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The plan is just paper. The value is in using it.

When your nonprofit is growing but still feels directionless, that's not a passion problem…it's a planning problem. 

Strategic planning isn't about doing more, it's about finally knowing what matters. When you're clear on who you serve, honest about what it costs, and aware of how it's funded, everything else - including your fundraising - gets easier from there.

Cara Augspurger, CFRE, spent six months working through exactly that, and in this episode, she shares five practical steps to move your stratgic plan from constant reaction to clear, sustainable direction.

What you'll learn:

• Why growth and busyness can mask a real lack of direction, and how to tell the difference
• The single clarity question every nonprofit needs to answer before anything else
• Why "what are we not going to do this year?" might be the most strategic question you ask
• How to do an honest funding reality check, and what to do when the numbers don't line up
• What a "good year" actually looks like in concrete, actionable numbers, not just a gut feel
• Why stability - not scale - is often the most important milestone for early-stage nonprofits

About Cara Augspurger

Cara Augspurger, CFRE, is the Executive Director of Grace Care Center Foundation and co-host of The Nonprofit Podcast. With deep experience in nonprofit leadership and fundraising, Cara brings a practical, grounded perspective to the challenges facing small and growing organizations, from strategic planning and resource development to building sustainable, community-centered missions.

Chapters:

00:00 - Why Nonprofits Need Strategic Planning

02:14 - Step 1 - Get Clear on Your Mission

04:33 - Step 2 - Define Vision and Messaging

05:44 - Step 3 - Do Less With Purpose

07:39 - Step 4 - Funding Reality Check

09:18 - Step 5 - Set Clear Goals and Targets

11:37 - Build Stability and Long-Term Growth

If this episode helped you think more clearly about where your organization is headed, share it with a colleague who's feeling the pull in too many directions.

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 $ 3 billion in donations worldwide.

Find out what Donorbox can do for you!

Disclaimer:
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.

Subscribe to The Nonprofit Podcast for weekly conversations on fundraising, leadership, and strategy for people doing meaningful work

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Most nonprofit teams don't have a workload problem. They have a systems problem. And spring is the perfect time to fix it.

Your tools aren't broken. They're just not talking to each other. Donor data lives in one place, your emails in another, and somewhere in between, things fall through the cracks. The simple stuff starts to drag. Your team picks up the slack. And nobody has time to stop and fix it.

That's exactly what this episode is about.

What You'll Learn

• What it actually means when your tools don't talk to each other
• Where your data breaks down between your fundraising platform, email, and CRM
• What “empathetic systems” look like in practice
• A simple way to spot where your systems are falling short in under an hour
• What to fix first, without adding more tools

Key Takeaway 

You don't need more tools. You need the ones you have to work together effectively.

If this sounds familiar, this episode is your starting point. Subscribe for weekly fundraising strategies to help you simplify and grow.

About Our Guest 

Darrin Cook is the founder of My Mogul Media. Since 2009, he's helped nonprofits across the US build cleaner, more connected digital systems, so teams can stop grinding and start growing.

About the Host 

Jena Lynch is Head of Community Engagement at Donorbox and host of The Nonprofit Podcast, bringing practical strategies every week for nonprofits that want to raise more and do more.

Chapters:

00:00 – The Hidden Problem with Nonprofit Systems

01:42 – What “Messy Systems” Actually Look Like

05:35 – The 4-Step System Reset Framework

10:23 – Common Mistakes Nonprofits Make

12:35 – How Poor Systems Affect Donors

16:12 – Quick 1-Hour Fix to Improve Your Systems

Resources & Links 

Learn more about My Mogul Media here and get to know Darrin better here

Find out what Donorbox can do for you!

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.

Disclaimer:
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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Most fundraising copy is built on urgency and guilt. It gets the gift. But does it keep the donor?

Jena and Maria Bryan make the case that ethical persuasion isn't a softer ask - it's a sharper one. And they get specific about what that looks like in practice.

From donation page mistakes that quietly erode trust, to the language of agency, to Maria's Four Cs framework for trauma-informed fundraising copy, this is all about practical, no-fluff conversation for anyone who touches donor communications.

Plus: a 10-minute audit you can run on your next campaign today.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why guilt-based messaging can win the gift and lose the donor
• What "agency" really means in the context of a donation ask
• How your donation page could be quietly undoing the trust you built
• The Four Cs framework for trauma-informed fundraising copy
• A 10-minute audit you can do today to improve your next campaign

The core insight:

• Ethical persuasion isn't about a ‘soft’ ask, it's about asking in a way that leaves donors feeling confident, connected, and glad they gave.
• When donors feel a sense of agency in the process, they don't just give once. They come back.

