss!In our discussion, Duncan helped answer these following important questions that are on the minds of thousands of nonprofit leaders right now:How does an organization that is event-heavy in their funding model make the switch from live events to virtual events? How can organizations protect the revenue that might have already been committed by individual donors and corporate sponsors if their events are shut down? What's the one thing that organizations can do right now to protect your most important donor relationships (Hint: It's super simple, doesn't require any new money, and probably isn't what you think)?Is virtual fundraising just a blip on the radar screen because of this crisis, or could this help springboard organizations into an entirely new donor engagement/fundraising model for their organizations? I so appreciate Duncan's contribution to our sector and this conversation. In our chat, Duncan also shared the very personal story of the recent loss of his beautiful little boy, Lachlan Hugh Schieb. Duncan and his family have created the Lachlan Hugh Schieb Memorial Fund through Charity Water to ensure that Lachlan's life and memory can help bring life-saving water to people in need around the globe.

These are certainly extraordinary times. Nonprofit organizations are facing increased stress and pressure to deliver value across our country, while doing so with reduced staffing, risk of illness to themselves, and for many, significantly greater demand.Leading in extraordinary times requires a commitment to authenticity, transparency, and a willingness to confront and address behaviors and beliefs that might put your organization's success -- and your people's wellbeing at risk.Karen Erren is exactly that kind of leader. She and her organization, Palm Beach County Food Bank are on the forefront of the burgeoning hunger crisis in one of the country's emerging COVID-19 hotspots -- Palm Beach County, Florida. We sat down with Karen on Friday, April 5 to talk with her about what it takes to lead successfully in extraordinary times.Karen also talked with us about the importance of staying in close communication with key donors, institutional funders, and other partners during a time of crisis. As an example, Karen is sharing a video update through the ViewSpark platform on a weekly basis. We hope this helps bring you hope, clarity, and a path to leadership success in your own organization.

On Friday, March 27, Roy Jones and I sat down to talk about fundraising in times of crisis. This episode is different than our typical episodes because it's not an interview, but a candid conversation about emergency / crisis fundraising. In this conversation we address whether nonprofits should stop fundraising because of COVID-19, what the impact of pulling back or delaying will be, and how your organization can be successful in spite of this global crisis. You'll hear us talk about specific tactics and strategies you can leverage right now to stay top of mind with your donors and make sure that your cause is positioned for success in a crisis.Our conversation is based on our collective 50 years of experience working for dozens of international and domestic charities through plenty of crisis situations. We hope this conversation adds value to your daily work. Please leave us a comment or send us an email at podcast[at]newportone[dot]com to continue the discussion. Podcast intro/outro music was generously provided by Ted Leif.

Mia Hoagberg, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Minnesota, joins us for an in-depth conversation on leadership and change in the nonprofit sector. Mia started her career in the for-profit sector before shifting into work with nonprofit organizations over the past decade. In our conversation, Mia gives us a look into the challenges of leading, overcoming obstacles, changes in the sector, and diversity as it pertains to Make-A-Wish and the industry as a whole. Here are some of the key points from our talk with Mia:Being in charge means that everything stops with you, but also falls on you. Regardless of the department and if you have an interest in or affinity for it is still left up to the CEO.Managing and leading the board of directors is important. By strategically working with board members it becomes a partnership not just a take relationship. Mia’s approach to growing the board is to find someone with a passion for the mission first and foremost then looking at skill sets and company connections.Growing in her leadership role, Mia attributes surprises and constant change as the key to evolving and succeeding. There’s always a new challenge walking in the door and when you’re a leader, you have to be able to roll with those, stay calm, lead your team through uncertainty and really be steadfast and solid.Big challenges in the nonprofit sector right now that come to mind for Mia include tax line implications and how that effects donors give. Additionally, Mia mentions burnout and specifically how it affects staff and teams who are doing work like Make-A-Wish that can be exceptionally emotional for some staff.Mia’s chapter of Make-A-Wish has a task force for diversity and inclusion that works to ensure to focus on an equitable group of children across the state. We want to make sure that a wish is a wish, is a wish, and it does not matter where you live or where you came from or what part of the cities you live in, or what language you speak.Most importantly, Mia talks about the Make-A-Wish work and the long term effect it can have on a child’s life. They are working to change the trajectory of a child’s life through granting wishes that have life-changing outcomes.

We recently talked with Tom Hooper, Founder of Nimble Connect, on the organization’s focus on providing a unique approach to donor stewardship.  In our discussion, Tom explains how the nonprofit industry's multi-year declines in donor retention and the growing lack of trust among donors, for the institutions to which they donate, led to the creation of Nimble Connect.  Tom separated himself from the fundraising space to concentrate on what it takes to build a relationship.Here are a few of Tom’s key insights:●       His data shows that a well-delivered engagement call can alter donors’ behavior.  He found that gifts from donors increased overtime when an engagement call is made within a week of the gift being given.●       Over a 27-month study, he found that 90% of new donors that were called gave a second gift●       70% of organizations that have come on board have been decisions that women leaders have made.  Understanding relationships are important.  Intimacy is a key driver in building trust.  No surprise, the data shows that women are more trusted and it is largely because they are more skilled at developing intimate relationships

In our most recent episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast we sat down with Larry Johnson, author of The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising, and Founder of the training and consulting firm of the same name. During our conversation, Larry shared how and why focusing on the underlying principles of fundraising is so important to fundraising success for any organization:Being effective in fundraising is 90% how and what you think, and only 10% what you're actually doingUnderstanding the underlying principles of fundraising allows you to adapt tactics and techniques to fit any situation, without sacrificing the core elements of successBased on research conducted by Dr. Russell James of Texas Tech, organizations that can tap into asset-based giving (vs. solely cash-based giving) stand to scale revenues much more significantly than those that focus only on cash asks. Using The Eight Principles model allows organizations to successfully expand into asset-based giving opportunities with their donorsWhen we change our mindset and how we think about philanthropy, donors, and the relationships that undergird all philanthropic activities, exponential revenue growth is possibleIf you want more on The Eight Principles, check out The Oracle League, their high-level online training program.

John Kozyra is Chief Philanthropy Officer at St. Mary Medical Center, which is a member of the Providence Health System. Prior to his role at St. Mary Medical Center, John held senior-level roles at CCS Fundraising, Changing Our World, and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. John has led and managed capital campaigns for Catholic education, healthcare, and other causes that have raised more than $110 Million over the last decade.In our conversation with John, we tackle two issues. First, John shares with us about his career progression, and specifically discusses what the biggest challenges and learnings have been for him in transitioning between leading fundraising in two nonprofits and serving nonprofits as a consultant.We also discuss how to avoid the biggest capital campaign mistakes nonprofits make, from John’s chapter in 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make and How You Can Avoid Them. In this portion of the conversation, John shares with us about these key mistakes and challenges:Lack of preparation for a campaignThe role of volunteer leaders in a campaignPreparing for the high level of activity necessary to sustain a campaignNot using a campaign to expand your relationships with high net worth members of your communityDownload the full transcript here