Nonprofit Lowdown

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/

Ah, Giving Tuesday for fundraisers: it's like Christmas, Tax Day and Lunar New Year all rolled into one.  Love or hate it, my friend Asha Curran (CEO of Giving Tuesday) shares her perspective on it.  She offers some best practices, advice on what to avoid, surprising stats and how to inspire generosity year-round.  This is a really important and full-hearted interview for any (read: all) fundraisers who are thinking about participating in Giving Tuesday and joining the global generosity movement.  Top quote: "People don't get tired of giving just like they don't get tired of loving."   For more about Asha and Giving Tuesday: https://www.givingtuesday.org/

Y'all: the time has come to consider a crypto strategy for fundraising.  Join me and co-founder of the Giving Block, Pat Duffy, to discuss some of the misconceptions and benefits of accepting crypto for your nonprofit.  We discuss how to deal with volatility, some of the common misunderstandings and misgivings about crypto and some of the mistakes (i.e. don't put all your eggs into a crypto basket).  This is a really insightful and interesting episode for those looking for bigger donations and to engage younger donors.  Get it! For more about the Giving Block, check out: https://thegivingblock.com/

It's  Q4, y'all!  How many times can I say it?  You gotta get in the game!   Today's interview is with Suhailah Waheed who walks us through the top  five tips she has for how to launch a successful digital fundraising  campaign.  This includes warming up your audience, ignoring your vanity  metrics and realistic goals (i.e. you're probably not going to go  viral).  This is a must-listen for all the EDs and fundraisers trying to  make the most of year-end giving. For more about Suhailah, visit: https://www.givinggeeks.com/

Join me and communications expert Adora Drake as we talk about some of the do's and don'ts of nurturing your email list.  We talk about content strategies, how to move your audience from social media to your newsletter and how to do it without overwhelm.  As we head into year-end, Adora talks about how to plan for the new year.  Adora also has a freebie for Nonprofit Lowdown listeners available below. To get your freebie, visit: www.adoradrakemarketing.com/nonprofitlowdown/

Join me and Jess Campbell to talk about how to end your Q4 with a "W".  I always say that Q4 is the Superbowl of Fundraising and Jess walks us through how to make the most of it.  Jess talks about how to avoid the most common mistakes, how to embrace progress over perfection and ways to do year-end without making you crazy.  We also talk about "magic" words and why direct mail trumps all.  This is a must-listen unless you hate money.   To reference Jen Shang's work: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/giving/understanding-donor-behavior-to-increase-contributions.html To get in touch with Jess: https://www.outintheboons.me/