Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast

Yesterday I sat down with Seth Perlman, Senior Partner at Perlman & Perlman LLP. Seth is one of the nation’s leading experts on nonprofit and philanthropic law, is an active leader in the philanthropic community, and a great partner to many nonprofit organizations and companies that serve the nonprofit sector.In our conversation, Seth shared his analysis of CARES Act and how it impacts nonprofit organizations. As a bonus, Seth shared some emerging industry trends and insights that he’s seeing across the sector. It’s an incredibly valuable conversation that you don’t want to miss.Seth helped us answer questions like:What are the eligibility requirements for nonprofit organizations to access the benefits of the stimulus package? Can organizations of all sizes access these benefits, or is this only for very small organizations?Are all nonprofits eligible – for example, can faith-based organizations access these benefits?Following up on that, I know a lot of faith-based organizations will be concerned about “strings attached” to this money. What can you tell us about those concerns, and whether there would actually be any government strings?What about advocacy and membership organizations – are they eligible to access the stimulus package benefits?What kinds of things can the loan funding be used for by nonprofits? Are there any limitations or restrictions?Can you talk about the loan forgiveness aspect of this stimulus package? Are there specific things that a nonprofit must do or must not do in order for these loans to eventually be forgiven?Are there any risks to nonprofits in accepting this stimulus help from the federal government?Can you talk with us about the Charitable Giving Incentive that’s baked into this plan? What’s included in that aspect of the stimulus. Do you see this as something that might be a one-and-done to impact charitable giving just in 2020, or is this something you think could get extended over the longer-term?Is there anything else about this stimulus package that you think nonprofit organizations should be aware of and/or concerned about?About Seth PerlmanSeth Perlman has been providing legal counsel to the philanthropic sector for more than thirty years. He works with large public charities, private foundations, fundraising professionals, for-profit businesses engaged in philanthropy, international NGOs and social enterprises.Seth assists clients to optimize their ability to achieve mission by advising on matters relating to organizational structure, governance, regulatory compliance and nonprofit commercial activities. He advises social entrepreneurs seeking to provide social benefit through non-traditional for profit organizational structures.Seth has litigated in several state and federal jurisdictions on issues relevant to the philanthropic com

I don't know about you, but when I sat down and thought about the idea of disruption in the context of our current COVID-19 nationwide shutdown, I just had to laugh. I mean, if this isn't disruption, what is!?!?!?But that's not the kind of disruption I'm talking about here.On Friday I sat down with my friend, Beth Fisher. She's currently Vice President of Advancement at Mel Trotter Ministries in Grand Rapids, MI.  Beth is a highly sought after speaker, life coach, and marketing and sales leader. She's also author of the recently released book, Remorseless: Learning to Lose Labels, Expectations, and Assumptions Without Losing Yourself. Beth is an expert at leading change management initiatives in large organizations, and is currently using that experience to help reshape the processes and infrastructure to help Mel Trotter Ministries become more efficient and effective at delivering on mission. Beth helped us tackle big questions like:Can business principles used in the for-profit sector bring value to the nonprofit? What are the biggest challenges to growth and innovation in the nonprofit sector?What are the risks, to any organization, of not growing and changing? What are the greatest impediments to innovation and change within organizations?How do you keep teams and individuals motivated during large change initiatives? I hope this episode brings value to your work and helps you lead your team and your organization's change initiatives more effectively!

This week I sat down with Charity Fundraising Expert, Duncan Schieb. Duncan is a highly accomplished charity auctioneer, marketer, and fundraiser. In addition to his work managing live fundraising events for organizations, Duncan also runs a successful video production company that serves both nonprofit and commercial organizations. Duncan spoke with me from his home in Battery Park City, in New York -- near the nation's epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a charity event fundraising expert, Duncan knows all too well just how much of an impact this global pandemic has had on event fundraising. If your organization relies on event fundraising to fund operations, this is a conversation you won't want to miss!In our discussion, Duncan helped answer these following important questions that are on the minds of thousands of nonprofit leaders right now:How does an organization that is event-heavy in their funding model make the switch from live events to virtual events? How can organizations protect the revenue that might have already been committed by individual donors and corporate sponsors if their events are shut down? What's the one thing that organizations can do right now to protect your most important donor relationships (Hint: It's super simple, doesn't require any new money, and probably isn't what you think)?Is virtual fundraising just a blip on the radar screen because of this crisis, or could this help springboard organizations into an entirely new donor engagement/fundraising model for their organizations? I so appreciate Duncan's contribution to our sector and this conversation. In our chat, Duncan also shared the very personal story of the recent loss of his beautiful little boy, Lachlan Hugh Schieb. Duncan and his family have created the Lachlan Hugh Schieb Memorial Fund through Charity Water to ensure that Lachlan's life and memory can help bring life-saving water to people in need around the globe. 

