What the Fundraising

What if the reason your new process, tool or campaign plan isn’t taking off has less to do with the plan and more to do with the people you’re asking to carry it?

In this episode, Mallory sits down with Joanna Sutton, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Donor Engagement at UCLA. Joanna has spent nearly 25 years building the systems behind one of the country’s biggest advancement shops. She’s a self-described process person with a background in psychology, and that mix shapes everything she does. She designs for adoption from the start, because, as a consultant once told her, you can have the best steakhouse in town, but if no one eats there, it shuts down.

Mallory and Joanna talk about why stressed teams resist change, and how giving people a real choice early gives them a stake in the result. They get into breaking overwhelming work into “conquerable chunks,” pulling back like a toy car to build momentum instead of spinning your wheels, and how she reframes a project that feels like “two steps forward, ten steps back.” Then Joanna realizes, mid-conversation, that the thing that most changed her leadership had nothing to do with work.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point

What would happen if a nonprofit stopped asking for an entire year? No GivingTuesday, no year-end push, no urgent emails. Dr. Sanjay Bindra, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist and the co-founder and president of GOSUMEC Foundation USA, actually ran that experiment.

In this episode, Sanjay shares what he learned from the GIVE Study, a year-long, real-time look at whether a small, volunteer-run nonprofit with no paid staff could build sustainable recurring giving through relationships. He walks through his GIVE framework (Gratitude, Impact, Voice and Engagement), why he sees the first gift as the entry point to a relationship rather than the win, and why he believes recurring giving is an identity shift, not a payment plan.

Mallory and Sanjay also talk about the difference between the quick spark of a giver's high and the slower work of belonging, why small nonprofits have a built-in advantage when it comes to relationships, and what it means to work on the conditions around a donor instead of working on the donor.

If you lead a small shop, or you're tired of starting over at zero every January, this conversation offers a different way to think about retention, and a lot more permission to build slowly.

In this episode, you will learn how to: 

— See why fewer than 1 in 5 first-time donors give again, and treat the first gift as an open door instead of the finish line.

— Think of recurring giving as an identity shift, not a payment plan, so your monthly giving invitations build belonging instead of pressure.

— Use the GIVE framework to plan what you give your donors before you ask them for anything.

— Make your small size an advantage, because you’re close enough to your community that donors can see the impact for themselves.

— Build a strong identity around your cause, the way faith communities do, so the right people see themselves in your mission.

— Replace year-end intensity with year-round consistency, so you aren’t starting over at zero every January.

— Shape the conditions around your donors instead of pushing on the donors themselves.

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Behind every transformational charitable gift lies a trail of data waiting to become a meaningful human connection. Also, in a world where numbers often overpower stories, strategic prospect research serves as the quiet engine driving modern fundraising success.

Let's meet Katherine Scott and Sarah Marcotte, co-authors of From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits. Both bring nearly two decades of industry expertise, and their shared experience led them to write the foundational guide they wished they'd had when starting their careers.

Today's conversation explores how researchers act as backstage stage managers, translating wealth screening and raw metrics into actionable conversation starters. Katherine and Sarah tackle the tension between quantitative data and frontline fundraisers' lived experiences, cautioning against over-relying on static snapshots or biased AI tools. Ultimately, they champion a balanced approach that pairs data-driven strategy with genuine human relationships to maximize impact.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Fundraising is often mistaken for a mechanical game of hitting quotas, but sustainable growth requires balancing metrics with human connection. When organizations focus solely on short-term numbers, they risk turning lifelong donor relationships into transactional exchanges.

Today, let's meet Charlie Melichar, Principal at Foster Avenue, a consulting firm dedicated to positioning and communications strategy for major campaigns. Drawing on deep sector expertise, Charlie helps institutions clarify their unique identity and build strategic fundraising frameworks that truly resonate.

