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

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Getting a first meeting with a prospective donor can feel like one of the biggest hurdles in major gifts fundraising, but it doesn't have to. This episode breaks it all down in a way that's refreshingly practical and zero percent intimidating. You'll learn why warm introductions are worth every awkward board conversation, how to follow up without spiraling into anxiety about being "annoying," and why the best thing you can do in the meeting itself is ask great questions and actually listen to the answers. Real stories, real strategies, and a lot of reassurance.

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria is joined by Caitlin McBride, a Certified Fundraising Executive with over a decade of experience helping small nonprofits make fundraising feel less chaotic and more doable. Together, they walk nonprofit leaders through the full arc of the first donor meeting: from tracking down the right contact to leaving the call with a clear reason to follow up. If major gifts fundraising has ever felt out of reach for your organization, this one's for you.

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What if the program you've spent years perfecting could fund your nonprofit and serve exponentially more people... without you burning out trying to do it all yourself? Most executive directors don't realize that the SOPs, worksheets, and workflows living in their heads are actually valuable intellectual property that other nonprofits would pay to access.

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria sits down with Rebecca Britt, founder of Stable Moments, a mentorship program for foster and adopted youth now operating in over 40 locations across the United States. We're breaking down exactly how you can package your proven program model, license it to other organizations, and create a new revenue stream that keeps giving, all while expanding your mission's reach far beyond your local community. Nonprofit leaders tuning in will walk away with a concrete roadmap for assessing whether their program is ready to scale, how to structure a licensing model, and how to start approaching other organizations about adopting it.

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In this raw and hopeful conversation, you'll hear about the physical and emotional toll of nonprofit leadership and the intentional steps one ED took to not just recover, but to build an entire community dedicated to sector wellness. Laura Istead opens up about recognizing her own burnout, advocating for time off, and discovering the ways that she had normalized her own symptoms of stress. But this isn't just a cautionary tale. It's a blueprint for how nonprofit leaders can break free from the martyr mentality, find their people, and create the joy and connection that makes this work sustainable.

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria sits down with Laura Istead, Executive Director of Two Wheel View and founder of the Social Sector Club. Laura has spent 15 years in the nonprofit sector and 8 years in executive leadership, and she's learned some hard lessons about what it takes to survive and thrive in this work. Nonprofit leaders will walk away with practical strategies for building peer support networks, recognizing the signs of burnout before it's too late, and understanding why treating yourself with the same care you give your community is essential.

Connect with Laura on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraistead/

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What if the biggest challenge facing nonprofits isn't moving donors from $100 to $1,000 gifts, but getting people to make their first charitable donation ever? In this episode, we explore a critical gap in the nonprofit sector: getting people to move from non-donors to donors. While fundraisers are experts at cultivating existing donors, very few organizations are focused on helping people become donors in the first place. We dig into why teaching generosity matters, how to lower barriers to entry in philanthropy, and what role nonprofits should play in building a culture of giving that extends far beyond their own fundraising goals.

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria Rio sits down with John Bromley, founder and CEO of Charitable Impact, a donor-advised fund in Canada that's rethinking accessibility in philanthropy. John shares how he's teaching his own kids about charitable giving, how to build generosity muscles, and why the sector needs to ensure that there are always enough donors in the ecosystem. You'll will walk away with fresh perspectives on how to cultivate generosity as a learned behavior and practical ways to engage potential donors long before they make their first gift.

Connect with John:

• Charitable Impact's website: https://charitableimpact.com
• Social Media: @wearecharitable

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Nonprofit leaders are navigating an exceptionally difficult moment. Political uncertainty, financial uncertainty, the weight of leading through crisis, you name it. It's easy to feel isolated, numb, or like you're carrying it all alone. But the path ahead doesn't have to feel lonely. We're talking about finding your people and creating intentional spaces for joy, connection, and authentic dialogue.

