The ENGAGE Podcast

Over the past year and several months, change has been one of the few constants you can count on. Of course, change always happens eventually, but recently, everyone has been in a period of greater amounts of change than usual – and people are beginning to get fatigued. How can you prevent change burnout in your organization? By implementing change management.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Melissa Rancour, Principal Instructional Designer at Blackbaud University about why it’s important to talk about change management, the importance of the questions that need to be asked about change and what order to ask them in, and what to do with the questions once you know them.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Why it’s important to talk about change management
• Why you need to do some change preparation
• How to make change less exhausting
• The right questions to ask about change
• Why the order of questions is important
• What to do with the questions once you have them
• Whether change management needs to be done with every change

Resources:

Melissa Rancour

Quotes: 

“All those changes we’ve experienced over the last 14+ months, most of those have been quick changes with no prep. Change management means we need some prep.”

“If you go through the questions process it can help you know if that change is going to ripple into a bigger change.” 

“It’s because “what” impacts “when” something can happen.”

For years, the role of development operations teams has been perceived as a data and technology-focused position within the nonprofit world. As technology, nonprofits, and the way we fundraise has significantly changed over the last few decades, so has the role of the operations team. For organizations and leaders willing to evolve, this presents an incredible opportunity – both for the organization’s success and the individual’s advancement.

In today’s episode, Deb Taft, CEO of Lindauer and Luis Morales, senior director of information strategy at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, chat with guest host Ashley Sweeney of Blackbaud about the ways that today’s DBAs are adding value to the organization, how leaders can maximize this impact, and what operations team members should do to advance their career.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• The value that operational teams offer healthcare organizations
• How leaders in the organization play a key role in the operation team’s value
• Cross-functional teams
• Why DBA is an important and interesting area to work right now
• The different types of people needed to work in the area
• Why you need to develop communication and relationship skills
• How to think about diversity in donor and prospect pools
• The evolution and opportunity of the role

Resources:

Deb Taft

Luis Morales

Promoting Your Value as a Database Administrator

Confessions of a Database Administrator

Confessions of a Database Administrator, Part II

Ashley’s Favorite Things

Quotes: 

“The value I see the operations team offering is collaboratively ensuring that our clients, their colleagues, have the context they need to make strategic data-driven decisions.”

“The value of the operations team is different and differently valued than it was years ago as a profound driver really of nonprofits and advancement results.”

“The operations team can create value by enriching conversations.”

“It’s about more than just filling requests and mailing lists and reports. We are the subject matter experts for the organization’s data, integrations, trends, etc.”

“I encourage my team to work as an internal consulting company with different business units in the foundation are our clients.”

How has the future of social good changed since COVID? Much of the answer has to do with how the pandemic impacted leaders in the nonprofit sector. Here to talk about it is Marc A. Pitman, founder and CEO of Concord Leadership Group. Listen in to hear what Marc has to say about the effects of uncertainty on nonprofit leadership, what needs to be left behind as leaders and organizations move forward, and what isn’t coming back post-pandemic.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• What leaders need to understand about where we are now
• The effects of uncertainty on nonprofit leadership
• Areas that need to be left behind in order to move forward
• Letting donors make decisions for themselves
• Fundraising without big events

Resources:

Marc A. Pitman

Blackbaud Institute npEXPERTS 2021 eBook

The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be by Marc A. Pitman

Quotes: 

“Anytime we start taking over the decision-making for someone else, we’re robbing them of their humanity.”

“Everybody was scared, but some leaders were able to continue navigating the ship, while other leaders were panicking in an unproductive way.”

“I hope we get over the butts-in-seats equals productivity mentality.”

