The Nonprofit Show
By: American Nonprofit Academy
Language: en-us
Categories: Business, Non-profit, Management
The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily broadcast for the business side of nonprofits — bringing you practical insights, expert interviews, and real-world strategies to help your organization run smarter, lead stronger, and fund better.Each weekday, our co-hosts and guests break down the most current topics in fundraising, board governance, leadership, staffing, technology, communications, and financial strategy — giving nonprofit professionals the tools they need to build sustainable, high-performing organizations.With more than 1,400 episodes and growing, our on-demand library is a trusted resource for executive directors, team members, fundraisers, board members, and sector leaders who are ready to move beyond inspir...
Episodes
Nonprofit Founder Syndrome: When Grit Turns Into Gridlock
Dec 15, 2025Founder syndrome gets tossed around like a diagnosis, but this conversation reframes it as a leadership and governance challenge that shows up in real nonprofit operations: decision rights, communication, accountability, and the organization’s ability to scale beyond one person’s willpower.
Guest Brittan Stockert (Donorbox) opens by rejecting the blame-heavy tone of the phrase and naming the real risk: “Founder syndrome is really when… you treat your nonprofit as if it’s yours personally… as opposed to something that you’re caring for on behalf of the people it’s serving.” From there, she maps how the issue...
Duration: 00:31:14Donor Tiers That Actually Work: The Right Way To Segment Supporters
Dec 12, 2025Fundraisers Friday is back, and Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall (Mr. Nonprofit Consultancy) tackle a topic that quietly runs the business side of fundraising: donor tier levels. If you’ve ever stared at your donor list and wondered, “Where do we start, and how do we keep this manageable?” this episode is your playbook.
They begin with the “why.” Tony frames donor tiers as a practical operating system, not a fancy fundraising accessory. Done well, tiers let you personalize messaging and protect your time by matching stewardship to giving level and relationship needs. In other words: less guess...
Duration: 00:30:28Five Finance Moves Nonprofits Can't Ignore: Finishing the Year Strong!
Dec 11, 2025Finishing the year “strong” is not just a slogan for nonprofit leaders; it’s a finance and operations project. Regional Director Ellie Hume from Your Part-Time Controller walks through five concrete steps to wrap up the year with fewer surprises and more control.
She starts with yearend giving appeals. Too many organizations accidentally lock donations into narrow buckets by saying things like “your gift will buy two backpacks.” Donors then reasonably assume their dollars can only be used for that purpose. Ellie urges development and finance to work together on language so appeals connect to mission without boxing fun...
Duration: 00:30:19Women, Water And ROI: Turning Lost Hours Into Community Wealth
Dec 10, 2025Around the world, women and girls walk long distances every day to fetch water, losing education, income, and safety in the process. On this global episode of The Nonprofit Show, we welcome Shilpa Alva, founder and executive director of Surge for Water, beaming in late at night from Samarkand, Uzbekistan. From the first moments, Shilpa reframes water as a gendered economic issue, not just an infrastructure problem. As Shilpa puts it, “The water crisis is a woman’s crisis” — and it is also a profound injustice baked into race, gender, and geography.
Shilpa walks us through Surge’s “water p...
Duration: 00:30:34What is 'Rolling Retention'? Fundraisers Using AI and Better Metrics
Dec 09, 2025Donor retention is not just a feel good metric it is one of the most powerful levers in the business model of a nonprofit. We sit down with Kirsten Wantland, Principal Industry Strategist at Bloomerang, to explore how organizations can move beyond fear and confusion and actually use retention data to protect revenue and grow lifetime value.
Kirsten begins by explaining her new role at Bloomerang, serving as a bridge between fundraisers in the field and the engineering and product teams. She brings frontline development experience directly into the CRM design process and is now...
Duration: 00:30:49Why Smart Nonprofits Rely on Temp Staffing
Dec 08, 2025Labor myth buster Dana Scurlock, Director of Recruitment at Staffing Boutique, reframes temporary staffing as a sophisticated business tool for nonprofit leaders—not a last-resort move when things are on fire. Dana steps in to show how strategic temp and temp-to-perm staffing can stabilize teams, protect budgets, and protect sanity.
She starts with a fundamental question: how many staffing firms does a nonprofit really need? From organizations that have never used an agency to those calling their fifth recruiter, she explains why understanding an agency’s model matters. Staffing Boutique works on a contingency basis, whic...
Duration: 00:29:12Donor Appeals vs. Donor Relationships: What Truly Drives Giving?
Dec 05, 2025In this thoughtful Fundraisers Friday conversation, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall take viewers inside one of the most persistent tensions in fundraising: the distinction between donor appeals and donor relationships. Using real experiences, honest stories, and decades of shared sector knowledge, they walk through why these two ideas are often treated as opposites—when in reality, they function best in tandem.
Their convo opens with warmth and camaraderie, quickly shifting into a substantive examination of how appeals work. Tony offers a clear definition, noting that appeals are intentional, seasonal communications designed to spur timely action. Ye...
Duration: 00:30:35Inside Team Culture: The New Era of Nonprofit Leadership
Dec 04, 2025A valuable and thought-provoking conversation with Carrie Wright, consultant and coach at Wright Consulting. Joined by cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Wendy F. Adams, Carrie guides leaders toward a more thoughtful, rigorous, and human-centered approach to nonprofit organizational performance.
Rather than rushing into resolutions and planning cycles, Carrie urges leaders to adopt a practice of year-end reflection—an intentional look backward before charting the year ahead. As she states, “There’s a saying that ignorance is bliss, but I genuinely believe that knowledge is power.” That philosophy becomes the cornerstone of her framework: understand what fueled t...
Duration: 00:31:21Rethinking Nonprofit Success: Information Is Not Action!
Dec 03, 2025Rethinking nonprofit success usually begins with new metrics or another training calendar. In this conversation, educator and learning strategist Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting proposes something far more disruptive: stop confusing information with action. Drawing on adult learning research and decades inside associations, state agencies, and community organizations, she challenges the sector’s default response to problems—more workshops, more webinars, more content.
Nancy names the uncomfortable truth: only about 10 percent of training translates into behavior change. That means roughly 90 percent of our investment in “capacity building” does not reliably alter what people actually do. For...
Duration: 00:30:56Nonprofit Scaling Reimagined: A New Playbook for Expansion
Dec 02, 2025Nonprofits love to talk about growth. New markets, new programs, new grants, new everything. But our guest, Aila Malik, founder of Venture Leadership Collective, flips the script and asks the question most boards and executives skip: Have you actually earned the right to scale up?
Coming out of Silicon Valley’s “grow or die” mindset, Aila warns that scaling is not a badge of honor—it’s a high-risk move that can quietly hollow out your organization if your foundation is shaky. She walks through three blunt prerequisites before you chase...
Duration: 00:30:37Interim Leadership in Fundraising Is More Powerful Than You Think!
Dec 01, 2025Interim leadership is no longer just a stopgap in the executive director’s seat—it’s becoming a strategic engine for sustainable fundraising. Joan Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Interim Executives Academy, and David M. Nicole, CFRE, founder of Headwinds Consulting, share why interim development leadership may be one of the most underused tools in the nonprofit sector.
Together, Joan and David contrast short-term revenue fantasies with the realistic, process-based nature of fundraising. They call out unrealistic expectations—boards and CEOs who imagine the interim will arrive with a ma...
Duration: 00:30:26Can Mindset and a Soccer Ball Change a Child’s Future?
Nov 25, 2025What happens when a kid who scribbles “play soccer at Ohio State” in kindergarten actually does it—and then decides his story shouldn’t be the exception? That question sits at the center of this episode with Channing Chasten, professional athlete and founder of The One Percent Kid Foundation.
From the start, Channing describes a childhood shaped by two steady forces: the soccer pitch and a mother who refused to let academics trail behind. Homework came first, the ball came second. Years later, that same mix of discipline and imagination is now driving a nonprofit built on three pi...
