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Send us Fan Mail What should a nonprofit interim executive director do while the board searches for its next leader? Jeffrey R. Wilcox of Third Sector Company shows how to keep community relationships strong, share leadership, and give the next executive a running start without putting the mission in the waiting room!! An executive vacancy can make a board reach for the pause button. But partners still need coordination, funders still need confidence, and the community still needs your organization at the table. Going quiet can leave your next leader with relationships to rebuild before they even learn the office Wi-Fi password. Jeffrey, President and Chief Learning Curator at Third Sector Company, shared how to connect nonprofit interim leadership with reputation, operational continuity, and succession planning. His four M’s (messaging, monitoring, mending, and modeling) give boards and executives a clear framework for keeping the organization moving through a leadership transition. The most memorable instruction comes with a passenger seat: “Never, ever, ever go out into the community with your passenger seat empty or you are neglecting your community responsibility.” Bring someone along, build their confidence, and help relationships belong to the organization beyond any single executive. Then comes a governance plot twist: Jeffrey recommends partnering with the incoming board chair to help shape the organization that person will lead. A transition team can also give future board and committee leaders meaningful work before their titles arrive. How do you judge success? Jeffrey offers three dimensions: operations during the engagement, the successor’s success, and organizational progress two to four years later. He also explains why proving a successor-retention benefit requires further study. His outlook stays energizing: “Let’s celebrate what’s right and then let’s use that as fuel for what can be.”  Key Takeaways:   - Keep community visibility and partner coordination active throughout an executive search. - Use the four M’s to organize the interim’s external leadership work. - Share community relationships with staff to reduce dependence on one executive. - Involve the incoming board chair and develop future leaders through transition work. - Agree on operational measures now; assess successor success and lasting organizational progress over time. 00:00:00 Nonprofit interim leadership and community visibility 00:01:44 The cost of poorly managed executive transitions 00:02:58 Use interim leadership to shape the organization’s future 00:03:49 Should interim directors represent the nonprofit publicly? 00:08:33 The 4 M’s: messaging, monitoring, mending, modeling 00:12:23 When one executive owns too many relationships 00:15:16 Build forward without disparaging the past 00:17:02 Recruit community allies during an executive transition 00:20:19 Why the incoming board chair matters 00:22:32 Build a transition team with future leaders 00:24:13 Three dimensions of interim leadership success 00:26:52 Make succession an ongoing leadership process Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Your development director has donors to meet. The database needs updating. Thank-you letters are waiting. And apparently the board needs sandwiches. Sound like one person’s Tuesday? This Fundraisers Friday conversation gives nonprofit leaders a better way to think about fundraising administrative support. Nonprofit development assistant responsibilities reach far beyond a tidy calendar: they can help keep donor relationships, gift records, and fundraising campaigns moving. Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall reveal where this role creates capacity and where the job description needs a firm “let’s be reasonable.” Julia, CEO of American Nonprofit Academy, and Tony, of Mr. Nonprofit Consultancy, explore 12 areas of responsibility that can shape a development assistant’s role. Their starting point is a business decision: how much relationship-building time gets swallowed by work someone else could manage? As Tony puts it, “This is an investment in the organization, not an expense.” Follow the workflow from donor database management and meeting calendars to acknowledgments, prospect research, campaign support, and gift recording. A quick voice note after a donor visit can help an assistant update records and prepare follow-up while the fundraiser moves to the next conversation. The cohosts also revisit a 24–48-hour thank-you benchmark to keep donor stewardship from sliding down the list. There’s a finance connection, too: development and accounting need to coordinate so gifts are recorded according to donor intent. And when it’s time to report progress, Julia has a memorable instruction: “Dashboard it, baby, dashboard it.” Keep the information clear