The discussion tackles the critical gap between rigid KPIs and genuine impact, urging leaders to establish a guiding "North Star" rather than managing solely by lagging indicators. Charlie highlights the dangers of rushing donor timelines for immediate revenue, advocating instead for psychological safety, mentorship, and margin for error within development teams. He also stresses that by using data to spark curiosity rather than drive repetitive touchpoints, organizations can move off the "hamster wheel" and build enduring trust with donors.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Technology is rapidly reshaping how organizations create social impact, and AI is emerging as a powerful force for change.

Naomi Morenzoni is Senior Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy and Employee Impact at Salesforce, where she leads corporate giving, employee volunteering, matching programs, and sustainability initiatives. With 14 years at Salesforce, Naomi brings a unique perspective on using business as a platform for community change. She also oversees initiatives such as the Salesforce Accelerator and the company's nature and sustainability fund, supporting innovative solutions and the transition toward a net-zero, nature-positive world.

Today's conversation explores Salesforce's founding 1-1-1 philanthropic model, which combines equity, product, and employee time to support communities. Naomi discusses the AI for Impact Accelerator, which provides nonprofits with funding, technology, and expert support, along with real-world AI applications that help farmers, students, development teams, and fundraising professionals. She emphasizes that successful AI adoption begins with a clearly defined problem, reliable data, small-scale experimentation, and continuous development of AI fluency. 

Naomi also explains why AI agents should be managed much like employees, with clear goals, documentation, regular feedback, and gradually increasing responsibility. Looking ahead, she calls for stronger collaboration among technology companies, nonprofits, and funders, with greater investment in operational AI and wraparound support to maximize social impact.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: https://malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Asking better questions and leaning into uncomfortable moments can help teams build real trust and connect deeply with donors!

Kyle Buchmann, Senior Vice President at Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, shares practical lessons from his long career in higher-education fundraising. He joined the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association in 2012, moving up from leading the engineering development team to his current role as Senior Vice President. Drawing on his experience managing frontline fundraisers and leading large teams, Kyle explains how to guide people through big changes and train them to succeed.

During the conversation, Kyle also discusses easy-to-use tools such as the "Ladder of Inference," which helps team members catch their own assumptions before making bad decisions. Moreover, he explains why fundraisers should focus on asking thoughtful questions instead of just memorizing donor data. Finally, Kyle covers practical communication tips such as using DISC personality tests to respect different thinking styles, clear up misunderstandings quickly, and keep everyone focused on a shared mission.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels.

Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

When modern technology fails to solve an organization's friction, the root cause is rarely the software; it is the human systems behind it. This episode reframes digital transformation, proving that operational harmony relies far more on culture, mindset, and people than on shiny digital products.

Meet Tim Lockie, who brings over 20 years of experience working inside and outside the nonprofit sector. As a human-centric tech and AI expert, Tim has spent his career helping organizations bridge the gap between technical infrastructure and human behavior. 

Today's conversation dismantles common software marketing myths, pointing out how buying products without updating organizational habits leads to widespread adoption failure. Moreover, using an orchestra analogy, Tim explains that while individual tools act as instruments, organizations struggle with orchestration, often spending less than 3% of budgets on staff support compared to software. To fix this, he advocates appointing "first chairs," or dedicated leads, to guide teams from basic software support to true success. Finally, the discussion warns that AI will amplify existing organizational habits, making poorly run teams play bad music faster while noting that smaller teams can achieve paradigm shifts rapidly when they prioritize mindset over mechanics.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels.

Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team.

Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast,

What happens when we stop thinking about fundraising as simply asking for money and start thinking about it as relationship building, connection, and philanthropy?

In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast, Mallory Erickson talks with Jay E. Davenport, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Penn State University, about building a culture where alumni engagement, fundraising, leadership, and philanthropy are deeply interconnected.

Drawing from his 32-year career in higher education, Jay shares how his experience at VCU shaped his philosophy around “base building”, nurturing relationships with people at every level of the fundraising pyramid and creating meaningful opportunities for engagement before a financial gift is ever expected.

