The Build Good Fundraising Podcast

Send us a textAre you having a hard time staying positive and balanced and sane during these crazy times?The coronavirus pandemic brings a rare combination of a scary health emergency, human isolation and an economic crisis at all once. And I worry about you.I am not worried if you're going to survive this crisis, or if your nonprofit will survive the storm. I am worried about what the crisis is doing to you, and the toll it’s taking on you as a leader and parent and friend and spouse and all the other roles you play. I know a lot of people are relying on you. Maybe your boss or your board is relying on you to bring in the funds, to produce a lot more work or communications pieces, to call every donor, or to produce a new campaign in a hurry…and so much more.There's a lot on your shoulders.And the only way we are going to get through this is by acknowledging how hard it is and taking care of ourselves. So today on the show I’m talking to Amanda Rocheleau, a registered social worker and certified compassion-fatigue therapist. Amanda works specifically with people who are in the business of helping others, so she understands how quickly burnout and anxiety and work-life balance issues can creep up and completely derail us.Amanda is going to walk through 5 things you can do to manage your anxiety, reduce your stress and take better care of your mental health, including:How you can manage the stress of juggling so many things at once. How you can balance your news intake with things that give you hope.How you can be realistic about your own limitations and communicate them to your team and family. How you can create healthy habits even when your routine is all out of whack. Plus, we’ll get into how leaders can best support the mental health of their teams who are working remotely, and how those of us who are talking to donors all day can deal with feeling drained at the end of the day. 

Send us a textIf you’re like many nonprofit leaders, you’ve spent the last two weeks going back to the drawing board on what your fundraising and communications will look like now that everything is different. And make no mistake: everything is different.  And that means all the careful planning and strategies, all the campaign rollouts and scheduled posts, and all the thank you letters and mailouts need to be reviewed and rebuilt to take into the account the impact of the Coronavirus. And I want to make sure that, though this podcast, we can support you in that. So for the next few weeks, we’re switching our focus to helping you fundraise and communicate in a crisis. I know many of you are in a tough position right now. But you’re not alone. And today’s guest will show you how leaders and marketers and fundraisers like you have lived and worked through emergencies before. History is full of fundraisers who have inspired and motivated people to come together to overcome terrible problems. And the gifts they raised generated the funds that were crucial to keeping the most vulnerable in society protected. Today's guest — Mark Phillips — will help you learn from some of them today.Mark is founder of Bluefrog Fundraising in the UK, a fundraising agency focused on meeting donor needs. Mark keeps an online archive of the history of fundraising — it’s a pinterest board full of ads and campaigns from the world’s most successful charities like The Red Cross, Save the Children, Oxfam, and the YMCA.Recently Mark pulled up three ads from different crises throughout history that we’re going to walk through today. Make sure to check them out on Mark's blog here: https://queerideas.co.uk/2020/03/crisis-fundraising-what-you-can-learn-from-the-past.htmlEach of these three ads has something to teach us today about how to fundraise in a crisis. And I think you’ll come always with at least three ideas that will make your fundraising stronger today.LINKS Mark's blog on all things fundraisingMark's online archive of old charity adsBluefrog Fundraising

Send us a textIf you put yourself in your donors' shoes for a minute, you'll know they are likely sitting at home. Like you, they are watching the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe. And they might wonder what it all means for them and their loved ones. So you might be tempted to leave them alone. Give them some space. Let them cope. But what if your donors are longing to hear from you? And what if it's your duty of care to reach out to them right now with care and compassion? And what if they want to help make the world a tad bit better? Chances are your donors have many questions right now. And they are waiting for you to have the courage to be vulnerable with them. On today's podcast, we walk through five things your donors need to hear from you right now: They need to know you careThey need to know your beneficiaries are okThey need to know you have a planThey need to know they are still neededAnd they need to know they will be part of the solutionI know things are scary right now. But you were made for these times. And now, more than ever,  people are looking to you to lead them through these uncertain times.I want you to know and remember when this is all over, your donors will remember the kind of person you were long after they remember what sort of decisions you made about staffing, finances, programs, etc. So go easy on yourself. Rise to the challenge. And start reaching out to your donors with as much humanity and vulnerability as you can muster today.

Send us a textIf it hasn't already, COVID-19 will impact your cause and your fundraising. Maybe you’re wondering if you’re about to face the biggest revenue crash of your career. And that's a real possibility. As panic and fear about the virus spread across the globe, many nonprofit organizations are about to make some choices that could seriously wreck their fundraising for years to come. The decisions nonprofit leaders will make out of fear might erode the value of their donor file and jeopardize their ability to sustain their mission in the future.So to make sure you’re not one of them, I called up Sean Triner of Moceanic for a quick chat about how your nonprofit can not only survive, but also thrive, during this uncertain time. Sean is a lifetime professional fundraiser who has lived and fundraised through recessions and times of crisis. He’s the co-founder of the Pareto Fundraising businesses in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.These days he runs Moceanic, an online training company focused on best practices for fundraisers like you.In our conversation you’re going to learn:Why you shouldn’t cancel your fundraising right now – and in fact, should increase your fundraising budget.How you can approach your major donors who might be looking at their losses in the stock market and evaluating their charitable giving.What you can do to replace the fundraising events and face to face meetings you rely on to bring in revenue.We’ll also get into some common questions we’ve seen from fundraisers online, and Sean shares a letter from a CEO you can learn from if you have to create a campaign for urgently needed funds.And just a note: since this is a last-minute podcast we’re not using our usual recording setup today – so the audio quality isn’t as good as it usually is. 

