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The world sees the crisis. Few see the flight, the cargo hold, the teams, and coordination that gets aid there.

Jena Lynch talks with Brandon Stokes, VP and Head of Development at Airlink, about the operational work that makes every response possible, and why it's so rarely part of the story that donors see.

Fifteen years in, Airlink has learned a lot about turning an operational story into one donors actually want to fund. This conversation is about making the unseen work visible, and why that's often the difference between a one-time donation and partner collaboration anchored in lasting donor relationships.

What You'll Learn

• Why operational costs are the hardest thing to fundraise for, and how to change that
• How Airlink turned its 15th anniversary into a donor engagement moment
• Why transparency, not just impact stories, builds long-term donor trust
• What quarterly briefings can do for donor relationships
• How to talk to donors about the "invisible" work behind the mission

More About Our Guest

Brandon Stokes is Vice President and Head of Development at Airlink, where he leads fundraising strategy for an organization that has spent fifteen years connecting humanitarian aid with the aviation industry. He works closely with donors and NGO partners to make the case for funding the parts of a response that rarely make headlines, from logistics to staff and infrastructure, and to show why that funding is just as critical as the aid itself.

Resources and Links

Learn more about Airlink, and if you have a story to share or want to know more about the life-saving work they are doing, head to their blog for lessons in response preparedness. 

Chapters

00:00:Introduction

01:28: How Airlink Got Started: From Haiti to Global Logistics

03:59:Evolving Response: Hurricanes, COVID-19, and Long-Term Recovery

05:11:Why Operational Fundraising Gets Overlooked

07:58:Turning a 15th Anniversary into a Donor Engagement Tool

10:33:The Growing Urgency Behind Humanitarian Aid

12:41:Building Trust with 250+ NGO Partners

15:03:Transparency in Action: Quarterly Donor Briefings

18:39:Practical Fundraising Advice for Operational Costs

22:01:How to Support Airlink's Mission

23:55:Closing

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over $4 billion in donations worldwide.

donorbox.org 

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The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Summer is a good time to slow down and check the quiet gaps in your fundraising…before Giving Season prep picks up speed.

This episode is a fan favorite, back for our July summer rewind series.

Donors haven't stopped giving. They've just gotten more careful, and that means small friction points matter more than they used to. Jena Lynch and Britt Stockert talk through three quiet "leak points", a slow checkout, under-positioned recurring giving, and fading event momentum… and how to fix them without a bigger campaign or a strategy overhaul.

What You'll Learn

• Why small friction costs more when donors are being cautious
• How to make recurring giving visible and easy to choose
• Why in-person energy needs an instant way to give
• A simple way to check your own donation experience

About the Hosts

Jena Lynch, Head of Community Engagement at Donorbox, and Britt Stockert, Fundraiser Coach at Donorbox, co-host this episode. Together, they bring hands-on experience helping nonprofits strengthen donor relationships and build fundraising systems that hold up under pressure.

Resources and Links

OmniGive™ donation forms

Recurring Giving Features

Donorbox Live™ Kiosk

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over $4 billion in donations worldwide.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Giving hit a record high in 2025. What's underneath that number will shape your fundraising strategy for the next decade.

Americans gave $617 billion to charity in 2025, a record, and real growth even after inflation. Five of nine nonprofit categories hit all-time highs. The sector showed up!!

But the Giving USA 2026 report tells a more layered story. Jena Lynch and Britt Stockert dig into what's really shifting, and what it means for how nonprofits build donor relationships, plan for foundation funding, and think about legacy giving.

What You'll Learn

• Why $617 billion is a record, even adjusted for inflation
• How mega gifts are shaping the individual giving numbers
• What a 16% drop in foundation inflows signals for 2026 and 2027
• Why bequest giving jumped 19.7%, and what it means for the Great Wealth Transfer
• Why your most loyal donors are your best legacy giving prospects
• What younger donors expect from the giving experience

Chapters

00:00:  Introduction

01:44:   Giving USA 2026 - The Headline Number

02:15:    Real Growth, Not Just Inflation

04:41:   The Mega Gifts Effect

07:51:    The Foundation Grant Cliff

09:48:   Individual Giving Hits a 40-Year Low

12:49:    The Great Wealth Transfer Arrives

15:46:    What Younger Donors Expect

18:03:    Key Takeaways for Nonprofits

Resources and Links

• Giving USA 2026 Report  
• Ep 117 |The Great Wealth Transfer: The Big Nonprofit Advantage
• Ep 209| The Real Reason Donors Stop Giving - With Rob Harter 
• Darrin Cook| Staying Close to Your Donors: A Practical Guide to Retention 
• Donorbox OmniGive™Donation Forms 

