What the Fundraising

You could sit back and relax if only you had a big celebrity attached to your nonprofit, right? Well not quite, as my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising explains. For all her professional skills and the competent staff behind Usher's New Look, President & CEO Careshia Moore still works hard to keep the organization financially healthy, vibrant and strong. Even with the deep, long-term involvement of a major performer like Usher Raymond IV and his mother, Jonetta Patton, no organization is sustainable without multi-level buy-in, sponsorship and community engagement. Fortunately, Careshia and her team are up to the challenge! In this episode, you’ll learn about the roots of Usher's New Look’s and how it has transformed the lives of more than 50,000 under-resourced young people in Atlanta and New York. Their remarkable programs develop global leaders by sparking their passion and breaking down barriers to entry – whether it be access to quality education, internships or career opportunities. In our conversation, we also explore what it means to operate from a position of abundance, which is often hard for fundraisers (who feel perpetually beholden). Careshia is all about speaking up, owning the power of what her organization brings to the table and offering donors a chance to contribute in multiple capacities. And speaking of capacity, here’s something important to consider: Overhead shouldn’t be a source of shame, says Careshia. It’s actually an opportunity for funders to get involved in the infrastructure that supports all those programs that make everyone feel so good!This conversation is full of actionable strategies, operational and budgetary priority recommendations for unpredictable times and new ways to think about ourselves as mission-driven professionals running enterprises that just happen to have a different tax status. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInMany thanks to our sponsor, Neon One, the all-in-one donor management system that keeps small and midsized nonprofits on track with fundraising, communications, events, volunteers, and more. You can learn about Neon One's entire suite of products and services here.If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point!

In this episode of What The Fundraising, James Citron, Founder and CEO of Pledge, shares his top advice for nonprofits wanting to dream big and launch partnerships with companies. Having founded and/or led the growth of three of the largest mobile messaging and engagement companies in the United States and the world, James took a leap of faith eight years ago when he decided to dedicate his life to helping the world on a bigger scale: by creating Pledge, a fundraising platform powered by the generosity of humans. In this conversation, he reveals how he strengthened Pledge’s professional partnerships – expanding with Zoom, Cameo, and even celebrity e-commerce brands. Despite the pandemic having threatened 1/3rd of the nonprofits to go out of business, Pledge helped meet donors and nonprofits where they were so fundraising could happen more seamlessly. From James’ vantage point, the key to nonprofit success – among other things like risk-taking, resilience, faith, and grit – is transparency. When your donors know where their money is going, you strengthen your impact, says James. he also shares his perspective on nonprofit failure, his faith in the goodness of humanity, and his thoughts on enabling people to help others. There is a lot of great advice for nonprofits inside this episode, plus we know you’ll love hearing their exciting 3% annoucement too!  Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInReady to streamline and modernize your organization’s fundraising strategy? Smash through stumbling blocks with my VIP Day, an intensive one-to-one executive coaching experience. You can also click here to learn how I can work with you to pinpoint problems, develop a clear plan, and create content and design habits to support your nonprofit in achieving its goals.

Here’s a thought: What if we had a platform for nonprofit grant writing like the online Common App that colleges and universities have adopted with such great success? That was similar to the initial inspiration for my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, Gauri Manglik. Gauri is the CEO and Co-founder of Instrumentl, a platform that brings grant discovery, research, and tracking to one place. With Instrumentl, development staff are more effective and efficient at finding the right grants for their nonprofits and in this episode, she talks about the journey to creating this powerful tool and a lot of lessons and insights she gathered along the way.  Gauri challenges nonprofits to integrate a more data-driven, tech-inspired orientation, while also offering important advice for startups that aren’t quite there yet. I love that she talks about who is and who ISN’T right for Instrumentl - alignment is everything and it’s clear that Gauri doesn’t just want more organizations on her platform, she wants the right organizations on her platform. We touch on Instrumentl’s functionality, which includes robust prospecting, calendaring, collaboration, and tracking tools. Gauri shares thoughts on building blocks nonprofits want to have in place before focusing on grant writing in a significant way, including establishing baseline traction as an entity and adopting an empowerment mindset. We also talk about why metrics aren’t robust enough in the nonprofit space and how a commitment to leveraging a more data-driven approach can yield payoff in terms of conversion rates, and help identify formulas, and the right levers to pull.Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInWant to raise more from the right funders without hounding them? Mallory’s FREE masterclass offers a great starting point!Please note: This episode is a part of a very special series called The People Behind the Products. More than ever, nonprofits care about the company behind their technology and service providers. What’s the underlying mission and vision of the company? What do they stand for? And how are they thinking about the sector and serving nonprofits? This series is an opportunity to get to know some of my favorite nonprofit technology companies so that the next time you’re making a tech decision, you can understand a little bit more about the people behind the product. There is no sponsorship or industry money behind the production of this series and the editorial content was at the sole discretion of the What the Fundraising team.  