If this episode resonated, share it with someone in your organisation who touches donor communications, from email to donation forms, it applies everywhere.

Subscribe to The Nonprofit Podcast for honest, practical conversations to help you raise more and reach further.

Chapters 

00:00 Fundraising That Feels Good

02:00 What Is Ethical Persuasion

04:50 Ethical vs Effective Fundraising

05:10 Why Ethical Fundraising Matters Long Term

06:40 Examples of Guilt-Based Messaging

07:15 Better Language for Donor Communication

09:35 Creating Donor Agency and Choice

10:00 Donation Page Experience Explained

12:20 Common Donation Form Mistakes

13:30 Balancing Conversion and Trust

15:10 The Four Cs Framework Overview

18:50 Rethinking Urgency in Fundraising

19:45 Quick Audit Tip for Fundraisers

21:10 Ethical and Effective Can Coexist

Resources Mentioned: 

Learn more about Maria Bryan's work at When Bearing Witness: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariabryancrtv/ 

Explore DonorBox's recurring giving tools: https://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.

Find out what Donorbox can do for you!

Disclaimer:
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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Your board wants to help with fundraising. But nothing’s moving.

Without clear roles and next steps, board fundraising stalls…and the work falls back on you.

Cara sits down with Adam Morgan, founder of MVP Advisors, to unpack why boards struggle with fundraising and what nonprofits can do to fix it fast.

Cutting through assumptions and getting practical, they dig into how to align board members to the right roles, set clear expectations, and build simple systems that actually get participation without adding more work to your team.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why board fundraising underperformance is rarely a motivation problem, and what's actually driving it
• A practical framework for matching every board member to a fundraising role that suits their strengths
• Concrete systems your team can implement without additional staff or budget
• How to set realistic, structured expectations for newer board members from day one
• Where boards are commonly misdeployed in fundraising, and how to course-correct
• The highest-leverage action any board member can take, regardless of their network or experience level

Whether you lead a tiny team or a growing organization, this conversation will give you a framework to bring to your next board meeting.

Chapters:
00:00 Your Board Wants to Help… So Why Isn’t It Working?

02:16 The Real Problem - It’s Not Motivation, It’s Clarity

05:25 Stop Chasing Big Ideas - Do These Simple Things Instead

10:05 The Simple Systems That Make Boards Actually Show Up

14:00 The 4 Roles That Turn Passive Boards into Fundraising Machines

18:45 One Simple Action That Drives Big Impact

Guest Spotlight:
Adam Morgan is the founder of MVP Advisors, where he helps nonprofits strengthen board engagement and build practical, sustainable fundraising strategies. He works with organizations to align leadership, clarify expectations, and unlock the full potential of board-driven fundraising.

Topics Covered
board fundraising | nonprofit leadership | board engagement | fundraising strategy | small nonprofit growth | donor development | governance | fundraising systems

If this sounds familiar, share it with your board chair or leadership team. This is one conversation that can change how your board shows up.

Subscribe to The Nonprofit Podcast for weekly conversations on fundraising, strategy, and the ideas shaping the future of the social sector.

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.

Find out what Donorbox can do for you!

Disclaimer:
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 reality of sustainable fundraising nobody tells you? It starts with you.

Not your strategy. Not your donor pipeline. Not your appeal calendar. You.

Most fundraising conversations right now are about doing more with less. This one is different. Because the best fundraisers know the work starts with knowing themselves, what they bring, and how to protect it.

In this episode, Britt Stockert gets honest about what this work actually costs - and what it takes to stay effective, stay present, and stay in fundraising for the long haul.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why the pressure feels different right now (and why that's not in your head!)
• What happens when you're depleted and don't know it yet
• How running on empty shows up in your donor relationships
• Why presence is your most powerful fundraising asset
• What staying in this work for the long game actually looks like

The core insight:

• Sustainable fundraising doesn't start with better systems or smarter tools; it starts with a fundraiser who knows themselves well enough to last.
• When you're grounded and present, you don't need a pitch. Donors feel the difference.

If this episode connects with where you are right now, share it with someone in the sector who needs to hear it.

Chapters 

00:00 – When Was the Last Time Someone Saw You?