enough for busy leaders and board members to use. The conversation also tackles event coordination, grant deadlines, board materials, and ethical AI use. Supporting grant administration doesn’t automatically make someone a grant writer, and access to sensitive donor information calls for thoughtful AI choices. Key Takeaways: - Build the staffing case around fundraising capacity and time redirected to donor relationships. - Give acknowledgments clear ownership and a 24–48-hour operating target. - Coordinate gift records with finance to reflect donor restrictions accurately. - Focus assistant-led prospect research on already-identified potential donors. - Match event and data responsibilities to the employee’s strengths; define grant-writing boundaries. - Use concise dashboards and protect confidential information when adopting AI tools. 00:00:00 Why fundraising teams need administrative backup 00:03:18 Building the business case for a development assistant 00:04:44 Donor database management and fundraising capacity 00:06:17 Calendar management and donor-meeting handoffs 00:09:28 Donor acknowledgments and the 24–48-hour benchmark 00:11:28 Prospect research: checking donor fit 00:14:59 Campaign support and mailing-list integrity 00:16:18 Gift recording: coordinating development and finance 00:18:53 Reporting dashboards leaders can use 00:21:26 Event coordination and hiring for the right strengths 00:24:07 Moves management, grant support, and board materials 00:26:44 Ethical AI use and confidential donor information Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Five community groups. Five historic buildings. Plenty of opinions. Somehow, this is becoming a shared plan for arts, recreation, senior services, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood vitality. The secret sauce? A whole lot of listening before anyone orders the construction equipment. Nonprofit real estate partnerships can help turn an ambitious capital project into a sustainable community asset . . .if someone plans for the bills after opening day! Pikesville Armory Foundation’s David Ginsburg shares the funding, tenant, and community strategies behind a $100 million redevelopment of a historic 17-acre campus. David joins Julia C. Patrick and Your Part-Time Controller’s Ellie Hume to explain how an 18-month governor’s commission and 50 additional community meetings helped shape the project. “And almost every meeting produced an idea we didn't even think of that we incorporated,” he says. That engagement also helped make the case to government officials and funders. Then comes the question every nonprofit board should ask: who keeps the lights on? David describes an operating model built around anchor partners, a 30-year county arrangement for outdoor recreation, and tenant responsibilities. “So about 80% of our operating costs will be borne by our tenants going forward.” That is a very different conversation from simply raising enough money to build. Explore nonprofit capital project funding through public support, philanthropy, matching grants, and competitive incentives. David reports a newly awarded $5 million state historic tax credit and a previously awarded $15 million Maryland catalytic incentive. He also discusses a projected $540 million in economic development over 10 years and an early demand signal: the restored meeting venue is used about 25 times monthly. Follow the project at pikesvillearmory.org. Key Takeaways - Plan operating responsibilities alongside the capital campaign, before opening day. - Use community research to shape facilities, validate demand, and build public support. - Recruit anchor operators with long-term commitments; this model anticipates tenants bearing about 80% of operating costs. - Combine funding sources while accounting for incentive timing and preservation requirements. - Track facility use now and community economic outcomes over time. 00:00:00 Nonprofit real estate, partnerships, and the business model 00:01:30 Five community groups unite around one campus 00:02:45 How geography shapes the funding case 00:06:19 Turning competing priorities into a shared vision 00:08:56 Community engagement as project planning 00:10:54 Measuring success 20 years after construction 00:14:52 Designing for demand—and earning venue revenue 00:16:19 Building the public funding and economic impact case 00:18:55 Philanthropy, matching grants, and historic tax credits 00:21:56 Anchor tenants and a sustainable operating model 00:25:32 Winning government support and choosing developers 00:28:54 What opens next at Pikesville Armory #NonprofitManagement #NonprofitPartnerships #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit donor data security starts with the everyday tools your team uses . . .and “free” can come with a very expensive plot twist! Dan Hernandez of PCS Technology connects cybersecurity, AI policies, and smarter IT budgeting to protecting donor trust, preventing payment fraud, and keeping services running. That discounted software looked like a win. The volunteer’s personal email seemed convenient. And the enthusiastic intern connecting AI to your CRM? Just trying to help! Each decision deserves a closer look at who controls your information, what support costs, and how your organization would recover if something went wrong. Dan put nonprofit cybersecurity strategy where it belongs: alongside finance, fundraising, governance, and mission delivery. He shares a St. Vincent de Paul project that he says saved approximately $40,000–$50,000 annually by reducing licensing costs and streamlining processes.  