Want to build trust with donors at first glance? That’s what happens when you have a solid, user-friendly platform like the one my guest, Justin Wheeler, has developed. As he shares in this episode of What the Fundraising, years of field experience are baked into Funraise, a digital ecosystem that streamlines nonprofit messaging and fundraising. Their state-of-the-art tool is designed to help nonprofits acquire donors at scale by tapping all the traditional and new fundraising channels available with amazing results. The more efficiently we fundraise, the more deeply our organizations can focus on the core mission!You’ll learn all about what Funraise’s platform has to offer, including everything from event ticketing and management to recurring giving, online campaigns, email automation, CRM, automated workflows, data mining, and dashboard/reporting. Justin shares insights from his experience building up multi-million-dollar philanthropic organizations (Invisible Children Uganda and Liberty in North Korea), busts some fundraising myths and reminds us of the importance of maintaining a positive mindset. In wrapping up, Justin reflects on things he knows now that he wishes he knew earlier in his fundraising journey as well as the essence of Funraise’s top priority: Modernizing giving through a powerful platform maintained at a price point accessible to nonprofits with budgets of any size.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:(00:30) How an "Invisible Children" documentary changed the course of Justin’s life. (01:32) Justin’s work with Liberty in North Korea.(03:02) The myth of fundraising ratios.(05:20) How to inspire donor trust by ensuring a user-friendly experience.(08:00) What it looks like to establish digital trust and remove donor doubt.(09:09) Trends that Funraise is monitoring.(10:10) Mallory and Justin reflect on the important influence that narratives – positive and negative – have on donor behavior. (14:00) Why it’s so important to incorporate clear, repeated “asks” without fear of overstepping. (16:26) What Justin wishes he’d known during his early days in the trenches.(18:00) Funraise’s core mission. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInReady to streamline and modernize your organization’s fundraising strategy? Smash through stumbling blocks with my VIP Day, an intensive one-to-one executive coaching experience. You can also click here to learn how I can work with you to pinpoint problems, develop a clear plan, and create content and design habits to support your nonprofit in achieving its goals.Please note: This episode is a part of a very special series called The People Behind the Products. More than ever, nonprofits care about the company behind their technology and service providers. What’s the underlying mission and vision of the company? What do they stand for? And how are they thinking about the sector and serving nonprofits? This series is an opportunity to get to know some of my favorite nonprofit technology companies so that the next time you’re making a tech decision, you can understand a little bit more about the people behind the product. There is no sponsorship or industry money behind the production of this series and the editorial content was at the sole discretion of the What the Fundraising team. 

SEO. The mention of those three little letters sends many of us in the nonprofit sector scurrying for cover. But spend a little time with my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising and I promise you’ll feel empowered to explore all things Search Engine Optimization! Rafi Norberg, President of Nexus Marketing, walks us through what it means to raise your online profile and shares some great (free!) tools to get even the most tech-phobic among us started.You’ll be interested in hearing how the world of digital marketing has evolved over the eight years since Rafi founded his company and the ways in which he has pivoted. Riding the tides of change and a human-centric approach, Nexus has kept the work fresh, engaging and organically satisfying. How? By emphasizing a collaborative, relationship-based approach to getting the job done. Whether we’re talking community awareness or donor engagement, Ravi believes that partnerships are foundational to growth. “Being open to more conversations generally leads to different opportunities,” he says. “If you're overly exclusive … it actually makes the process of building your digital brand very difficult.” Ready to raise your online profile and boost your outreach? This episode will give you the digital insights and tools you need to get started on that path!Get all the resources and timestamps from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInHave you stopped by our new What the Fundraising community forum? Check it out and join the conversation at this link.Ready to streamline and modernize your organization’s fundraising strategy? Smash through stumbling blocks with my VIP Day, an intensive one-to-one executive coaching experience. You can also click here to learn how I can work with you to pinpoint problems, develop a clear plan, and create content and design habits to support your nonprofit in achieving its goals.Please note: This episode is a part of a very special series called The People Behind the Products. More than ever, nonprofits care about the company behind their technology and service providers. What’s the underlying mission and vision of the company? What do they stand for? And how are they thinking about the sector and serving nonprofits? This series is an opportunity to get to know some of my favorite nonprofit technology companies so that the next time you’re making a tech decision, you can understand a little bit more about the people behind the product. There is no sponsorship or industry money behind the production of this series and the editorial content was at the sole discretion of the What the Fundraising team.

