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#041 Today I am speaking with Dr. Deborah Pruitt.  Deborah is a trained Cultural Anthropologist and applies a dynamic anthropological perspective to helping organizations achieve extraordinary results. More specifically, she helps her clients work collaboratively and unify around a collective vision. She’s found that it all starts with culture - many people have had experiences where they felt disregarded or disrespected.“That was what led me to think deeply about how do we create a culture in a group that supports working together collaboratively for the same interests and same goals while also honoring the individuals in the group and their needs and what it is that provides the context and the space and the opportunity for them to bring their best and to do it together.”She founded Group Alchemy to help clients build strategic plans that bring focus to the organization's purpose and strengthen collaborative problem solving.  In this episode, we discuss her 6 Elements of Group Alchemy to help groups, no matter the size, create culture so they could work better together.1 Inspiration2 Agreements3 Accountability4 Acknowledgement5 Renewal6 MasteryThe key takeaways from my discussion with Deborah are:#1 Agreements don't really matter if you don't have accountability;#2 Foundation is built on knowing why we’re here and what we’re are up to; #3 So many of our groups need to be freed from the management control model; #4 Instead of blame, Accountability is the ability to solve problems.HOOK - Be sure to stick around until the end to hear how to get Deborah to send you a copy of her book.

#040 Today I am speaking with Polly Lagana.  Polly is a New York based Behavioral Scientist who has been researching happiness for years - it is her life’s work.  Her formula is PLEASURE + PURPOSE + COMMUNITY = HAPPINESS.  Through her research, Polly found that…“people want to belong- they want to feel a sense of community - they want to feel like they're part of something”.Polly discovered that quick interactions that aren't about asking for money carry a lot of weight with donors.  We should focus our relationship building on putting in time to develop those small connections, unrelated to the ask.After moving to Switzerland she found philanthropy was BIG, but very quiet.  That is where she began to see the intersection between happiness, self satisfaction, donor satisfaction.“Philanthropy actually comes out of this idea. That's part of you as a member of the community. It's a way to have a positive impact on your life”.She used her research to create her SPARK Framework which results in happier donors who give more money more consistently and get others to give as well and join your donor community:Simplicity of the ask and the taskPersonal connectionAlignment of goals between the donor and your organization or institutionResearch and information guiding your decisions AndKnowledge of a positive outcomeBe sure to stick around until the end to hear what Polly learned while living in Switzerland for 3 years.The key takeaways from my discussion with Polly are:  #1 Make it really simple and reduce the amount of choices for your donor.;#2 People have short attention spans - keep your ask and pitch to 3 minutes; #3 Have your best messenger deliver your message; #4 This is the time to try new things - don't be afraid - don't let fear hold you back.

#039 - Today I am speaking with AJ Steinberg.  AJ is a professional event producer with a background in both fundraising and engagement neuropsychology.  She produces, consults, and trains but, above all else, considers herself an engagement strategist because…“engagement is what it takes to work with volunteers and also to create engaging events.”For over 20 years she has produced more than 100 successful events all over North America and raised millions of dollars for nonprofits from her Los Angeles based production company.  Some of her best advice is simple yet effective - make your volunteers feel like the superstars they are….“I do not ever have an email that doesn't either end or begin with, Hey there, I, first of all, want to thank you for the time that you're putting into this. I love working with you. I make them feel like superstars because they are superstars.”She is a recognized subject matter expert and trainer, presenting on subjects such as nonprofit event planning, event sponsorships, committee and volunteer leadership, generational giving, and guest engagement.Check out AJ at - https://queenbeefundraising.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with AJ are: #1 Community and engagement is the #1 most important thing when you're interacting with volunteers;#2 87% of volunteers become more meaningfully involved with the organizations after they have their volunteer experience;#3 Clear and regular communication with your volunteers is key to your event’s success; #4 Make your volunteers feel like the superstars they are.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear what AJ has to say about committee chairs being stuck doing all the work.