Send us a textYou’ve likely heard that combining your fundraising with data analytics is the most efficient way to grow your revenue and engage the right donors at the right time.It’s true: donors speak to us through data.Data is simply a measure of our donor’s actions. And most of the time those actions speak louder than words. So we need to listen carefully to what our donors are saying.But…maybe you’re not sure where to start? Maybe you don’t know what metrics you should measure? And what do they mean anyway…and how can they help you?  Well today on the show, you are going to learn 5 key metrics you should be measuring that will help you raise more money from more donors more effectively. We’re talking to Sam Laprade, a seasoned fundraiser who has raised money for important charities such as the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, the Ottawa Human Society and the Ottawa Mission. She’s a fundraising consultant and director at Gryphon Fundraising where she helps organizations make sense of their donor data and improve database analytics. You’re going to learn…1.    What donor data analytics you should measure – and how to measure them2.    How you can interpret those results 3.    And practical ways of using those results to make a difference in your fundraising  

Send us a textWhat do you think when you hear the words strategic planning?If you're like most nonprofit leaders today, you know strategy is important. You know a good strategy has the power to completely transform your organization's fundraising and development performance. It can energize your staff, volunteers and donors. It can give you the clarify and focus needed to take on the world's most pressing problems. And for small and mid-sized organizations who are working under all kinds of constraints, a good strategy helps you decide where to allocate all of your time and energy and money and staff to make the most difference. But I know what you might be thinking...because unfortunately for many of us, our experience with strategic planning is often just a big binder full of good intentions that ends up sitting on a shelf collecting dust. And that seems like a waste of time and money.Today's guest is on a mission to change that. And he's going to walk us through an easy framework anyone can use to create a clear and compelling strategy for their organization. We're talking to Chris Bosch, former head of strategy for World Vision Canada where he led a major process involving staff at all levels and external stakeholders to re-imagine the future of the $450m NGO. Chris now runs Chisel Consulting, a company that helps organizations get clear about their own mission and purpose so they know what to focus on.

Send us a textToday on the show, we’re talking about a massive opportunity for your nonprofit to add revenue to your bottom line for years to come. We’re talking about the largest gift your donor may ever give to your organization. We’re talking about legacy marketing. Did you know charitable bequests are now worth literally hundreds of billions of dollars in Canada? So if you’re not already giving your donors a chance to leave behind a gift for generations to come that honours their values and beliefs…today is the day to start. And if you already have a legacy marketing program in place, you’re likely looking for effective ways to improve your messaging and strategy.Well today’s guest is going to show you 3 common mistakes nonprofits make when asking donors to leave a gift in their will…and 3 easy solutions you can implement today.We’re talking to David Kravinchuk, seasoned fundraiser and the also the founder and convener of the Western Canada Fundraising Conference. You’re going to learn from David:Why you shouldn’t educate your donor on how to leave a gift in their willWhy you may need to ignore some of your brand standards to effectively communicate with your donors And why you shouldn’t mention most planned gift options And as a gift for you, David is going to share one of the biggest blunders of his career…and help you avoid making the same mistake.LINKS Attend the Day of GoodAttends the Western Canada Fundraising Conference 

Send us a textIf you've worked in fundraising for some time, you'll know that direct mail still enjoys some of the best response rates of any communications channel. But because we're living in a digital world, it's easy to think of direct mail as outdated with nothing new to offer.  You and I hear that all the time.If you still rely on the mailbox to connect with your donors and to grow your revenue, you know that's not the case. You know it's still where most donations come in. You know it leads to higher donor retention. You know it's useful in acquiring large gift donors.And you also know that digital tools actually make direct mail work better now than ever before.Today we're talking to Dan Sonners about 4 different ways you can boost your direct mail response by adding digital channels to your fundraising campaigns. Dan is the Director of Non-Profit Marketing at Conrad Direct, a family owned direct marketing firm which has specialized in the nonprofit sector for over 35 years. As a list broker he’s written direct mail and digital media plans which have helped nonprofits acquire nearly a million donors for organizations in wide range of markets and sizes. He also hosts and Dynamic Nonprofits podcast, which is dedicated to advocating for an unsiloed approach to fundraising and spurring innovation in the nonprofit sector. LINKS Connect with Dan on LinkedIn Listen to the Dynamic Nonprofits with Dan PodcastEmail Dan 

Send us a textAre you having a hard time finding and retaining a good Director of Development? If that sounds like you, you're not alone. Studies show the average tenure for a Director of Development is between 16-18 months — among the highest in any profession. And while it's true for organizations of all sizes, it's especially true in smaller organizations where more than 50% of Development Directors say they anticipate leaving their jobs in 2 years or less.Today on the podcast, we talk with John Janzen, Director of Development at Inner City Youth Alive in Winnipeg, Canada. John is a first-time DoD who's just finishing his first year on the job. We're going to hear from John on what he's learned in his first year, how he has learned to tell his organization's story, and what every prospective small-shop DoD should know about going into the job.Make sure to stick around, because the end of our conversation John plays a song from a musical he wrote to engage the community in issues of poverty.LINKSInner City Youth Alive