Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions for Canadian and American Nonprofits

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“And number one question I would get usually is how many emails should I send in a year? So if you're starting from that big picture and I was like, oh, great, great, and I want to write a book, how long should it be? And you get why is that an appropriate response? And it's like, well, you shouldn't write bad content. And it turns out you can write seven books about a middle school kid who's a wizard. And it's like, if we do great content that's really engaging, keep going, please.” — Ben Johnson

the secrets to successful emails with Ben Johnson

Email marketing is the most effective way to engage your supporters. But how do you leverage it for maximum impact? In this episode, we'll discuss how to use email marketing to maximize your nonprofit's fundraising efforts in a way that is aligned with your values and mission. .Join Ben Johnson as he deep dives into the successful ways and strategies to engage community and raise more money for your nonprofit.  

Highlights:

1. Trends and best practices of email marketing for small nonprofits
2. Benefits of email list segmentation for fundraising
3. How to leverage email marketing tools and funnels to raise more money
4. How you can communicate effectively with donors using email
5. 
   

Connect with Ben:

• https://www.frontier.io/
• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/mrbenjohnson

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“Patience is getting beyond yourself. If there's a lack of patience, it's because you're putting yourself as a priority to any situation that there is.” - Patrick Rodriguez

tending the seeds that you sew with Patrick Rodriguez

In our work in the nonprofit sector, it often feels like things need to happen right away - the needs are, after all, urgent. But today on the podcast we’re talking all about patience - the ability to play the long game to have a greater impact. I’m joined by first-time ED and formerly incarcerated Patrick Rodriguez, from the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison. Patrick’s journey from inmate to ED along with his deep reflections and patience, teaches us how to look beyond the immediate needs to a more strategic long-term vision.

Highlights:

• The benefit of having patience for long-term growth and mission fulfilment
• How to take time to do things well to set your organization up for success
• The role of relationships to get buy-in for patience and long term planning

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison
  • Website
• Good Partnership

Connect with Patrick:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Email: [email protected]
• Outlook: [email protected]

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“I'll talk often to clients about the idea of building a culture of succession so that we know from the get go that when we hire someone into the organization, that our hope is to offer development pathways. It doesn't necessarily mean climbing the ladder, but an opportunity for professional growth and naturally with professional growth, we need to be open and honest around feedback.“ Danielle Rocheleau

leveling up your leadership with Danielle Rocheleau

Your employees are your BEST asset when it comes to having an impact, yet it’s also one of the most under invested in resources. In today’s episode, we have Danielle Rocheleau from Laridae sharing ways to support your employees in honing their skills and empowering them as leaders.

Highlights:

• The reason why investing in your team is important for your organization 
• Identifying opportunities and providing support to employees
• The importance of onboarding process for internal candidates 

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Laridae Website
  • Website
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
• The Good Partnership

Connect with Danielle:

• Email: [email protected]

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“We're not changing for the sake of change. We're changing because we wanna do something different or grow or improve.” - Ashley Fontaine

get unstuck with Ashley Fontaine

We’ll all be there - stuck! In a rut. Bored. Trapped.

It feels like this is just part of the nonprofit experience. But this can be hurting our missions. And ourselves. In today’s episode, Ashley Fontaine, founder of Flux AF Consulting shares with us how she is helping nonprofits navigate getting “unstuck” by building skills, improving leadership, and avoiding burnout.

Highlights:

• The story behind her upcoming book “Unstuck: Disrupting the Status Quo”
• Dichotomy of change and status quo bias
• Power and influence of nonprofit leaders
• Values-based leadership for creating change

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Flux AF consulting Website
  • Flux AF Consulting
• Get a copy of: Unstuck: Disrupting the Status Quo 
• The Good Partnership

Connect with Ashley:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fontainea/

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You might have heard about the benefits of testing in your fundraising. Tweaking copy and sending to two different groups to see which performs better. Testing different web pages to see which gets more conversions. Maybe you’ve also tried to survey your donors to see what they like. This can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! On today’s podcast join Cherian Koshy to deep dive into all things testing in a way that’s accessible to small organizations with limited resources. 

Highlights:

1. Why you should be testing and getting to understand your donor’s behaviours
2. How to use market research and other tools to get a clear picture of how your donors actually behave (vs. what they say they will do)
3. Testing behavior through conjoint analysis (and what even is conjoint analysis)
4. Framing questions to avoid bias and social desirability bias

Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

• Endowment Partners
• Robert Cialdini’s Pre-Suasion

Connect with Cherian:

• http://www.cheriankoshy.com/ 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/cheriankoshy/
• Twitter: @cherian_koshy

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“What am I doing in modeling for future leaders? I firmly believe everyone is a leader. Everyone has that ability just innately from birth. And so what are we doing to support the next leaders of the community, of the nonprofit sector in particular? - Jarrett Ransom

NONPROFIT SECTOR ROLE MODELS WITH JARRETT RANSOM

Join our conversation with Jarrett Ransom, known as The Nonprofit Nerd. We reflect on the legacy that we would want to leave behind in the nonprofit sector, which led to a discussion of the mindsets we don’t want to pass on, and how we can overcome these.