The research behind the discussion adds urgency: UC Berkeley’s CyberCAN study surveyed 68 San Francisco nonprofits, and 85% reported at least one cyberattack. Those findings describe the surveyed organizations, but the management questions travel well. We explore nonprofit AI data privacy, personal accounts, board impersonation scams, and the payment requests that arrive dressed as urgent executive instructions. Dan’s memorable finance rule: “Never change a payment from an e-mail.” Verify payment changes by calling a known number before money moves. You’ll also hear why nonprofit data breach response planning needs leadership involvement, protected backups, and a donor communication strategy. As Dan puts it, “It can be a very expensive day if you have a hacking incident.” Watch this with your finance, development, and operations teams.    Key Takeaways: - Compare software’s total operating cost, including administration, support, and security. - Keep organizational email and donor information under organizational control. - Approve AI tools and review data settings before connecting business systems. - Verify payment changes by phone using a previously known number. - Train board members to recognize urgent executive impersonation requests. - Assign incident response roles and prepare recovery and donor communications. 00:00:00 Donor data breaches: the business risk 00:01:30 Meet Dan Hernandez of PCS Technology 00:02:34 Why nonprofits become cyberattack targets 00:04:19 IT strategy belongs in mission strategy 00:07:30 When discounted software becomes expensive 00:11:28 Personal email, free tools, and data ownership 00:12:23 AI policies and the helpful-intern problem 00:16:28 Device security and payment fraud prevention 00:18:01 Board cybersecurity and executive impersonation scams 00:21:34 Updates, protected backups, and recovery 00:22:56 Data breach response and donor communications #NonprofitCybersecurity #DonorDataSecurity #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Two missions may look lovely together on a slide. Getting two NPO’s to work together? That's where the luggage starts arriving!  Nonprofit merger readiness starts with a surprisingly tough question: why are you merging in the first place?  Tina Vasquez of Emerging Equity reveals how financial pressure, culture clashes, and founder dynamics can turn a promising partnership into extra baggage, and how leaders can make a stronger decision before combining organizations. Tina explores nonprofit merger strategy through the realities of staffing, board governance, financial sustainability, and organizational culture. Small nonprofits may have fewer people, but they still face demanding due diligence and often have fewer specialists available to help. Before comparing logos or imagining a bigger service footprint, Tina suggests examining your own organization. What skills are missing? Which systems need strengthening? Are leaders choosing a merger because it advances their goals, or because the financial pressure has everyone reaching for the nearest lifeboat? Then comes the culture conversation. As Tina asks, “Where am I willing to yield?” Shared purpose doesn't automatically settle how teams work, who makes decisions, or whose routines survive. Her five-layer framework explores relationships from the individual through the organization and its wider environment, helping leaders consider where pressure originates and who ends up carrying it. Founders and boards get their own reality check: surrounding a founder with friends can leave an organization short on the challenge, development, and complementary skills it needs. Tina's closing exercise is deceptively simple: keep asking why. “That fifth why might be the real reason why you're trying to merge.” Compare the costs and benefits of merging with the costs and benefits of staying independent. Watch before your next board conversation about growth, collaboration, or consolidation and give that merger proposal a better business test!! Key Takeaways: - Assess internal capacity before evaluating a merger partner. - Include culture and working systems alongside financial due diligence. - Identify who bears the workload and compromises of integration. - Build board accountability around founder development and skill gaps. - Use five whys and compare both merger and independence scenarios. 