Episode #98 | Organizational Development in Times of Change with Alice Ferris

In this episode, we hear from Alice Ferris, founder of GoalBusters and a veteran fundraiser with over 30 years in the sector. Alice shares her insights on helping small nonprofit teams navigate Federal funding cuts, organizational upheaval, and unprecedented change. She introduces a powerful framework for decision-making: distinguishing between problems (which can be solved) and conditions (which must be adapted to). Alice emphasizes that sharing challenges with donors, even without having all the answers, is more effective than waiting in silence.

We also explore the recent GoFundMe controversy, upcoming leadership transitions in the sector, and practical tools like the Fundraising Fitness Test from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. Alice's key advice for organizations feeling overwhelmed: shorten your planning horizons. Rather than traditional three-to-five-year strategic plans that feel permanent and daunting, she recommends 12-week action plans that create achievable goals that can be reset when circumstances change. Her central message is clear—transparency, adaptation, and focusing on what you can control are essential strategies for nonprofits heading into an uncertain future.

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This Episode Brought to You by: 

Swaim Strategies: https://swaimstrategies.com

Utilizing over 20 years of nonprofit event strategy and production expertise, Swaim Strategies coaches and teaches organizations how to increase the impact of their fundraising events. 

 

The AV Department: https://theavdept.com/

As a full-service event AV and video production partner, The AV Department’s technical event production and media content generation provide you with a range of experience and talent from a partner who wants to know you and work together year after year. 

 

Bloomerang: https://bit.ly/4hLqLVw

Create the ideal giving experience with integrated fundraising tools and automated insights that maximize your impact. Keep donors close to the cause with mean-ingful outreach at the right time. Increase retention, major gifts, and all-around impact. Turn supporters into action-takers with tools that make it easy to recruit, organize, and engage volunteers at every level.

 

Feathr: https://www.feathr.co/

Feathr is a marketing platform built specifically for mission-driven organizations, offering simple tools for digital advertising, email campaigns, and audience engagement. The platform uses real-time insights and AI-powered segmentation to help you reach the right people at the right time—whether you’re nurturing existing supporters or discovering new ones who share your values. It’s marketing that meets people where they are, building relationships that last beyond a single click.

 

Speakers

Samantha Swaim

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-swaim-a28a9a4/

Substack: https://substack.com/@swaimstrategies

 

Kristin Steele

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-steele777/

Substack: https://substack.com/@swaimstrategies

 

Alice Ferris

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliceferris/

| RESOURCES |

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Learn More About the Elevate Conference: https://swaimstrategies.com/elevate-conference/

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Join Swaim Strategies on Substack: https://substack.com/@swaimstrategies

Connect with The AV Department:  https://theavdept.com/

Connect with Alice at GoalBusters: https://goalbusters.net/

Free Resources from GoalBusters: https://goalbusters.net/free-stuff/

The Fundraising Effectiveness Project: https://afpglobal.org/FundraisingEffectivenessProject

Fundraising Effectiveness Project Reports: https://fepreports.org/

GoalBusters on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GoalBusters