Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast show

Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast

Summary: Andrew Olsen, CFRE and Roy Jones, CFRE have 50+ years of combined nonprofit leadership experience and have jointly raised nearly $1 Billion in charitable gifts. In this podcast, Andrew and Roy interview high-level leaders from across the sector to bring you high impact insights and guidance to help you lead successfully and execute effectively.

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast
  • Visit Website
  • RSS
  • Artist: Andrew Olsen, CFRE and Roy Jones, CFRE
  • Copyright: © 2018 AndrewOlsen.net LLC

Podcasts:

 Nonprofit Innovation and Growth with Sarah Lee | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:38:45

Sarah Lee is Chief Operating Officer at New Story, an innovative, growth-focused organization that behaves more like a Silicon Valley start-up than a traditional nonprofit. New Story is on a mission to solve the global homelessness crisis by creating solutions that are cheaper to develop, higher quality than traditional housing options, and able to get into market faster than typical solutions. In our conversation we talked about innovation and growth in the nonprofit sector, and how New Story is charging forward to change the way organizations address complex global challenges more effectively. Highlights from our conversation are:  Believing that nonprofit organizations should be held to higher (not lower) standards of effectiveness.How a 100% donation model and key investment partners help them achieve greater impact.The role that talent plays in their ability to deliver effective solutions and to grow and scale their impact.The need to balance advances in technology and innovation with mission delivery, and how organizations should think about that balance. The value of long-term thinking and how that changes the strategic approach for an organization. The importance of hiring people who embrace a "founder" mindset, and how that changes the way an organization operates. 

 Courageous Fundraising with Julie Ordonez | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:43:40

If you want to be a successful major gift fundraiser, one of the most important traits you'll need is courage. Courage to overcome the fear of failure that so many of us face in asking donors to invest in our causes. Fear of not just hearing "no", but failing our organizations and letting down those we're committed to serving. Julie Ordoñez is the Founder of Courage Lab, a coaching and training program to help fundraisers and nonprofit leaders face their fears and build the skills and resilience necessary to raise significantly more money for mission impact. But Julie isn't just a coach or teacher of fundraising theory. She's a proven front-line fundraiser. She's done everything from running a one-person fundraising shop to achieving success as a top 1% major gift fundraiser for United Way of Los Angeles. We connected recently with Julie to learn more about the importance of courage in fundraising, and what holds people and organizations back from achieving success in their fundraising efforts. Some of the key takeaways you'll enjoy from our conversation are:Fundraising problems are actually organizational leadership and culture problems that manifest in revenue challenges.The risks of believing that only you and your employees care deeply about your cause (and that your donors don't care as much as you do).The importance of empathy for fundraisers and donors alike.Why the way we each view money in our personal lives impacts our ability to make significant asks. No, COVID-19 hasn't diminished the capacity of major donors (mostly), and why this line of thinking destroys your fundraising potential.The importance of asking great questions and listening to donors.Why you should stop looking outside your organization for major donors and instead invest in building relationships with your current supporters.The value of prioritizing important tasks like actually calling and speaking to your donors, and why that's so difficult for many fundraisers. This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast is brought to you by my friends at Virtuous. If you want to create meaningful connection with donors instead of putting distance between your supporters and your cause, you need to know Virtuous. The responsive fundraising platform created by Virtuous unifies fundraising, marketing, and donor development activities to deliver dynamic campaigns that engage supporters in more meaningful ways. Download a copy of their Responsive Fundraising Playbook 

 COVID's impact on Food Bank Fundraising, with Matt Hackler | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:43:22

Matt Hackler is Vice President of Strategic Capacity Building with Feeding America. Like many of us, Matt says he "fell into" fundraising before joining Feeding America. In his current role, Matt leads a team of experts across multiple disciplines to help local member food banks increase their capacity to serve children, families, seniors and individuals experiencing hunger across the U.S.Matt and I connected recently to talk about COVID-19's impact on fundraising in general, on Feeding America nationally, and on individual member food banks. We covered a lot of ground, including:How food banks learned from the 2008 - 2010 financial crisis and changed their approach to crisis fundraising as a result.The spike in giving due to COVID-19, and whether donors who came on file as a result of COVID are "emergency response" donors, or "recession" donors (and what that means for your future fundraising efforts).When is the right time to stop talking to donors about COVID-19?The role of brand in fundraising, both nationally and in local communities across the U.S.How food banks have historically relied on volume-based tactical fundraising efforts instead of relationship-based philanthropy -- and why that needs to evolve for the future. Feeding America is seeing that donors who gave in response to COVID-19 are giving more frequently, retaining at higher rates, giving higher average gifts, and converting to monthly ongoing support at higher levels than the average donor -- and what this means for the future of hunger relief funding.Whether you're working in hunger relief or a completely different kind of nonprofit, you'll want to catch this episode with Matt. His insights are relevant no matter what your organization's focus! This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast is brought to you by my friends at Virtuous. If you want to create meaningful connection with donors instead of putting distance between your supporters and your cause, you need to know Virtuous. The responsive fundraising platform created by Virtuous unifies fundraising, marketing, and donor development activities to deliver dynamic campaigns that engage supporters in more meaningful ways. Download a copy of their Responsive Fundraising Playbook today!