00:00:00 Nonprofit mergers: growth, survival, and readiness 00:01:33 Build the capacity your mission needs 00:03:30 Why small nonprofit mergers are different 00:05:22 Acquiring local programs to expand impact 00:06:45 Funding pressure and the push to consolidate 00:08:02 Culture integration includes how work gets done 00:10:25 Shared mission, entrenched habits 00:12:51 Equity, compromise, and who carries the burden 00:17:37 Merger decisions under financial pressure 00:20:37 Staff stress and financial sustainability 00:22:56 Founders need boards that challenge them 00:26:26 Five whys before committing to a merger #NonprofitMergers  Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit fraud doesn’t always kick down the door . . .sometimes you invite the vampire in and approve its invoice! Join pirate-costumed Justine Townsend of Your Part-Time Controller for a howling Halloween lesson in spotting sinister payment requests, protecting your nonprofit’s treasure, and keeping internal controls alive through the year-end fright fest.  The pirate is friendly. The invoice might not be! With Justine in pirate gear, Tim Sarrantonio dressed as a piñata, and Julia C. Patrick emerging from a cauldron, this annual Halloween episode delivers plenty of laughs and a serious reason to rethink who gets through your financial front door. Today’s scams can borrow familiar writing styles, imitate executive voices, and arrive disguised as vendor paperwork you were already expecting. As Justine puts it, “You have to unmask the monster before you open the door.” Discover how social engineering uses urgency and authority to push staff past normal approvals. Justine shares a chilling near-miss: changed payment instructions on an expected construction invoice could have diverted $250,000. The lesson is simple: independently confirm changes before money moves. The conversation also explores holiday distractions, donation-platform card testing, third-party security, and check tampering. For smaller organizations, Justine explains how a board treasurer or finance chair can provide independent bank oversight, even when one executive director handles most daily tasks. Your monster-fighting toolkit includes segregation of duties, two-factor authentication, verified vendor information, and payment processes that leave time for human judgment. Automation can reduce repetitive work, but it still needs clear approvals and review. "Our job is to protect ourselves from the fraudsters,” Justine reminds us. That means reviewing controls when responsibilities change, staying alert to new schemes, and keeping safeguards in place through the year-end rush. Key Takeaways: - Confirm changed vendor payment instructions through an independent outgoing call. - Treat unusual urgency as a reason to pause and verify. - Separate vendor setup from bank reconciliation; add board oversight when staffing is limited. - Maintain approvals and verification through holiday deadlines and incident cleanup. - Review controls whenever staff responsibilities or financial processes change. #NonprofitFraudPrevention #NonprofitFinance 00:00:00 Nonprofit fraud: the real Halloween monster 00:01:55 AI impersonation gives fraud a convincing costume 00:04:02 Social engineering: how urgency opens the door 00:05:44 Pause before you pay: the nine-second rule 00:08:22 Voice spoofing and independent callback verification 00:08:42 Holiday deadlines and distracted finance teams 00:12:00 Vendor security and ghost invoices 00:15:40 The $250,000 invoice fraud near-miss 00:16:40 Check tampering and payment risks 00:18:24 Internal controls: your monster-fighting toolkit 00:19:55 Small nonprofit oversight and segregation of duties 00:24:49 When to reassess your nonprofit’s fraud controls Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nobody ordered a robot for the finance office. Yet AI may already be working inside your accounting platform, donor database, payroll system, or grant management software. Surprise! Your next technology conversation belongs on the leadership agenda. AI data privacy for nonprofits starts with the software your team already uses. Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher of JMT Consulting explains how nonprofit leaders can ask sharper vendor questions, protect sensitive information, and welcome AI efficiencies with clear business controls. Stephanie, JMT Consulting’s chief operating officer, connects nonprofit AI governance with everyday purchasing and operational decisions. As she observes, “Our CFOs become sort of accidental CTOs.” When there’s no dedicated technology leader, the person approving the software bill may also be making consequential decisions about donor, employee, and organizational data. Start with your five most important applications. Then identify four or five non-negotiables for your organization before meeting with vendors. What information can they retain? How can it be shared? What AI uses are permitted, and what opt-out choices does your agreement actually provide? The conversation also makes tenant isolation understandable: your organization needs clarity about how its information stays separated and protected within shared software infrastructure. And when AI performs financial functions, convenience needs a paper trail. Stephanie puts it plainly: “I got to be able to audit it and prove it and be secure.” Bring these questions to your account representative during a purchase, renewal, or review of an essential system. Better answers can help your team make informed choices and benefit from automation while maintaining human oversight. Watch to build a stronger nonprofit software contract review, and give that “I agree” checkbox the attention it deserves. Stephanie also previews JMT’s Innovate conference, announced for May 12–14, 2027, in Savannah, Georgia. Key Takeaways: - Prioritize five essential applications for vendor and AI-use review. - Define organizational non-negotiables before comparing vendor answers. - Examine data retention, ownership, sharing, and available opt-outs. - Ask how vendors separate and protect your organization’s information. - Require audit trails to verify AI-performed financial work. - Use vendor conversations to strengthen purchasing and ongoing oversight. 00:00:00 The nonprofit leader’s AI toolkit 00:02:11 Leading change without losing human judgment 00:03:37 Embedded AI and the terms you agreed to 00:07:47 Why nonprofit CFOs become accidental CTOs 00:08:49 Data use, opt-outs, and vendor questions 00:12:18 Where your nonprofit’s data goes 00:16:47 Start with your five essential applications 00:19:43 Define your data retention and sharing non-negotiables 00:23:25 Tenant isolation: how your data stays separate 00:24:54 AI audit trails for nonprofit financial controls 00:28:08 Innovate 2027: nonprofit finance learning and connections #NonprofitAI  Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit direct mail donor acquisition works best when your mailing list and your financial expectations are on speaking terms!  Before you blame the envelope, inspect the audience. A beautifully written appeal can still flop when it lands in the wrong mailbox. With postage and paper taking a bigger bite, “send it to everyone” deserves a tougher budget conversation.   Jeff Kruszyna of JMK Victory joined the Show to explore donor segmentation, testing, and the longer game behind fundraising returns. Jeff, founder and CEO, explained how nonprofit direct mail fundraising strategy connects audience selection, creative testing, and donor stewardship. His approach: test smaller segments, study the returns, and expand toward audiences that justify the expense. “Ultimately the donors decide for us what works and what doesn’t,” Jeff says. Translation: your favorite fundraising letter still has to audition. The conversation also tackles donor acquisition costs for nonprofits. Jeff describes using a three-month test series with three different creative approaches and recommends evaluating acquisition with a three-to-five-year outlook. Those are his planning approaches, rather than universal performance benchmarks. And that modest first gift? It may be an introduction, not a ceiling. Jeff recalls seeing a $50 donor later write a $25,000 check . . .. an example of relationship potential, not a promised return! You’ll also hear where Jeff sees AI helping with campaign research and audience analysis, why some prospects belong in other channels, and how acknowledgments and impact updates support nonprofit donor lifetime value. Planning a year-end fundraising mail strategy? Jeff estimates roughly three weeks from a standing start to getting mail out the door, while encouraging first-quarter acquisition testing, too. . . . .“The year end isn’t the end.” Key Takeaways: - Segment acquisition prospects separately from existing donors. - Test audiences and creative before expanding mailing volume. - Evaluate acquisition beyond the first appeal’s immediate revenue. - Redirect poorly matched prospects toward other communication channels. - Build thank-yous, impact updates, and monthly-giving cultivation into follow-up. - Plan production lead time and testing beyond December. 00:00:00 Nonprofit Direct Mail: Does Snail Mail Still Deliver? 00:01:43 Year-End Fundraising and Mailbox Competition 00:04:03 Donor Segmentation: Who Deserves a Stamp? 