Duration: 00:28:51Nonprofit Cyber Wake-Up Call: Phishing, Vishing and Donor Data
Nov 24, 2025Year-end generosity is a perfect storm for cybercrime—and most nonprofits don’t see the danger until after the damage is done. We talk with Alex Brown, Director of Business Development at Richey May, about why the busiest time of your fundraising year is also one of the most hazardous for your systems, donors, and reputation.
Alex explains how attackers watch for holiday chaos: staff on vacation, rushed year-end gifts, last-minute tax receipts, and overloaded inboxes. “Attackers know you’re not paying as much attention,” he warns, “so you have to be a little extra diligent this time of year...
Duration: 00:33:08Grant Writers and Fundraisers! Can They Really Work as One Team?
Nov 21, 2025Grant writers and fundraisers share the same mission, but often work in different corners of the building—and sometimes entirely different worlds. In this Fundraisers Friday convo, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall peel back the curtain on how these two roles can move from quiet coexistence to true collaboration.
Julia opens with gratitude—for long standing sponsors who have never tried to steer the show’s content, and for a sector that now offers far more professional development than when many fundraisers began. She reflects on her own journey from community fundra...
Duration: 00:31:22Inside the Generosity Generation with Bonterra’s Chief Fundraising Officer
Nov 20, 2025Tech, data, and generosity are not abstract buzzwords—they’re concrete levers that can stabilize funding, expand impact, and re-energize exhausted fundraisers. Chief Fundraising Officer Kimberly O’Donnell of Bonterra joins us to map out how recurring giving, trust-based philanthropy, and AI-powered tools can move the entire sector from scarcity thinking into a new “generosity generation.”
Kimberly starts by reframing recurring giving as non-negotiable infrastructure, not a nice-to-have tactic. As she puts it, “Recurring giving is essential for nonprofit sustainability. Just no, hard stop there.” Bonterra’s own research shows why: in its Meet the Moment report...
Duration: 00:30:44Donor Relations Data Every Nonprofit Development Team Must See!
Nov 18, 2025Donor love is measurable, and in this lively discussion, guest Lynne Wester, Principal and Founder of Donor Relations Group, brings the receipts. Drawing on data from her seventh global donor relations survey, conducted every two years since 2013 with more than 1,000 participants, Lynne shows us why retention, not the next big campaign, is where the real money is.
Her core message is blunt and refreshing: we obsess over the ask even though it represents a tiny slice of our contact with supporters. As Lynne puts it, “Retention is the secret sauce of fundraising.” Most organizations still pour...
Duration: 00:32:14Data Trouble Starts Small: Hidden Cyber Risks Nonprofits Ignore
Nov 17, 2025Who actually owns data protection in a nonprofit? In this fast-paced conversation, host Julia C. Patrick sits down with Taysha Adams, Manager Technology Support at JMT Consulting, and Josh Fricovsky, Engineering Director at Cortavo, to tackle the uncomfortable truth: cybersecurity is no longer “someone else’s job.”
Taysha starts with a reality check: most vulnerabilities don’t begin in a server room. They start with everyday behavior. From checking work email on public Wi-Fi to logging in on a friend’s device, casual habits open doors to attackers. As she explai...
Duration: 00:31:37Donor or Investor? Why Calling Them ‘Investors’ Changes Everything
Nov 14, 2025What if the people we call donors are actually investors? And what if this subtle shift reshapes expectations, power, professionalism, and even the identity of philanthropy itself? Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall challenge one of the nonprofit sector’s most deeply rooted labels.
Julia opens the conversation by admitting she’s ready to change her own vocabulary, saying, “I’m going to really work hard to say investor, because I think you’re right—this is the way we need to go.” Her candor sets an energetic tone for a conversation that questions long-held nonprofit norm...
Duration: 00:31:09Shutdown Over, Now What? How Nonprofits Recover!
Nov 13, 2025Federal shutdown over! Systems rebooting! Nonprofits on the clock! In this urgent episode, we bring back Derick Dreher, Department Leader, Government Funding at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC)—just hours after the government reopens from the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
Derick starts with what happened in Washington: failed Senate votes, a last-minute continuing resolution, and a deal that funds government operations into January while restoring budgets for agencies like USDA and programs such as SNAP. But this is not just a civics lesson; it’s a compliance wake-up call for every nonprofit with federal awar...
Duration: 00:31:10Fundraising Fog? Messaging That Donors Actually Love
Nov 12, 2025Fundraising can feel like walking through mist—messages blur, instincts wobble, and urgency crowds out intention. In this energizing conversation, we welcome returning favorite Micah James (team lead and coach at Bloomerang—and a bride-to-be!) to name the haze and show practical ways through it. Micah calls today’s moment “muddy and foggy” because donors face nonstop alerts, shifting giving channels, and rising skepticism about how funds are used. Organizations feel it too: higher costs, greater need, and inboxes stuffed with appeals that all sound the same.
So what cuts through? First, stop centering money and recenter mission. A...
Duration: 00:29:53Events, Data, Volunteers: Temp Staffing Power Plan
Nov 10, 2025Nonprofits can absolutely finish the year strong—especially when they treat staffing as a strategic tool, not a scramble! In this energizing convo, Katie Warnock, founder and president of Staffing Boutique, maps out practical ways organizations can add capacity right when it matters most. Katie is plainspoken and solution-oriented: for major fundraising events, she recommends planning eight to nine months out and matching roles to real workload. “First of all, if you don’t have an events director, get one. If that’s not feasible, bring in a seasoned temp events director...
Duration: 00:30:18The Future of Philanthropy and Adoption: The CEO of Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Nov 07, 2025In this capstone to Nonprofit Power Week, Rita L. Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, looks forward—past the news cycle and into the work that will shape children, families, and the sector. In a calm, mentoring tone, Rita keeps leaders grounded in first principles: start with the child. As she puts it, “We’re not finding what child is best for a family, we’re finding what family is best for a child.” That mindset reframes recruitment, kinship care, and inclusion, and it calls leaders to stretch their own practices.
Rita shares how...
Duration: 00:30:53One Nonprofit Team, Two Engines: How They Fuse Marketing and Development
Nov 06, 2025The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption shows exactly how today’s nonprofits can accelerate mission and amplify revenue by putting marketing and development on the same team! CEO & President Rita L. Soronen and SVP of Marketing & Development Jill Crumbacher explain how an approach that started 11 years ago matured into an integrated structure with shared goals, clear ownership, and board alignment. As Rita puts it, “there’s just this intuitive sense…that one feeds the other,” adding that the shift “became very much an organic, ongoing conversation based on results.”
Jill brings for-profit rigor to the model...
Duration: 00:30:19For Nonprofits: When Critics Shout—What to Say—A Field Manual for Communications
Nov 05, 2025Nonprofits are being yanked into culture wars they never asked for. In this Nonprofit Power Week conversation, Jill Crumbacher, Senior VP of Marketing and Development at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, lays out how to keep your message steady when the public square gets noisy. This episode is a field manual for keeping your purpose intact—and your voice effective—when the temperature rises!
Jill’s team spans both marketing and fundraising—by design. As she puts it, the Foundation treats the whole enterprise “as one big communication strategy,” where audience segmentation, message disci...
Duration: 00:31:55Nonprofit Board Energy That Lasts: Committees that Work, Meetings that Fly
Nov 04, 2025In this key conversation, Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption President & CEO Rita L. Soronen maps out a modern playbook for governing with purpose while sustaining momentum after years of change. She begins with the Dave Thomas legacy—not as a branding exercise, but as a lived journey that shaped a national public charity with a singular focus: permanency for children in foster care. “If you can do one good thing in life,” Rita reflects, “the fact that he created two iconic brands—the Wendy’s Company and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption—is just remarkable.” That origin story still informs bo...