These are certainly extraordinary times. Nonprofit organizations are facing increased stress and pressure to deliver value across our country, while doing so with reduced staffing, risk of illness to themselves, and for many, significantly greater demand.Leading in extraordinary times requires a commitment to authenticity, transparency, and a willingness to confront and address behaviors and beliefs that might put your organization's success -- and your people's wellbeing at risk.Karen Erren is exactly that kind of leader. She and her organization, Palm Beach County Food Bank are on the forefront of the burgeoning hunger crisis in one of the country's emerging COVID-19 hotspots -- Palm Beach County, Florida. We sat down with Karen on Friday, April 5 to talk with her about what it takes to lead successfully in extraordinary times.Karen also talked with us about the importance of staying in close communication with key donors, institutional funders, and other partners during a time of crisis. As an example, Karen is sharing a video update through the ViewSpark platform on a weekly basis. We hope this helps bring you hope, clarity, and a path to leadership success in your own organization. 

On Friday, March 27, Roy Jones and I sat down to talk about fundraising in times of crisis. This episode is different than our typical episodes because it's not an interview, but a candid conversation about emergency / crisis fundraising. In this conversation we address whether nonprofits should stop fundraising because of COVID-19, what the impact of pulling back or delaying will be, and how your organization can be successful in spite of this global crisis. You'll hear us talk about specific tactics and strategies you can leverage right now to stay top of mind with your donors and make sure that your cause is positioned for success in a crisis.Our conversation is based on our collective 50 years of experience working for dozens of international and domestic charities through plenty of crisis situations. We hope this conversation adds value to your daily work. Please leave us a comment or send us an email at podcast[at]newportone[dot]com to continue the discussion. Podcast intro/outro music was generously provided by Ted Leif.

Mia Hoagberg, President and CEO of Make-A-Wish Minnesota, joins us for an in-depth conversation on leadership and change in the nonprofit sector. Mia started her career in the for-profit sector before shifting into work with nonprofit organizations over the past decade. In our conversation, Mia gives us a look into the challenges of leading, overcoming obstacles, changes in the sector, and diversity as it pertains to Make-A-Wish and the industry as a whole. Here are some of the key points from our talk with Mia:Being in charge means that everything stops with you, but also falls on you. Regardless of the department and if you have an interest in or affinity for it is still left up to the CEO.Managing and leading the board of directors is important. By strategically working with board members it becomes a partnership not just a take relationship. Mia’s approach to growing the board is to find someone with a passion for the mission first and foremost then looking at skill sets and company connections.Growing in her leadership role, Mia attributes surprises and constant change as the key to evolving and succeeding. There’s always a new challenge walking in the door and when you’re a leader, you have to be able to roll with those, stay calm, lead your team through uncertainty and really be steadfast and solid.Big challenges in the nonprofit sector right now that come to mind for Mia include tax line implications and how that effects donors give. Additionally, Mia mentions burnout and specifically how it affects staff and teams who are doing work like Make-A-Wish that can be exceptionally emotional for some staff.Mia’s chapter of Make-A-Wish has a task force for diversity and inclusion that works to ensure to focus on an equitable group of children across the state. We want to make sure that a wish is a wish, is a wish, and it does not matter where you live or where you came from or what part of the cities you live in, or what language you speak.Most importantly, Mia talks about the Make-A-Wish work and the long term effect it can have on a child’s life. They are working to change the trajectory of a child’s life through granting wishes that have life-changing outcomes.