00:06:17 Mailing Economics and the Value of Small Donors 00:08:34 Testing Audiences and Creative Over Three Months 00:11:06 AI for Fundraising Research and Audience Analysis 00:14:07 Precision Prospecting: Which Names Should You Cut? 00:15:15 Donor Acquisition Costs and the Three-to-Five-Year View 00:18:28 Cultivating Donors Beyond the First Gift 00:20:08 Direct Mail Demographics and Younger Donors 00:22:16 Why Physical Mail Holds Donor Attention 00:24:22 Year-End Mailing Deadlines and First-Quarter Testing #NonprofitFundraising #DirectMailStrategy #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit development director turnover may start with a job description that expects one person to do an entire team's work.  Major gifts. Grant writing. Events. Email campaigns. Database management. Apparently, your next fundraiser also needs a horn and a little glitter!!  Eddie Allen of Pacific Northwest Fundraising explains how stronger systems, shared donor knowledge, and a team approach give fundraising talent a fighting chance. Eddie joins us to challenge the nonprofit “unicorn” job description and the expensive cycle of hiring, overwhelming, and replacing talented people. The conversation connects nonprofit staffing decisions to revenue continuity, donor trust, and the workload carried by everyone left behind. “Sustainable fundraising needs sustainable systems and processes,” Eddie says. That means examining your strategy, CRM, communications cadence, and storytelling before handing a new hire a revenue target and wishing them luck. Discover why a donor database should hold much more than gift amounts. Volunteer history, board connections, interests, and past engagement help teams plan the next donor experience. Segmentation and automated communications can also free staff to spend more time building relationships. For leaders wondering how long this groundwork takes, Eddie estimates roughly three to six months to build fundraising infrastructure, depending on the organization's starting point. He also discusses a 24-to-48-month major-gift timeline, illustrating the tension between patient relationship development and pressure for immediate revenue. The conversation also explores fractional fundraising teams: specialists handling campaigns, content, and systems while organizational leaders nurture donor relationships. As Eddie puts it, “We're not trying to replace development directors. We're trying to give them a fighting chance.” Watch before writing your next development job description, rebuilding your annual giving plan, or asking one employee to become the entire department! Key Takeaways: - Separate fundraising specialties before combining them into one job description. - Build strategy, systems, and storytelling into your staffing plan. - Use your CRM to preserve donor knowledge through personnel changes. - Budget time for infrastructure; Eddie estimates approximately three to six months. - Give board members defined roles through invitations, introductions, and content sharing. - Consider fractional support to protect staff time for donor relationships. 00:00:00 The nonprofit fundraising unicorn problem 00:02:02 One development job, too many specialties 00:05:06 Why revenue demands and system building collide 00:07:41 Donor CRM strategy: protect institutional knowledge 00:09:48 Board participation and donor journey automation 00:11:48 Build fundraising systems before hiring 00:13:07 Strategy, systems, storytelling, and annual giving 00:15:03 How long fundraising infrastructure takes to build 00:17:13 The hidden business costs of fundraiser turnover 00:20:17 Fundraising capacity on a limited budget 00:21:19 How a fractional fundraising team works 00:26:43 Sustainable fundraising connects passion and mission Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail In-kind donations can be a nonprofit's greatest gift . . . . .or an unexpected operational nightmare! Discover how better nonprofit in-kind donation management can reduce waste, improve donor retention, and turn everyday gifts into measurable results. Imagine asking your community for much-needed supplies, only to receive so many of one item that you have to tell donors to STOP giving! That's exactly the kind of problem that inspired Panos Kokmotos, Co-Founder and COO of Givelink, to rethink how nonprofits collect, manage, and track donated goods. Joining The Nonprofit Show, Panos explores an often-overlooked business challenge: generosity doesn't automatically translate into operational efficiency. From outdated wish lists and excess inventory to anonymous donors and missing follow-up communications, in-kind donation management can create more work than organizations anticipate. As Panos explains, he's seen in-kind giving become “an operational mess.” But what if donors could purchase exactly what a nonprofit needs, track delivery, and receive actual photographs showing how their gifts are being used?  