Nonprofit Answers: Nonprofit Fundraising, Marketing, Monthly Giving Podcast Por Jeremy Reis arte de portada

Nonprofit Answers: Nonprofit Fundraising, Marketing, Monthly Giving

Nonprofit Answers: Nonprofit Fundraising, Marketing, Monthly Giving

De: Jeremy Reis
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 Nonprofit Answers Podcast helps you raise more money to help more people by answering your nonprofit leadership, marketing, and fundraising questions. Learn how to reach more donors with answers to your philanthropy and advancement questions. For Development Directors, Chief Development Officers, CEOs, Nonprofit Leaders, Fundraisers, Marketing Managers, Major Donor Reps, and Nonprofit Board Members. Learn about monthly, annual fund, major, midlevel, grants, planned giving, direct mail, email fundraising, leadership, and more.Copyright 2018-2020 Jeremy Reis All rights reserved. Economía Gestión Gestión y Liderazgo
Episodios
  • 056 - How to Start Fundraising From Zero

    056 - How to Start Fundraising From Zero
    Jun 6 2025

    Master Class From Zero: Build a Fundraising Program That Actually Works (Even If You're Starting with Nothing)

    Starting fundraising from scratch? Overwhelmed by all the advice telling you to do everything at once? Most fundraising guidance assumes you already have donors, systems, and resources - but what if you're literally starting with zero?

    This isn't another generic fundraising overview. This is the step-by-step roadmap for building sustainable fundraising from the ground up, designed specifically for new nonprofits, organizations that have never done systematic fundraising, or leaders who've inherited programs that aren't working.

    In this comprehensive master class, you'll discover:

    • The Foundation First Principle - why starting with systems before donors prevents the chaos that destroys most new fundraising programs
    • Your First Donor Strategy - how to identify and cultivate supporters from your existing network when you have no donor database
    • The Three-Channel Approach that builds sustainable revenue without overwhelming your capacity (and why trying to do everything leads to doing nothing well)
    • Board Fundraising for Reluctant Members - how to get board support and participation even when they "don't like asking for money"
    • Essential Systems on a Budget - the minimum technology and processes you need to track donors and measure success without breaking the bank
    • The 18-Month Timeline that shows exactly when to add each fundraising activity so you build momentum instead of burning out
    • Revenue Goal Reality Check - how to set fundraising targets that challenge you without setting you up for failure

    Perfect for: New executive directors, organizations launching their first real fundraising efforts, and leaders who feel like they're throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping something sticks.

    The reality check: You don't need a million-dollar budget or decades of experience to build effective fundraising. You need the right sequence, realistic expectations, and systems that match your actual capacity.

    Why this approach works: Instead of trying to copy what established organizations do, you'll build a program designed for your size, resources, and goals - one that grows with you instead of overwhelming you.

    One startup nonprofit went from having no systematic fundraising to raising $45,000 in their first year using this foundation-first approach.

    Stop feeling behind and start building the fundraising foundation your mission deserves.
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    28 m
  • 055 - Vibe Fundraising: How Do I Use AI to Increase Fundraising?