Duration: 00:31:36Modern Partnerships: PSAs, “Low Bono,” and Data-Smart Media
Nov 03, 2025The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption doesn’t treat partnerships as a side project—they’re the operating system. During this National Adoption Month and in this Nonprofit Power Week kickoff, Senior VP Jill Crumbacher shares how the Foundation builds relationships that move from a good idea to real results. Step one: align the people doing the work. “Our marketing and our development practice is under one department that I lead,” Jill explains. That single team design means awareness and revenue aren’t competing—they’re collaborating—so a PSA, a billboard, a direct-mail test...
Duration: 00:31:17The Scariest Board Risks! Revealed by Countess Justine Townsend
Oct 31, 2025On this special Halloween edition of #TheNonprofitShow, Host Julia C. Patrick welcomes “Countess” Justine Townsend of Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), to turn board governance fears into practical know-how. Capes, cobwebs, and clever metaphors aside, the lesson is real: fiduciary duties aren’t folklore; they’re law. As Justine explains, “you have a legal and ethical obligation to act on behalf of the organization with their best interest in heart.” Miss that, and the consequences can rattle a boardroom harder than a thunderclap.
First comes the duty of care. Think: show up, read the financials, ask questions, and make informe...
Duration: 00:29:39The Science of Yes: 7 Decision Profiles That Lift Donor Response
Oct 29, 2025Nonprofits send more messages than ever, yet many still miss the moment that matters: the decision. The CEO and Co-Founder Kylee Ingram of Wizer Technologies explains how seven decision profiles can transform fundraising emails, stewardship notes, and board communications from “nice” to effective. If donor retention, board alignment, and major-gift outreach are priorities this year, this episode gives you the evidence-based path to communicate the way your audience actually decides.
Built from research originally advanced by Juliette Bourke (author of Which Two Heads Are Better Than One?), Wizer’s framework maps the way people actually choose—...
Duration: 00:30:10From Donor-Centered to Human-Centered: A New Era of Giving
Oct 28, 2025When fundraising meets humanity, transformation follows—and few express that better than Tammy Zonker, founder of Fundraising Transformed and author of Calling All Heroes. In this powerful episode, host Julia C. Patrick engages Tammy in a deep conversation about reimagining philanthropy through what she calls a human-centered mindset—a new evolution beyond donor- or community-centric models.
Tammy explains, “The human-centered mindset is fundamentally about recognizing that everyone involved in the philanthropic process brings unique value—lived experience, expertise, and contribution—all of which deserve to be respected and valued.” That respect...
Duration: 00:30:17Expand Your Nonprofit's Board Beyond Your Friends and Zipcode!
Oct 27, 2025What happens when you stop fishing for board members in the same small pond and start casting into the ocean? According to TD Smyers, CEO and co-founder of BoardBuild.org, you get a board that actually reflects the people you serve and a lot more horsepower where it counts. TD admits he learned the hard way. Traditional recruiting leans almost entirely on the social circles of executives and current directors, which means sameness on repeat. BoardBuild flips that habit by opening a national pool and enabling a mutual search that matches what nonprofits need with candidates who are eager...
Duration: 00:28:39Training That Ends Tech Anxiety: Roadmap to a Smooth Go-Live!
Oct 23, 2025When nonprofits tackle a major platform shift, the tech is only half the story. JMT Consulting pros Brady Haslebacher (Director of Program Management) and Dagmar “Dagi” Stanton (Manager of Education Services) map out the human and operational moves that make change stick.
This informative episode breaks down why big projects stall—no top-down buy-in, poor internal communication, and late user inclusion—and then shows how to reverse it with a clear cadence, a requirements doc everyone can point to, and training that respects different learning styles. You’ll also hear how to build champions: start with pain points, pra...
Duration: 00:31:03From Invisible to Influential: How Nonprofit Leaders Build Presence
Oct 22, 2025We sat down with Amos Balongo, keynote speaker and communications coach, to explore a subject rarely discussed in the nonprofit space — personal visibility. Amos challenges the traditional mindset that humility and impact must exist in separate spheres, proposing instead that visibility is both a professional asset and a form of leadership.
Speaking from Honolulu, Amos sets the stage with a simple truth: “If you don’t speak for your work, nobody else will.” His message resonates deeply within a sector that often prizes quiet service over self-advocacy. For Amos, visibility isn’t vanity — it’s strategy. He r...
Duration: 00:30:30The Nonprofit Circles That Matter: Staff—Board—Donor—Constituent
Oct 21, 2025Craig Shelley, CEO of Schultz & Williams, joins Show host Julia Patrick, as they examine how philanthropy and nonprofit leadership are being reshaped under persistent uncertainty. Craig frames the moment succinctly: skepticism toward institutions is rising, which means nonprofits must state their values plainly and show exactly how funds power outcomes. The rubric he uses —“culture, brand, growth,” with culture first—becomes a practical lens leaders can apply immediately.
A central thread is fear—of economic signals, of language missteps, of technology’s speed. Craig notes that newer terms and jargon often widen the gap between sector insiders and the publ...
Duration: 00:29:30Joint Fundraising That Actually Works: For Collab Events and Small Teams
Oct 17, 2025Joint fundraising: bold idea, complicated feelings. On this Fundraisers Friday, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall swap real-world stories and field notes on how small and midsize nonprofits can team up without tripping over turf, lists, or logistics. Julia sets the table with a grin—“They’re super tricky, they’re very interesting, and I think there’s a lot of fear around it”—then Tony gets granular on where collaboration actually shines: events. Think shared strengths: one NPO’s marketing mojo plus another’s room-flow wizardry equals a stronger guest experience and better net for all.
The throughline is...
Duration: 00:30:32Are Donors Wrong About Nonprofit's Overhead? The Myth Exposed!
Oct 16, 2025The phrase “overhead myth” still haunts the nonprofit world like a stubborn ghost. Host Julia C. Patrick sits down with Adam Holzberg, Partner and CPA at SAX Advisory Group, to teach viewers why judging nonprofits by their administrative expenses misses the point—and how education, transparency, and storytelling can replace outdated thinking with real understanding.
Adam defines the myth plainly: “It’s the idea that a nonprofit is less effective when it has higher overhead.” That assumption, he stresses, is simply untrue. The salaries, training, technology, IT support, and finance work that make up overhead...
Duration: 00:30:04Temp Work That Boosts Your Nonprofit Career: How to Get Hired Fast
Oct 15, 2025Temporary work isn’t a consolation prize—it’s a lever. In this candid conversation, Staffing Boutique’s Director of Recruitment, Dana Scurlock, reframes the temp path as a smart way to stay employed, sharpen skills, and earn while exploring fit. She traces her roots to a temp desk in 2006 and explains why the market’s realities—shorter tenures, year-end crunches, and staffing bandwidth gaps—make interim roles unusually valuable for both candidates and nonprofits. “One of the great benefits of temporary work is it can fit within your schedule,” she notes, pointing to project-based needs that run two or three days a we...
Duration: 00:27:22Stop Chasing Unicorn Donors! Start Growing Loyal Givers!
Oct 14, 2025Fundraising folklore says the “one big donor” will save the day! Katie Gaston, Director of Product Marketing at Bloomerang, dismantles that ‘chase’ and replaces it with steady, systems-based fundraising. Katie frames her role in product marketing as disciplined storytelling: know your audience, understand what they care about, and read the landscape by listening, surveying, and researching. That same mindset applies to development. Start by cleaning and maintaining data in your CRM so you can actually see who is volunteering, giving monthly, and staying loyal over time. Automation can help—address updates, enrichment, and built-in features you may not have enabled.<...
Duration: 00:31:13Where the Best Fundraising Talent Actually Looks For Jobs
Oct 10, 2025Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall get practical about recruiting fundraising talent when Q4 urgency is peaking. They open with empathy for development teams sprinting toward holiday giving, then move straight into the realities leaders must manage: retention, clarity, and smarter channels for sourcing candidates. Tony reminds us of the data behind turnover—average tenure around 19 months—and turns that into a charge for boards and executives to assess culture and expectations, not just replace people. “I’m an advocate of putting salary ranges in job postings,” he says, framing transparency as both respectful and time-saving for everyone.