 Talent Development with Brent Hafele | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:47:31

Brent A. Hafele, M.A., is Senior Vice President of Talent Development at Dickerson Bakker & Associates. Early in his career, Brent held various leadership roles inside nonprofit organizations, including Development Director and Executive Director. Today, Brent leads talent development efforts for Dickerson Bakker & Associates, and provides executive coaching to fundraisers and nonprofit CEO's and Executive Directors.Brent and I sat down to discuss how talent development impacts organizational success. In our conversation we hit some big topics, including:How does talent impact an organization's capacity for growth? Breaking the myth that your nonprofit can't afford to hire top quality talent.What it takes to effectively assess a candidate's abilities and qualities during the interview process.Effective tools for candidate assessments.Why you should hire more slowly, and what the benefits of a longer assessment period is to your nonprofit.The value of using a strengths-based framework for talent assessment and coaching in your organization.Building a collaborative culture across your team and organization. Giving realistic performance feedback to motivate and engage your staff.If you lead a team or an organization, this conversation is sure to provide you with value! This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We’re so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 2021 Responsive Fundraising Summit on April 14th and 15th. You can register for FREE today. You’ll be front-row with world-class nonprofit and thought leaders, participate in hands-on, discussion-driven workshops, and build lasting connections with like-minded peers. Sign up today for this FREE event!https://youtu.be/56RwjgU-q9M

 Leading Global Social Change with Abby Maxman | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:41:03

As President & CEO of Oxfam America, Abby Maxman is responsible for leading global social change to alleviate the injustice of poverty across 90 countries. This fight is not a new one for Maxman, who has made a career of giving a voice to the voiceless, fighting hunger, poverty, disease, and injustice across the globe at leading INGO's and within the U.S. Government. Abby and I sat down to discuss her leadership experience and what we can all learn from her time working to right the most devastating wrongs the world over. We tackled some big issues in our discussion, including:The importance of boldly charging toward your goals, even when they might feel overwhelming and unachievable.How the values of integrity and commitment provide the courage and resilience necessary to allow a leader to book the first flight into post-genocidal Rwanda, to tackle apartheid South Africa, and to take on the global HIV/AIDS crisis.The importance of showing up authentically and consistently as our whole selves to build and nurture a healthy culture. Ad the value of creating a safe place for people to try new things, to fail, and to learn from those failures without risk of retribution or career damage. The role of leaders in addressing racial, gender, economic, and climate justice, and the challenging of maintaining focus on this important work in the midst of every other priority.Developing the 21st century skills of leading with care and compassion to help your people feel safe, engaged, and cared for by their leaders.  This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We’re so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 2021 Responsive Fundraising Summit on April 14th and 15th. You can register for FREE today. You’ll be front-row with world-class nonprofit and thought leaders, participate in hands-on, discussion-driven workshops, and build lasting connections with like-minded peers. Sign up today for this FREE event!https://youtu.be/56RwjgU-q9M

 Leading Generously with Bill High | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:31:21

