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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Keith Clarke, Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Keith started his career at PMCF as a Coordinator, and his passion for fundraising to eradicate cancer in his lifetime is what has kept him going strong 14 years later. You will often hear Keith mention the word "lucky" throughout this episode and while luck may be in the stew, we also know that a lot of hard work, belief and willingness to be bold has helped his organization get to where they are today. Keith talks about the importance of always innovating and reminds us that failing fast, learning from it and trying something new is something to be celebrated. Keith's passion really shines through when he shares about his community events team. Rather than overcomplicate, his team works closely with corporations/companies/families to find out how they want to give back and provides first-class support to make it happen. The bottom line: let's make it as easy as possible for people to fundraise for our organizations!

If you're curious to see what an epic DIY program looks like, make sure you check out D.I.Y. to Conquer Cancer.

”Every partnership and group we steward or support is unique and different.” – Keith Clarke 

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne kicks off our hot seat coaching series with Pam Osmond, Fund Development Manager at Home Horizon, a local charity in Collingwood, Ontario that provides transitional housing, programs and support for youth at risk of homelessness. (Side note: if you haven't already listened to our episode with Pam, make sure you do that!). The event on the hot seat? The 15th annual Bowls for Beds, which involves selling and auctioning off bowls that are hand-painted by local youth and artists. One of Amy's superpowers is being able to drill deep into the 'why' and find creative ways to tie it back to the non-profit organization. From event timing to the sponsorship deck, she gives Pam so many real, tangible tips to take her event to the next level that you're going to want to take notes because you'll be able to apply them to your next event too!

Do you want to be in the hot seat? Drop us a line and tell us what event/campaign you'd like some help with and you could be featured on our next hot seat coaching episode! 

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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On the eve of her 50th birthday, your host Amy Milne takes a moment to reflect on the past five decades which have been filled with both ups and downs, and she wouldn't change it for anything. Amy's gratitude for the life she has shines through as she shares her mantra and daily reminder with us to live life to the fullest each and every day. She truly believes in the power of acknowledging and celebrating life's moments, which is exactly what we do for our participants when we plan fundraising events. In this episode, Amy shares a short list of why we should always remember to honour the special times in our lives. This will not only inspire how you plan your events, but how you live your life!

Happy birthday Amy! Thank you for sharing your passion, positivity and inspiration with good humans around the world!

“I purposely look for joy and gratitude each day.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Pam Osmond, Fund Development Manager at Home Horizon, a local charity in Collingwood, Ontario that provides transitional housing, programs and support for youth at risk of homelessness. Pam kicks things off by walking us through Home Horizon's three signature events, which bring in almost 25% of their total revenue (who says events aren't valuable?!), and what she feels is one of the not-so-obvious reasons for their success: private ski clubs. As you'll hear from Amy throughout the episode, Pam is one of the best good humans and we feel lucky to have gotten a peek behind the curtain as she opens up about her personal story which includes being a hotel night manager, a cross-country tour with a group of Kenyan choir children and being a Habitat for Humanity home recipient. You don't want to miss it! Curl up with a warm drink because this is a heartwarming episode that will have you believing in the power of a small community.

Make sure to check out Home Horizon to see all of the incredible work they're doing in the community and if you want to reach out to Pam directly, you can find her on LinkedIn.

”You can be a voice for us. Spreading that awareness is exactly what we need to do.” – Pam Osmond

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Nicole Sinclair, Head of Hospitality at Destination Decoded. Nicole is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to creating engaging team member and customer journeys, and her passion for building and transforming teams to deliver branded experiences is like no other! There are so many parallels between the hospitality and non-profit industries and Nicole is here to help us take our organizations and events to the next level. She walks us through two great examples of how she and her team came up with a strategic plan for recruiting team members, designing operational procedures and creating an internal culture that translated into a unique and unforgettable guest experience. This episode is a great reminder that our fundraising events are brands, and in order for us to create an epic experience for our participants, we have to start by investing in the team members and volunteers that will help us bring the event to life! Filled with inspiration and real-life examples, this is a must-listen!

Make sure you check out Destination Decoded and if you want to connect with Nicole directly, you can email her at [email protected].

During this episode, Nicole talks about The Faena Hotel Miami Beach and The Fifth Avenue Hotel, and trust us, you're going to want to add these to the list for your next vacation!

The book that Amy references is Giftology by John Ruhlin - it's a must read!

