Ethical Storytelling & Donor Trust with Joshway Founder David Robertson

How do you build donor trust, steward supporters well, and grow a nonprofit with clarity and purpose?

In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, David Robertson, founder of Joshway, talks about building a mission-driven nonprofit rooted in personal story, strong business fundamentals, and ethical storytelling.

David shares how his background in fintech shaped Joshway’s donor journey, why nonprofits must think like businesses (without losing heart), and how to steward donors in a way that builds long-term trust — not transactional giving.

This conversation is packed with practical fundraising advice, especially for small teams and one-person development shops.

🎧 Topics include:

• Turning personal pain into purpose

• Applying for-profit strategy to nonprofit fundraising

• Donor stewardship that actually builds trust

• Ethical storytelling without exploiting beneficiaries

• Using data and KPIs without losing the human story

• Messaging clarity for growing nonprofits

• A powerful reflection every fundraiser should do today

If you’re a fundraiser, nonprofit founder, or development leader looking to sharpen your strategy and reconnect with your “why,” this episode is for you.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome to The Focused Fundraiser

00:51 The story behind Joshway

02:05 Starting a nonprofit rooted in personal loss

03:49 What fundraisers can learn from for-profit business

07:33 Why data and metrics matter in nonprofit growth

08:00 Choosing the right CRM for donor stewardship

11:55 Measuring impact through real stories

12:23 Ethical storytelling without using people as props

14:01 Building donor trust through stewardship

16:47 Inviting donors into the mission

17:11 Messaging clarity for small nonprofit teams

19:38 Tactical takeaway for fundraisers

20:02 Remembering your “why”

21:12 Final thoughts & DonorDock mention