The fifth child in a family of six, Bill High grew up "dirt poor and on welfare." The son of an alcoholic, Bill describes his childhood as "pretty dysfunctional."Around age eight or nine, Bill was introduced to the idea of a personal faith by a neighbor, and that began his life-long journey to live differently and to focus on making an eternal impact in our world.Throughout his lifetime, Bill has had some amazing opportunities to impact the world, including practicing law for 12 years to co-founding iDonate, a leading digital giving software company that helps nonprofits build lasting relationships with their supporters.In 2000, Bill felt a calling to do something more in our sector, leading him to create The Signatry, a global community and ministry dedicated to creating eternal impact through generosity across generations. They provide a unique approach to donor advised fund giving to empower donors, advisors, and ministries to maximize their impact.Bill and I met through our mutual relationship with Forbes Business and Nonprofit Councils, and sat down recently to talk about philanthropy and leading generously.  Some of the key insights from our conversation include:The impact of the massive increase in Donor Advised Fund adoption over the last decadeDebunking the myth that Donor Advised Funds are simply a place for the wealthy to "park" moneyHow Donor Advised Funds (on average) distribute 10X more than private foundations annuallyHow leaders who invest heavily in the people in their care are maximizing impactThe value of leaders serving others, and how that releases creativity and increases engagement with employeesLessons from a reluctant leaderWhy setting vision and inspiring your people is essential to your ability to achieve greater impactHow the best leaders use storytelling to inspire othersWhat 2021 has in store for philanthropy and charitable givingQuick tips for nonprofit boards and CEO's to begin effectively planning for leadership succession This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We’re so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 2021 Responsive Fundraising Summit on April 14th and 15th. You can register for FREE today. You’ll be fr

 Global Online Fundraising Scorecard, with Brady Josephson | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:44:11

Our good friend Brady Josephson at NextAfter joined us for a third episode here on the podcast recently. You might remember Brady from our conversation about COVID fundraising observations, or fundraising Testing. This week we connected with him to learn about the recent project that NextAfter and Salesforce.org collaborated on, called the Global Online Fundraising Scorecard. This study explored the front-end user experience of donors and email subscribers across multiple countries. Here are some of the key findings we cover in this discussion:Email sign-up was impossible in 27% of cases in the study, either because organizations didn't offer it, or because it took too many steps to discover where the email sign-up was locatedVery little progress has been made in years around the area of using value proposition to either subscribe for emails or make a giving decision (you'll hear Brady outline what the keys are in a successful value proposition too)The dangerous myth that online users don't or won't consume copy -- and address the (surprising) negative impact that video and images have on conversionThe half dozen (or more!) types of friction that negatively impact decision-making online, AND, the one positive type of friction that can actually help you raise more money online!The importance of email cultivation to long-term retention and revenue, and the sad fact that too few organizations are investing in meaningful email relationship building.The truth about email deliverability, and what you can do to improve deliverability for your organization.What's working best globally in sustainer giving, where the U.S. is falling behind in this key giving area, and what YOU can do to improve your organization's sustainer numbers.The trends on email welcome series use, and how one organization tested into a 900% increase in 2nd gift conversion by rethinking their approach to welcome series content.It's always a blast to have Brady on the show, and I hope you'll learn as much as I did in this conversation!Don't forget to download the Global Online Fundraising Scorecard today! This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We’re so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 

 Nonprofit Leadership Masterclass with Marc Pitman | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:48:30

You might know him as The Fundraising Coach, the Founder of Concord Leadership Group, the author of Ask Without Fear, Fundraising Kick, or the brand new book, The Surprising Gift of Doubt: Use Uncertainty to Become the Exceptional Leader You Are Meant to Be . Or maybe you've seen and heard him speak at one of hundreds of nonprofit conferences over the last few years. I was honored and thrilled to sit down last week with Marc A. Pitman, CSP to have an insightful and in-depth conversation on nonprofit leadership.This is a 48-minute masterclass on leading well and dealing with key challenges our sector faces, including:How to live your values authentically as a leaderWhat it takes to build and grow a healthy culture in your nonprofitChallenging the status quo without damaging key relationships in your workplaceAddressing toxicity in the workplace and the damaging impact it has on your entire organizationTraits of high-performing leadersWhy nonprofits don't do succession planning well, and how to fix thatThe importance of strategic onboarding and training for volunteer board membersIf you enjoy this episode, don't forget to check out Marc's newest book too!   This episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast was brought to you by our friends at Virtuous. We're so excited to partner with them to promote the upcoming 2021 Responsive Fundraising Summit on April 14th and 15th. You can register for FREE today. You'll be front-row with world-class nonprofit and thought leaders, participate in hands-on, discussion-driven workshops, and build lasting connections with like-minded peers. Sign up today for this FREE event!https://youtu.be/56RwjgU-q9M

 The State of Philanthropy in 2021, with Bob Carter | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:44:07