HIGHLIGHTS:

1. The responsibility of teaching the next generation of nonprofit professionals
2. Why investing in people is so important for our sector (and why we’re bad at it)
3. Shifting to an abundance perspective

CONNECT WITH JARRETT RANSOM:

• Jarrett’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrransom/
• Jarrett’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonprofit_nerd/ 
• The Rayvan Group: https://www.therayvangroup.com/

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“If you're learning about what indigenous protocols are applicable and relevant to your work? That's a journey. If we're learning how to balance decolonization and philanthropy, that's a journey. And I feel like that's also aligned with what I understand, or the people who I've worked with from the indigenous communities looking at how they've approached just everything. It is a journey.” - Rowena Veylan

INDIGENOUS PROTOCOLS IN FUNDRAISING WITH ROWENA VEYLAN

In today’s episode, we are joined by Rowena Veylan from New School Of Fundraising to talk about how to meaningfully incorporate Indigenous Protocols in fundraising through an authentic and impactful approach.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• What are Indigenous Protocols and why is it important to fundraising
• Meaningful and authentic land acknowledgments
• Fundraising, colonization and anti-oppression work

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Good Partnership
• New School Of Fundraising

CONNECT WITH ROWENA:

• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/newschoolway
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newschooloffundraising/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowena-veylan

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One of the biggest tenets of empathy is just listening and doing an act of deep listening. So understanding where people are at. You know how to be able to engage with them in a way that makes sense. If you have the patience and ability to just be in a moment with people, understand what they do. I think that can, that can work wonders. - Kyle Empringham

FUNDRAISING THROUGH AN EMPATHETIC LENS WITH KYLE EMPRINGHAM

In today’s episode, we have Kyle Empringham from Starfish Canada to discuss building connections and empathy’s power in making small nonprofits stand out in their fundraising.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Why fundraising is like selling (the good and the bad)
• Applying an empathetic lens to fundraising
• Tools and tips for fundraising in a small organization where everyone can get involved

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Starfish Canada
• ESG Partnerships
• ThoughtExchange
• The Good Partnership

CONNECT WITH KYLE:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kbempringham/?hl=en
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/kbempringham
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbempringham/

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“Sometimes you have to have the courage to say that you are walking away from a potential supporter because it's not missionly aligned.” - Janaiha Bennett

BROAD AND DEEP RELATIONSHIPS FOR FUNDRAISING SUCCESS WITH JANAIHA BENNETT

In today’s episode, we are joined by  Janaiha Bennett from Youth Leadership Foundation to teach us how to develop relationships with our donors and how to treat them as humans first than people who would just give you money.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• How she got into fundraising without being a fundraiser herself
• The importance of leadership in raising funds
• Developing a community who share the same vision 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Youth Leadership Foundation 
  • Website
  • Instagram
• The Good Partnership

CONNECT WITH JANAIHA:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janaiha/

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Re-release curated by: Morgan Domijan, Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

Every year before GivingTuesdays, a lot of fundraisers and Executive Directors are scratching their heads and wondering whether they should do something on GivingTuesday, and if do do something, what can make their organization’s messaging stand out? On today’s podcast, Lys Huggesen, the VP of Partnerships at CanadaHelps and one of the pioneers and leaders of GivingTuesday Canada, shares her insights on how charities might best leverage this day of giving and generosity.

Myths that Lys wants us to walk away

1. GivingTuesday is not just about fundraising. Giving Tuesday is a day to celebrate generosity that over 73 countries are now participating in. Any form of generosity is celebrated. There are 100 different ways to celebrate generosity without making a money ask. 
2. People are tired of GivingTuesday asks. 52% of people say that they want to give on GivingTuesday because they want to be part of something bigger. Lys likened it to Black Friday - just because everyone is having a sale, does that mean you shouldn’t? Of course not - it’s an opportunity to capitalize on people’s planned behaviour.

Lys’ tips on leveraging GivingTuesday

1. Don’t treat GivingTuesday as just a day-long campaign. The best campaigns launch before the day, and the campaign can continue beyond GivingTuesday. Be intentional about the campaign launches and the different touch points you design with your audience and donors. 
2. Have good messages in your ask and don’t rely on “just because it’s GivingTuesday.” GivingTuesday or not, people give when they are emotionally motivated and inspired. While the day provides a great opportunity to make an ask, make sure your communication also includes compelling messages and storytelling.
3. Thank your supporters and express gratitude. If you are not planning to make an ask on GivingTuesday, there are still many ways to engage your audience. It is a day to celebrate generosity, and so why not thank your donors and share messages of gratitude and community togetherness? 

Favourite Quotes from Today’s Episode

Post your favourite quote on social media to share with us!

“People are primed to give. 52% of people say that they want to give on GivingTuesday itself because they're part of something bigger.”

“I think one of the biggest myths is that GivingTuesday is just a day. It's more than just a day. The best campaigns start well before.”

Resources from this Episode

The Good Partnership

Download toolkit and resources to support your GivingTuesday campaign

Connect with Lys on Linkedin

Learn more about Morgan at Peerfect Fundraising Solutions

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