The truth is, all limiting beliefs aside, we can make giving fun. And Max Friedman and the team at Givebutter are proving this to be true each and every day. They have created a crowdfunding platform that seeks to raise funds that will empower the next generation of changemakers. In this episode of What the Fundraising I get to talk to Max about his entrepreneurial journey, from starting in his college dorm room, to what it’s like to be a 27 year old leader of a rising tech company. There are so many great fundraising tips in this episode, from automation suggestions to effective prompts to innovative engagement strategies, but my favorite topic that we talk about is Max’s imposter syndrome. Max, like all of us, experiences moments of self-doubt and his vulnerability in this episode is a true gift to the sector. He talks to us about how he manages his imposter syndrome and his top tips for nonprofit leaders dealing with similar doubts. You don’t want to miss this episode! [02:48] Understanding Max’s journey to founding Givebutter.[03:57] How Givebutter has evolved over the years.[05:53] Max narrates his experience with non-profits..[08:10] How Max deals with his imposter syndrome.[11:43] The fundraising space needs to go back to the basics. [13:06] Are we over automating in a way that leads to a loss in authenticity and connection? [16:02] Social media and authenticity.[18:07] How you can prompt people to give.[21:32] Hear how Max keeps himself motivated when he is having hard days.Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInReady to streamline and modernize your organization’s fundraising strategy? Smash through stumbling blocks with my VIP Day, an intensive one-to-one executive coaching experience. You can also click here to learn how I can work with you to pinpoint problems, develop a clear plan, and create content and design habits to support your nonprofit in achieving its goals.This episode is a part of a very special series called The People Behind the Products. More than ever, nonprofits care about the company behind their technology and service providers. What’s the underlying mission and vision of the company? What do they stand for? And how are they thinking about the sector and serving nonprofits? This series is an opportunity to get to know some of my favorite nonprofit technology companies so that the next time you’re making a tech decision, you can understand a little bit more about the people behind the product. This series is unsponsored content and editorial decisions came from the What the Fundraising production team.

Here’s a data point worth highlighting: Dollars invested in female-founded startups offer an average 63% better return on investment than those with male founders. That’s not merely anecdotal, says my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising. Katica Roy, a Gender Economist, and CEO at Pipeline Equity, has all the stats and research to back up her assertions about intersectional inequity and its many costs – both social and economic. Her powerful Pipeline platform operationalizes gender equity, drives improved business performance, and offers success metrics to back it up. Inspired by her parents’ dramatic journeys -- from refugees to capturing the American dream – Katica is devoted to making a systemic change that is backed up by measurable controls, top-down corporate commitment, and supportive, smart policy. Our conversation illuminates a number of disturbing statistics as well as avenues for making meaningful change. That change, however, all has to start with our individual and organizational ability to look candidly at biases clearly being perpetuated, even among nonprofits whose missions are dedicated to fostering justice and fair access for the under-served. The episode wraps up with some fascinating advice from a formidable female entrepreneur who has experienced first-hand the uphill battle women face in trying to secure funding. Among the many things she has learned? “Standing in your own power is important … You will get pushback and that's okay. That just means you're doing something right!” Check out Bloomerang’s fantastic resource: Diversity, Inclusion & Equity policy template to start the process of creating equity in your nonprofit. We’re so grateful for their resources and for their support of this episode. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedIn 🚨Breaking News: We have a new What the Fundraising Community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.

