Go Beyond Fundraising: The Podcast for Nonprofits

Cheers to 2024! In our first Go Beyond Fundraising podcast of the new year, we’re reflecting on the giving trends that emerged in 2023 and how they may impact the landscape in the year ahead. Is there still some uncertainty in the air? Or will things level out? And what can your organization do now to set itself up for a strong performance? Allegiance Group + Pursuant Chief Strategy Officer and President Trent Ricker led the conversation. He’s joined by Alicia Lifrak, Executive Vice President, and Matthew Mielcarek, SVP of Analytics & Insights Strategy. Alicia shares what she’s seeing through her interactions with clients, while Matthew brings the data points. In general, growth and revenue look flat; but as you’ll hear, that may not tell the whole story of where fundraising is heading in 2024.

Jeffrey Cain, a thought leader in charitable giving trends, joins the conversation to unpack alarming statistics from Giving USA's 2023 report, revealing a 10.5% drop in donations. He argues that traditional measures of generosity are outdated and highlights the rise of non-traditional giving methods like crowdfunding, especially within gaming communities. Cain emphasizes the need for nonprofits to adapt to evolving donor relationships and enhance data collection to reflect the true diversity of modern philanthropy.

In this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast, Pursuant CEO and President Trent Ricker talks with Tim Arnold, whose work in leadership and team development focuses on helping leaders unleash the power of both/and thinking in an either/or world. Tim’s latest book, Next-Level Teamwork: The 5 Tensions to Manage for High-Performance Teams, guides leaders through overcoming the five common tensions or dysfunctions that all teams face. In his conversation with Trent, Tim illustrates how, through a both/and approach, each dysfunction becomes a healthy tension that takes teams from unproductive to unstoppable. It’s an episode that’s chock full of practical advice that your team can start using immediately. The goal is to produce a team that is productive but also has fun together and enjoys their work.

Let’s start with some astounding numbers: More than half of all U.S. households own stock, and about 5 million stockholders have portfolios worth millions of dollars. For these individuals, a major gift such as $10,000 to a nonprofit would be a drop in the bucket. But this amounts to $50 billion of potential charitable giving from the top stockholders alone. If you consider all stock owners, you could double the potential impact. So, with $100 billion of stock gifts at stake, it begs the question: why don’t more nonprofits accept stock donations? In this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast, we talk with Steve Latham, co-founder and CEO of DonateStock. Latham has been determined to make it easier for people to donate stock gifts for more than a decade.

Explore how Charity Navigator is revolutionizing nonprofit ratings with its new four-point beacon system. Learn how the emphasis on leadership, culture, impact, and financial accountability helps donors make informed decisions. Discover the transformative role of holistic evaluations in nonprofit storytelling and engagement. Plus, hear about recent accolades and how transparency and technology empower nonprofits to connect with their supporters more effectively. It's all about enhancing the nonprofit landscape for greater impact!

You know your organization’s mission and likely have some successful programs. But when you step back and look at the big picture of what you want to achieve, are your programs moving the needle? Or is there a way you can make an even bigger impact, even if it means significant (and maybe scary) internal changes? On this Go Beyond Fundraising podcast episode, Whitney Norman, Pursuant’s Vice President of Client Solutions, chats with Michelle Romero, Chief Strategy Officer at Dream.org. Michelle has been leading some meaningful conversations about what transformative change is and how organizations can approach it authentically. Let’s dig in.

More than 50 years ago, Robert Greenleaf broke ground with his concept of servant leadership. And while this idea is still relevant today, we believe it’s more than putting others first. In fact, author and self-proclaimed nonprofiteer Evan Wildstein says that by hyphenating the term, you become both — a servant and a leader. And that’s where the magic happens. In this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast, we talk with Wildstein about his new book, “The Nonprofiteer’s Fundraising Field Guide.” He outlines the 10 traits of a servant-leader that Greenleaf introduced and proposes a new way of looking at them that can help you grow your mission.

Steve Jobs famously wanted the iPhone design to be so simple that a child could use it just by picking it up. As a result, Apple set the standard for inclusive and accessible design. And in an age where our interactions grow more digital by the day, accessibility can’t be overlooked. In this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast, we’re talking with Stan Shinn, Mark Leta, Kacey Crawford, and Russ Chettiar on why accessibility matters and how nonprofits can achieve it. Now is the perfect time to ensure your digital campaigns and websites comply with accessibility standards. With end-of-the-year appeals being developed and sent out before you know it, you’ll want to ensure that every piece is fully optimized for its target audience. Let’s dig in.

Membership organizations are an interesting segment of the nonprofit world — “Join our club, and you’ll get XYZ benefits.” We see this in the arts and culture realm, especially. Think museums, zoos, theaters, and other places that rely on philanthropy to operate and offer what’s called a “visitation membership.” These organizations often see support come from three areas: members, donors, and member-donors. - Members pay a monthly or annual fee for a special perk, like free admission to your museum or a discount in your store. - Donors support you because they believe in your mission. They don’t necessarily visit your organization and aren’t interested in benefits. - Member-Donors are both. They likely started as a member and were effectively stewarded to becoming a donor through enriching and engaging experiences. Member-Donors are the goal. And in this episode of the Go Beyond Fundraising podcast, Pursuant’s President Trent Ricker hosts a roundtable discussion with Debbie Merlino, Alicia Lifrak and Nicole Gardell on how your membership organization can compel more members to take the next step and become active donors.

Has this ever happened to you? Your nonprofit has a robust contact list, but general emails don’t seem to go anywhere. You wonder if there’s a better way to reach supporters, especially during critical giving seasons like the year-end campaign. You could benefit from creating targeted communications for different types of donors! By using the tools already at your disposal, narrowing down segmentation can be beneficial in meeting the needs of different types of donors. This week’s installment of “Year-End in July” examines overlooked segments nonprofits can benefit from engaging with during year-end campaigns. Guests Ryan Carpenter and Colleen Patel join us for a special bonus installment.