We recently talked with Tom Hooper, Founder of Nimble Connect, on the organization’s focus on providing a unique approach to donor stewardship.  In our discussion, Tom explains how the nonprofit industry's multi-year declines in donor retention and the growing lack of trust among donors, for the institutions to which they donate, led to the creation of Nimble Connect.  Tom separated himself from the fundraising space to concentrate on what it takes to build a relationship.Here are a few of Tom’s key insights:●       His data shows that a well-delivered engagement call can alter donors’ behavior.  He found that gifts from donors increased overtime when an engagement call is made within a week of the gift being given.●       Over a 27-month study, he found that 90% of new donors that were called gave a second gift●       70% of organizations that have come on board have been decisions that women leaders have made.  Understanding relationships are important.  Intimacy is a key driver in building trust.  No surprise, the data shows that women are more trusted and it is largely because they are more skilled at developing intimate relationships 

In our most recent episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast we sat down with Larry Johnson, author of The Eight Principles of Sustainable Fundraising, and Founder of the training and consulting firm of the same name. During our conversation, Larry shared how and why focusing on the underlying principles of fundraising is so important to fundraising success for any organization:Being effective in fundraising is 90% how and what you think, and only 10% what you're actually doingUnderstanding the underlying principles of fundraising allows you to adapt tactics and techniques to fit any situation, without sacrificing the core elements of successBased on research conducted by Dr. Russell James of Texas Tech, organizations that can tap into asset-based giving (vs. solely cash-based giving) stand to scale revenues much more significantly than those that focus only on cash asks. Using The Eight Principles model allows organizations to successfully expand into asset-based giving opportunities with their donorsWhen we change our mindset and how we think about philanthropy, donors, and the relationships that undergird all philanthropic activities, exponential revenue growth is possibleIf you want more on The Eight Principles, check out The Oracle League, their high-level online training program.  

John Kozyra is Chief Philanthropy Officer at St. Mary Medical Center, which is a member of the Providence Health System. Prior to his role at St. Mary Medical Center, John held senior-level roles at CCS Fundraising, Changing Our World, and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. John has led and managed capital campaigns for Catholic education, healthcare, and other causes that have raised more than $110 Million over the last decade.In our conversation with John, we tackle two issues. First, John shares with us about his career progression, and specifically discusses what the biggest challenges and learnings have been for him in transitioning between leading fundraising in two nonprofits and serving nonprofits as a consultant.We also discuss how to avoid the biggest capital campaign mistakes nonprofits make, from John’s chapter in 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make and How You Can Avoid Them. In this portion of the conversation, John shares with us about these key mistakes and challenges:Lack of preparation for a campaignThe role of volunteer leaders in a campaignPreparing for the high level of activity necessary to sustain a campaignNot using a campaign to expand your relationships with high net worth members of your communityDownload the full transcript here

In our newest episode of The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast we sit down with Adam Morgan, Senior Director of Development at Phi Kappa Psi Foundation. Adam is also a chapter author to Giving USA's 2017-2018 report, and a contributing author to the 2019 best seller, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make and How You Can Avoid Them. In our conversation with Adam we discuss some of the biggest leadership mistakes made in the nonprofit sector, why those are dangerous, and how we can navigate leadership challenges more effectively. You don't want to miss this discussion and the opportunity to learn from Adam's experience and guidance to help you become a better leader. Download the full transcript here: Adam Morgan Transcript

Jessi Marsh is Senior Director at Changing Our World, a leading global philanthropic consulting firm and member of the ONE HUNDRED consortium. She also happens to be a great friend, and all around smart marketer and fundraiser. I was lucky enough to get some time on her calendar recently (between her frequent trips to New York and Boston where she's consulting on various capital campaigns) to talk with her about communications and public relations, and how those disciplines can impact a nonprofit's fundraising results. The best part of this conversation is that Jessi comes at this from the perspective of someone who has done the work inside a nonprofit. Prior to joining Changing Our World she led the communications and development departments at Light of Life Rescue Mission, where she successfully put into practice everything she talks with us about on this episode. 