We’ve all been there: Ghosted by a donor and wondering why, why, why? My guest on this episode of What the Fundraising is showing us how to redirect our minds, dismantling the reflexive responses that play in our heads and inhabit our bodies. Britt Frank, a somatic psychotherapist, trauma expert, and author of "The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward," walks us through the many ways in which our reactions (and overreactions) are embedded within our bodies. Because so many of us are detached from our own sensations, we revert automatically to our brains in search of solutions. And that's all too often pinging around inside our heads? Lots of noisy self-doubts, recrimination, and other negative thoughts that do not serve. As Britt explains, however, we can befriend even the most toxic of emotions and in so doing diffuse them. “When we know how our brains work, we can feel like we're in the driver's seat of our life,” she says, “instead of locked in the trunk of the car, driving 95 miles down the highway.” You’ll love hearing how this multi-modality therapist and thinker came to her work, why ultimatums are less effective than healthy boundaries, and what modest actions you can take to interrupt when your body has taken over the driver’s seat.Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInWant to raise more from the right funders without hounding them and banish your self-doubt in the meantime? Mallory’s FREE masterclass offers a great starting point!Support for this show is brought to you by Bloomerang. Our friends at Bloomerang really understand fundraisers, which is how they make donor management software that nonprofits like to use. To learn more about them, head on over to bloomerang.com/mallory.

Are you a changemaker? The call to action on this episode of What the Fundraising is rooted in the notion that we can all be leaders of the change we seek. Alex Budak, a faculty member at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, believes leadership is ripe for redefinition – and has data to prove it! He walks us through how the human tendency to maintain the status quo impacts social change and why the greatest CEOs tend to balance confidence with a lot of humility. We’re also hearing all about Alex’s new book, "Becoming a Changemaker: An Actionable, Inclusive Guide to Leading Positive Change at Any Level," as well as the quantitative work behind his “Changemaker Index.” A teacher, speaker, and consultant, Alex’s primary mission is to help empower people from all walks of life to become changemakers – activists leading the charge in whatever their realm. He has given talks on leadership, entrepreneurship, and changemaking worldwide, from Cambodia to Ukraine – and has also advised at the White House and UN agencies.  You’ll come away from this episode with a new perspective on our culture’s tendency to glorify social entrepreneurs and leaders in general, a clear understanding of Alex’s “Three Pillars of Changemaking” and a fresh resolve to stand tall and lean into fear. We break down what failure really looks like and exercises for getting acclimated – which we all need to do. Why? Because there’s lots of work to be done, whether you’re a fundraiser in the nonprofit sector or a community member who knows things can be better. “There’s so much leadership to go around if we’re willing to seize those leadership moments,” says Alex. “And that’s my call to action: For all of us to see those moments around us and step into them.”See all the show notes at malloryerickson.com/podcast. Follow along on Instagram at @whatthefundraising_Connect with Mallory on LinkedInMany thanks to our sponsor Cosmic, the social impact creativity agency that delivers compelling stories, builds brand awareness, and inspires action. The team at Cosmic knows how to leverage clarity to catalyze real-world change and help you become the changemaker you were meant to be. 

Perfectionism can be sneaky. We think we’re just working hard, doing our best, and tirelessly serving others. And we are. But, as my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising points out, there can also be a lot of ego driving our behaviors and it needs to be explored. Kamilah Martin, Founder & CEO of Katalyst Consulting Group, leverages her decades of nonprofit experience to help align leaders in the sector – especially those whose organizations are experiencing transition. We are untangling the many ways that we can get in the way of our own best intentions – especially when we’ve got unexplored blind spots. That’s where a well-grounded executive coach can make all the difference, holding space for self-inquiry around deeply ingrained (often counter-productive) beliefs. The work is invaluable, says Kamilah, whose experience has been that self-aware leaders tend to be the most successful. Why? Because they bring a humanity-centered set of tools and solutions. Even when we’re doing all the work and showing up for ourselves the best we know how there are going to be emotional triggers. Fundraisers – like all humans – will always be a work in progress. This conversation nudges us to take some grace and loosen that perfectionistic death grip. Openness is like a breath of fresh air, plus it truly helps our organizations thrive.Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Follow along on Instagram Connect with Mallory on LinkedInIf you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point!Many thanks to our incredible sponsors at DonorPerfect. DonorPerfect has a lot of free educational resources for fundraisers. Learn more and download some of their guides and tools today at donorperfect.com/mallory.