01:05 – Leading Through Crisis and Feeling Alone

02:22 – The Impossible Expectations of Fundraisers Today

03:45 – Burnout Is Real (And Getting Worse)

04:44 – Alexithymia: Why You Don’t Know You’re Burned Out

06:20 – AI Can’t Replace Real Human Connection

07:45 – What Actually Works: Honest, Present Fundraising

09:25 – One Simple Reset You Can Try This Week

If you are interested in working with Britt, or simply asking her for advice, you can reach her here

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.

Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

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Slow Fundraising: How to Do Less and Raise More with Chad Barger

Fundraising feels busy. Packed calendars, constant campaigns, endless asks. But results are not keeping pace. Many teams are working harder than ever and still missing growth targets.

Jena Lynch sits down with Chad Barger, founder of Productive Fundraising, to unpack his approach to slow fundraising. His work with nonprofits focuses on cutting through noise, using data to guide decisions, and building systems that actually deliver results.

Slow fundraising is not about doing less for its own sake. It is about doing the right work, consistently. This conversation breaks down how to focus your time, strengthen donor relationships, and build a fundraising approach that supports long-term growth without burnout.

What You’ll Learn

• Why many nonprofit teams are stuck doing too much and how slow fundraising helps identify the few activities that actually drive results
• How to use simple data tracking to understand what is working, what is not, and where time is being lost
• What it takes to build a sustainable fundraising rhythm that avoids burnout and supports long-term growth
• Why donor retention and stewardship matter more than constant acquisition, and how small improvements can increase revenue
• A practical approach to donor engagement that strengthens relationships without adding more to your workload

More About Our Guest:

Chad Barger is the founder of Productive Fundraising, where he helps nonprofits simplify their fundraising strategies and focus on what drives real results. He is a trainer, speaker, and coach known for his practical, data-informed approach to building sustainable fundraising programs, including his work around slow fundraising.
Head over to Productive Fundraising's well-stocked library of fundraising resources here.

Chapters

00:00 – The Fundraising Hamster Wheel
01:26 – What is Slow Fundraising?
03:00 – The 3 Principles That Change Everything
05:32 – Do Fewer Things (80/20 Rule for Fundraising)
07:38 – Fix Your Data First
09:06 – The Relief of Doing Less With a Plan
10:34 – Stop Burnout: Find a Sustainable Rhythm
11:54 – Time Blocking and Deep Work for Fundraisers
14:47 – Donor Retention and Stewardship
18:20 – Simple, High-Impact Donor Engagement Ideas

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.

Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

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You’ve done the hard part. People are giving. They care. They’re showing up. So what’s next?

Most nonprofits get to this point… and stop. Supporters stay consistent. But the relationship doesn’t go any further.

This episode is about that gap, and how membership programs are designed to close it.

There’s a clear progression in fundraising.

From first gift…to consistent support…to something deeper.

But that last step doesn’t happen on its own.

In this episode, Britt Stockert breaks down what nonprofit membership programs actually are, how they work in practice, and why they’re becoming a key part of long-term fundraising strategy.

You’ll also hear where organizations get it wrong, how to assess if your organization is ready, and what it takes to build a program your team can realistically sustain.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Where donor relationships typically stall after consistent giving
• What a membership program actually is (and what it isn’t)
• The signals that tell you your organization is ready
• How supporters naturally progress toward deeper engagement
• Why most membership programs fail before they start
• What makes a membership model actually work over time

The core insight:

• Strong fundraising doesn’t stop at getting the donor or even keeping them; it grows by giving supporters a clear next step.
• Membership programs create that step, moving people from giving to belonging, and from support to participation in your mission.

If this episode connects with where your organization is right now, share it with someone thinking about what comes next in their donor journey.

Subscribe to The Nonprofit Podcast for practical, real-world strategies that support long-term fundraising growth.

Chapters

00:00Transforming Donors into Supporters

03:07Understanding Membership Programs

06:00Building a Sustainable Membership Program

08:52Engaging Founding Members

12:04Creating Lasting Relationships

Resources Mentioned:

Donorbox.org - https://donorbox.org/memberships 

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.
Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

Support the show

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Are you missing one of the biggest growth opportunities in your donor base?

Most nonprofit fundraising focuses on two things: bringing in new donors and managing major gifts. Both matter.

But there’s a group in the middle that often gets missed. These are supporters who already give, already care, and keep coming back. They respond when you reach out. They stay connected to your work.

And yet, they’re often treated the same as someone who gave once and moved on.

