Tag: podcast

Here are ten practical things you can do — starting today — that will make you into a better fundraiser:

1. Donate.
2. Send and receive snail-mail.
3. Sign up for lots of email from other nonprofits.
4. Participate in online social networking sites.
5. Hang around with older people.
6. Become aware of the cultural context of your audience.
7. Go to church.
8. Read the popular press.
9. Pay attention to how you ask people for favors.
10. Work at becoming a better writer.

You can start doing some of these things today. Don’t miss this super-practical podcast!

In this episode we interview Chris Doyle, President and CEO of American Leprosy Missions, an organization that’s leading the fight against leprosy around the world. Back in the mid-90s, when Doyle joined, the organization was in an accelerating downward slide. Learn about the steps Doyle and American Leprosy Missions took to turn the corner and return to health. It’s an inspiring story that shows what you can do by getting the basics right.

Okay, you’ve cried, you’ve pleaded, you’ve made your case. But there’s no way around it: You have to cut your fundraising budget. Find out the area you can cut with little damage to your program, the areas where cuts would be devastating, and areas where you can make meaningful savings. We can’t make the cuts feel good, but we can keep them from hurting your program too much.

Don’t miss this interview with fundraising legend Mal Warwick, author of the recent book Fundraising When Money Is Tight (as well as many other books on fundraising). Find out how to survive the recession — including the biggest mistake you can make.

An interview with Troy Stremler, CEO of Newdea, a company that helps nonprofits measure and report the impact of their programs. Troy sees a big change in the new generation of donors: They don’t want to be “marketed to” — they want to be partners with the organizations they support. If he’s right (and we think he is), that means we’re going to need a radical new level of transparency, being able to report on the impact of their involvement, rather than trying to motivate them with the tired old stream of branding activities and low-involvement fundraising tactics we’ve relied on. This program will encourage and/or terrify you!

An interview with Cass Wheeler, former CEO of the American Heart Association and author of the new book You’ve Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Social Sector (available at Amazon and at Powell’s). Don’t miss what this wise CEO has to say about people who are good at fundraising, how to make sure you get the right people, how to set bold goals, and how the right people with audacious goals can radically change a whole organization.

Working with the right fundraising consultant or agency can take your organization to undreamed-of heights. Having the wrong partner can be as rewarding as a long afternoon with a hungry, sleep-deprived two-year-old. In this podcast we share the three things you should think about when choosing the right fundraising partner.

We’re back — after a delay we’re attributing to the economy and a house-fire — with practical hints for planning your upcoming fundraising campaigns in a way that will help keep you out of trouble in these hard times.

The entire Fundraising Is Beautiful staff gathers for a holiday party and to wish our listeners and friends (especially those who are both) some good things for the coming year.