The core...
Duration: 00:30:02From Zero to 10,000 Scholars: Inside a Nonprofit's Rapid Expansion
Oct 09, 2025Dwyer Workforce Development is rewriting what “possible” looks like for a young, fast-scaling nonprofit. In this compelling conversation, CEO Barb Clapp traces a journey that began with a blank slate in September 2022 and now stands at 10,000 Dwyer Scholars across seven states—with a confident path to 100,000 by 2030. The spark came from founder Jack Dwyer’s twin commitments: expand opportunity for people shut out of stable careers and respond to the nationwide healthcare staffing crisis. Barb’s charge was bold—design a national model that moves quickly, performs consistently, and proves its value to partners, employers, and learners.
Her answer b...
Duration: 00:30:06Persuasion Skills Nonprofit Teams Can Use Today
Oct 08, 2025Nonprofits don’t just need more messages—they need messages that move people. In this fast-paced episode we welcome persuasion instructor and longtime marketer Dean Batson to show how science-based communication turns attention into action. Batson traces his path from launching a digital agency to teaching persuasion at Arizona State University, where he studies the shortcuts our brains use to decide fast. “We make mental shortcuts all day long,” Dean explains. “If you know which way someone may lean because of a heuristic, you can frame your message to nudge that choice.”
He breaks down social proof (those 5,000...
Duration: 00:30:19Clarity Is Kindness: Nonprofit Culture That Pays Off
Oct 07, 2025ROI and culture rarely share the same sentence in nonprofit circles—yet that’s exactly the connection guest Carrie Wright (Wright Consulting) makes with co-hosts Wendy F. Adams and Julia C. Patrick. Carrie argues that retention, performance, and donor experience begin inside the walls: “You will never serve your clients beyond the level of which you serve one another.” If teams are burned out, poorly onboarded, or siloed, no amount of recruiting spend fixes the churn. As she puts it, leaders must “close the back door” with rigorous assessment, honest listening, and visible...
Duration: 00:31:10Following a Founder: How Nonprofits Survive and Succeed in Transition
Oct 06, 2025When a nonprofit founder steps away, the organization often faces one of the most emotional and uncertain chapters in its history. In this episode, Joan Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Interim Executives Academy, and Catherine Bradshaw, Senior Search Specialist at EOS Transition Partners, discuss the delicate art of following a founder and building stability during leadership succession.
Catherine begins, “When a founder leaves, the organization loses not only a leader but often its very identity. The board and staff must learn that the mission can thrive beyond the individual.” Her experience reve...
Duration: 00:30:11Call to Action, Donor First: “Because of You” Messaging That Moves People
Oct 03, 2025If you want donors to move, tell them exactly where to go. In this Fundraisers Friday conversation, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall turn vague appeals into precise, energizing calls to action (CTA’s)—across giving, events, engagement, volunteering, and advocacy. Tony lays the foundation early: “Start with the call to action. What do I want folks to do?” When you begin with the outcome, every sentence supports momentum, not meandering.
Julia puts a common myth on the table: “It’s not just like go out and ask a bunch of rich people for money.” Fundraising isn’t speed-dial; it...
Duration: 00:30:34What Healthy Nonprofits Do Differently: Strategy, Rhythm, Results
Oct 02, 2025Matt Glazer arrives with runner’s grit and a teacher’s patience, asking nonprofit leaders to reconsider what “success” really means when the pace gets punishing and the stakes feel permanent. Blue Sky Partners, he explains, is built on human-centered design—strategy that starts with people, not paperwork—because “things happen with people, not to them.” That simple reframing lands like fresh air in a room that’s been working on fumes.
Matt traces the practical path from North Star to next step. Vision and mission still matter; values still guide. But unless the destination is explicit, inertia becomes th...
Duration: 00:30:50How Nonprofits Protect Their Mission's Cyber Presence: Building a Security Culture
Oct 01, 2025Cybersecurity isn’t just firewalls and tech jargon—it’s people, habits, and everyday choices. Kicking off National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we bring together two voices who live this every day: Michael Nouguier, Partner, Cybersecurity Services at Richey May, and Tony Rehmer, Senior VP of IT at Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals). Their message is clear: strong security starts with culture.
Tony sets the tone early: “We take a major part, but it is everyone.” In other words, security isn’t a back-office task—it’s a sh...
Duration: 00:29:35A Fresh Playbook for Your Nonprofit Board: Noses In—Fingers Off
Sep 30, 2025Boards don’t magically run themselves—and this lively discussion proves it. Strategist and facilitator Mary Kay Delvo of Inspiring Sight lays out a practical path for turning board service from a vague obligation into purposeful leadership. She starts with a truth we all feel: “If they knew better, they’d do better.” Most board members were never taught governance, so we must teach it—and then expect ownership.
Mary Kay reframes board work with a memorable mantra: protect and direct. Every decision should answer, How does this protect...
Duration: 00:30:58Build a High-Performance Nonprofit Finance Team: Your Source of Truth
Sep 29, 2025Nonprofits talk about programs, fundraising, and boards—but rarely about how to build and lead a modern finance team. JMT Consulting’s Taylor Bost and Samantha Tiso deliver a clear, practical playbook for turning finance from a back-office function into a strategic engine.
Samantha reframes the relationship right out of the gate: “We view the finance department as the customer support for the rest of the company.” That posture—service, responsiveness, and clarity—reduces fear, boosts collaboration, and speeds decisions. It also demands better systems. As she puts it, ...
Duration: 00:30:16Nonprofit Power Week Finale: Finance Questions Answered
Sep 26, 2025Financial leadership is more than numbers—it’s the heartbeat of nonprofit sustainability. In this Nonprofit Power Week finale of The Nonprofit Show, Regional Director Ellie Hume of Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC) brings clarity and candor to some of the most frequently asked financial questions. With an “Ask and Answer” format, the conversation covers everything from roles and responsibilities in financial leadership to the evolving landscape of fractional CFOs.
Ellie sets the stage by redefining how we see finance in nonprofits: “Finance is literally the thread that draws every piece of the organi...
Duration: 00:33:16The New Fraud Prevention Playbook for Nonprofits
Sep 25, 2025In this Nonprofit Power Week conversation, we sit down with Jen Blasy, Manager at Your Part-Time Controller, to confront a topic many organizations would rather avoid: fraud in the nonprofit sector. Jen is unequivocal about the stakes: “Fraud has been a constant. It may look different, but it’s still happening.” She explains why the sector’s empathy, trust, and lean staffing models can unintentionally create exposure—especially in a remote and hybrid world where e-mail, text, and chat now mediate so many approvals and financial transactions.
Jen moves past labels to show how fraud actually occurs. She refres...
Duration: 00:30:01Why Data Hygiene Matters: Speeding Up Your Nonprofit
Sep 24, 2025Nonprofits want the speed of automation and the promise of AI—but Alicia Eastvold, Department Leader for Client Technology Solutions at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), explains why many orgs stall at the starting line: messy, bloated, and fragmented data. Her central thesis is simple and powerful: “We can’t speed things up if it’s not organized, and we can’t write simple rules around it for where it belongs.” From the first minute, Alicia reframes “data hygiene” away from fear and toward usefulness—think Marie Kondo for systems: keep what serves the mission, archive the rest, and label everything so your...
Duration: 00:31:27Scenario Planning In Uncertain Times: Keep the Mission Moving
Sep 23, 2025Scenario planning often sounds like a board retreat buzzword, but in this Nonprofit Power Week episode it becomes a practical playbook with receipts. Director Tesa Piccioni of Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC) reframes uncertainty as a routine operating condition, not a meteor strike. Her thesis is disarmingly simple: “Let’s take the un out of uncertainty and accept that certain things are going to happen. Let’s prepare.” Preparation, she argues, isn’t about predicting every storm—it’s about building a habit of visibility and fast pivots.
