Go Beyond Fundraising: The Podcast for Nonprofits

How effective is your monthly giving program? Too often, nonprofits take a “set it and forget it” approach. But by nurturing monthly donors, you can build reliable and consistent revenue for your organization that has the potential to make a million-dollar impact. In this episode, we talk with Abby Trahan, who served as the Annual Giving Coordinator at the Houston Food Bank from May 2020 to March 2022. In this role, she revamped the monthly giving program and used relationship-building tactics to more than double the number of monthly donors and increase the program’s annual impact to $3 million. This success came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and during the winter storm that crippled Texas in February 2021. So, how did Abby do it? Most notably, she recognized that monthly donors are some of the most important and loyal donors an organization has. By treating this core group as partners who want to know their gift is making a difference, Abby built a solid community of donors with a retention rate you won’t believe. Join us as we explore Abby’s best strategies for acquiring new monthly donors, forging personal connections in innovative ways, and creating meaningful touchpoints that relate to your organization’s mission. You’ll also hear Abby’s best advice for young fundraisers and why having someone dedicated specifically to cultivating monthly donors can make all the difference. Don’t send your most consistent givers another tchotchke. This episode is chock-full of ways to show your monthly donors the full impact of their gift.

Rage giving? Social commerce? Data governance? You can be sure that there’s no shortage of new concepts popping up in today’s nonprofit marketing arena. But if you need a quick lesson on these trending concepts, you’re in the right place. In this episode, we tackle these topics and more with industry insight consultant Nicholas Hedenkamp, who compiles the latest trends, stories, and curiosities in the fundraising and marketing world. Here are the headlines: - Donors everywhere are tightening their purse strings—especially regarding funding operations versus mission-critical work. As the immediate crisis-inspired giving resulting from the global pandemic wanes, is there a way nonprofits can communicate the continued need for support? The answer might be in harnessing the power of storytelling. - One way to ignite the donor spark to give is to tap into the phenomenon of “rage giving.” When people are fired up about something that matters, they take action however they can. Is righteous anger a sustainable motivation in today’s fundraising landscape?  - Next, we talk personalization. Today’s nonprofit constituent craves a personal connection more than ever. Hear how the Houston Food Bank used a simple approach to create a big impact with their monthly donors. - But while prospects desire a more tailor-made experience, they are also worried about their digital privacy. How can organizations find a careful balance between offering a personalized experience and creating confidence in how they handle personal information?  - Finally, we talk about the latest industry dud in social media marketing: social commerce. Learn why big platforms like Meta are pulling the plug on this once-promising strategy that focuses on in-app purchases.  Hear Nicholas’s savvy insights about these timely topics and more in the latest episode of the Go Beyond podcast.

The Nonprofit Alliance recently said, “Consumers are spending more at the gas pump and the grocery store and so they're not increasing their philanthropic spending.” What exactly does this mean for fundraisers? How will this affect donor behavior? What strategies will allow us to fulfill our mission? This week, Nicholas Hedenkamp, an insights consultant at Pursuant, joins us to chat about ways fundraisers and marketers can connect with donors using an omni-channel approach that ensures a compelling constituent experience. Implementing consistent messages across online, phone, in-person, and direct-mail channels creates a seamless experience for your constituents to connect with your story. As inflation looms and prices continue to skyrocket, it’s more important than ever to consider careful communication with your supporters and advocates. Last but not least, we explored the best times to post on social media. The results may not surprise you, but are interesting nonetheless. As an increasingly important channel for brand awareness, reaching your audiences on social media at the optimal time is key.

Is your nonprofit on the fence about accepting crypto? Are you interested in learning what the buzz is all about? Maybe you’re curious about the fundraising benefits for your organization? Then you won’t want to miss this podcast. To answer all your crypto-related questions, we spoke with Pat Duffy, Co-Founder of The Giving Block. In 2018, Pat, and co-founder Alex Wilson, saw an opportunity in the market to facilitate cryptocurrency fundraising specifically for nonprofits. The Giving Block empowers nonprofits to leverage crypto technology to more effectively achieve their mission.  The current market is down, but long-term crypto value has proved profitable and the user base continues to grow. Fortunately, nonprofits interested in crypto fundraising don’t have to ride that volatility. Immediate liquidation and conversion mean nonprofits can actualize investments in their mission immediately. Hear first hand from crypto expert, Pat Duffy as he explains simple steps for your nonprofit to begin fundraising with crypto technology today! Learn more about Pursuant and get free fundraising resources at pursuant.com/gobeyondpodcast.

In our latest episode, we sat down with Bryan Kramer to discuss impactful methods of personalizing the donor experience in ways that resonate with your constituents. The big tech companies have developed strategies of personalizing their users' experiences that drive incredible loyalty. Learn how you can do the same for your donors by adapting ways of creating human touchpoints that can deliver the same level of personalization. Collecting data from constituents while simultaneously building trust will build your relationships over time - think onion layers. They will receive the value you offer them, and you will receive their data and trust. Creating these human touchpoints will result in relationships where the donor feels motivated to connect with your organization and support your mission. Connect with Bryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanjkramer/ Book mention: There is no B2B or B2C: It’s Human to Human: H2H https://bryankramer.com/books/#H2H Learn more about Pursuant and get free fundraising resources at pursuant.com/gobeyondpodcast.

