The Build Good Fundraising Podcast #112: How to evolve your fundraising offer and positioning as your organization scales, with Phil Calvert
Imagine building a huge organization on the back of “$5.38 buys a meal for a neighbour experiencing homelessness”, when a meal is just the doorway, not the destination.
It’s a situation many nonprofits find themselves in. Their programming has changed and evolved, but their core value proposition and fundraising offers haven’t—because they are tried, trued, tested and proven.
In today’s episode, The Mustard Seed’s Philip Calvert sits down with Mike to pull back the curtain on what happens when an inner city ministry grows into a multi-city, $73m engine for life change—housing, mental health supports, job training and more—while many donors still picture soup lines at Christmas.
With 38,000 active donors and a strong brand, Phil and his team are facing a choice: keep raising money on meals… or reframe the offer around real outcomes. Last year alone, 1,300 people graduated from their shelter to affordable housing—effectively exiting homelessness. That’s the story. Now how do you scale it?
In this episode you’ll learn:
- Why meal-based offers work—and when they start to trap your brand.
- How to test new impact messages (like shelter-to-housing “graduations”) without tanking revenue.
- Ways to align fundraising, programs, and ops so donors fund what actually drives change.
- A simple 3-step path to review metrics, pilot new offers, and roll out a refreshed public story.
—
⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode: https://buildgood.com/category/podcast/
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
----
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
➡️For more information, go here: www.buildgood.com