We start with the kitch...
Duration: 00:31:33Federal Shutdown Realities for Nonprofits: What to Do Now
Sep 22, 2025A very timely discussion with Derick Dreher of Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC) about what a federal budget stalemate really means for everyday nonprofit operations. Rather than getting lost in D.C. noise, Derick helps translate the process into plain decisions leaders can make right now. He distinguishes the big-picture spending framework from the agency-level appropriations that actually move money—and why, when competing continuing resolutions stall, operational pain shows up fast in grants, cash flow, and communications.
Derick is direct about timing and accountability. “Government shutdowns are very disruptive,” he notes, because grants staff are furloughed, portals can go...
Duration: 00:32:25Board Fundraising That Actually Works: 4 Roles, Zero Panic!
Sep 19, 2025Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall turn board jitters into momentum with a simple, generous framework: four board roles that make fundraising feel natural, human, and actually fun. Julia sets the tone with a zinger that boards will remember: “This is not a no situation. This is a KNOW situation.” From there, Tony maps the path: “Prospector, cultivator, solicitor, and steward—four very simple roles that are really impactful.”
Prospectors spark the pipeline by looking at real relationships—LinkedIn, circles of influence, workplace connections—to spot people who might love your mission. Julia notes this is the one job...
Duration: 00:31:16Messaging That Keeps Donors: The Trust Triangle
Sep 18, 2025Donor communication isn’t a seasonal chore—it’s the garden you tend all year. In this lively conversation, James Misner, Founder & Owner of The Kipos Group (Greek for “garden”), shows how consistent, human-centered messages keep supporters engaged, confident, and eager to act. His opening frame is memorable: schools send multiple reminders for an early bus drop-off because people are busy; nonprofits should be just as persistent—thoughtfully. As James says, “You should not be afraid to reach out to your donors… they need you to serve them by communicating frequently.”
James introduces a practical “trust triangle”: organization, leadersh...
Duration: 00:29:28Signals From the Nonprofit Labor Market: Slowing The Revolving Door
Sep 15, 2025Nonprofit hiring is not matching the national headlines, says Katie Warnock, founder and president of Staffing Boutique. While recent reports suggest softer job numbers and higher unemployment, she’s seeing the opposite on the ground: “We had a really slow two quarters, and we’ve been so busy basically since after July 4th weekend.” Executive searches are surging, selective contract roles are back, and LinkedIn is “popping” with real openings—especially across development and campaign management.
The cost of churn remains steep. Katie points to a national onboarding average around $4,100—often higher in New York—once you factor technology...
Duration: 00:30:21Doing More With Less Using AI: Grant Drafts, Donor Trends, Board Stories—AI That Helps
Sep 11, 2025AI isn’t a magic wand—but it can absolutely help nonprofits do more with less when you understand what it is, where it fits, and how to use it wisely. In this energizing conversation, technology associate and CPA Christine Chacko from Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC) explains the practical difference between automation and AI, when to use each, and how to keep data safe while you experiment and learn. As Christine puts it, “AI is actually a form of automation,” but it handles open-ended, judgment-heavy tasks while traditional automation follows clear, narrow rules. Think rules for cate...
Duration: 00:31:23Third-Party Software Risks Nonprofits Overlook: Shadow IT, AI, and Donor Data
Sep 10, 2025Nonprofits lean on outside platforms to save time and stretch budgets—but those relationships can quietly expose sensitive donor, client, and payment data. In this episode, Senior Cybersecurity Advisor Parker Brissette of Richey May explains how to recognize and manage third-party software risk before it becomes tomorrow’s headline. He starts with a simple lens: follow the data. Where is it stored? Who can touch it—directly or indirectly? Many teams only think about contracted vendors, but Parker widens the aperture to “shadow IT” and consumer tools staff use without formal approval. As he puts it, “Third partie...
Duration: 00:31:56Prepping Your Nonprofit for Giving Tuesday!
Sep 09, 2025Giving Tuesday can feel like a moving target—but after this discussion with guest Jared Throneberry of Bloomerang, you’ll have a clear, energizing plan. Jared blends tech savvy with a lived heart for service—Big Brothers Big Sisters, foster parenting since 2011, and community leadership—so his guidance lands with real-world credibility. His first message: you don’t have to participate just because everyone else is. If the timing crowds your year-end efforts, your team is stretched thin, or the format doesn’t fit your culture, sit it out without guilt. But if you choose to participate, choose to
How Many Donors Should a Fundraiser Manage?
Sep 05, 2025Donor portfolios often feel like a mystery—part science, part art—and this episode of Fundraisers Friday peels back the curtain on what they really mean for nonprofit professionals. Cohosts Julia Patrick and Tony Beall use their signature mix of storytelling and strategy to break down the “book of business” in a way that feels both practical and inspiring.
Julia opens with candor about her first experience: “Somebody called me up and said, hey, I’d like to take you out to lunch because you’re in my portfolio. And I was like, what?” That moment of confus...
Duration: 00:29:26The Nonprofit Leadership Wheel Is Spinning—Here’s How to Stop It
Sep 04, 2025Host Julia Patrick welcomes Herb Paine, CEO of Paine Consulting Services, for a candid and thought-provoking conversation about the future of nonprofit education and leadership development. With decades of experience as a consultant, author, and sector leader, Herb brings a sharp perspective on how nonprofit organizations are preparing—or failing to prepare—for an era defined by disruption and rapid change.
Herb cautions that too much of today’s training for nonprofit executives and boards is locked in repetitive, outdated models. “A lot of what’s going on in these spaces of learning is performative,” he explains, “but it’s about...
Duration: 00:30:11The Nonprofit Social Media Startup Plan You Need: Why Simplicity Wins
Sep 02, 2025Social media strategist, author, and TEDx speaker, Robin Nathaniel, unpacks the connection between human relationships and digital platforms. With fresh ideas and candid energy, Robin introduces his SYNC Method—a framework designed to help nonprofits create authentic, meaningful engagement online.
Robin explains, “S is for simple. Messages you can say in four words—don’t say in twenty. Don’t overcomplicate your story.” He challenges organizations to focus less on technical jargon and more on clarity. The “Y” stands for Yield—yielding to intention. Instead of just pushing events, campaigns, or donation requests...
Duration: 00:30:01What Corporate Sponsors Want In 2026: Trends Redefining Fundraising
Aug 29, 2025Fundraisers Friday cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall dive into a thought-provoking conversation about the future of corporate sponsorships, the changing dynamics of nonprofit partnerships, and the launch of their new book, The Architecture of Fundraising.
The show kicks off with Julia setting the tone for a discussion that is anything but light—because corporate sponsorships in 2026 will demand more strategy, accountability, and creativity than ever before.
Tony adds his perspective, explaining how employee engagement has overtaken gala tables as the centerpiece of sponsorship. He explains: “When structured well, employee engagement helps a co...
Duration: 00:29:35Building Trust, Building Credit: A Nonprofit Banking Roadmap
Aug 27, 2025Step into a conversation that goes right to the heart of nonprofit operations: banking relationships, establishing credit, and securing financial footing for long-term stability. Guest Jason Garcia, CEO of Holdings, a bank just for nonprofits, offers real guidance on how nonprofits can think like businesses when it comes to financial credibility and strategy.
Jason begins by sharing his vision for HoldingsForGood.com: “Our hope and mission is to be the dedicated partner for nonprofits across the U.S. and help them achieve their goals and increase their chances of success in their missions.” With a care...
Duration: 00:32:37Is Your Nonprofit Stuck on the Fundraising Hamster Wheel?
Aug 22, 2025We’re exploring a powerful theme that affects every nonprofit: the necessity of diversifying revenue streams—with cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall. While fundraising is often viewed as a singular number to hit, Tony ignites the convo with, “If we are focused on putting everything in one basket, we’re putting our programs and services at risk.”
