The Beacon

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Margaret Gardner talks with Bernard Ross, director of The Management Center, a global management consultancy working in the social impact sector, about behavioral science and its role in fundraising and change making.

Bernard shares insight from his book, “Change for Better,” which brings behavioral science out of the academic halls and makes it relevant to practitioners promoting social good though charitable fundraising.

In this episode, Bernard discusses:

• What behavioral science is and how it influences fundraising

• Ethical issues around behavioral science and fundraising

• Case studies that will help listeners really grasp these concepts

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel podcast coordinator Margaret Gardner speaks with Pamela Barden, president of PJ Barden Inc., about year-end direct-response fundraising.

Pamela warns that the time to think about year-end is, well, now and discusses:

• How year-end direct-response fundraising messages differ or should differ from other campaigns.

• What a year-end direct-response fundraising campaign should look like.

• One critical piece of advice nonprofits need to know concerning their year-end direct-response fundraising.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Communications Manager Yolanda Darville talks with Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Joan Bahner about the journey of African Americans and philanthropy.

In their discussion, Yolanda and Joan address issues including:

• The impact of African American philanthropy

• Advice for nonprofits that want to diversify their donor base

• Giving circles and how they have benefitted the African American community

• Insights Joan has learned and how she used that knowledge to raise $3.5 million as vice president for institutional advancement at Fisk University.

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Margaret Gardner talks with Bernard Ross, director of The Management Center, a global management consultancy working in the social impact sector, about an essential part of fundraising – making the ask.

Bernard shares insight from his book, “Making the Ask: The artful science of high-value fundraising, and answers questions including:

• What is decision science and how does it influence giving

• What are the 5Ps pf making a successful ask

• What are the biggest obstacles keeping fundraisers from doing their very best work for their organizations and how do they break through them?

This edition of The Beacon Podcast is a little different. We interviewed copywriting guru Tom Ahern, but we didn’t talk about Tom’s decades of experience. Instead, we asked Tom to talk about the inimitable Simone Joyaux, his wife of 37 years who passed away in 2021.

Simone’s birthday was in July, so we thought we would honor her memory with a discussion about some of her sage advice and, of course, some of the stories that made her a respected and beloved powerhouse in the fundraising sector in the United States.

In addition to Tom’s insights about Simone, he discusses:

• Why your $20 donors deserve your attention

• Why research is crucial in fund development

• Important questions to help donors feel heard

In this edition of The Beacon Podcast, we talk with Jim Kubacki, author of the book “Choose to Lead: A practical guide for educational leadership.”

In his discussion with Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Kathy Gaston, Jim talks about how great leaders become great leaders and their impact on the organizations they lead.

He answers questions such as:

What are the four parts of leadership and how do they impact a person’s leadership abilities?

What is the main thing that stands in the way of a good school leader becoming a great and highly impactful school leader and how does one overcome that those obstacles?

What are the challenges that school leaders face today that were unheard of a decade ago?

In this edition of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Gail Glasser talks with Steve Ives, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Houston, about things nonprofit leaders were able to glean from the chaos that was and, to some degree, still is the coronavirus pandemic.

In this discussion, Steve answers questions including:

• What are the greatest lessons the pandemic has taught you as a leader?

• Did the YMCA of Greater Houston communicate differently with key donors during the pandemic?  If so, how?

• What lessons did the past two years provide to you and your team about the importance of relationship building and stewardship?

In this edition of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel Senior Consultant Kathy Gaston talks with Dick Horton, past president of the Tennessee Golf Foundation, about relationship building and its importance in fundraising.

Dick shared his insights on how organizations can harness the power of relationships to keep their fundraising going strong. Among the topics discussed:

• Making friends and nurturing relationships with prominent philanthropists

• Developing a legacy giving program and the role it plays in an organization’s financial success

• The best advice for nonprofits when it comes to relationship building

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Jim Eskin, author of the book “10 Simple Fundraising Lessons,” about how to take the guesswork out of fundraising.

In this episode, Jim discusses:

• Why so many fundraisers seem afraid to ask for money

• How they can overcome that fear

• 10 simple fundraising lessons that can make fundraisers more successful on behalf of the organizations they work for

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, writer and podcast coordinator Margaret Gardner speaks with Chris Lyons, president of Brand United, NonProfit PRO and Book Business about NonProft PRO’s 2021 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study.

Chris shares insights on the study findings, as well as on peer-to-peer fundraising in general and why it’s an important tool in any organization’s fundraising toolkit.

Chris discusses:

• Key takeaways from the study for fundraisers and nonprofit organizations.

• Why peer-to-peer is a valuable tool in organizations' revenue-producing toolkit.

• Steps an organization should take to start a peer-to-peer program and what challenges it might encounter.