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria sits down with Frank Velasquez Jr., founder of 4 Da Hood and the Ascending Leaders in Color leadership program. Frank shares practical strategies for accessing joy during challenging times, building meaningful peer networks, and using restorative circle practices to foster healthy conflict and deeper connection. Frank argues that healthy conflict, grounded in agreements, is essential for building trust, understanding, and authentic collaboration. This conversation offers a roadmap for leading with authenticity, vulnerability, and community.

Resources and Links:

• Connect with Frank: [email protected]
• Visit 4 Da Hood: www.4dahood.com

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Not every nonprofit mission comes with neat, quantifiable results. If your organization works in mental health, activism, research, or addiction recovery, you know that impact isn't always a tidy before-and-after story. But donors still want to understand the difference you're making... So how do you prove your impact when the work is complex, deeply personal, or still unfolding?

On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, hosts Maria Rio and Caitlin McBride tackle one of the biggest challenges small nonprofits face: demonstrating impact without relying solely on statistics. Maria and Caitlin share practical, low-cost strategies to communicate your value to donors, funders, and your community. From candid smartphone videos to emotionally resonant storytelling, you'll learn how to make your impact visible, even when it feels invisible.

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What do you do when a government shutdown threatens to leave 70% of the families you serve without food? For Growing Up Green Charter Schools in Queens, New York, the answer was clear: respond immediately, mobilize resources fast, and support their community without losing sight of their educational mission.

In this episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Caitlin McBride sits down with Erin Acosta, Director of Family Engagement and Communications at Growing Up Green Charter Schools. Erin shares how her team packed over 1,000 bags of groceries in just one month, mobilized volunteers across four school buildings, and secured emergency funding, all while maintaining their core educational programs. This conversation offers a powerful blueprint for any nonprofit facing the question: "Is this mission drift, or is this what our community actually needs right now?"

Visit their website: www.gugcs.org

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Armando hears the same heartbreaking story over and over: talented Latinas been doing their white boss's job for years, training replacement after replacement, but they're never considered for the promotion because they "lack training." Meanwhile, mainstream fundraising conferences and training programs are designed for wealthy organizations, ignoring the small and medium-sized Latino nonprofits that desperately need support. The result? A sector where Latino leaders are systematically kept out of decision-making roles while being exploited for their labor, passion, and proximity to community.

Armando Zumaya, a 40-year fundraising veteran, is the founder of Somos El Poder, the first Latinx fundraising institute in the United States. He doesn't hold back as he exposes the tokenization, invisibility, and structural barriers that Latinx fundraisers face daily. Armando isn't just here to call out the problem. He's building the solution. In this episode, nonprofit leaders will understanding why creating their own infrastructure, being bold, demanding board diversification, and investing in fundraising are acts of resistance and survival.

Continue the discussion with Armando:

• Visit their website or send an email to [email protected]

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Feeling overwhelmed by current challenges in the nonprofit sector? In this episode, host Maria Rio sits down with Robyn Schwartz, historian-turned-fundraiser and co-founder of Dumbo Octopus Consulting, to explore how understanding historical patterns can help nonprofit leaders navigate today's uncertainty.

Robyn draws striking parallels between our current moment and the 1920s, explaining how cyclical patterns of economic instability, political shifts, and resource scarcity repeat throughout history—and what we can learn from them. She shares the powerful story of Canada's 1970 Abortion Caravan and the 18-year grassroots movement that led to landmark reproductive rights, demonstrating why playing the long game matters.

Connect with Robyn here: https://dumbooctopusconsulting.com/

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Ever wondered why some donors stick around for decades while others disappear after one gift? Join Maria Rio and Caitlin McBride as they break down the eight psychological and social reasons people actually donate to nonprofits. They tackle everything from the power of peer-to-peer fundraising (hint: 80% are brand new donors) to why guilt-based appeals only work once, why your 50th anniversary isn't a fundraising strategy, and how to diagnose exactly where your donor retention is leaking. If you've ever wondered why people aren't giving to your organization despite doing great work, this episode gives you the framework to stop guessing. 

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