Jay also shares how he approaches leadership and change management within an institution with deep history and tradition. Rather than abandoning what has worked, he believes in “innovating on behalf of tradition”, and finding ways to improve existing practices while honoring the institution's legacy.

A major focus of the conversation is Jay’s 1,000-day planning framework, which translates a big organizational vision into clear priorities, responsibilities, and milestones. He explains how this approach gives teams clarity about where they are going, how their individual work contributes to the larger mission, and what needs to happen next.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels.

Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team.

Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Mallory Erickson and Cindy Wagman pull back the curtain on what it really looks like to build partnerships between coaches, consultants, and technology companies in the social impact space.

Cindy Wagman is a nonprofit consultant, educator, and founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network. After years of working as an in-house fundraiser, Cindy began consulting in 2015 and later built a business focused on helping nonprofit professionals transition into fractional consulting while creating sustainable businesses without burnout.

Originally recorded as a webinar, this conversation explores why tech companies want to partner with coaches and consultants, what you can gain from these relationships, and how to determine whether a partnership is actually aligned with your business and values.

Mallory and Cindy share their own experiences navigating partnerships, sponsorships, speaking opportunities, referral revenue, webinars, and emerging AI partnerships. They also talk honestly about what makes these opportunities worthwhile, what can become a drain on your time, and how to protect your intellectual property when technology becomes part of your service delivery.

Whether you're just starting to explore partnerships or you've already worked with technology companies, this episode will help you approach these relationships with more intention, discernment, and agency.

In this episode, you will be able to:

- Identify why technology companies partner with coaches and consultants and what they are ultimately hoping to gain from those relationships.

- Evaluate potential partnerships based on your own business goals, values, audience, and desired outcomes.

- Understand the different ways partnerships can support brand visibility, audience growth, revenue generation, and impact.

- Approach speaking opportunities more strategically by thinking about lead capture, audience growth, and how to make the most of the opportunity.

- Think critically about referral and affiliate partnerships, including transparency and disclosure around referral revenue.

- Understand how AI is creating new opportunities for coaches and consultants to scale their impact while maintaining the human value of their work.

- Ask better questions about intellectual property, privacy, data, and how your content is being used when partnering with technology companies.

Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels.

Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team.

Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

Have you ever wondered how to turn speaking opportunities into a meaningful part of your business?

In this solo episode of What The Fundraising, Mallory Erickson gets candid about how she built her paid speaking business, what she did before people were paying her, how she decides which opportunities are worth her time, and why being a great speaker is only one part of building a sustainable speaking career.

Mallory shares what she learned from years of unpaid speaking, how she used content partnerships to make early opportunities financially possible, and the role that webinars, word of mouth, testimonials, and a speaker reel played in growing her reputation. She also talks openly about her current speaking rates, the value of protecting her time and family commitments, and why she believes speakers should advocate for fair compensation while also considering equity across the sector.

Most importantly, Mallory offers a behind-the-scenes look at the decisions she makes when evaluating speaking opportunities and the relationships that have helped her speaking business grow organically.

In this episode, you will be able to: 

- Understand how unpaid speaking opportunities can help build the reputation, experience, and word-of-mouth referrals that lead to paid opportunities.

- Identify ways to make speaking opportunities more financially accessible early in your career, including content and platform partnerships.

- Create the foundational materials you need to market yourself as a speaker, including a speaker reel and media kit.

- Think strategically about your speaking rates by considering travel, preparation, lost business time, and personal commitments.

- Create space in your calendar for higher-value speaking opportunities instead of automatically saying yes to every opportunity that comes your way.

- Build stronger relationships with event organizers by being thoughtful, collaborative, kind, and easy to work with while still maintaining clear boundaries.

Check out Mallory’s speaking media kit and speaking reel: https://malloryerickson.com/speaking-workshops/ 

Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 

Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels.

Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team.

Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone.

Connect with me: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/

Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652

If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.