Agents of Nonprofit

Many non-profits face difficulties in acquiring and keeping up with the right technology solutions. Finding and setting up the right CRM, software, and other services is essential for the survival of any business in the modern era.One solution that makes this process easier is TechSoup, a nonprofit that exists to help other nonprofits acquire and use the right technology at a subsidized cost. TechSoup has served 1.4 million nonprofits and saved the sector about $19 billion in software and service fees.TechSoup does that at scale with about 120 technology companies to help manage their discount and donation program. Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco, Zoom, all rely on TechSoup to administer their donation and discount programs to nonprofits.Eli Vander Giessen from TechSoup joins us in this week’s episode to talk about TechSoup’s offerings, the signup process, and how it helps nonprofits get access to and use best-in-class software at a reduced cost. He also shares his experience working with TechSoup.This episode is helpful if you work in a nonprofit seeking to save much more on software and service fees. Topics we coverEli’s superhero storyHow Eli met and worked with David SuzukiHow TechSoup operates globally amidst multiple languagesWhat attracted Eli to TechSoup  TechSoup’s ideal client profileTechSoup’s offeringsTechSoup’s signup processTechSoup’s partnershipsThe TechSoup forumThe cost of TechSoupHow TechSoup is different from PondResources offered by TechSoup to assist nonprofitsThe future of TechSoup To learn more and connect with Eli:Eli’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahv/TechSoup Website: https://www.techsoup.org/TechSoup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techsoup/Support the show

In this week’s episode, Alexander hosts Austin Hattox who shares about his experience creating websites for nonprofits.Austin is the founder of Pixel Lighthouse, a company that he started with his wife to create websites for nonprofits to enable them to paint a clear picture of their vision and enable audiences to interact seamlessly with them online. Listen in to learn more about the strategies, tools and resources to use when setting up a website for nonprofits, learn more about the Pixel Lighthouse story and best practices to focus on when creating the right online presence for non-profit organizations. Topics we cover: Austin’s superhero origin storyOn hiring unskilled staff to create websites for nonprofitsThe origin of the name ‘Pixel Lighthouse’What services Pixel Lighthouse offersUsing the website to tell a storyThe ideal nonprofit that Pixel Lighthouse works withWhat makes the website implementation process successfulHow is website success measuredTechnologies used to implement the websitesClickUp and other apps Pixel Lighthouse to implement websitesThe future of Pixel Lighthouse  To learn more and connect with Austin Hattox:Austin Hattox LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-hattox/Website https://pixellighthouse.com/agentsSupport the show

Nonprofits should invest in technology. It can automate fundraising efforts and get in touch with more donors. It can also keep in touch with stakeholders through newsletters, mail, email, etc., and improve data management by keeping track of donor information and figuring out how well a program is working and how successful a charity is.Frontier is a nonprofit marketing company with a unique fundraising culture and a focus on systems to help nonprofits get results.In the previous decade, Frontier has partnered with Canadian charities to raise over $10 million annually. Frontier develops material, creates designs, segments, and delivers direct mail and internet campaigns. What makes Frontier unique is they analyze the companies' values, beliefs, and missions adapt their strategies and campaigns accordingly.Joining me on the podcast is Frontier’s Champion of Growth, Benjamin Johnson. In this episode, he shares how to get nonprofits started with technology and the kind of tech stack nonprofits should adopt to drive fundraising efforts, improve communication, and data management.Topics we cover:The thinking behind Frontier MarketingThe core competencies of a nonprofitThe solutions that Frontier providesDigital mail vs direct mailFrontier’s customer profileThe Ben Diagram: marketing, measurement, and management The technology Frontier uses for digital agency, print agency, newsletters, and direct mail.The pros and challenging of huddlesWhat Loom offers that Slack doesn’tThe technology nonprofits use to make life easierHow to do messaging for growthHow to adapt to your client’s needsRaising the bar of standards of tech in nonprofitsBen’s podcast and the value of podcastsThe future of Frontier and Ben’s next titleHonoring your cultureTo learn more and connect with Benjamin Johnson: Ben’s Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mrbenjohnson Frontier Website: frontier.ioSupport the show