”Having that brand culture as part of their DNA helps them to be able to serve and think on their feet, but do it in a way that's consistent with the brand.” – Nicole Sinclair

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Molly Fast, Director of Fundraising and Development at Event 360. Like so many of us, Molly didn't know what she wanted to do as a career and chose the oh-so-popular Communications as her major in university. However, when her sister completed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Series event during their mom's breast cancer treatment, Molly just knew she had to be a part of it and twenty years later, she's still at it. Not only is she a fundraising expert in her professional life, but she has spent the last 12 years participating in the Cycle for Survival to raise critical funds for rare cancers (Molly would argue it's a side hustle, but as you'll hear from Amy, it's far from it!). Molly likes to say that fundraising is her love language and we feel so lucky to be able to benefit from that as she shares so many practical tips and takeaways that you can start to implement right away. Buckle up for a healthy dose of inspiration and motivation; this episode is sure to get you fired up for your next fundraising event!

Molly is always happy to connect and talk all things fundraising. You can reach her via email at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

”The cause is secondary; they're donating because they love you and this is important to you.” – Molly Fast

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne drops some exciting news! As part of our ongoing marketing and communication mini-series, we're introducing a new segment and it involves YOU: hot-seat coaching! We know how much is on your plate and that you don't always have the time to review your marketing and communications, or an outside expert to help you with those burning logistics and event experience questions. Now's your chance! Tune in for more details and to hear how it all works (it's easy, we promise!). We can't wait to welcome you to the show and serve up some practical solutions that you can take back to your organization.

Click here if you're interested in being on a hot-seat coaching segment!

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Dr. J.J. Peterson, Head of StoryBrand and certified marketing genius. StoryBrand helps companies and non-profit organizations create a clear brand story and compelling marketing in order to grow their business. As a StoryBrand Certified Guide herself and a huge Dr. J.J. fan, this was a special one for Amy! Many non-profits struggle to talk clearly and concisely about what they do in a way that engages people. Prepare to be blown away as Dr. J.J. walks us through the seven elements of a basic story framework and how to create talking points that will invite our donors/participants/beneficiaries into a story where they can be the hero. This episode has the power to change the way you build your website, write your emails and interact on social media. Not to mention, Dr. J.J. is the most fun good human. This is a must listen!

To get started, go to storybrand.com/brandscript to start filling in your talking points and creating your story.

“At StoryBrand, we help non-profits tell marketing stories and fundraising stories in a way that engages more people.” – Dr. J.J. Peterson

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• Join our Non-Profit Event Pro Community: https://www.thenonprofiteventcollective.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/
  • https://www.instagram.com/thenonprofiteventcollective/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with a personal story; a real life experience about the virtues of perseverance and problem-solving and how it relates to all of us as non-profit event professionals. We've all been in a situation before (likely more than once!) where everyone only seems to be focused on the problem, and there's no solution in sight. Events are fraught with potential problems, so this episode is a great reminder to shift our mindset to solution mode if we want to be successful. Amy shares a one-of-a-kind story about one million pennies (actually a few more than that!) that is sure to have you scratching your head and praying that you're never faced with this problem in your lifetime. She ties everything together at the end with some of her top learnings and takeaways from this experience, you don't want to miss it!

“It's never about the problem, it is only about the solution.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

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In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Lisa Cohen, Chief Copywriter & Wordsmith at Beyond Fundraising Inc. And we have a surprise in store for you: we're flipping the script as Amy takes the hot seat and Lisa asks the questions! After a career in Commercial Banking at Scotiabank, Lisa was was lucky enough to meet Amy through a mutual acquaintance and start her second career at Beyond as an event logistics manager, fundraising specialist and most recently, copywriter extraordinaire. She's since taken on a third career as a health & fitness coach, but more on that in another episode. Lisa kicks things off by taking us back to when Amy was a child & youth worker - bet ya didn't know that! Then we dive deep into some of Amy's favourite moments from producing the first ever Weekend to End Breast Cancer, what led to her decision to start her own non-profit event production company and how she continued to leverage her entrepreneurial spirit to navigate the pandemic (and come out on top!). Amy shares about some of the services Beyond offers that can help take your events to the next level, and take some of the load off your plate. Amy's undeniable passion for all things events really shines through, and she's here to remind us that non-profit event professionals matter, and her team is here to take you and your organizations beyond!

“It was amazing, this epic feeling of changing individual lives as well as lives of people we'll never know.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/