#038 - Today I am speaking with Jenni Hargrove.  Jenni is a nonprofit guru who advises nonprofits on management, marketing, and development strategies. She has amazing free resources on her website including her podcast The Nonprofit Jenni Show.  In this interview, she shares the risk many nonprofits face when they limit their fundraising efforts to only 1 big event per year.“I always tell them that when they're thinking about stabilizing their revenue in the long term is that you need to think about your revenue streams sort of as a stool.  So that's why we don't like to have just one or two revenue streams because that only gives you one or two legs to stand on. You really want at least three different types of revenue streams. And so that, doesn't mean having three fundraising events that would only count as one leg on the stool because it's only one type of revenue.”She began her career working in corporate philanthropy for a really big international corporation.  Her job included picking and choosing which nonprofits would get funded.  She wanted to create resources for the so many nonprofits she had to turn down.  AND Nonprofit Jenni was born.“It is just much more fulfilling for me to be able to serve the 99% versus the 1%.”Check out Jenni at - https://www.nonprofitjenni.com/ The key takeaways from my discussion with Jenni are:#1 You need 3 legs to your fundraising/ revenue stream;#2 Nonprofits can use social enterprises to fund their missions; #3 Consult with an accountant and an attorney when setting up your nonprofit; AND#4 Corporate Foundations can be a better place to look for money than the corporation itself.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear all about the Nonprofit Jenni Book Club.

#037 - Today I am speaking with Rhea Wong.  Rhea is a New York based nonprofit consultant who trains nonprofit leaders to fundraise more money from high-net worth donors.  At the age of 26, she became the Executive Director of a nonprofit with a $250k budget.  The first day on the job, she Googled 2 things - 1)  what does an Executive Director do and 2) how to fundraise? Rhea did something right - very right.  In her 12 years as the ED of that nonprofit, she grew that $250k budget into over $3 million through private philanthropy. “So I'd figured out the foundations, the corporations, the events, the individuals and the one area that I thought had the most potential for growth were the major gift individuals.  When we look at the pie of philanthropic gifts, nationally, the biggest chunk of the pie are individuals.  They're responsible for upwards of like $350 billion or something.  So many nonprofits focus on, you know, the grants and like corporate sponsorships or whatever. It's really about the people.”After working on projects for her ED friends, she decided to focus on major gift fundraising because that is where people had the most anxiety.Be sure to stick around until the end to hear all of Rhea’s great dating analogies for fundraising.Check out Rhea at - https://www.rheawong.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with Rhea are:#1 Think of fundraising like a party and you just want to see who wants to come to your party;#2 Don’t think you are taking something away from donors - you are inviting them to be part of something special;#3 Fundraising is just a math problem - offers minus no's equals yeses. So the more you ask, the more nos you're going to get, but the more yeses you're going to get;#4 If everybody's your donor, then nobody is your donor.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.  

#036 - Today I am speaking with Tracy Clark, the Founder and CEO of Clark & Clark, a nonprofit consulting firm she runs with her husband Robert Clark.  Tracy has been coaching and setting up non profit organizations for over 10 years.  Together, they have set up over 4,000 Nonprofits and received over 10 million dollars in grant funding.Clark & Clark teaches self-sufficiency and business development.  Their top priority is to see more minorities access the required funds to pursue their purpose. In this episode, Tracy shares how some nonprofits start a for profit business that sells products and services and then use the funds generated by that business to fund their programs.Tracy says:“even though they may have had some successful fundraising campaigns, what they're realizing is they want a little bit more control over the funding that's coming in.”Be sure to stick around to hear how Tracy started her 1st business at the age of 10.Check out Clark & Clark at - https://www.clarkandclark.org/ The key takeaways from my discussion with Tracy are:#1 Grant funders want you to demonstrate sustainability;#2 You can likely operate a business without a storefront;#3 Nonprofits face a lot competition so make sure you understand why people will want to support yours;#4 Make sure you do a good job of budgeting.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#035 - Today I am speaking with Chris Hammond.  Chris founded CGC as a full service consulting firm offering nonprofits strategy on communication, marketing, development, and fundraising.  They free up nonprofit boards and staff so they can spend more time on their missions and less on admin stuff.One of CGC’s superpowers is Peer to Peer Fundraising.  They teach their clients how to leverage their supporters' networks to raise money by committing just 15ish minutes per week to educate their friends and family on this organization they love.This is A LOT less cost and stress compared to an annual gala and a lot.As for challenges organizations face, Chris says:“One of the biggest things we’ve seen our clients facing is change and evolving and innovating.”Be sure to stick around to hear how one of Chris’ clients turned a $2,500 donor into a $15,000 donor.Check out CGC at - https://cgcgiving.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with Shane are:#1 Use a welcome email series to onboard new supporters;#2 Dealing with change is one of the biggest challenges for organizations;#3 Peer to Peer Fundraising is a more formulaic and predictable form of fundraising;#4 It is as important to have supporters open doors with potential donors as it is to have a super compelling message.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.   

