549. Tapping into Top Talent: How Fractional Executives Can Help Nonprofits Thrive - Sahar Vermezyarito and Cindy Wagman
Meet Cindy and Sahar. Cindy, Founder of the Fractional Fundraising Movement, and Sahar, Director of the East Scarborough Storefront, are here to share the game-changing benefits of hiring fractional executives. They’ll show how these professionals can act as mission-aligned extensions of your team. Sahar’s experience with a fractional fundraiser has taken their organization to new heights 🚀 Tune in to hear how fractional fundraisers not only raise money but can also help shift mindsets and team cultures 🙌
548. How It's Built: 7 Shifts for 7 Figure Fundraising Growth - Jon Delange
Meet Jon. He's revolutionized Summit Ministries' fundraising, driving a 25% increase in active donors and securing their first seven-figure cash gift💰 As part of the How It’s Built series, he’s sharing practical advice on data-driven decisions and fostering donor relationships through innovative marketing. Join us as he reveals how small shifts in strategy can cause significant growth Tune in to discover how these 7️⃣ shifts can transform your fundraising efforts.
547. Overcoming Toxicity from the Inside Out: Building Resilience and Driving Change - Dr. Kevin Sansberry II
Meet Dr. Kevin. He’s a seasoned behavioral scientist, executive coach, and host of the Toxic Leadership Podcast🎧 He’s bringing his expertise in eradicating toxic behaviors and promoting employee well-being through evidence-based, inclusive, and equitable approaches. Plus, he’s sharing strategies to transform cultures, build resilience, and activate change. Tune in to learn about the role of humanity, kindness, listening, and reflection in building healthy workplace cultures 🤝🌱
546. How It’s Built: Operational Magic That Puts Your Values to Work - Dorothy Chang
Meet Dorothy. Her mission is to activate everyone’s capacity to become a more powerful version of themselves—in the workplace and beyond. She helps teams and leaders design the organizational tools, systems, and processes they need to put their values into practice. In this episode of "How It's Built," Dorothy shares how those of us in the social impact sector can create conditions intentionally designed for people to do their best work. Tune in for pro tips on operationalizing values in your work🛠️
545. Human-Centered Leadership + The Power of Adaptability: Thriving Through Organizational Transitions - Kamilah Martin
Meet Kamilah. She’s successfully led and stabilized internal teams during several CEO and Executive Director transitions, known for her ability to heal fractured teams and lead with humanity. She’s sharing insights from her experience leading those teams with adaptability and curiosity. Tune in for expert advice on fostering thriving, equitable cultures through human-centered leadership. This episode is for anyone looking to create healthier, more resilient nonprofit workplaces.
544. How It's Built: From Grassroots Campaigning to Nurturing a Thriving Monthly Donor Base (with Katherine Lacefield)
Meet Katherine. She’s sharing the case study of how she moved from street fundraising to sustaining a group of 2,000 monthly donors🥳 She’s sharing her grassroots fundraising strategies, how to build a recurring donor program + use storytelling and engagement to build a digital community and movement. Tune in to hear how you can adapt this modern framework for your org✨
543. Fundraising Best Practices in an Election Year - Shanna Birky
Meet Shanna. She’s the Vice President of Customer Experience at Classy, a GoFundMe affiliate. She’s helping nonprofits stay strong amid election-year noise 🗳️ Even during election years, charitable giving has increased in 8 of the last 9 cycles 📈 Nonprofits need to know how to maximize fundraising dollars, even if not directly linked to election causes. Tune in to discover key strategies to keep your fundraising strong even when emotions are running high and mailboxes are overflowing 📬
542. How It's Built: How to Create a Modern Donor Journey - Nicholas Kristock, Fleece and Thank You
Meet Nicholas. He’s a former international soccer player turned serial entrepreneur and servant leader⚽ He’s found his passion in social impact work and is all about building businesses that tackle real-world problems. He founded and serves as the Executive Director of Fleece & Thank You, a nonprofit that provides psychosocial support and programs to children in the hospital. In this episode of "How It's Built," Nicholas shares how mapping donor journeys with intention has transformed their nonprofit🗺️ From listing all touchpoints to prioritizing a core welcome series, he walks us through practical steps to personalize the donor experience. Tune in to hear how you can adapt this modern framework for your org✨
541. Real Talk: How to Build Authentic Relationships with your Donors and Team + The Story of Thoughtful Human - Maya Enista Smith
Meet Maya. She’s a kindness champion, mental health advocate, and thoughtful human, and she’s obsessed with thank you cards💌She’s the president of Thoughtful Human, an eco-friendly greeting card company. These unique cards, founded by Ali O'Grady in 2017, plant seeds of empathy, offering genuine support during life's toughest moments. Tune in as we discuss the power of small acts of human connection and the ripple effect they create🫶
Meet ImpactUp - coming to a city near you!
Meet ImpactUp 🎉- the gathering for social impact leaders ready to shift the sector - for good. It’s a reimagined virtual experience for changemakers to unleash our collective power + impact on July 11. By day, we gather virtually to listen, learn, share + begin to shift. By night, we’re tapping the We Are For Good Community to organize local meet-ups in 15+ cities across the country activating the day’s conversations. Tune in to the pod to hear the heart behind this event directly from Jon + Becky. Then join us at impactuprising.com. We can’t wait to see you there! 🙌
540. How It's Built: How to Grow Your Mid-Level Donor Relationships Through 5-Minute Conversations - Kel Haney
Meet Kel. She empowers nonprofits to grow their mid-level donor relationships through 5-Minute Fundraising Asks (over the phone!) 📞 She’s personally made over 20,000 fundraising asks and trained nonprofit organizations to raise almost $20M (primarily in donations under $2.5K)❗ Ring, ring, it’s Kel calling and she has a refreshing alternative to scripted calls, shifting fundraising conversations away from transactional encounters and toward relationship-building opportunities. Tune in to learn how to craft a compelling story within a short call, develop trust from the get-go, and personalize each interaction to resonate with donors.