There are approximately 38.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world, and the vast majority of them live in Africa. In 2021, it is estimated that 860,000 people in Africa were newly infected with HIV and 420,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.On the other hand, in 2020, malaria caused an estimated 241 million clinical episodes and 627,000 deaths. An estimated 95% of deaths in 2020 were in the WHO African Region.Despite significant progress made in recent years in expanding access to treatment, only around half of those who need treatment in Africa are able to receive it. Because of this, these diseases still kill a lot of people on the continent every year. One nonprofit combating disease and improving access to healthcare on the continent is GAIA. GAIA’s mission is to strengthen healthcare in underserved African communities. GAIA envisions a world where health outcomes are not determined by who you are or where you live but believes that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live, or who they are.Kelsey Fisher, the Program and Grants Officer at GAIA Global Health, joins me on the podcast today to discuss GAIA's impact in healthcare in Malawa and how this is achieved, how GAIA finds investors and raises funds, collects and tracks data, the use of Salesforce and more.The topics we cover:What Kelsey and GAIA doesKelsey’s motivation to join GAIAThe role of partnerships in GAIA’s mission and workHow GAIA finds investors and raises fundsGAIA's analytics and reporting to fundersKey data points collected by GAIAHow GAIA tracks its dataHow GAIA leverages SalesforceGAIA’s roadmap for CRM and SalesforceChallenges of using SalesforceHow to contribute/get involved with GAIATo learn more and connect with Kelsey:GAIA Global Health: https://www.gaiaglobalhealth.org/ Kelsey Fisher LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelseylfisher/ Support the show

The United Nations declared water and sanitation a human right, but billions of people worldwide still do not have access to clean water and proper sanitation. Our planet is facing a water crisis, which will only worsen as the population grows and climate change continues to wreak havoc on our water supplies.One Drop is an organization that is taking action to protect this vital resource for future generations and ensure sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for communities facing extreme barriers through innovation, partnerships, creativity, and the power of art.Joining me on this episode to talk about how One Drop is doing this is Tara Maritzer, the Donor Relations and Corporate Development Advisor for the One Drop Foundation, and Lisa Clowery, Chief Philanthropy and Corporate Development Officer at One Drop.The topics we cover:Who are Tara and Lisa and what do they do?Measurement and evaluation: What it is and its importance to nonprofit project success.What it means to be sustainableThe types and roles of partnershipsHow to achieve and strengthen partnershipsPros and cons of SalesforceDifferent ways you can get engaged with One Drop and make a differenceWhat One Drop has coming up in the near futureTo Learn More and Connect with One Drop, Tara Maritzer, and Lisa Clowery:One Drop’s Website: onedrop.org/en/ One Drop’s Facebook: facebook.com/ONEDROP One Drop’s Twitter: twitter.com/onedrop One Drop’s Instagram: instagram.com/1dropwater/ One Drop’s YouTube: youtube.com/user/onedropfoundation One Drop’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/one-drop/ Tara Maritzer LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tara-maritzer/?originalSubdomain=ca Lisa Clowery LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisaclowery/?originalSubdomain=ca Support the show

Hiring a consultant can be a great way for a nonprofit to get advice from an expert on a certain issue or project. However, due to the unique nature of each project and problem, it's easy to waste a lot of money on blanket solutions that don't address your specific situation. Tim Sarrantonio is on the podcast today to talk about this subject.Tim is the Director of Corporate Brand at Neon One, a technology and services company that focuses on small nonprofits and how technology can speed up their generosity in terms of design and execution.In this episode, Tim continues from his LinkedIn post and divides consultants into four groups: searchers, trainers, managers, and coaches. He talks about each category and what they do best. He stresses the importance of knowing which of the four kinds of consultants you need before you spend any money. He also talks about advisors and project overseers and what they bring to the table.The topics we cover:Tim’s superhero origin story. How he started working with nonprofits. The four primary groupings of consultants that help nonprofits and what they do.The impact of consultants in the sales processThe difference between advisors, trainers, coaches, managers, and project overseersWhy nonprofits should make decisions based on budget and not P&LHow reliant nonprofits should be on consultantsIn-house vs. consultant: deciding whether a consultant is neededAddressing the rise in the number of consultants in the nonprofit spaceTo Learn More and Connect with Tim Sarrantonio:Tim Sarrantonio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsarrantonio/ Tim Sarrantonio’s LinkedIn post about categories of consultants: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/timsarrantonio_im-going-to-spend-my-week-talking-about-activity-6980148927777882112-P4sm/ Support the show