Together, they walk through the “lanes” of nonprofit revenue: major gifts, corporate sponsorships, grants, and planned giving—each requiring different skill sets but all anchored in one common thread: relationships. Tony’s thinking. . . “True success in fundraising rests in your ability to bu...
Duration: 00:30:19HR and Finance: The True Cost of Onboarding and Retention at Nonprofits
Aug 20, 2025Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher, COO of JMT Consulting, and Kristen Stine, HR Director at JMT Consulting, explore the real financial and human costs of nonprofit staffing. This discussion blends finance, HR, and leadership into a compelling narrative about how organizations can protect their missions by rethinking how they hire, onboard, and retain talent.
Stephanie begins by framing the evolution of nonprofit finance within a technological context. Reflecting on the industry’s shift from ledgers to AI-enabled platforms, she notes: “Technology lets finance leaders be much more of a strategist than ever before, not just some...
Duration: 00:32:29The Courage to Lead with Presence: How Engagement Shapes Leadership
Aug 18, 2025Leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about presence, awareness, and courage. That’s the central message of this sparkling conversation featuring Wendy F. Adams, CFRE, CEO of Cultivate for Good, co-host Ellie Hume of Your Part-Time Controller, and co-host Julia Patrick. Together, they unpack what it means to truly “read the room” and lead with authenticity.
Wendy brings her trademark candor and wisdom to the conversation. Affectionately called the “Elephant Slayer”, she reminds us that every meeting has unspoken dynamics—and ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear. “There’s always one in the room and it doesn’t get any smalle...
Duration: 00:31:12Federal Funding Updates: Nonprofit's Survival Strategies in Uncertain Times
Aug 14, 2025In a conversation that feels more like a real-time crisis briefing than a casual update, Derick Dreher, Government Funding Department Leader at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), breaks down the latest turbulence in federal funding. If your nonprofit depends on government grants—or even corporate partnerships—you’ll want to pay attention.
Derick opens with a stark truth: “Change is the only constant these days.” Over the past several months, nonprofits have faced an unprecedented series of delays, freezes, and sudden shifts in the flow of federal dollars. From an outright funding pause by the Office of Management and Budget...
Duration: 00:32:15Is Your Nonprofit Already Hacked? The Truth About Pen Testing
Aug 13, 2025Has your nonprofit ever had a simulated break-in to test your digital defenses? If not, you may already have an intruder inside!
Cyberattacks aren’t just happening to big corporations—they’re happening to nonprofits every day. And far too many organizations have no idea they’ve been breached until months later. Cybersecurity expert Michael Nouguier, Partner of Cybersecurity Services at Richey May, pulls back the curtain on the urgent, often-overlooked practice of penetration testing—known as “pen testing.” His message is blunt: if your nonprofit hasn’t done one, you may already be compromised.<...
Duration: 00:29:32From Click to Connection: Building Donor Relationships Online
Aug 12, 2025Online giving isn’t just the future of fundraising—it’s the now! Emily Kelly, National Accounts Manager at Bloomerang, delivers a practical, energizing roadmap for nonprofits to raise more money online—without adding more stress to already full plates.
This conversation is for any nonprofit ready to increase online giving, improve donor retention, and strengthen relationships in a digital-first world. Emily blends practical “fix it today” steps with a bigger vision for creating donor experiences that inspire giving, year after year.
Emily’s passion for relationship-building is woven through every tactic she shares. With a background i...
Duration: 00:31:00How Nonprofits Can Advertise on TV: Target Donors by ZIP Code!
Aug 11, 2025Connected TV (CTV) advertising isn’t just for big brands anymore—it’s an emerging frontier for nonprofits to tell their stories on the biggest screen in the house. Kris Johns, CEO and founder of AdGood, shared how his organization is unlocking unused, high-quality streaming ad space for nonprofits—at up to 70% off market rates.
AdGood works directly with major publishers and platforms to collect unfilled “ad slates” (those silent filler moments you see while streaming) and make them available exclusively to nonprofits. “We sit at the bottom of the ad stack,” Kris explains, “so anything they don’t...
Duration: 00:30:06Reignite Your Board's Fundraising: 8 Big Tips That Actually Work!
Aug 08, 2025This high-energy episode of Fundraisers Friday is packed with smart, actionable tips to help nonprofit leaders reignite board engagement—especially when things feel slow or disconnected. Cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall bring clarity, candor, and creativity to the perennial challenge of motivating board members to actively participate in fundraising.
“If board members understand their roles and are equipped with tools, they can feel confident and proud to help raise funds,” starts Tony. He encourages nonprofits to start with clear job descriptions and fundraising expectations—not as pressure, but as empowerment.
Julia adds heart to the c...
Duration: 00:31:30If I Have a Program That Requires ME to Run It— It’s a Failure In Progress!
Aug 07, 2025What if our best intentions were doing more harm than good? In this compelling and unflinchingly honest conversation, global humanitarian consultant Jen Brewer, Vice President at Care for Life, challenges the deeply ingrained dynamics behind the so-called “hero complex,” also known as the white savior complex.
Jen’s lived experience—once showing up with “20 suitcases full of stuff to give” to Guatemalan communities—serves as the jumping-off point for this raw and revealing discussion about what real help looks like. With decades of international service work, Jen isn’t interested in guilt trips or shame tactics. Instead, she invites a sh...
Duration: 00:30:08Learning from Tech Startups: Fundraising Strategies Nonprofits Need Now
Aug 06, 2025Exploring how nonprofit fundraisers can adopt the disciplined mindset and tools of the startup world— with special guest Jeffrey Fidelman, CEO of Fidelman & Co.. Jeffrey, whose firm delivers "fundraise-as-a-service" to early-stage companies and emerging managers, shares a structured and data-informed approach to relationship-building that challenges many long-held assumptions in the nonprofit sector. This fascinating discussion will challenge nonprofit professionals to rethink the very architecture of their fundraising systems by borrowing proven tactics from startups—without sacrificing the human touch.
At the core of Jeffrey’s message is the idea that fundraising is a systematic process, not a s...
Duration: 00:29:36Risk Aversion Is the Real Threat: Playing It Safe Could Be Hurting Your Nonprofit
Aug 05, 2025In a sector that thrives on purpose yet struggles with burnout, Paul Hanscom, Chief Growth Officer at Ewald Consulting, unpacks what happens when nonprofits become risk-averse after a crisis—and the surprising costs of playing it safe.
This conversation is a powerful challenge to nonprofit leaders: don’t retreat. The world is still changing—rapidly—and the organizations that will thrive are those who remember what got them through the last storm and are brave enough to face the next one head-on.
Paul, a Certified Association Executive (CAE), begins with a reflection on 20 years of working...
Duration: 00:30:59What the Development Team Wishes You Knew: Fundraising Is Everyone’s Job
Aug 04, 2025For nonprofit leaders who want to improve internal communication, build a culture of philanthropy, and empower their entire team to support fundraising goals, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall spark an important and timely conversation about the often-misunderstood role of fundraising teams—and how to break down the organizational silos that hold back true impact.
With wit, warmth, and wisdom, the pair explores why internal teams—from programming to finance to marketing—need to better understand the full picture of development work. From donor stewardship to impact selling, the development role is far more than gala invita...
Duration: 00:30:51Interim Fundraising Leaders: Building Culture and Sustaining Development
Aug 04, 2025Explore a rarely discussed intersection in nonprofit leadership: the power of interim roles in development and fundraising, with Jeffrey R. Wilcox, President of Interim Executives Academy, and Joan McBride, CEO of GreatRake, McBride and Associates. This conversation charts new ground—arguing that interim fundraising leaders are not temporary placeholders but catalysts for cultural and operational evolution.
Jeffrey emphasizes that nonprofit organizations often treat development challenges as process issues, when in fact, they require deeper organizational change. “We don’t need a consultative intervention,” he declares. “We need an evolutionary capacity-building process.” Interim development professionals, he explains, are trained not...