About the Hosts

Jena Lynch - Head of Community Engagement, Donorbox

Jena specialises in donor stewardship, retention, and peer-to-peer fundraising. She works closely with nonprofit teams to strengthen donor relationships and build practical systems that support long-term growth. As anchor of The Nonprofit Podcast, she keeps strategy clear, steady, and actionable.

Connect with Jena on LinkedIn

Britt Stockert - Fundraiser Coach, Donorbox

With more than 20 years in the public sector, Britt helps nonprofits build fundraising strategies that match real capacity. She guides teams in strengthening donor relationships, refining systems, and simplifying operations. She also serves on the board of an immigrant- and refugee-led nonprofit and stays closely connected to on-the-ground realities.

Connect with Britt on LinkedIn

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process more than $4 billion in donations worldwide.  donorbox.org

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Nearly seven in ten nonprofit employees are actively looking for new jobs…and it's not always about the paycheck.

Britt Stockert and Cara Augspurger talk through five low-cost ways to help your team feel appreciated and connected to the mission. Cara draws on real examples from her work at Grace Care Center Foundation, where a culture of recognition has helped keep people engaged without a big perks budget.

If you've ever wondered whether you're showing your staff the same care you show your donors, this one's for you.

What You'll Learn

• Why recognition, not just compensation, drives nonprofit retention
• How a restructured annual calendar gave staff real rest without disrupting mission delivery
• What local business partnerships can look like beyond fundraising
• Why handwritten notes work just as well for team members as for donors
• How schedule flexibility can fill the gap when budget can't

Chapters 

00:00  Celebrating Team Efforts

02:55   Understanding Nonprofit Turnover

05:55   Creating a Supportive Culture

08:50   The Power of Handwritten Notes

11:50     Flexibility as a Perk

14:52     Recognizing Employee Contributions

Resources and Links

• Grace Care Center Foundation 
• Donorbox — fundraising tools for nonprofits

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process more than $4 billion in donations worldwide.  donorbox.org

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Every nonprofit team has one…the decision that keeps getting pushed to next week. 

The platform that's been under evaluation for three months. The recurring giving program that still doesn't have a name. The donor email that's been rewritten twelve times and still hasn't been sent.

In this episode, Jena Lynch and Britt Stockert get into why fundraising decisions stall and what to do about it. They share a four-filter framework for cutting through the noise, talk through the real reasons teams delay, and leave you with one practical thing to try this week.

No jargon, no fluff, just two fundraising professionals being honest about something every nonprofit leader will recognise.

What You'll Learn

• Why fundraising decisions feel riskier right now
• How to define the actual problem before picking a solution
• The difference between reversible and hard-to-reverse decisions
• How 30-day tests replace all-or-nothing pressure
• What to do when your team or board can't land on a direction
• A 30-minute decision reset to try this week

Resources and Links

Donorbox| Fundraising tools built for nonprofits

Chapters

00:00 Fundraising Decision Paralysis

03:18 Define the Real Problem

09:19 Reversible vs Permanent Decisions

12:06 Progress vs Complexity

14:20 The 30-Day Testing Mindset

16:30 Common Decision-Making Traps

20:28 The 30-Minute Decision Reset

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process more than $4 billion in donations worldwide.  donorbox.org

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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The fundraising capacity gap is the distance between what a nonprofit needs to raise money sustainably and what it's actually resourced to do. 

And, right now?... That gap is widening.

In this episode, Britt Stockert, Fundraiser Coach at Donorbox, unpacks what it is, where it shows up in daily development work, and why it keeps getting misdiagnosed as a performance problem when it's actually a structural one.

The numbers are stark. The Nonprofit Finance Fund found that 85% of nonprofits expect service demand to keep rising, while 36% ended last year at a deficit, the highest in a decade. First-year donor retention sits around 20%. Sector technology budgets allocate 54% to hardware and 1% to training. And nearly a quarter of nonprofit workers can't afford basic living expenses.