Inclusivity matters. Diversity makes organizations stronger and better. So how do social good organizations engage donors of color? Joining the podcast today to talk about this issue are Brenda Asare, President and CEO of The Alford Group, and JoAnn Yoshimoto, Senior Consultant at The Alford Group. Listen to today’s show to hear what they have to say about why it’s important to engage donors of color, how to build trust with donors of color, and what you need to think about to understand different types of donors.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Brenda’s background
• JoAnn’s background
• Why engaging donors of color is so important
• How to build trust with donors of color
• Understanding different donors
• What suggests hope for the future
• Examples of how organizations are doing it right
• What organizations can do to get started
• Where listeners can get more information

Resources:

Brenda B. Asare

JoAnn Yoshimoto

The Alford Group

The Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy

AFP

Quotes: 

“When we go back and look at the genesis of what it means to be generous, people of color have been doing that all of their lives.” – Brenda Asare

“It's not as if there's one specific way to approach this community versus another community versus another community. Don’t use what we call a cookie-cutter approach, a one-size-fits-all.” – JoAnn Yoshimoto

“What I really dislike seeing in the field of fundraising is the smile that you put on when you're asking for a gift and then you turn your back and it's over. That's not how you create trust among diverse communities. You need to engage consistently, authentically.” – JoAnn Yoshimoto

“Fundraising doesn't happen in a bubble. It happens within a culture.” – Brenda Asare

“Nonprofits have the opportunity to create even more impact. But how can you do that when you are neglecting 30-40% of a population who have the capacity, desire, and readiness to give but you're not asking?” – Brenda Asare

The past year or so has changed things, including how organizations reach their goals and how they think about their employees. Here to talk about some of these changes is Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas, Managing Director, Corporate Strategy & Impact, CECP. Listen in to hear what Kari has to say about what companies have learned in the past year and a half, how CECP started their journey to racial equity and inclusion, and how they’re supporting other companies along this path.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Who Kari is and what she does
• What companies have learned from the past year and a half
• CECP’s racial equity and inclusion journey over the last four years
• Understanding frontline needs and employee wellbeing
• What ESG means to different companies
• How CEOs can stand up for what’s right
• Studies and reports that listeners can learn more about

Resources:

Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas

CECP

Global Impact at Scale Report

CECP Reports

CECP Pulse Surveys

Giving in Numbers

Investing in Society

Value Volunteering

Quotes: 

“But now, broadly, everyone in a company understands that that’s part of their work – how to get close to a society, how to be responsive.”

“The employee, certainly over the years has become one of the most important stakeholders, but in 2020, it became the most important stakeholder for a company.”

“Employees are your first community. And if you didn’t know it before you should know it now.”

“Companies recognize that they have core business needs and those need to be aligned with what’s happening broadly in society thru their partnerships and solving community issues.”

Systems make up the circumstances we live in, so changing the systems can change the circumstances. But how can you make systems change? And how can social good organizations that share common causes come together to make systems change?

Today’s guest is Dr. Sally Uren, CEO of Forum of the Future. In today’s episode, she’ll explain what systems change is and why it’s needed, how organizations can come together to make it happen, and how those organizations can measure their impact. Listen in to learn more about Sally, Forum of the Future, and the importance of systems change to address global challenges.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Dr. Uren's work at Forum of the Future
• Defining systems change
• Why are systems changes important in solving big problems
• How organizations that share a common interest can come together
• How to tell when progress is actually happening
• Pitfalls in measurement
• How an organization can measure its impact on systems change
• Why taking a systems change lens can speed up the journey
• How to learn more and get inspired about systems change

Resources:

Dr. Sally Uren

Forum for the Future

Quotes: 

“The process of driving systems change is really understanding how do we reconfigure the systems we rely on.”

“Where are those areas that we can focus on that if we really improve them, we can derive multiple benefits in multiple places.”

“What we’ve really begun to understand is that no one actor in any given system can solve for the big challenges in that system on their own.”

The story of philanthropy as multi-cultural people experience it is not being told. Today’s guest, Dr. Tashion Macon, is setting out to change the narrative and add nuance and truth to help evolve the philanthropy sector. Dr. Macon is the Senior Vice President of Marketing, Branding and Social Justice Strategy at Bridge Philanthropic Consulting. Listen in to learn more about what Bridge Philanthropic Consulting does, who the pioneers of African American and Hispanic American philanthropy are, and how organizations can adopt a more diverse approach in their fundraising strategies.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Tashion Macon’s background
• About Bridge Philanthropic Consulting
• Why Bridge launched the Iconic Impact Series
• The history of African Americans and Hispanic Americans as philanthropic leaders
• Philanthropists across pop culture platforms
• Advice for organizations that want to adopt a more diverse approach to fundraising strategies
• Where listeners can learn more
• What makes Dr. Macon hopeful

Resources:

Dr. Tashion Macon

Iconic Impact Series from Bridge Philanthropic Consulting

Quotes: 

“You really can’t gain ground unless you have a ground game. And you need people. People create the ground game.”