#034 - Today I am speaking with Shane Sams.  Shane has one of the most popular episodes on Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast.  His episode #122 is one of SPI’s most popular.  To put this in perspective, SPI has more than 500 episodes and over one million downloads.  Shane’s episode has more downloads than Tim Ferris and Gary Vaynerchuck combined.Shane started the flipped lifestyle with his wife Jocelyn.  Their mission is to help 100,000 families flip their life by turning it upside down thru starting, building, and growing an online business.Although they primarily work with individuals, they also work with nonprofits and I think there is a lot of potential for our small mission driven organizations, especially those that rely on membership dues.  Our organizations can use what Shane teaches to start an online business and use the funds generated from that effort to fund their organization's programs and become less reliant on membership dues.Shane says that in building a successful membership group….“You've got to provide value with content. You’ve got to provide value by uniting the community and you’ve got to bring access to the people”.AND“People are only going to exchange their proof of work, which is money, for your proof of solution”.Be sure to stick around to hear how Shane, in his words, “about wrecked my lawnmower”.Check out Shane at - https://flippedlifestyle.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with Shane are:#1 You make money when you sell your knowledge, your wisdom, and you help people solve problems;#2 The membership model will work, whether you're for profit or non-profit, doesn't matter;#3 Create content that solves a problem and a place for your people to hang out and connect;#4 It's simple - you create content, you build an email list, you get people in your membership.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#033 - Today I am speaking with Sandi Fox.  Sandi is a digital strategist guru.  One of her superpowers is helping organizations incorporate text messaging as a communication channel in their fundraising efforts.  We are more likely to read texts vs emails because this is where we communicate with friends and family.  As a result, organizations are increasingly turning to text as a key communication channel.  In addition to fundraising, Sandi has some terrific advice on how organizations can use text messaging effectively as an organizing and general communication tool.Sandi says….….“and over 90% have a mobile phone. So it's about meeting people where they are and they're on their mobile phones, right?  So, it's become one of the best direct response tools in our tool set for digital because that means we really actually reach people - they are more likely to respond to our ask.”Check out Sandi at - https://www.smartasafox.org/The key takeaways from my discussion with Cody are:  #1 90% of people who receive a text message will read it within 90 seconds of receiving it;#2 Can be used by organizations of any size;#3 Best practice is 2-3 messages per month; AND#4 There is a cost - It’s not free like social media so if you add it, be sure you don’t forget about it.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#032 - Today I am speaking with Cody Hays.  Cody is the founder of Marketing Mission.  They provide “affordable marketing to make the world better”.  Cody shares some of his email marketing secrets to help get more of our emails opened and read.  Cody has some great tips and tricks that we can easily implement TODAY!   When considering what to automate, Cody says…. “How much time will this save you? OR Will this save you from having to do something over and over and over and over again? OR do you just hate doing it? If you answered yes to any of that - automate it, right?  Because your time is better served, focusing on your zone of genius rather than doing something that's going to deplete your energy or waste your time.”Check out Marketing Mission at - https://www.marketingmission.org/The key takeaways from my discussion with Cody are:#1 Short and clear subject lines help get the reader’s attention;#2 Using emojis in your subject lines can boost your open rate;#3 Invest in a good email automation tool; AND#4 Use your email to establish your expertise instead of just a diary of what is going on with your organization.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#031 - Today I am speaking with Julia Patrick.  Julia is the founder of the American Nonprofit Academy.  Her mission is to bring education, leadership, connectivity and collaboration to the nonprofit community.  She produces and hosts the nation's ONLY daily 30 minute nonprofit broadcast called The Nonprofit Show. She interviews nonprofit leaders from around the country and world.  There are almost 500 episodes in the archive.Julia shares that funders are looking for financial commitments from your board.“what percentage of your board is financially invested in your organization?”“Newsflash, if it's NOT 100%, then you're going to lose some funding. And that doesn't necessarily mean huge amounts of money. It could be a hundred dollars, it could be $10, but that is something that funders across this country are looking at.”She adds that you can be creative by scholarshiping younger board members who may not be able to meet the financial hurdle.Check out the American Nonprofit Academy at - https://americannonprofitacademy.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with Julia are:  #1 Be organized.  Have all of your meetings defined and scheduled for at least 12 months out;#2 Most funders are asking the question what percentage of your board is financially invested in your organization? If it's not a hundred percent, then you're going to lose some funding opportunities;#3 The same people get asked to to join these boards so you’re probably going to hear a lot of nos before you hear yeses; AND#4 The pandemic has forced overdue changes in the nonprofit world.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.   