Duration: 00:31:49Nonprofit Budgeting Without Siloes: How to Build Collaborative Financial Strategies
Jul 31, 2025It’s budget season for nonprofits, and Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher, Chief Operating Officer at JMT Consulting, brings powerful insight to the table in this energizing session with host Julia Patrick. With over three decades of nonprofit sector expertise, JMT helps finance departments move from back-office cost centers to proactive strategy drivers—and Stephanie shows us how. Whether you’re preparing for the fiscal year or completely rethinking how your nonprofit builds financial strategy, this episode offers more than insight—it gives you a roadmap.
“We need to stop thinking of budgets as fixed and start treating them like what...
Duration: 00:30:58From Crisis to Credibility: Nonprofit Growth Lessons
Jul 30, 2025How do you lead when everything feels uncertain? Carina Santa Maria, CEO of Shelter Youth and Family Services, shared a bold, forward-thinking approach to nonprofit leadership in challenging times. From weathering funding impasses and the pandemic to rethinking donor relationships and pioneering new models of care, Carina proves that crisis can be a catalyst for transformation.
Shelter-Inc.org, based outside Chicago, has served vulnerable youth and families for 50 years. Yet Carina candidly shares that despite its legacy, the organization has had to reinvent itself multiple times. Whether navigating Illinois’ state budget freeze or pivoting during COVID-19, the co...
Duration: 00:28:01Professionalizing Volunteer Leadership: Transforming Nonprofits
Jul 28, 2025What if your volunteer engagement strategy was more than just a nice-to-have? What if it were the heartbeat of your nonprofit’s growth, donor development, and impact? That’s exactly the message Nicole R. Smith, Executive Director of AL!VE (Association of Leaders in Volunteer Engagement), and Allie Acridge, Volunteer Engagement Specialist at The Women’s Community, bring to this energizing conversation.
Nicole, a Certified Volunteer Administrator (CVA), kicks things off by explaining the value of professionalizing volunteer engagement: “Managing volunteers, when done well, is like a conductor overseeing an orchestra.” She urges organizations to treat volunteer engagement...
Duration: 00:30:44Where to Find Fundraising Talent (Hint: It’s Not Just LinkedIn!)
Jul 25, 2025Finding great fundraising talent doesn’t have to feel like searching for unicorns! On this Fundraisers Friday conversation, Julia Patrick and Tony Beall team up to demystify the talent search and show nonprofits how to recruit smarter, not harder. Whether you’re scrambling to fill a vacant role, thinking about future staffing needs, or exploring nontraditional ways to build your dream team, this conversation is packed with smart ideas and refreshing encouragement.
Tony kicks things off with a reality check: “There’s a lot of talent out there—but how do we find them, and how do we know th...
Duration: 00:29:56Nonprofit Spending Chaos? Track Every Dollar Without Losing Your Mind!
Jul 22, 2025If you've ever worked in a nonprofit and found yourself fronting expenses on your personal credit card, you're not alone—and you're definitely not doing it wrong. But there's a better way. Our host sat down with GiveFront.com , to unpack how nonprofits can modernize the way they manage spending, reimbursements, and financial oversight.
Founder of GiveFront, Matt Tengtrakool, brings a unique dual lens to the discussion: one from years of hands-on experience running and managing nonprofit finances, and another from building financial technology designed specifically for the sector. His message is clear—nonprofits deserve modern tools to t...
Duration: 00:29:11Flight Paths for All: Breaking Down Barriers in Aviation
Jul 21, 2025What if becoming a pilot wasn’t a dream reserved for the few—but a real career path for young people in underserved communities? In this inspiring conversation, Dana Donati, CEO of Breaking Down Barriers.org, shares how their aviation nonprofit is rewriting the narrative on who gets to fly.
Founded by former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and his wife, Gwen, Breaking Down Barriers takes flight training and mentorship directly into Dallas communities where aviation has historically been out of reach. From first-grade classrooms to community colleges, Dana and her team spark interest in aviation careers earl...
Duration: 00:28:23Fundraising in Times of Chaos: It Starts with Your Mindset
Jul 16, 2025In a climate charged with political unpredictability, donor hesitancy, and organizational fatigue, Peter Heller, CEO and Founder of Heller Fundraising Group, returns to offer clear-headed perspective on what nonprofits should be doing now—not later. Drawing from decades of experience in higher education and over 20 years guiding capital campaigns and feasibility studies, Peter brings both context and calm to a sector feeling increasingly unsettled.
Fundraising is never easy, Peter reminds us. But right now, it’s especially daunting. Some organizations are facing existential uncertainty, while others are tempted to pull back entirely. “Even if we stopped talking right...
Duration: 00:29:16From $10K to $10M: Growing Nonprofit Assets Over Time
Jul 15, 2025The Chief Investment Officer at Christian Brothers Services, Steve Sliwinski, offers a highly approachable yet technically sound guide to nonprofit investment strategy. With decades of financial experience and dual designations as CFA and CAIA, Steve breaks down how organizations—regardless of size—can begin managing and growing their financial assets responsibly.
From policy benchmarking and committee structure to modern investment tools and trends like IP transfers and crypto, Steve’s insights will help demystify what can often be an intimidating subject. This episode is a must-watch for boards, CFOs, and executive leaders seeking clarity on how to begin—...
Duration: 00:30:25AI vs. Human: Nonprofit Hiring Practices in 2025
Jul 14, 2025What happens when artificial intelligence collides with nonprofit hiring? Katie Warnock, CEO and Founder of Staffing Boutique, brings over two decades of recruitment wisdom to unpack the evolving world of nonprofit staffing—where AI, automation, and applicant tracking systems are rapidly reshaping the game.
From resume reviews to video interviews scored by machines, Katie walks us through what’s real, what’s useful, and what still absolutely needs a human touch. She describes AI as a powerful tool—but not a one-size-fits-all solution.
She shares how AI can now instantly generate candidate pipelines, automate scheduling, and send...
Duration: 00:28:52Modern Fundraising Starts Here: Tech Can Save You Time & Raise More
Jul 11, 2025This fast episode plants more than a few seeds—it digs deep into the fertile soil of fundraising tech and AI, showing nonprofit leaders how to embrace new tools without fear or being overwhelmed.
Co-host Julia Patrick opens with her signature energy: “It’s always a good day when I get to work with my cohost Tony Beall,” . . .and what follows is an energizing discussion around modernizing fundraising practices. The duo tackles AI not as a villain, but as a brilliant assistant. As Tony puts it: “AI is a tool, not a takeover.”
From predictive analytics to...
Duration: 00:31:39Why Nonprofit's Finance and Program Teams Clash—and How to Fix It!
Jul 10, 2025Leadership meets lived experience as Eric Wilson, Director at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), unpacks the long-standing tension between nonprofit finance and programming. With warmth, wit, and real-world clarity, Eric takes us into the heart of the issue—how two departments with the same mission often work in silos, risking confusion, inefficiency, and financial misalignment.
From discussing budget misunderstandings to the implications of restricted funds, this episode challenges nonprofit leaders to ask themselves: “Are we communicating with intention—or just reacting when problems arise?”
Eric shares, “You don’t want people afraid to bring you a problem… I'd...
Duration: 00:30:49The Cybercrime Response Plan Every Nonprofit Needs: What To Do First
Jul 09, 2025When a cyberattack hits your nonprofit, do you know what to do? Cybersecurity expert Michael Nouguier, Partner at Cybersecurity Services at Richey May, walks us through the essential steps every nonprofit must take—before, during, and after a cyber event. As host Julia Patrick notes, it's not a matter of if, but when, and being unprepared is no longer an option.
From clarifying what cyber insurance actually covers to practicing realistic incident response exercises, Michael offers a pragmatic and step-by-step guide tailored for nonprofit leaders. He points out, “Failure to plan is planning to fail,” and urges organi...