    055 - Vibe Fundraising: How Do I Use AI to Increase Fundraising?
    Jun 4 2025
    Nonprofit development teams are overwhelmed with time-consuming manual tasks. While one team spends days on prospect research and weeks writing grants, AI-enabled organizations are accomplishing the same work in hours or minutes, identifying more prospects and creating personalized outreach at unprecedented scale. What is Vibe Fundraising? Vibe Fundraising is an AI-powered approach to nonprofit development that uses readily available tools like ChatGPT and Claude (around $20/month) to handle time-consuming tasks, freeing up staff to focus on relationship building and strategic work. The concept comes from "vibe coding" and "vibe marketing" - using AI to amplify professional capabilities rather than replace human expertise. Key principle: This isn't about replacing human relationships or buying expensive software - it's about using AI to handle research and drafting so you can spend more time on what matters most. Five Practical AI Applications for Fundraisers 1. AI-Powered Prospect Research Traditional way: Hours of manual database searches and article readingAI approach: Compress research into minutes with targeted promptsExample prompt: "Research these five business owners as major gift prospects for children's literacy. Identify: business background, philanthropic history, connection points to education, and suggested talking points." 2. Personalized Donor Communications at Scale Create customized appeals for different donor segments instead of generic mass mailingsExample: Adapt one case for support into separate versions for teachers ($100-500 donors), parents ($50-250), and retired professionals ($500-2000)Each version references specific motivations and uses appropriate language 3. Grant Writing and Foundation Research Research: "Help me create a strategy to identify foundations funding children's literacy in Colorado - types to target, search terms, evaluation criteria"Writing: Generate compelling needs statements and program descriptions that you refine with local dataResult: Cut grant writing time in half while improving proposal quality 4. Donor Stewardship and Thank-You Communications Create meaningful thank-you templates for different donor categoriesGenerate donor appreciation ideas for various budgetsEnsure timely, personalized stewardship that improves retention 5. Campaign Strategy and Messaging Development Develop campaign themes and messaging for different audiencesCreate multiple case statements emphasizing different benefits (community impact, educational outcomes, economic benefits) Addressing Common Concerns "Will this feel impersonal?" Use AI as a research assistant and first draft writer, not your final voice. Always review, edit, and add personal touches. "What about accuracy?" AI can make mistakes. Always verify facts, figures, and donor data. Use AI for structure and ideas, confirm details yourself. "Is this ethical?" Absolutely, as long as you're transparent and maintain authentic relationships. You're using technology to better serve your mission and donors. Getting Started: 5-Day Implementation Plan Day 1: Sign up for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro ($20/month)Day 2: Practice prospect research on three potential donorsDay 3: Use AI to improve an existing appeal or thank-you letterDay 4: Try grant research assistance for current prioritiesDay 5: Use AI for brainstorming fundraising challenges Success Story A development director at an environmental nonprofit cut prospect research time in half and submitted 40% more grant applications using AI. The time savings allowed deeper major gift conversations, resulting in two six-figure commitments. AI amplified her expertise rather than replacing it. Key Takeaways Start small: Gradually expand AI use as you gain comfortStrategic focus: Work more strategically, not necessarily lessHuman element remains central: AI handles routine tasks so you can focus on relationshipsCompetitive advantage: Early adopters will have significant advantages over organizations that waitAccessibility: No technical expertise required - just willingness to try new tools The goal is freeing up time for what drew you to nonprofit work: building relationships and creating positive change in the world.
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    17 m
  • 054 - Time Management for Nonprofit Leaders

    054 - Time Management for Nonprofit Leaders
    Jun 3 2025
    Nonprofit leaders often find themselves working 60+ hour weeks, constantly reactive to urgent demands, and struggling to balance operational fires with strategic priorities. Unlike corporate environments, nonprofit work presents unique challenges where everything feels both urgent and mission-critical - from serving people in need to cultivating donors to supporting staff. Key Insight Traditional time management advice fails in nonprofit settings because it assumes you can simply say "no" to less important activities. In nonprofit work, distinguishing what's truly less important is difficult when dealing with human needs, donor relationships, and community impact. The solution isn't working faster - it's developing systems for ruthless prioritization and strategic delegation. Seven Time Management Strategies for Nonprofit Leaders 1. Mission-Impact Matrix Replace traditional urgent/important categorization with a system that evaluates activities based on: High Mission Impact + High Organizational Impact: Strategic planning, major donor cultivation (gets prime time)High Mission Impact + Low Organizational Impact: Direct service delivery (delegate when possible)Low Mission Impact + High Organizational Impact: Systems development (often overlooked but crucial)Low Mission Impact + Low Organizational Impact: Administrative tasks (minimize or eliminate) 2. CEO Time Blocks Schedule unmovable time blocks for strategic activities rather than treating them as optional add-ons. Block specific times weekly for donor cultivation, strategic planning, or staff development, and protect these blocks from interruptions except genuine emergencies. 3. Systematic Delegation Effective delegation requires: Documenting processes and decision-making criteriaProviding initial training and ongoing supportEstablishing clear quality standards and checkpointsCreating feedback loops and accountability measures 4. Activity Batching Group similar activities together to reduce mental energy lost in task-switching: Batch all donor calls into specific time blocksProcess emails at designated times onlySchedule similar meetings back-to-backBlock uninterrupted time for writing projects 5. "Good Enough" Principle Reserve perfectionism for truly critical activities (major donor proposals, strategic planning) while accepting "good enough" for less critical tasks (meeting minutes, newsletter layouts, routine communications). 6. Buffer Time Schedule only 70-80% of your time, leaving 20-30% buffer for inevitable interruptions, emergencies, follow-ups, and relationship-building conversations. 7. "Stop Doing" Lists Regularly audit and eliminate activities that no longer serve your mission: Unnecessary meetingsUnused reportsOutdated processesMisaligned commitments Success Story An executive director reduced her work week from 65 to 45 hours while improving organizational performance by implementing these strategies, leading to increased donor retention, improved staff morale, and stronger board relationships. Immediate Action Steps Audit current weekly schedule using the Mission-Impact MatrixProtect 5-10 hours weekly for strategic activitiesChoose 2-3 operational responsibilities to delegate with proper systemsEliminate 2-3 low-impact activities The goal isn't working less hard, but working more strategically to create maximum mission impact while building long-term organizational sustainability.
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    16 m
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