Bob Carter is Founder and Chairman at Carter Global, the leading global philanthropic consultancy serving nonprofits, international non-governmental organizations (INGO's), and ultra-high net worth philanthropists. Bob is personally an expert in the development of major and mega gift fundraising campaigns and philanthropic giving strategies for mega givers. Throughout his career, Bob has also served as chairperson of seven different nonprofit boards, giving him an incredibly broad understanding of the inner-workings of our sector. We recently sat down with Bob to talk about the state of philanthropy in 2021, and his perspective on what the future holds for our sector, including:What he's most encouraged and concerned by in our sector for the coming yearThe biggest opportunities on the horizon for nonprofits over the next five yearsHow data and technology are changing the philanthropic landscape for the futureThe potential impact of changes to donor privacy laws that are currently under consideration by the Supreme CourtBob's thoughts and guidance for new and emerging nonprofit leadersWhat we as fundraisers should know about philanthropic supporters -- particularly the differences between those who have created wealth vs. those who have inherited itChallenges to nonprofits of philanthropic investors who are willing and comfortable bypassing the traditional nonprofit ecosystem to create impact for a cause, and what nonprofits need to do to address this challengeThe role of boards in addressing complicated issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other tough conversationsBob shares a wealth of valuable insights and perspectives in our brief conversation. Get your pen and notepad out, because this is like a free masterclass in philanthropic planning! If you want to lead your organization more effectively and help your team avoid costly mistakes that drain your organization of time, talent, and revenue, check out my Amazon #1 best-seller, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And how You Can Avoid Them. 

 Global leadership lessons, with Dr. Charles Owubah | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:25:42

Dr. Charles Owubah is the visionary leader currently serving as CEO of Action Against Hunger. He's also a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. We spoke recently about global leadership lessons, and you won't want to miss this conversation!In our discussion, Dr. Owubah shared key insights that any nonprofit leader or aspiring leader can learn from, including:The importance of leading with humility and integrityThe value of building leadership bench strength and succession capacity by leading by example with your senior teamHow bold vision and action can enhance your organization's impactThe role of an organization's brand in delivering mission impact and growing revenue -- and the CEO's role in shaping that brandHow a kidnapping in Darfur shaped his leadership philosophyI guarantee you'll find value in this inspirational and insightful conversation with Dr. Owubah.  If you want to lead your organization more effectively and help your team avoid costly mistakes that drain your organization of time, talent, and revenue, check out my Amazon #1 best-seller, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And how You Can Avoid Them.Transform your fundraising with Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Landing Big Gifts, the best-selling resource that has been used by more than 2,500 major gift leaders, chief development officers, and executive directors to raise over $150 million in the last decade.

 #HalfMyDAF, with Jen Risher | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:32:51

Unless you live under a rock, you'll know that in 2020 the nonprofit sector saw HUGE increases in giving through Donor Advised Fund (DAF) giving accounts. There was an outpouring of generosity across the nation, and many donors with DAF giving accounts stepped up to make sure that organizations received critical funding when they needed it most.Watching this play out in 2020 got me thinking more and more about the growing importance of donor advised funds, the donors who control them, and how nonprofits can and should engage both with DAF account holders and the financial institutions that manage these accounts.That's why I was thrilled to recently get the chance to talk with Jennifer Risher.  Jen is a retired Microsoft executive, author of We Need to Talk: A Memoir on Wealth, and co-founder of the #HalfMyDAF movement. Jen and her husband David (CEO of Worldreader) founded the #HalfMyDAF movement in 2020 to incentivize donors who have DAF accounts to distribute more money from their giving accounts more quickly to make greater impact right now.Jen and I sat down to talk about why she and David launched the #HalfMyDAF movement, how nonprofits can and should engage with DAF donors, and what the role of financial institutions is in the DAF giving ecosystem. We also talk about the growing pool of matching funds that #HalfMyDAF is making available in 2021 to incentivize more DAF giving account holders to spend down at least 50% of their DAF holdings -- you won't want to miss this opportunity!Every nonprofit needs to be paying attention to donors who are giving through their DAF accounts. Jen and David Risher will be joining my friend Jack Doyle, President of Amergent (a Moore company) for a FREE webinar called #HalfMyDAF and the future of Donor Advised Funds on March 9 at 12pm Central Time (US and Canada). I invite you to join them for this free webinar that will provide a TON of value!