Duration: 00:31:31The Myth of Declining Generosity
Jul 08, 2025A clear message: “Generosity is not dead—it’s transforming”, says Ann Fellman, Chief Marketing Officer at Bloomerang. As headlines churn out fatigue-inducing stories of donor decline and uncertainty, Ann injects much-needed optimism rooted in data and strategy.
“We are in it now,” Ann declares about the $70 trillion wealth transfer, urging nonprofits to act instead of waiting for the perfect moment. Drawing from the latest Giving USA 2024 findings, she reminds us that individual giving reached a staggering $592.5 billion, with 66% of that coming directly from individuals. “Individual Americans are ready and willing to...
Duration: 00:31:21Why HR Chaos Sinks New CEOs: Interims to the Rescue!
Jul 07, 2025Jeffrey Wilcox (President) and Joan Brown (COO) of the Interim Executives Academy unpack the harsh realities of nonprofit leadership turnover—and the game-changing role of interim executives.
Jeffrey starts this lively session with. . . “Interim leaders aren’t temps—they’re bees, cross-pollinating wisdom to prepare organizations for their next leader.” Joan Brown backs it up, revealing why first-time nonprofit CEOs crash and burn—often due to unclear job expectations, chaotic HR structures, and boards that operate like secret societies instead of partners.
This bouyant conversation with host Julia Patrick, gets real fast...
Duration: 00:29:34Digital Natives, Real Impact: Engaging Gen Z Volunteers
Jun 30, 2025How do you win the hearts—and hands—of Gen Z donors? According to Emily Tisdale, West Coast Manager for Team for Cures at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (TheMMRF.org), you stop seeing them as “the future” and start engaging them right now.
In this lively session, Julia C. Patrick explores Gen Z’s philanthropic behavior with Emily, who’s on the frontlines of volunteer and donor engagement across three major markets. Emily doesn’t mince words: “This generation is not transactional. They want to be part of the change.” That means showing up, speaking out, and yes—expecting...
Duration: 00:30:37Crypto, DAFs, and Nonprofit Magic: It's Fundraiser's Friday!
Jun 27, 2025In a whirlwind of nonprofit questions from viewers, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall splash into the world of fundraising mysteries. "We need to diversify our funding streams," Tony begins, setting the tone for a conversation that's part strategy session, part confessional. From the complex dance of fundraising committees to the cutting-edge world of cryptocurrency donations, these nonprofit mavens dissect the industry's most pressing questions with surgical precision and infectious enthusiasm.
How do fundraising committees work with board members? Committees can serve as talent pipelines and engagement platforms, with board members actively recruiting committee members.
Sho...
Duration: 00:28:48How to Run a Nonprofit Thrift Store That Doesn’t End Up in the Clearance Bin
Jun 26, 2025Thinking of opening a nonprofit thrift store? Before you dust off those donation bins, take a lesson from Kate Thoene, CEO of New Life Center., as she gives us a masterclass in turning a pile of secondhand shoes into sustainable impact. Spoiler: It’s not as easy as slapping a price tag on old lamps and hoping for the best.
At Hope’s Closet, the social enterprise Kate oversees, “we don’t take anything that makes you ask, ‘Should I donate this or toss it?’” That tough-love clarity is part of what keeps their thrift shop not just afloat—bu...
Duration: 00:30:43Collaboration Is Not a Vibe—It’s a Skill: A Wake-Up Call to Philanthropy
Jun 25, 2025In this electric and occasionally uncomfortable conversation, Stephen Minix—VP of Community at UpMetrics—lays bare the myth that collaboration simply “happens” in the nonprofit sector. His assertion is sharp: “If I can cut the check, I can set the terms.” This statement cuts to the core of a sector that talks community but often operates in silos defined by funding power dynamics and compliance culture.
What emerges in this conversation is a compelling argument for a wholesale reframe of how nonprofits and funders work together. Collaboration, Stephen insists, isn't a mood or a moment—it’s a skill s...
Duration: 00:29:36Nonprofit Donor Data Is a Gold Mine. Here’s How to Dig!
Jun 24, 2025If you've ever wondered whether your nonprofit fundraising data is a treasure chest or a digital junk drawer, Greg Warner is here with a flashlight, a map, and a pickaxe. In this entertaining conversation, Greg—CEO of MarketSmart and creator of the Fundraising Report Card—joins host Julia Patrick to dissect the murky waters of metrics and help nonprofits move from guesswork to grounded strategy.
Greg kicks off with the backstory: MarketSmart’s 17-year evolution into a marketing automation firm helping nonprofits identify, qualify, and steward major and legacy donors. ‘The Fundraising Report Card’, born from this journey, n...
Duration: 00:29:12Turn Your Nonprofit's Auctions Into Joyful, Money-Making Machines
Jun 23, 2025What happens when a PTA president-turned-techie disrupts the nonprofit auction world? You get Roger Devine, co-founder of SchoolAuction.net, a man on a mission to make fundraising events both profitable and meaningful. In this fast-moving conversation with host Julia Patrick, Roger doesn’t just talk events—he redefines them.
From live auctions and paddle raises to the fine art of keeping silent auctions out of the ballroom, Roger offers a field-tested guide to modern event strategy. “I want to treat a fundraiser as if it is a fundraiser—I expect to make money,” Roger declares. And he means it.<...
Duration: 00:30:48The Nonprofit Overhead Myth Explained
Jun 18, 2025Are you still chasing a “low overhead” badge of honor? Gregg Indictor, Director at Your Part-Time Controller, confronts one of the nonprofit sector’s most persistent misinterpretations: the overhead myth. With cohosts Julia Patrick and Meico Marquette Whitlock, the conversation unpacks what "overhead" actually represents, why it’s often misunderstood, and how nonprofits can more accurately reflect their financial stewardship.
Gregg begins by demystifying overhead as merely the administrative costs necessary to support any organization’s operations—nonprofit or for-profit, saying, “There is no correct overhead ratio for any organization,” noting that effectiveness should be measured by mission impact...
Duration: 00:30:51Fundraising Shakeup: Local, Smart, Data-Driven
Jun 17, 2025Explore the intersection of philanthropy, data science, and the evolving tools shaping nonprofit fundraising, with our guest, Scott Brighton, CEO of Bonterra. Bonterra, a software company serving both nonprofits and funders, processes nearly 10% of all U.S. philanthropic activity outside government sources. This scale gives Scott and his team a uniquely comprehensive vantage point to identify what truly drives growth and effectiveness in today’s nonprofit landscape.
The episode centers on Bonterra’s newly released ‘2025 Impact Report’, which identifies strategic patterns and technologies used by high-performing nonprofits. Scott explains, “We’re not just looking at the growth of philanthro...
Duration: 00:29:06The Intentional Nonprofit Executive: Strategies for Sustainable Leadership
Jun 16, 2025In an era marked by organizational strain and evolving workplace expectations, leadership must move beyond traditional fixes and embrace systemic transformation. Patrick Farran, PhD, MBA, co-founder of Ad Lucem Group, joins host Julia Patrick to dissect the true nature of burnout, succession, and sustainable engagement in nonprofit leadership.
Patrick challenges the prevailing assumption that burnout stems solely from overwork. “The number one cause of burnout is not overwork—it’s the loss of agency,” he explains, arguing that without autonomy, even meaningful work becomes draining. Rather than defaulting to micromanagement during times of stress, Patrick advocates for building...
Duration: 00:30:20Secrets Behind Fundraiser's Salaries Revealed!
Jun 13, 2025How much should a fundraiser make—and why is it still taboo to ask?
Cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall tackle the longstanding silence around nonprofit salary transparency. “There isn’t a whole lot of trust around this topic,” says Tony, “and it’s good for us to start talking about it.” What unfolds on this Fundraiser’s Friday episode is a candid, layered discussion about job titles, compensation expectations, and the complicated politics behind who earns what—and why.
Fundraising jobs are not one-size-fits-all. As Tony explains, “There are assistant positions, manager roles, directors, officers—...
Duration: 00:30:07