539. From Ideas to Impact: How to Actually Influence + Implement Change - Michael Sheldrick, Global Citizen
Meet Michael. He’s the Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact, and Government Affairs Officer for Global Citizen. For over 10 years, he’s been leading efforts to make a difference in our divided world. Their campaigns have raised over $35 billion for anti-poverty and climate change policies globally👏Michael’s new book, "From Ideas to Impact: A Playbook for Influencing and Implementing Change in a Divided World," shares strategies for anyone wanting to make a real difference. Join us to learn how to turn big ideas into real-world actions that change lives. 🌎
538. How It's Built: How Usher's New Look Built an Impactful Marketing Playbook - Kimberly Williams
Meet Kim. She’s a marketing visionary whose experience has taken her from the newsroom to Usher’s New Look🎤, where she connects Usher's celebrity brand and the nonprofit organization to create opportunities for young people. She’s breaking down their robust marketing playbook that prioritizes authenticity, relationships and marketing fundamentals. Tune in for lessons on disrupting traditional nonprofit marketing and scaling impact through strategic yet creative planning🌟
537. Catalyzing Change + Crafting Award-Winning Campaigns That Capture Hearts and Minds - Stacy Huston, SixDegrees.Org
Meet Stacy. She’s the Executive Director of SixDegrees.Org, started by Kevin Bacon to connect people to resources, share stories, and amplify causes to make the greatest possible impact in communities😍 Stacy is sharing her award-winning strategies for crafting effective campaigns that leverage partnerships and media to drive social impact. Tune in to learn tactics for creating memorable campaigns that capture hearts and minds ❤️🧠 Plus, after this episode, you’ll basically be one degree away from Kevin Bacon, right?
536. How It's Built: Tim Tebow Foundation's 19,000+ Monthly Giving Community - Kyle Roosen
Meet Kyle. He’s helped steward the creation and growth of a recurring donor community made up of more than 19,300 monthly givers at the Tim Tebow Foundation🤯 With no formal marketing training, he was hungry for knowledge and figured out how to harness the power of data and storytelling to invite believers into their mission one person at a time. The best part? You can copy his exact strategy. In this How It’s Built episode, Kyle is sharing the importance of a donor experience that infuses joy and meaning into every contribution. Tune in to hear the lessons learned along the way including the delicate balance of growing a donor base while cultivating current supporters🎁
535. Liberatory Leadership: Centering Equity and Justice in Nonprofit Work - April Walker
Meet April. She’s the Founder and CEO of Philanthropy for the People, an equity-centered consulting firm that equips donors, foundations, and nonprofits to embrace fundraising and grantmaking that centers racial equity and social justice. April challenges us to reimagine who holds power and how we can radically redistribute it to serve the communities that need it most. The way April approaches this work is a gift to the sector and we’re thrilled to share this conversation with you🎁 This episode is as much about philanthropy as it is about the art of self-compassion💖 - don’t miss it!
534. How It's Built: How to Create a Winning Digital Strategy for Exponential Audience Growth - Alicia Cepeda Maule, Innocence Project
Meet Alicia. Since 2015 she’s been at the Innocence Project, now as the first Digital Engagement Director. The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. Her team has won over 10 awards🏆 for the Innocence Project including Webbys, Tellys, Shortys, and Comnet’s Clarence B. Jones Impact Award.
She’s joining us to kick off the How It’s Built Series. We’re exploring the intricate and often overlooked elements that go into crafting impactful change. Alicia is walking us through how to build a winning digital strategy for exponential audience growth. Here’s your playbook for modernizing your nonprofit, step-by-step. Let’s go🏃♂️
533. Growing Red Nose Day's Impact: How to Leverage Media and Turn Moments into Momentum - Alison Moore, Comic Relief US
Meet Alison. She’s the CEO of Comic Relief US, which you might know from Red Nose Day (happening May 23!)🤡 Their work is serious - breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, but they do it with so much joy and levity. Alison is back to share her insights into the power of transforming entertainment into a vehicle for social impact. Learn how Comic Relief US engages audiences across different media channels to maximize engagement and support for their mission - reaching people where they are📱 Don’t miss this heartening conversation that proves serious work can be seriously fun🎉
532. Strategies for a Successful GivingTuesday Campaign (NMS Replay) - Celeste Flores, Amanda Liaw, and Megan Huffman
Meet Celeste, Amanda and, Megan. They shared their insights and strategies for GivingTuesday during the Nonprofit Marketing Summit, discussing how to create a movement from within, leverage marketing to support your mission's growth, and engage your community in this year's campaign🙌🏻 We believe that the most powerful movements start from within, and this holds true for GivingTuesday. Tune in to learn from their conversation and case studies on maximizing your impact during GivingTuesday🎁
531. The Art + Science of Donor Cultivation - Ronen Tal, The Nature Conservancy of Canada
Meet Ronen. He’s a deeply passionate marketer and fundraiser, focused on the donor experience. With over a decade under his belt in fundraising, working on the org and agency sides, he’s at Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as Director, Integrated Marketing & Fundraising🌲 Ronen and his team are dedicated to enhancing the donor experience and optimizing the lifetime value of donors to NCC. They work collaboratively with channel experts and external partners to achieve these goals, navigating challenges such as rising acquisition costs and evolving privacy laws. He’s sharing his wisdom on acquiring quality donors and nurturing long-term relationships, regardless of the initial donation size. Join us as we uncover the art of turning supporters into true believers🌱