#030 - Today I am speaking with Maura Fitzpatrick.  Maura is a nonprofit consultant, specializing in brand messaging and marketing strategy for nonprofit founders.  Her superpower is helping nonprofits communicate their mission in a way that feels authentic to them and compelling to their donors, service users, and volunteers.Maura says that one of the keys to effective branding and marketing is developing personas for your target audience - your audience should feel like you’re talking to them.  Maura smartly tells us:“...if you’re for everyone, you’re for no one”.Check out Maura’s services on her website - https://www.maurafitzpatrick.com/#ServicesThe key takeaways from my discussion with Maura are:#1 Avoid mission creep - focus on one thing you're doing and do it well before you start expanding;#2 Who's your target audience like specifically, an actual person or persona - if you’re for everyone, you’re for no one;#3 Most of your content should not be asking for donations. Most of your content should be establishing authority as the expert in what you're doing; AND#4 You have to build trust and credibility with your community, and that takes branding and marketing.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#029 - Today I am speaking with Julia Campbell.  Julia is a Speaker, Author, Nonprofit Consultant and self proclaimed Activist.  She started the recycling program in her middle school when she was just in the 6th grade.  She started her business 11 years ago to help more nonprofits figure out the digital age.  Today, she shares her nonprofit social marketing ideas that can be used by both beginners and pros alike.“...stop thinking of social media as a transactional tool and really start thinking of it as a community building tool. It is not a money spigot you can just turn on. It is not an ATM….….social media is a value exchange. People give you their time and attention and you give them something of value to them. So to build, start building a social media community, you have to know who is in your community and who do you want to attract to your community”.Social media is Julia’s super power, but she also offers resources on: 1 Storytelling2 Fundraising AND3 Email MarketingCheck out Julia’s resources on her website - https://jcsocialmarketing.com/?doing_wp_cron=1639531283.3935990333557128906250The key takeaways from my discussion with Julia are: #1 Social media is NOT a transactional tool; it is a community building one;#2 Social media is a place where you educate your audience and get them excited about what you do;#3 Your message and content has to be strategically crafted for each channel; AND#4 The 90-9-1 Rule: 90% of users are lurkers, 9% contribute a little, 1% contribute A LOT!Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#028 - Today I am speaking with Dr. Beverly Browning. Dr. Bev is the author of 44 grant-related publications, including six editions of Grant Writing For Dummies and Nonprofit Kit For Dummies.  Her online courses are taught to thousands of students annually.  She also has a 16-week virtual Coaching/Mentoring Program.  Dr Bev says…."You will not get funded if you are not innovative, creative, and unique.”Dr. Bev offers resources on:1 Grant Writing and Funding 2 Board of Directors Training 3 Strategic Needs Assessment 4 Professional Development Training 5 Proposal Development and 6 Internal Peer ReviewCheck out Dr. Bev’s free resources on her website - https://bevbrowning.com/nonprofit-resources/The key takeaways from my discussion with Dr. Bev are:  #1 Funders are looking for nonprofit organizations that are filling gaps.#2 Check in with your local United Way to find potential funders.#3 The work is 80% research / 20% writing.#4 Don’t go for funding until you’ve built a relationship with the funder.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.  

#027 - Today I am speaking with Gigi Lawrence. Gigi founded Nonprofit for Newbies,  a consulting and networking community, to help people start new nonprofits.  Gigi is a mompreneur who started off in the financial consulting world, but didn’t feel fulfilled. She knew she wanted to help others, but was unsure how.  After she took a job as a nonprofit financial literacy program director she knew she had found her calling.  Gigi says…."If your foundation isn't structured correctly and you don't know how to explain your process. You don't know how to explain your programs in a way that others are going to understand and be motivated to move forward with those services or that program and being involved….....you have to be able to sell yourself, sell your organization, and in order to sell it, you have to know what you're selling and you have to believe in it.”Nonprofit for Newbies either advises or refers “newbies” to one of the independent contractors in their network on:1 Setting up their nonprofit (501(c)3 2 Grant writing 3 Writing their business plan 4 Fundraising 5 Marketing 6 Accounting 7 Board Development, and 8 MindsetAs of this interview, her Facebook Group has over 10k members.Gigi has a ton of free resources on his website -https://www.nonprofitfornewbies.com/social

#026 - Today I am speaking with Vicki Burkhart, Founder and CEO of The More Than Giving Company.  The company supports nonprofits with Virtual Assistants who allow nonprofit leaders to focus more on their mission and less on tasks.  Vicki says:”In most cases, they will come to us and say, I don't know where to tell you to start so things have gotten so out of hand that they are already in a chaotic state” ….. “once you have a VA, you will start to see the time come back in your day”.The company takes a different approach because it ONLY hires VAs with nonprofit experience.  In addition, their VAs typically have 3 - 5 years of experience as a VA and they are put through a certification program. The key takeaways from my discussion with Vicki are:#1 Four Major Obstacles to Nonprofit Success - lack of a plan; wrong board make-up; fundraising capacity; and lack of action.#2 Once you hire a VA, you will start to see time come back into your day.#3 Volunteer boards are finding they are spending way too much time doing the detail work and not enough time cultivating donors.#4 There is a direct correlation between time spent on the stuff you need to do and the minutia.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.   

