Streams of Thought for Nonprofits

Gretchen Dobson is President, Global Alumni Relations and Managing Director Academic Assembly, NYC & Australia. Learn how to stay connected to your constituent base regardless of their location—people are global and mobile today.  Gretchen provides a plethora of strategies to achieve this including using soft power or relational diplomacy. She covers the nuances of working in different countries ensuring your engagement program is not another example of trying to put a square peg into a round hole.  The investment in an engagement program is covered along with the ROI.  Although Gretchen covers the ground with respect to university alumni programming, many of the tips shared will benefit any organisation seeking to enhance its engagement program.

Tandin Wangmo is the Executive Director of RENEW, a non-profit located in Bhutan. In pursuit of its vision in creating a gender-based violence-free happy society, RENEW aspires to better the lives of women by helping them gain the skills necessary to achieve their goals as socially and economically independent members of society.  Tandin shares her insights in working with various government agencies that support RENEW’s work and the importance of the volunteer network vital to the services that RENEW offers in the communities.  Listen to this episode to acquire a better perspective on leadership demonstrated by Tandin and the work she doing.

Phil Forrest is an experienced director of non-profit Boards (e.g. Singapore Institute of Directors and Australian-ASEAN Chamber of Commerce) and for-profit Boards (e.g. TerraCom Ltd and Readymix Holdings International).  Phil speaks to the importance of Board solidarity and what Boards look for in recruiting a new member.  The non-profit professional who works with Boards or is seeking a Board position will benefit listening to Phil’s sage advice.

Phil Forrest is an experienced director of non-profit Boards (e.g. Singapore Institute of Directors and Australian-ASEAN Chamber of Commerce) and for-profit Boards (e.g. TerraCom Ltd and Readymix Holdings International).  Phil speaks to the importance of Board solidarity and what Boards look for in recruiting a new member.  The non-profit professional who works with Boards or is seeking a Board position will benefit listening to Phil’s sage advice.

Ujjwal Amatya, General Manager of the nonprofit organisation REED, located in Nepal, discusses using the balanced scorecard management tool in the quest to raise $2.5M. Ujjwal shares how his organisation uses both the grant model and the marketing model to attract support and appreciates how these models work in a competitive world.  Learn about donor mapping, the importance of getting VIPs into the field to demonstrate your organisation’s impact and Ujjwal’s philosophy of the three i’s–impact, influence, and income– shared in this episode.  

Matt Hugg is the non-profit consultant’s consultant and talks about the nuances of retaining a consultant.  Matt discusses the importance of transparency, contracts, and the notion of scope creep. The comfort level between a consultant and a non-profit organisation is critical for a successful working relationship.  Everyone has a plethora of things to do in his/her daily profession and Matt shares the breakdown of 60-30-10 and the match between the consultant’s expertise and the non-profit’s mission. If your non-profit organisation is seeking to hire a consultant listen to this episode to learn about things to consider for a successful outcome.

Brett Clark, Managing Partner Chemist Warehouse / ePharmacy QLD and NSW, Australia, and Chair of the Board of the Queensland Ballet describes how his success in disrupting the world of pharmacy with his business model caught the eye of the QLD Ballet leadership. Nine years in Brett discusses how the ballet has had to think differently to change and adapt to achieve sold out season performances. Brett shares insight how the revenue mix, government support, ticket sales, corporate sponsorship, and philanthropy, is now $27 million, up from $4 million, and how the current capital fundraising campaign keeps beating expectations–already surpassing the initial $35 million goal.  Listen to this entrepreneur, philanthropist, and volunteer leader pass along some sage advice about taking people on the journey and how to tell the story to help your organisation and your career.

Anthony Ash, Development Manager at Griffith University, addresses the issue of portfolio management and how the maturity of a fundraising program impacts the number of assigned prospects. Sharing his insights on securing the visit, and the components of the discovery visit, Anthony talks about using social media and old fashion snail mail in making a front line fundraiser more efficient.  Rejection is part of fundraising and “not to take it personally” is something to be remembered.  Learn how Anthony reinvigorates himself in overcoming rejection and his experience in making the ask along with the importance of adaptability for a fundraiser. 

Scott Williams, AM (Member of the Order of Australia) is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist who provides tremendous insight on his approach to philanthropy. Scott shares his story in becoming a philanthropist and how he is leveraging his businesses for the betterment of the non-profit organisations he is passionate about.  He talks about the ROI regarding his philanthropy and lessons learned when he first began making gifts to various non-profits. Recent experiences have lead Scott to rethink his support of endowments.  Challenge grants are touched on as well as views about government policies surrounding philanthropy.  Listen to this episode to learn from a philanthropist to help your fundraising and engagement efforts.   

Alex Ogeka, Executive Director of the Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Foundation, shares the steps the Foundation is undertaking in preparing for a major fundraising campaign.  The lessons learned from previous campaigns have shed light on the need to ensure everyone associated with the organisation is on the same page with respect to the priorities of a campaign—transparency and good communication are required. Understanding constituent affinity is paramount and how 50 years of stewardship resulted in a $2.4 million gift for the Foundation. Listen to Alex also touch on the importance of technology in raising funds, but how the old fashion face-to-face visit is still the most effective way in raising the big money.