In this episode of Agents of Nonprofit, I talk to Michelle Flores Vryn, the Chief Development Officer of OneStar. She has worked in almost every area of development: major gifts, institutional giving, membership, capital campaigns, consulting, special events, and annual giving. Before joining OneStar as the Chief Development Officer, she worked in international fundraising, led the communications and development team at a nature center in Houston and, as a board member,  helped launch Exploration Green—a 200-acre green space for conservation, recreation, and flood detention in Greater Houston.Michelle is passionate about mentoring Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofit professionals and creating better workplace cultures where they can thrive. She helped form the inaugural Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee for EarthShare of Texas and is active on committees with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Global and the Donor Participation Project. The topics we cover:What innovation means in the nonprofit spaceIdeas are cheap; execution is costly. The need for emphasis on idea execution, not just idea generation, and how to encourage nonprofits to implement ideas.How gamification, badges, and incentives could promote friendly competition and impact of nonprofitsBetter to try and fail than not try at all. How to get nonprofits more comfortable around risk and recognize that failure is part of success.Creating psychologically safe teams in the nonprofit world.How to measure success of an idea and the indicators that tell whether an idea is a success or failureWhen to seek external advice and why nonprofits need to listen more to internal staff over external advisors and consultantsTo learn more and connect with Michele Flores Vryn:Michelle Flores Vryn LinkedInResources mentioned:How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business, by Douglas W. Hubbard - https://www.amazon.ca/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles-Business/dp/1118539273If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast player. Thank you kindly!Support the show

In this episode of Agents of Nonprofit, I talk with Marco Campana, a Digital Strategy and Communications Consultant for Immigrant & Refugee serving organizations. Marco works to help staff in these agencies build their digital capacity by harnessing the communications & network potential of web and social media in their work.Topics we cover include:Starting with the technology knowledge users already have rather than trying to educate from scratchThe wide range of tools that work best for serving the settlement of newcomersTaking accessibility and language into account when creating forms and how technology can help with thatUsing Salesforce (or other CRMs) for Client Journey Tracking, Intelligence Gathering and more, beyond simple reporting The BabyCenter.com approach to guiding a client along a journey from start to finishTo learn more and connect with Marco Campana:Marco Campana on LinkedInMarco’s Website - Marcopolis.orgKnowledge Mobilization for Settlement WebsiteIf you enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast player. Thank you kindly!Support the show

In this episode of Agents of Nonprofit, I talk with Tasha Van Vlack, Sales and Marketing Specialist at cloudStack Services. cloudStack Services is a fundraising CRM built to transform the way nonprofits organize donor information and daily work to create a greater impact. Topics we cover include:When to start talking about training and investing in trainingThe best ways to prepare a nonprofit for training so they are in the best position to engage with and absorb the informationManaging feedback and questions from training groups that you might not have an answer forMeasuring the success of training once it’s been completed Adopting and preparing Salesforce language that will work with nonprofit organizations where they might not speak in technical termsTo learn more and connect with Tasha Van Vlack:CloudStack Services WebsiteTasha Van Vlack on LinkedIn If you enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast player. Thank you kindly!Support the show

In this episode of Agents of Nonprofit, I talk with Kirk Schmidt, Director of Fundraising Optimization at Frontier Marketing. Kirk is an experienced fundraiser and non-profit operations expert with a background in mathematics and IT, who runs a team of data scientists who work to help charities raise more money for their missions.Topics we cover include:What the differences are between metrics & analytics and why they are importantCreating data warehouses or data lakes to have data be communicated between different systemsThe effects from perceiving or presenting data with different scales, inputs and outputsHaving a baseline of data and what KPIs a nonprofit might want to have when moving toward a new projectThe reason it is almost always difficult to have data when starting outTo learn more and connect with Kirk Schmidt:Frontier Marketing WebsiteFrontier Marketing on LinkedInKirk Schmidt on LinkedInIf you enjoyed this podcast, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast player. Thank you kindly!Support the show