Nonprofit Lowdown

Otis Rolley, Senior Vice President at the Rockefeller Foundation, discusses his career in government and philanthropy.  We talk about how the Rockefeller Foundation has implemented DEI through its practices, how Otis has been at the forefront of equity at the foundation and his views on the trends in philanthropy.  This is a thoughtful and insightful conversation from a philanthropy insider. To connect with Otis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/otis-rolley-he-him-4832587/

Sometimes, we're overwhelmed with the enormity of solving problems in the world that we forget small actions can make a difference.  Join me and Masami Sato who is the founder of the global Buy One Give One business model that helps businesses big and small make impacts on nonprofits.  It's a reminder that we can all do something. To learn more about Buy One Give One, visit: https://b1g1.com/ For nonprofits, visit: https://www.b1g1.org/

When we're in the role of fundraisers, there is so much that is unsaid and lurking just below the surface.  Join me and my dear friend Christine Lai to talk about how to approach philanthropic partners from a place of strength ("Who deserves to fund you?").  This is a wide-ranging and energizing conversation about creating culture, the value of white space and how to Christine designs her life.  She's a sage among us. For more about Christine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinelai21/

Let's face it: PR and marketing are the first to get cut in a budget.  And yet, you're still the best kept secret in your city?  What gives?  Rebekah walks us through actionable strategies and tips for small nonprofits on a tight budget and even tighter labor market.  You can't afford NOT to let the media know about your work, and Rebekah shows us how to do it ourselves. For more about Rebekah, visit: www.fifteen-media.com/

Happy 2022 y'all.  This pod is here to help you start off the new year right by getting money through the door.  Join me and my dear friend Chitra Ayar as we talk about how to get money back from the IRS for all those payroll taxes you paid during the pandemic.  If you're like me and the word taxes creates a twinge of anxiety, listen up to this podcast where Chitra explains all.  You could be eligible for up to $26K per employee thanks to these tax credits. For more info and to get in touch with Chitra, visit: nonprofitcovidrelief.net/

This is a rebroadcast of one of the most popular episodes of 2021 and one of my personal faves.  Happy new year, friends! Podcast fans, if you listen to only one episode of NPL, this should be the one.  Join me and Expert on The Ask Laura Fredricks to talk all about the ask.  She breaks down her five-step formula for an ask, how the getting the ask out of your mouth IS the win and how we can support our boards to ask.  Laura's advice is smart, effective and actionable.  She's raised hundreds of millions of dollars for charities and it's easy to see why.  This is a must-listen for those of you who need to ask for anything (which is everybody). For more about Laura and to purchase her book, visit: https://expertontheask.com/

This is a rebroadcast of one of our most popular episodes!  Happy holidays fam! Happy 2021 to the Nonprofit Lowdown family!  Let's get this 2021 party started off right.  Join today's conversation with expert fundraising consultant and board whisperer Jay Frost to activate our boards to bring resources to the table.  We discuss juicy topics like defining a give/get for board members, whether "access" counts as a contribution (spoiler: it doesn't) and how NOT to recruit board members.  This conversation was both educational and uplifting: the work of the board is the work of leadership and inviting people to be part of something that is personally meaningful to them.  In 2021, let's make an agreement to work towards unleashing the potential of our board members for the good of our organizations. For more about Jay, visit him at: https://www.frostonfundraising.com/

As my guest Esther points out, vilifying and stereotyping wealthy people is the last acceptable prejudice.  Join me and Esther Choy as she discusses her research on first-generation wealth creators and how they might be different than your assumptions.  For example, did you know that most wealthy people in the US are self-made and don't come from money?  By challenging our assumptions about wealthy individuals, we can learn how to be better fundraisers.  After all, you know what they say about when you assume... For more on Esther, check out her whitepaper: https://www.leadershipstorylab.com/wealth-creators-research/#pp-toc-602c0f00ada50-anchor-1 For Esther's recommended books: We Need to Talk by Jennifer Risher Philanthropy Revolution by Lisa Greer Strangers in Paradise by James Grubman

This interview is a goldmine, y'all.  I interviewed my friend, Rob Lapidus, who should rightly be considered a major donor by most measures.  He's also incredibly forthright and I ask him all the questions that fundraisers wonder about all the time.  He gives a no BS, no holds barred interview about the worst fundraisers he's ever encountered, how he and his wife make philanthropic decisions and the secret to success ("We're all in sales--don't take it so personally.")  This interview will shed light on how some of your major donors think and it's worth a listen. For more about Rob: https://www.ll-holding.com/our-people/robert-t-lapidus/

This is a solo show where I'm spilling all the tea on how to get started with your major gift program.  It's not rocket science and it's not magic.  Tune in for actionable tips and tricks for how to identify the 20% of donors who will support 80% of your operations.  My two favorite words in the English language: unrestricted gifts!  Tune in to this episode to help you build your major gift program for the future. For more information about my Accelerator: https://www.rheawong.com/join-accelerator/