Britt makes the case that donor attrition, burnout, and fundraiser turnover are not separate problems. They share the same root cause, and it belongs in the budget conversation, not the performance review.

What You'll Learn

• What the nonprofit fundraising capacity gap actually is
• Where it shows up in real development work, and what it costs
• Why burnout and donor loss are structural problems, not individual ones
• What the nonprofit starvation cycle is and why it matters
• What fundraisers, EDs, and board members can each do differently to break the cycle

The Core Insight

The gap is almost always invisible, which is exactly what makes it so hard to fix. When a major gifts portfolio goes cold, it gets labeled a performance issue. When a fundraiser burns out and leaves, leadership calls it a pipeline problem. The structural cause stays hidden, and hidden problems don't get fixed.

The first move is naming it honestly, in budget conversations, in board meetings, before you pick up a new framework or invest in a new tool. What is it actually costing you to leave it the way it is?

Chapters

00:00 The Fundraising Capacity Gap

01:34 Why Retention Is Slipping

03:06 Capacity Problems Disguised as Performance Problems

06:03 The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle

09:34 How to Break the Cycle

Resources and Links

Book a free one-hour strategy session with Britt here

• Nonprofit Finance Fund Survey Data
• Fundraising Effectiveness Project
• Bridgespan Group Research
• Urban Institute Nonprofit Research
• Stanford Social Innovation Review: The Nonprofit Starvation Cycle

About the Host

Britt Stockert is a Fundraiser Coach at Donorbox with more than 20 years in the public sector. She helps nonprofits build fundraising strategies that match real capacity, working with teams to strengthen donor relationships, refine systems, and simplify operations. Britt also serves on the board of an immigrant- and refugee-led nonprofit and stays closely connected to on-the-ground realities.

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a globally trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over 3 billion dollars in donations worldwide.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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“Doubt kills donations.”

Before a donor ever gives, they’ve already formed an opinion of your organization. It takes a minute. Sometimes less. And most nonprofits have no idea what’s coming up about their mission.

What they find in those moments either builds confidence or raises doubt.

In this episode, Jena Lynch sits down with Tori Burrello, Marketing Manager at Candid, to talk about what nonprofit transparency really looks like in practice - and what it costs when it’s missing.

Tori shares what’s changed in how donors and funders evaluate organizations, how Candid profiles and Seals of Transparency work as real credibility signals, and why small teams can take meaningful action without a big time commitment.

If you’re navigating fundraising, donor relationships, or communications, this one’s worth your time.

What You’ll Learn

• Where donors and funders are really forming first impressions, and how fast it happens
• Why incomplete or inconsistent nonprofit data quietly costs organizations donations and funding
• What Candid profiles and Seals of Transparency signal to funders, and why it matters
• How organizations with a Platinum Seal have seen measurable funding growth
• Why a completed Candid profile plugs your organization into a much wider funding ecosystem
• Practical first steps small teams can take this week without being overwhelmed

More About Our Guest

Tori Burrello is the Marketing Manager at Candid, the sector’s leading nonprofit information resource. She works on the Seals of Transparency program and helps nonprofits understand how their public data shapes donor and funder trust. Candid holds data on 1.9 million US nonprofits and feeds into a wide ecosystem of fundraising and giving platforms.

Resources and Links

• Tori:  linkedin.com/in/victoria-burrello
• Candid/GuideStar Profiles:  app.candid.org
• Candid Seals of Transparency:  candid.org
• Donorbox Guide to Nonprofit Transparency:  donorbox.org/nonprofit-blog/nonprofit-transparency

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over 3 billion dollars in donations worldwide.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Nonprofit boards are doing more with less. And when governance isn't working, it's the executive director who absorbs it quietly, consistently, at real cost to the organization.

Britt Stockert sits down with David Rhode, nonprofit executive coach and author of Passion Isn't Enough, to talk about the board self-assessment - what it is, why so many boards skip it, and what a well-run board evaluation process actually looks like in practice.

A practical, grounded conversation for nonprofit leaders who want their board working with them, not around them.

What You'll Learn

• What a board self-assessment covers and how to structure one
• Why skipping board evaluations costs more than most leaders realize
• How to introduce the process without it feeling like a crisis
• How to act on what you learn without overwhelming your team

More About Our Guest

David Rhode coaches nonprofit executives, consults on board development and fundraising strategy, and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. His book, Passion Isn't Enough, is a practical guide for nonprofit leaders who want to build organizations that last.