#025 - Today I am speaking with Teresa Huff.  Teresa is a special ed teacher, turned stay at home mom, then turned grant writing guru.  She began her grant writing career working with a team of grant writers, writing big federal grants. She later branched out on her own, working with clients 1 on 1. When she realized she could help more people, she developed online courses.“I really liked teaching others because I can only write so many grants and I can only be an expert in so many areas, but I can teach other people to do it. And then they can go out and create a much bigger ripple effect together. That's why I love doing this  - supporting other nonprofits so they can maximize their impact and teaching grant writers how to do this as well, and to be much more successful to shorten the distance from point A to point B.”She has worked with over 2,100 students, helping many nonprofits triple their funding. Specifically, she: Works with nonprofits to strategically lay the groundwork for grant readiness; Trains and equips grant writers with the skills they need to be successful; and Connect the dots between the two so we can all maximize our impact. She has a ton of free resources on her website - https://teresahuff.com/The key takeaways from my discussion with Teresa are:#1 BUILD RELATIONSHIP - You're not talking to dollar signs, you're not talking to money. You're talking to people and working with people.#2 Funders want to see an established nonprofit and typically an established program that they can fund - they don’t want to be your first or last dollar.#3 Be PATIENT - Grants can take a long time to write and it could take a long time to hear back.#4 Start small with local foundations.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode. 

#024 - Today I am speaking with Brock Warner.  Brock is an experienced and skilled fundraising executive.  He has over a decade of experience fundraising for social causes at senior levels in a variety of sectors.Brock is a best-selling author, coach, and digital fundraising professor.  He is a sought-after conference speaker, at conferences throughout North America.  He is actively shaping the next generation of professional fundraisers by bringing practical experience to life with engaging, honest advice.He shares some great nuggets, but one that really resonated with me was:“Ask for what you need, not just what you think you’ll get”.He has a ton of free resources on his website - www.brockwarner.ca.The key takeaways from my discussion with Brock are:#1 You need to remain PERSISTENT with your social media strategy;#2 People give to people so you need to develop relationships with your donors;#3 Understand why people are giving to your cause; AND#4 You CANNOT say thank you enough.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.  

#023 - Today I am speaking with Sandy Pfau Englund.  Sandy is a skilled nonprofit and tax law attorney.  When parents at her kids’ elementary school recognized her articles, she was recruited to join the PTO.The PTO did not have its own EIN - it was using the schools.  It did not have tax-exempt status.  If you named the list of errors, it was making all of them.“It was overwhelming for the other volunteers. That's why I got recruited. You don't have someone that does tax-exempt and non-profit law that's the mom of the kids in your elementary school.  It's not just an everyday thing.”That led her to start Parent Booster USA - to help PTAs, PTOs, booster clubs, and chapters remain in compliance with the IRS and state regulators.  She wanted to make it easy - at least more accessible for groups to keep up with these regulations.She has a ton of free resources - her policy is that "for every paid service, we have to have a do-it-yourself guide" so that if someone wants to be a weekend warrior, they can.The key takeaways from my discussion with Sandy are:#1 Don’t decide who can give and who can’t - let them decide for themselves if they can give or not;#2 To be eligible for grants, you need to make sure your registration is up to date;#3 There is no such thing as a tax-deductible, Christmas Tree or anything else - if the buyer is getting something of value, you need to identify that value for them; AND#4 Fundraising benefits need to be for the WHOLE group, not for only one individual.Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.   

#022 - Kivi Leroux Miller is a communication and marketing guru.  She lends her superpower to nonprofits - helping them craft clear, effective, and timely communication to their communities, donors, volunteers, and partners.  She shares some easy and straightforward steps that we can apply to our own organizations.Kivi has several “Rules of 3” that help simplify all of this.  Be sure to stick around until the end to hear them all. The key takeaways from my discussion with Kivi are: #1 Be sure you are clear on 1) who you are talking to; 2) what you’re saying to them; and 3) how you plan to deliver that message;#2 Your community is NOT the entire world - you need to fine-tune your target market;#3 Consistency is more important than frequency; AND#4 Create a 4-6 editorial calendar.