That’s what GiveLink is all about. . . Panos adds, “The photo proof that they received was the best part for them to re-engage and give again.” You'll also hear how nonprofits can connect donation wish lists with donor relationship management, capture information with donor consent, automate acknowledgments, and create more meaningful impact communications. Watch now and discover how smarter in-kind giving could change your organization's donation strategy!   Key Takeaways: - Match donated products to documented needs to prevent excess inventory and wasted resources. - Keep wish lists current as needs are fulfilled and priorities change. - Capture consent-based donor information to connect in-kind giving with CRM and stewardship workflows. - Use real delivery photos and subsequent impact updates to strengthen trust and encourage repeat giving. - Evaluate donor retention and average gift values, not simply the number of donated items received. - Choose donation technology designed for nonprofit fulfillment, reporting, and relationship management. 00:00:00 Why In-Kind Donations Deserve Attention 00:01:46 How Givelink Connects Donors With Real Needs 00:03:16 What Counts as an In-Kind Donation? 00:04:43 Beyond Goods: Funding Services and Staffing 00:06:05 Why In-Kind Giving Becomes an Operational Mess 00:07:41 When a Nonprofit Asked Donors to Stop Giving 00:10:16 Why Traditional Wish Lists Fall Short 00:13:30 Donor Demographics and Digital Giving 00:15:16 Donor Retention and the Power of Photo Proof 00:16:54 How Donation Tracking and Impact Photos Work 00:19:23 Average Donation Values and Donor Trust 00:21:57 Donor Data, CRM Integration, and Future Giving #InKindDonations #NonprofitManagement Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail If your budget meetings inspire elaborate escape plans, this conversation offers a welcome reset.  Nonprofit budget planning and accountability get a fresh look when “no” becomes the start of a better business conversation. Joseph Plagge of Martus Solutions and Jeremy Brown of Kari Hub explain how shared ownership, contingency planning, and monthly reviews connect spending decisions to mission results. Joseph and Jeremy challenge the idea that an approved budget is the finish line. The bigger test: does that plan move your organization toward the financial position its future requires? Jeremy puts it plainly: “Build a budget that’s worth defending.” That starts with identifying owners who understand their numbers, help shape their plans, and explain results throughout the year. Joseph describes three ownership groups (executive leadership, finance, and department or program leaders) and references Martus’s nine-phase budget playbook. The goal is to make responsibilities and deadlines clear before spreadsheet season becomes a competitive sport. The guests also explain how to prepare for surprises. Jeremy recommends writing a contingency plan before building the budget, including responses to scenarios such as expenses running 5% over plan. His suggested rhythm: two to three months for budgeting, followed by a one-hour department budget meeting every month. And when something needs a “no”? Joseph offers a useful distinction: “So it’s not a person that we’re saying no to. It’s more the plan alignment that we might say no to.” Discover how documenting assumptions, reviewing budget versus actuals, and redirecting resources toward stronger mission results can make nonprofit financial management more collaborative and less personal.  Key Takeaways:   - Assign budget ownership across leadership, finance, and program teams. - Evaluate budgets against future financial needs and strategic goals. - Write contingency responses before revenue or expense surprises arrive. - Document spending assumptions and intended mission results. - Use monthly reviews to sustain ownership and explain variances. - Consider reallocating resources toward higher-impact work before defaulting to cuts. 00:00:00 Nonprofit Budget Conversations: Starting With “No” 00:04:42 Spending Access and Shared Financial Responsibility 00:06:15 Turn Budget Season Into Strategic Planning 00:07:17 Connect Annual Budgets to Long-Term Goals 00:09:10 Does Your Budget Improve Your Financial Position? 00:12:03 Build a Budget Someone Will Defend 00:14:09 Define Budget Owners, Responsibilities, and Deadlines 00:16:53 Write a Contingency Plan Before Surprises Arrive 00:18:08 Document the Mission Behind Each Budget Request 00:20:17 Say No Without Making It Personal 00:22:19 Connect Spending to the People You Serve 00:24:12 Monthly Budget Reviews, Reforecasting, and Accountability #NonprofitFinance  Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit program design for results starts with knowing whom you serve and what they want to achieve. Rob Jentsch of ADGN Education shows how that clarity can guide budgets, strengthen fundraising, and keep tempting funding opportunities from steering your mission off course. A community center