This episode looks at the gap that exists in many fundraising programs, the space between broad campaigns and major gift strategies, and why that gap is becoming more important as donor behavior shifts.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why revenue is increasingly concentrating among repeat supporters
• What the latest data reveals about donor retention and giving patterns
• Where most fundraising programs fall short when it comes to donor experience
• Why this overlooked segment represents one of the strongest paths to future growth
• How small, practical changes can strengthen relationships and improve retention

The core insight:

Growth isn’t disappearing - it’s concentrating. And the donors most likely to drive that growth are often already in your system, waiting for a more intentional experience.

Resources mentioned:

Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) Q3 2025 Quarterly Benchmark Report - search "FEP Q3 2025" to find it. 

If this conversation resonates with your experience in the sector, share it with a colleague who cares deeply about the communities they serve.

Subscribe to The Nonprofit Podcast for weekly conversations on fundraising, leadership, and the ideas shaping the future of the social sector.

Chapters

00:00Understanding the Donor Landscape

02:47Identifying the Mid-Level Donor Gap

06:07The Importance of Mid-Level Donors

09:01Strategies for Engaging Mid-Level Donors

11:55Closing the Gap: Practical Steps

15:09The Path Forward for Nonprofits

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.
Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

Support the show

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Most nonprofits track gift size.  The best fundraisers track lifetime value.

Join Cara as she unpacks the lifetime value mindset and why recurring donors often become some of the most valuable supporters a nonprofit has. While major gifts create big moments, monthly donors quietly build the steady support that sustains a mission over time.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why your quietest donors may be your most valuable
• How a lifetime value mindset changes how fundraisers evaluate donor impact
• Effective but simple ways to engage and retain recurring donors
• How simple prompts can turn one-time gifts into monthly support

Why this matters:
When fundraisers shift from tracking gift size to understanding lifetime value, monthly donors often emerge as some of the most important supporters in their community.

About Cara:
Cara Augspurger is the Executive Director of Grace Care Center Foundation and an on-the-ground correspondent for The Nonprofit Podcast, sharing practical insights from real nonprofit leadership and fundraising experience.

Topics covered in this episode:
monthly giving | recurring donors | donor retention | nonprofit fundraising strategy | lifetime value | donor relationships | nonprofit leadership | recurring donations

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.
Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

Support the show

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Are we overlooking one of the most powerful forces behind nonprofit work?

For many nonprofit professionals, care for community doesn’t switch off at the end of the workday. Long after the job is done, we’re still showing up, supporting causes, helping neighbors...living the values that drew us to this work to begin with.

In this episode, Britt sits down with Esther Saehyun Lee, founder of Elevate Philanthropy Consulting and a leading voice in Community-Centric Fundraising, to explore the deeper motivations that shape nonprofit work - and the often unseen ways those values continue to strengthen communities beyond the 9-to-5.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why the values that draw people into nonprofit work often show up far beyond the workplace
• How everyday acts of community care reflect the principles of community-centric philanthropy
• Why this “invisible work” carries real value for the communities nonprofits serve
• How recognizing these motivations can reshape the way organizations think about fundraising and leadership
• What nonprofit leaders can learn from the care and commitment their teams bring into community life

The core insight: The work nonprofit professionals do outside formal roles often reflects the same values that power the sector itself - care, community, and commitment to something larger than the job. When we recognize that connection, we gain a clearer understanding of what truly drives nonprofit work.

About Esther Saehyun Lee
Esther Saehyun Lee is the founder of Elevate Philanthropy Consulting, where she works with nonprofit organizations to build fundraising practices rooted in equity, community trust, and the principles of Community-Centric Fundraising. Her work focuses on helping organizations align fundraising with the values of the communities they serve.

Chapters
00:00 Work vs Community: The Two Ways We Show Up

02:28 The Invisible Care That Happens Outside the Job

07:21 Formal vs Informal Community Spaces

12:19 Relationships, Conflict, and Peer-Led Community Care

16:30 Fatigue, Burnout, and Why Community Matters

22:12 Supporting the People Who Do the Caring

What makes Donorbox the Best Nonprofit Fundraising Platform to Achieve Your Strategic Goals?
Easy to customize, available in multiple languages and currencies, and supported by leading payment processors (Stripe and PayPal), Donorbox’s nonprofit fundraising solution is used by 80,000+ global organizations and individuals. From animal rescue to schools, places of worship, and research groups, nonprofits use Donorbox to raise more funds, manage donors efficiently, and make a bigger impact.
Discover how Donorbox can help you help others!

The Nonprofit Podcast, along with a wealth of nonprofit leadership tutorials, expert advice, tips, and tactics, is available on the Donorbox YouTube channel. Subscribe today and never miss an episode.

Support the show