This week, Raimy and Bini sit down with Rabbi Tuly Weisz, founder of Israel 365 and one of the most active nonprofit leaders working at the intersection of Jewish life, Christian support for Israel, and public advocacy. This episode looks at how big ideas get built in the nonprofit world, how leaders handle pushback, and what it takes to hold onto a mission when the landscape gets loud.

With Rabbi Weisz, the conversation moves into where nonprofit leadership meets politics, faith, and community building. They talk about building partnerships outside the Jewish world, navigating criticism from every direction, raising awareness during moments of crisis, and what it means to lead an organization through sensitive work that not everyone understands.

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• Get Rabbi Weisz's new book 'Universal Zionisim' here

• To learn more about Israel365 and all the great work they do, click here

We’re back with Season 2!

We dive right into the GoFundMe fiasco: what actually happened, why it rubbed so many nonprofits the wrong way, and how the apology somehow made it worse. We talk about tipping, SEO, missing money, and what happens when tech companies forget to ask permission.

Raimy shares a tepid/lukewarm take on the debacle: that the damage wasn’t about lost dollars; it was about lost trust.

We talk about why keeping things simple still wins, why “sorry” is a complete sentence, and why every platform that serves nonprofits needs to listen before it launches.

Give it a listen and tell us what you think.

What do landscaping, grant writing for dummies, and pistachios have to do with faith-based fundraising?

More than you'd think.

In this episode, Raimy and Bini are joined by Evan Cox and Jon DeLange, the dynamic duo behind strategicfundraisingplan.com, who’ve helped hundreds of Christian ministries raise more money with less stress.

You’ll hear how Evan went from mowing lawns to mentoring ministries, why Jon thinks "our" is the most dangerous word in fundraising, and how the best donor strategy might start with a bag of chips and a personal text.

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Philanthropy and Fundraising

01:25 Personal Journeys into Fundraising

08:00 The Formation of Strategic Fundraising Plan

11:09 Understanding Christian Giving

13:35 The Ideal vs. Reality of Donor Relationships

17:39 Meeting Emotional Needs of Donors

22:03 Balancing Identity and Impact in Fundraising

27:47 Navigating Giving Priorities in Faith Communities

32:00 Cultural Priorities in Fundraising

34:34 Trends in Fundraising: Technology and Relationships

38:43 The Need for Authentic Connections

41:41 Blind Spots in Nonprofit Leadership

46:47 Rapid Fire Insights on Fundraising

What If Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) Became the Norm — Not the Exception?

This week, we sit down with Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy at Chariot, for a masterclass on the fast-evolving world of Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) — and why they're becoming the giving wallet of the future.

Mitch pulls back the curtain on:

What DAFs really are (and why most people misunderstand them)

How tech and policy shifts are unlocking $250B+ in charitable assets

Why nonprofits must stop being passive about DAFs — and start fundraising smarter

How using a DAF actually doubles the average donor’s gift

The myth of DAF “warehousing” — and the surprising stats that prove otherwise

Plus, a ballistic missile siren mid-recording (yes, really), insights from Mitch’s time at Goldman Sachs, and the one word Mitch would remove from the non-profit world.

Whether you're a donor, fundraiser, or nonprofit exec — this episode will change how you think about giving.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: The Chariot DAF Fundraising Report! Click here to read it TODAY!

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Chapters:

00:00 Navigating Life Under Threats

16:52 The Evolution of Donor-Advised Funds

19:26 DAFs: A Tool for All, Not Just the Wealthy

23:18 Engaging the Next Generation in Philanthropy

25:22 Employer Matching Programs and DAFs

30:12 The Challenge of DAFs: Money Warehousing

33:24 Increasing Granting Rates from DAFs

37:59 Marketing DAFs to Nonprofits

42:19 The Future of DAFs: A Charitable Wallet for Everyone

45:42 Empowering Nonprofits in the DAF Space

50:53 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

What’s it like to fundraise when your donors are in one place and the impact they're making is happening thousands of miles away?

In this episode, we sit down with Morgan Gross, the founder of Fundraising Beyond Borders, who joins us from a literal farm in Zambia. (Yes, there are monkeys. Yes, they jump on her roof.)

We talk about the messy, meaningful world of international fundraising: building donor trust, telling stories ethically, managing time zones, and setting up systems that actually get used. Morgan shares what’s different about global fundraising and what’s universal, whether you’re raising money in Tanzania, Toronto, or Tulsa.

This one has it all, from CRM setups and scratch-off postcards to what it’s like transitioning from Missouri public school teacher to global fundraising strategist on a Zambian farm.

You’re going to like this one.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Morgan Gross and Her Journey

04:20 Living in Zambia: A New Perspective on Nonprofits

05:54 Founding Project Wake Up: A Nonprofit for Mental Health

07:00 Transitioning to Fundraising Beyond Borders

10:26 Building Donor Trust and Ethical Storytelling

13:57 The Importance of Transparency in Fundraising

17:39 Overcoming Challenges in International Fundraising

19:40 Identifying Ideal Donors and Setting Goals

22:30 The 12-Month Fundraising Strategy

24:30 Success Stories: Real-World Examples of Fundraising

28:33 The Role of Storytelling in Nonprofit Messaging

31:51 Utilizing Social Media for Engagement

36:10 The Impact of CRM on Donor Retention

39:01 Cultural Misconceptions in International Fundraising

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Links:

1. Check out Morgan's website here: link
2. Morgan's free downloads here: link
3. Connect w/ Morgan on LI: link

You open an email from a nonprofit. Four seconds later, you close it. No donation. No action. No connection.