We recently sat down with Lisa Wolf, Vice President of Consulting with Westfall Gold, and a contributor/editor at Giving USA. We love talking with Lisa and other members of the team at Westfall Gold, because they really know their stuff. In fact, they recently crossed a major milestone, having now raised more than $1 Billion charitable dollars for their clients!Lisa was gracious enough to talk with us about what she and her colleagues are seeing in the market today, and what we need to be thinking about, particularly related to engaging high net worth givers.Here are some of the key points we gleaned from our conversation with Lisa:General donor giving is lower year-over-year (again), and retention is also down year-over-year. In fact, all the key performance indicators are down compared to last year.Major donor giving is fairly strong in 2019, lifting what would otherwise be a weaker year of philanthropic giving. We also see that more money is going into Donor Advised Funds, so complex asset-based gifts are now more likely than ever before.90% of all charitable giving in the US happens in cash. This is the inverse of how most Americans hold their wealth, especially as net worth increases. This means fundraisers are focusing on an ever-shrinking pool of resources because they are largely not engaging high net worth donors in conversations about how they can give from their assets instead of from their checkbooks.Westfall Gold's research shows that "expert" donors (those who are well educated on the process, etc.) give 3X the level of novice donors. Unfortunately, we also find that fundraisers are reluctant to bring other experts (like financial advisors) into conversations with donors to help educate them about their giving options. Westfall's research indicates this is largely because fundraisers are afraid that doing so will open their donors to other giving options and take money away from them/their organization. When we think about High Net Worth donors, we need to shift our thinking around engaging them. They are not "donating" to your organization. They are investing in the cause. This means they're looking for a return on that investment. And your ability to deliver that return, and to tell a compelling story around your impact will dictate how successful you'll be with high net worth donors. 

We recently sat down with our good friend Betsy Taylor, President of Accordant Philanthropy and author of Healthcare Philanthropy: Advance Charitable Giving to Your Organization's Mission, for a conversation about leading for philanthropic impact. It was a fascinating discussion about how C-level executives influence philanthropy throughout organizations, and how we as fundraisers can best engage those executives to advance our critical missions. Here are just a few of Betsy's key insights:Successful philanthropy is about much more than having a great development staff. It demands buy-in and active support from the Chief Executive, governing board, and key program leaders to be highly effective.If your chief executive doesn't believe in what you do, good luck to you. It's very hard to push that rock uphill.Any donor who is going to give you a significant gift wants to look the chief executive in the eyes. They want a relationship with you, the chief executive. They want to hear your vision, and know that you're trustworthy.At the highest levels of giving, donors aren't just investing in organizational mission. They're also investing in the vision of the chief executive -- donors need to know that person has the right vision, the right ambition, and the energy to lead and execute against it. If the chief executive is uncomfortable asking for money, that's ok. For the most part (unless you're a one-person organization), the CEO never has to utter the words, "will you consider a gift of $X today." Instead, talk about what you believe in. What you care about. Talk about how you see your organization fulfilling your mission. You have other key leaders and team members who can bring home the actual ask.Download the show notes here

In our most recent podcast episode, Roy and I got to interview our good friend and leadership mentor, Stacey Girdner. Stacey is the Founder and Managing Partner of The PRAXIS Group, a firm that helps organizations become more effective through leadership development and coaching. We worked closely with Stacey when she was Chief People Officer at Russ Reid (where Roy and I both worked previously). And most recently, Stacey also authored what I think is one of the most impactful (if not the most impactful) chapters in my recent #1 Best Seller, 101 Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make And How You Can Avoid Them. You can download Stacey's chapter for FREE here. In our conversation we talked with Stacey about some of the biggest mistakes leaders make. Here are some key insights from that conversation:Mistake #1: Lacking self-knowledge - If we aren't self aware enough to recognize our own idiosyncracies and how they impact those around us, we stand to do real damage to the people we're entrusted to lead. And to our organizations. Mistake #2: Abdicating our power to influence our direct reports - As much as we might want our teams and our people to show up on day 1 as the perfect employee, knowing exactly what is needed and how to do it, that never happens. If we aren't mindful of how our approach, and how the things we do/don't do to support our people influence their success, we miss key opportunities to help them grow. Consistently abdicating this power (and responsibility) likely leads to disengaged employees, missed expectations, and eventually turnover. A key resource Stacey recommends to help leaders in this area is Marshall Goldsmith's book, What Got You Here Won't Get You There. Mistake #3: Thinking it's noble to burn the candle at both ends - Often leaders think they have to be the first one in the office, the last to leave, and the person who out-works everyone else. Stacey breaks down why this is a terrible way to think, and how it negatively impacts our work, our health, and our relationships at home.