In this episode, Pursuant's CEO Trent Ricker sat down with Kevin Hagan, President and CEO of PAN Foundation, to talk about the effect of global crises on fundraising. With the current Ukraine crisis, we've seen nontraditional or so-called 'unorganized' giving, as people adopted unique ways to support and donate. In this dialogue, these nonprofit leaders discuss lessons that nonprofits can learn from grassroots efforts like these when it comes to funding specific missions. Learn more about PAN Foundation: https://www.panfoundation.org/ Learn more about Pursuant: www.pursuant.com Connect with Trent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentricker/ Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhagan/

There’s no doubt that impacting the world for good is hugely motivating -- especially for passionate young people. Nonprofits have the opportunity to form relationships with young donors and constituents now to ensure the future of their mission. Millennials want more transparency and communication with the nonprofits they donate to. They want to know how and why you’re spending their dollars. Delivering your message through social media is how you can communicate your mission goals. Building a robust and effective customer journey is a complicated process. Getting data from these platforms and using that data in your CRM system is no easy task and the sooner nonprofits start solving that for their organizations the better prepared they will be. Gen Z grew up online and spends a disproportionate amount of time there. It’s their preferred community and they are more likely to have started their own nonprofits at a young age. As nonprofits, we need to figure out how to replicate that connection for these future donors. Investing in the infrastructure, technology, and tools that meet the giving preferences of a wide range of donors without alienating any particular group is a fine line to walk. Connect with Maria Clark: linkedin.com/in/mariaiclark2021/ Learn more about Pursuant: www.pursuant.com Learn more about GivingDnA: www.givingdna.com #gobeyondfundraising #nonprofitpodcast #FacebookFundraising

The new Facebook Challenge Fundraisers are helping organizations acquire brand new supporters, raise significant funds, and start personal relationships with everyone who joins the group. With such a cost-efficient way to meet your mission goals, this platform cannot be ignored. Good United works hand-in-hand with Facebook to create and optimize Facebook Challenges for nonprofits. That’s why we were so excited to sit down and chat with Maria Clark, Good United’s EVP of Partnerships & Chief Evangelist, to learn about the evolving impact of peer-to-peer fundraising in social media. Communicating with your donors through social media has never been more crucial. COVID forced nonprofits to make quicker pivots and be more nimble in their decision making & turning to social media & DIY tools to engage participants. While all social media channels offer ways to connect with your constituents, Facebook fundraising has become the most lucrative with 90% of all social media giving coming from that platform. Facebook provides a frictionless and easy way to give without interruption and the added benefit of their Messenger service provides an avenue of communication with constituents resulting in deep relationships. Learn about GoodUnited: goodunited.io Connect with Maira: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariaiclark2021/ Learn about GivingDNA: www.givingdna.com #gobeyondfundraising #nonprofitpodcast #FacebookFundraising

Blackbaud’s 2021 Charitable Giving Report dropped recently, and we couldn’t wait to dive in and see what trends from last year will influence (and are already influencing) 2022. We grabbed time with Kristin Priest, Vice President, Client Solutions, and Matthew Mielcarek, Senior Vice President, Analytics & Insights Strategy, to get their take on what fundraisers should pay attention to as we enter the second quarter of 2022. A few of the questions they explore include: - Will 2022 see donors shifting to pre-pandemic giving behaviors? - If so, how will nonprofits position their case for support? - How will the rapid growth in digital shape the ways we connect with donors? Read the full Blackbaud 2021 Giving Report: https://institute.blackbaud.com/charitable-giving-report/ Founded in 2001, Pursuant is the leading full-service fundraising agency, building omnichannel solutions to drive marketing and fundraising results for nonprofit organizations. Grounded in analytics and powered by our GivingDNA technology, we extend an organization’s impact by allowing more people to experience the joy of giving. Experience the difference. Learn more at pursuant.com. GivingDNA tools can help you understand the composition of your donor universe and benefit how you engage with your donors this year and beyond. Learn more at givingnda.com. #givingdna #2021givingreport #2022givingtrends

The Great Resignation has shed light on the timeless reality that effective organizations require empowered people. Good leaders are able to recognize their direct reports' unique talents and passions and harness that potential to grow both the employee AND the organization... but how is this accomplished? In this episode, our Executive Vice President Becca Segovia shares how she grew into the effective leader she is today, as well as some key resources and frameworks you can leverage to become the leader YOU want to be. Some key takeaways: - Learn how to see the gifts in your employees so you can maximize their talents - A framework of questions you can ask to find out how your team members are wired - Cultivate an abundance mentality even when working within limitations - Running lean and achieving your goals simultaneously Book mentions: 5 Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni The Three Signs of a Miserable Job by Patrick Lencioni The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins Measure What Matters by John Doerr Radical Candor by Kim Scott Strengths Finder by Tom Rath See more at pursuant.com/gobeyondpodcast