“The framework of philanthropy in the multi-cultural experience foundationally begins at home. We’ve had to advance our own from within our own.”

“We are giving. Hispanic Americans are giving. Native Americans are giving. It’s simply not tracked or counted in the traditional philanthropic sense. And because it’s not, there is a myth that the community may not be ‘givers,’ which isn’t true.”

“The dominant perspective has not known how to engage [BIPOC], to dialogue, to dissect ways that are meaningful to the context of their lived-out experience, so that you can engage them in a way that is true. Part of that begins with culturally nuanced communications.”  

“If there ever was a time to be authentic, it’s now.”

Protecting patient information is critical. But it is a delicate balance between minimizing a healthcare organization’s risk and enabling development staff to raise mission-critical funds.

In this episode Marti Arvin, Executive Advisor at CynergisTek, joins Blackbaud’s Liza Turcotte for a candid discussion on working together to create this appropriate balance. 

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Compliance officer’s viewpoint on sharing patient data
• Grateful patient programs
• Creating a balance between data needed and wanted
• Expectations for the development team related to patient information
• Ideas for working together as a team

DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this podcast is intended to be legal advice—please consult your organization’s own legal counsel. 

Resources:

• Marti Arvin
• White Paper: HIPAA and Fundraising: Understanding the Regulations, Roles, and Compliance

Quotes: 

“The risk appetite of the organization is something that’s up to senior leadership.”

“As long as I felt my leadership had made an informed decision, I could sleep at night.”

“It’s not just HIPAA in all cases that you have to consider, so if you’ve made yourself aware of what the HIPPA regulations are, that may not be enough.”

High donor attrition is a fact of life for fundraisers—even those who excel at donor retention. To grow revenue, social good organizations must attract a steady stream of new donors each year to replace those that will be lost. However, your organization likely has supporters who, despite a lack of giving history, have engaged with you in some way in the past.

In today’s episode, Brooke Hansel, Nonprofit Principal Solutions Marketer at Blackbaud, discusses the challenges associated with acquisition, how to determine which supporters to steward, and the practical steps you can take to establish a more streamlined process for converting your supporters into donors.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Donor acquisition growth in 2020
• The importance of diversifying revenue
• Multi-year donor retention vs. first-year donor retention
• Talking about acquisition in the context of retaining the donors
• Understanding donor acquisition cost
• How to acquire donors efficiently
• Wealth screening tools
• What to consider in a data-driven approach
• The link between volunteers and donors

Resources:

• Brooke Hansel
• Webinar: Tap Your Supporter Base for New Donor Acquisition
• Technology and Engagement Webinar Series for Nonprofits

Quotes: 

“It’s important, more now than ever, to focus your acquisition efforts close to home.”

“Acquisition is critical given the whole “leaky bucket” idea.”

“The more efficient we can be at doing this work, the more time we have to play.”

What’s the difference between fundraising and raising money? Many people may think of successful fundraising as simply getting donations, but that definition leaves out another important element: engaging smaller or future donors. Some may not be able to give large gifts, but they can still become an important source of support for an organization.

Listen in to today’s episode to hear Melissa Rancour, principal instructional designer for Blackbaud University, talk about what social good organizations can do to get others invested and talking about their cause, the effect this has on donor retention, and how it can reduce donor remorse.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• What successful fundraising is
• The focus on donating money and getting money donations
• How to think about retention
• Thinking about the “why”
• Getting others invested in and talking about your cause
• Long-term impact on donor retention
• Reducing donor’s remorse
• Getting started engaging younger supporters

Resources:

Melissa Rancour

Blackbaud University Organizational Best Practices

Quotes: 

“It’s all about time, talents, and treasures.”

“If we’re connecting with people in order to get them to share about our organization, and share with others, you’re connecting with them, so they share about your cause.”

“We need to look beyond just that money piece because we want those long-term donors.”