Learn more at dotdotorg.com or connect on LinkedIn.

Resources and Links

• Passion Isn't Enough 
• David Rhode & Dot Dot Org 
• donorbox.org

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over 3 billion dollars in donations worldwide.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe, like, and follow for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Fundraising is getting harder. But generosity hasn't disappeared.

So what's actually changing?

Jena Lynch sits down with nonprofit coach, consultant, and host of The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Rob Harter, to interrogate the real pressures nonprofit leaders are facing right now, donor retention, staffing burnout, supporter engagement, and fundraising performance.

They dig into why relationship-based fundraising matters more than ever, why donor trust drives long-term giving, and why simply doing more outreach may no longer be enough.

In this episode:

• Why donor participation is declining even as giving dollars grow
• How staffing turnover quietly erodes donor trust
• Why retention beats urgency every time
• How small teams can strengthen relationships with limited capacity
• Practical ways AI can help reclaim time and reduce burnout
• Why some traditional fundraising events may need a rethink
• How trust directly influences long-term generosity

Chapters:
00:00 – Why Nonprofit Fundraising Feels Harder

01:31 – Nonprofit Leadership & Donor Trust

05:09 – Why Donor Relationships Matter More

09:51 – Donor Retention vs Constant Outreach

14:16 – AI Tools for Nonprofit Fundraising

23:13 – Rethinking Nonprofit Fundraising Events

About Rob Harter

Rob Harter is a nonprofit coach, consultant, and leadership strategist with more than 30 years of experience in the social impact sector. He works with nonprofit leaders on fundraising, organizational growth, leadership, and navigating change, and is the host of The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast.

Learn more at RobHarter.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Resources mentioned:

• Rob Harter Coaching & Consulting
• The Nonprofit Leadership Podcast

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over 3 billion dollars in donations worldwide.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe for more practical fundraising strategies, leadership insights, and tools to help your nonprofit grow sustainably.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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Promoting from within is one of the best things a nonprofit can do.

Until it isn't.

Not because the person wasn't ready. But because nobody built the bridge between outstanding performer and effective leader, and that gap quietly costs nonprofits some of their best people.

Britt Stockert sits down with Chris Wong, founder of Leadership Potential, licensed therapist, and someone who has spent his career building leadership development programs inside nonprofits from the ground up.

They talk about accidental leadership. What it actually is. Why it happens in even the most mission-driven organisations. And what nonprofit leaders can do right now to close the gap before it becomes a crisis.

Because spotting potential is easy. Developing it is not.

What You'll Learn

• What accidental leadership actually is and why it happens in even the best-run nonprofits
• Why the skills that earn a promotion are rarely the skills needed to lead a team
• What happens to the team when a new manager is left to figure it out alone
• How one avoided conversation can quietly cost you your best people
• What leaders can do right now to close the gap before it becomes a crisis

Key Takeaway

Spotting potential is easy. Developing it is not. The good news? It's never too late to build the bridge.

Resources & Easy Links

• Get Chris's free Difficult Conversations Playbook for Leaders here 
• Learn more about Chris and Leadership Potential here 
• Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here 
• Find out what Donorbox can do for you!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction - When Promotions Quietly Go Wrong

03:33 What Accidental Leadership Looks Like in Nonprofits

05:28 Why New Leaders Feel Unprepared and Overwhelmed

07:30 Tackling Assertiveness, Mindset, and Difficult Conversations

10:44 The Promotion Gap and Why Teams Disengage

14:11 How Leadership Struggles Affect Team Culture and Retention

16:28 Simple Leadership Changes That Reduce Burnout and Improve Teams

About Our Guest

Chris Wong is the founder of Leadership Potential and a licensed therapist who has spent his career building leadership development programs inside nonprofits from the ground up. He works with small human services organisations to develop managers from the inside out, reducing turnover, freeing up Executive Directors to lead, and building teams that actually function. He also co-hosts The Art and Science of Difficult Conversations podcast.

About Donorbox

Donorbox is a trusted online and on-location fundraising platform that helps nonprofits raise more. With easy-to-use donation forms, powerful donor management tools, and features designed to grow recurring giving, we have helped 100,000-plus organizations process over 3 billion dollars in donations worldwide.

The information provided in this series is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Please consult with a professional advisor for specific guidance.

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