In this episode, we take you inside a real fundraising email from a major organization. We don’t name names to take shots. We do it to learn. Together, we break it down. Line by line, design choice by design choice. We ask: What’s working here? What’s missing? And what can every nonprofit learn from this?

From subject lines to CTAs to the psychology behind a donor’s decision to give, we unpack the choices that make or break an appeal. Some of what we found surprised us. Some of it frustrated us. All of it will make you think differently about your next fundraising email.

This isn’t theory. It’s a hands-on teardown with insights you can put to work right away.

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Good of the Week

02:40 Fundraising Emails: What Nonprofits Get Wrong

05:23 Dissecting the ADL Email

08:06 Best Practices in Fundraising Emails

10:53 Personalization and Emotional Appeal

14:07 Calls to Action and Urgency

16:55 Problem-Solution Framing in Fundraising

20:00 Empowering Donors in Messaging

25:29 Donor-Centric Fundraising Strategies

27:03 Transforming Donor Engagement

29:00 The Power of Personal Stories

31:18 Emotional Impact in Fundraising

33:14 Simplifying Communication for Better Engagement

35:21 Design vs. Personalization in Fundraising Emails

37:56 The Importance of Specific Donation Requests

40:03 Balancing Design and Authenticity

42:24 The Challenge of Fundraising Messaging

47:04 Final Thoughts on Effective Fundraising Emails

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Good of the Week:

1. Coach Thibodeau, formerly of the @NYKnicks

2. Jeff Brooks of @moceaniconline

H/T Ephraim Gopin @1832communications

Double H/T @Anti-Defamation-League

Bini turns 50! He celebrates the only way he knows how: by recording a podcast.

We kick things off with Bini's reflections on being an old man before diving into questions like: How should nonprofits think about special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and national events? What’s the right way to mark these moments with donors? What are the wrong ways? And what kind of impact do these small touchpoints really have?

Topics include:

Why most organizations ignore birthdays (and why they shouldn't)

The five categories of special occasions every nonprofit should plan for

How to be personal without being creepy

Systems, shortcuts, and a few disaster stories

Why Bini got a birthday coupon... and 10,000 other people did too

What happens when you mix fierce advocacy, government bureaucracy, and a refusal to look the other way?

You get Bob Nelkin.In this episode, we sit down with Bob, whose 50-year career spans government, nonprofits, academia, and policy reform.

From walking unannounced into state institutions to uncover abuse... to reducing infant mortality with a coalition of beauticians and crossing guards...

Bob's stories are wild, inspiring, and deeply human.You’ll hear about:What makes a real leader in the nonprofit worldWhy some problems need rage, and others need strategyHow to get people to follow you, even when they start out yelling at youThe hard truth about nonprofit mergers, and why some organizations should call it quitsAlso: Clemente, empathy, and what Bob thinks young leaders need most today.This isn’t a history lesson. It’s a lived one.

--------------------------------------Chapters:00:00 Introduction to Bob Nelkin's Journey04:48 Confronting Injustice in Institutions10:07 Building Community Support for Change15:22 Innovative Approaches to Public Health20:30 Rethinking Child Welfare Systems27:02 Navigating Challenges: The State of Nonprofits Today33:13 Evaluating Ideas: A Three-Point Test for Success42:39 Investing in Future Leaders: The Next Generation of Change

There are a lot of things people say about nonprofits that just aren’t true.

In this episode, we go after some of the biggest myths in the fundraising world.

Like the idea that if your cause is good enough, the money will follow.

Or that board members don’t need to give.

Or that overhead is a dirty word.

Or that only rich people can make a difference.

We don’t just bust these myths. We talk about where they come from, why they’re so sticky, and how they hold organizations back.

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Setup

03:31 The Impact of Storytelling in Fundraising

08:56 Myth Busting in Nonprofit Fundraising

16:12 Debunking Common Fundraising Myths

19:20 The Pilota Rule and Nonprofit Funding Misconceptions

27:57 The Myth of Nonprofits Not Making a Profit

30:46 Board Member Contributions: More Than Just Connections

38:03 The Power of Small Donors in Philanthropy

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In this episode, Raimy and Bini dig into the 2025 M+R Benchmarks Study, a wide-ranging report on digital fundraising trends.

We unpack the surprising stat that online giving is flat and explore why monthly giving continues to rise, now making up 31% of all online revenue.

We question whether donors are driving the trends or just responding to smarter asks.

We also tackle the 11% drop in email fundraising, what it means for your strategy, and how deliverability and list hygiene might be at the root.

Plus, we offer thoughts on donor-advised funds, the underused power of in-person volunteering, and how to actually use data to shape decisions instead of just reacting to it.

This one is for fundraisers who want to step back, zoom out, and rethink how they approach their digital strategy.

Link to the M+R Benchmarks study is here: Link

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Chapters:

00:00 Pre-Webinar Rituals and Personal Moments

07:21 Good of the Week: Family Stories and Humor

13:49 Exploring the M+R Benchmark 2025 Study

18:36 Surprising Insights from the Study

20:46 Email Fundraising Trends and Challenges

27:57 Understanding Monthly Giving Dynamics

32:10 The Impact of Social Media on Fundraising

36:52 The Future of Donor-Advised Funds and Volunteer Engagement

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Keywords

fundraising, online giving, email marketing, donor behavior, monthly giving, volunteer engagement, M+R Benchmark 2025, nonprofit sector, data analysis, community building