 Leading for the long-term, with Burt Rosen | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:47:28

In this episode I talk with Burt Rosen, President & CEO at Knox Area Rescue Ministries about leading an organization over the long-term, and the most important aspects of leading well, including: The importance of taking a stand when you see something broken in your organizationEvery sound of the sail means something to the sailorNavigating the fears associated with making difficult calls as a leaderWhy integrity, trust, and transparency are the keys to long-term leadership successThe keys to successfully developing emerging leaders in your organization If you want to lead your organization more effectively and help your team avoid costly mistakes that drain your organization of time, talent, and revenue, check out my Amazon #1 best-seller, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And how You Can Avoid Them. Transform your fundraising with Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide to Landing Big Gifts, the best-selling resource that has been used by more than 2,500 major gift leaders, chief development officers, and executive directors to raise over $150 million in the last decade.

 Becoming a Great Fundraising Organization with Alan Clayton | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:32:26

Alan Clayton is Chairman of Philanthropy and Fundraising International, and Director of Philanthropy and Fundraising North America. He's also a brilliant fundraiser.I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with Alan this past week to talk about great fundraising organizations...what makes them great, how they think and behave differently than other nonprofits, how they approach their brand differently from other organizations, and what other nonprofits need to do to become great in their own right. Alan gives us his in-depth assessment on:The biggest obstacle to great fundraising and growth for nonprofits (hint: it's probably not what you think)The process organizations and leaders need to follow to bring alignment internally that can prepare their organizations for transformational growthHow to know if your organization is prepared for a great fundraising transformationNavigating the complex maze of logic and emotion to bring about meaningful change in your organizationWhy the conflict over investment between fundraising and program budgets is short-sighted, and how you should think differently about itHow an organization's fundraising returns compare to stock market returns, and why CFO's should fully embrace fundraising investmentThe key decisions that growth-minded, successful nonprofits make that are different from the decisions that average nonprofits don't make   Alan and his team are hosting a fully ONLINE version of The Great Fundraising Masterclass from February 9 - February 12. If you like our podcast conversation and want to go deeper on this subject, sign up for this Masterclass today! Special thanks to our friends at 7-Figure Fundraising for sponsoring today’s episode! At 7-Figure Fundraising they teach fundraisers and nonprofit leaders how to craft and deliver fundraising pitches that consistently deliver more 6 and 7-figure gifts. Right now, they are offering a 5% discount on their live online training that begins on February 16, 2021. You can register here, and use the code RAINMAKER at check-out to get the discount. 

 Philanthropy and Leadership with Franklin Guerrero | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:46:58

Franklin Guerrero is Vice President of Major Gifts at AARP, and is a highly accomplished fundraiser and leader in the nonprofit sector. He and I recently sat down for a conversation about philanthropy and leadership.In our discussion, we talk about how personal crisis shapes our work as leaders, the importance of values-based leadership, how the nonprofit sector is addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how fundraisers can address these complex topics with donors. Grab a cup of coffee and your favorite snack, and settle in for this insightful leadership conversation! Special thanks to our friends at 7-Figure Fundraising for sponsoring this important conversation with Franklin Guerrero! At 7-Figure Fundraising they teach fundraisers and nonprofit leaders how to craft and deliver fundraising pitches that consistently deliver more 6 and 7-figure gifts from donors. Right now they're offering a 5% discount to their next live (video) training program for our podcast listeners. You can register here and use the code RAINMAKER at checkout to get the discount!

 Leading Change with Nancy Murphy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 00:32:59

Change. Whether you like it or not, it's the topic of the day. 2020 punched all of us in the face with COVID-19, economic turmoil, and racial unrest across the country. And that's just the change that many of us didn't initiate. Countless other change initiatives were launched and undertaken for one reason or another by organizations of all shapes and sizes. But at the end of the day, one thing is crystal clear. Change is now a constant in all of our lives. So how do we lead well through constant change?What is the difference between managing change and leading through change? How can we as leaders use the process of change to bring about positive impact in our organizations and in the lives of those we lead? What's the right perspective that a leader needs to bring to a change initiative to help our people thrive in the midst of change? How do we as leaders identify the cultural and institutional roadblocks to change, and what can we do about them? These are the kinds of questions that we grapple with in this great conversation with Nancy Murphy, Founder and President of CSR Communications. This is a great discussion for leaders who are struggling to navigate change with their teams, and even for those leaders who are doing well, but simply want to make sure they're focusing their change efforts for maximum impact.  Special thanks to our friends at 7-Figure Fundraising for sponsoring today's episode! At 7-Figure Fundraising they teach fun

Comments

Login or signup comment.