wants children reading on grade level. Then come a donor’s yoga classes, a science grant, and a community garden!! All good things. But are they moving those children toward the reading goal, or giving an already stretched team three more things to juggle? Rob joins Julia C. Patrick and co-host Ellie Hume of Your Part-Time Controller for a lively conversation about nonprofit program strategy, resource allocation, and the confidence to keep funding aligned with purpose. “It’s like an octopus tug of war where you’re pulled in so many different directions,” Rob says. Sound like your last leadership meeting? His story about Cooperative for Education in Guatemala brings the stakes into focus. Rob reports that about 99% of the students consulted came from families with very tight resources, and all wanted access to a fair-wage job after high school. Listening to students helped clarify the support they needed: employment access, interview clothing, and soft skills. That clarity also gave the organization a stronger story to bring back to its board and donors. Discover Rob’s results → reputation → revenue flywheel and his straightforward “theory of impact”: if we provide these supports, we expect this outcome. Ellie connects that thinking to leadership across finance, fundraising, and programs, while Rob brings HR and staff schedules into the equation. Watch for a donor conversation that protects the reading program and still leaves room for a friendly invitation to hot yoga. Bring this discussion to your next leadership meeting and test whether your time, people, and money support the same result.  Key Takeaways  - Define the participant and desired outcome before selecting program activities. - Assess funding opportunities against outcomes, staff capacity, and available time. - Use participant interviews and surveys to strengthen strategy and donor communication. - Build a written “if we provide X, then we expect Y” theory of impact. - Align finance, HR, fundraising, and program leaders around the resources that outcome requires. 00:00:00 Designing Nonprofit Programs for Results and Revenue 00:01:41 Aligning Time, People, and Money With Strategy 00:03:38 The Stakeholder Tug of War 00:05:27 Start With the Participant and Desired Outcome 00:07:33 When Funding Pulls Programs Off Mission 00:09:52 The Results, Reputation, and Revenue Flywheel 00:12:06 Finding the Confidence to Push Back on Funding 00:15:10 Guatemala: What Students Actually Wanted 00:19:06 Communicating the “So That” Behind Your Program 00:22:19 Building a Theory of Impact 00:23:30 Redirecting a Donor Without Losing the Relationship 00:25:27 Aligning Finance, Fundraising, HR, and Programs Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail This Independent Sector National Summit recap brings you inside the Phoenix gathering through the experiences of Tiffani R. Brown and Nancy Bacon. Discover the conversations, connections, and unexpected moments they brought home and what those experiences could mean for your nonprofit’s leadership, operations, and workforce! Tiffani R. Brown of Monroe Impact Advisors and Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting reflect on why they invested in attending, what caught their attention, and why they left with more than a stack of conference notes. For Tiffani, a first-time summit attendee, a standout was the CEO intensive: a full day with dozens of leaders navigating different stages of organizational life. She met a new CEO just months into the role and another with 17 years of experience already considering succession planning. Those exchanges offered perspective that can be hard to find inside your own organization. Nancy describes connections stretching from frontline professionals to state and national leaders. She also noticed generations learning from one another: “And I saw such a spirit of generosity of the generations connecting.” Both guests found encouragement in the emerging leaders they met. Their summit highlights also carry nonprofit business impacts. Tiffani was excited by shared-services models supporting nonprofit finance, HR, and IT. Nancy welcomed the attention to workforce health, including compensation, retention, morale, and benefits, as part of the sector’s long-term sustainability. “I walked away feeling really inspired and energized,” Tiffani shares. Watch their recap for a candid look at what made this gathering worthwhile, and why you should plan to attend the next Summit!! Key Takeaways - Tiffani’s CEO intensive connected leaders facing onboarding, succession, and organizational change. - Nancy’s conversations linked frontline experience with state and national perspectives. - Shared-services sessions offered models for strengthening administrative capacity across nonprofits. - Workforce health emerged as a sustainability priority extending beyond individual burnout. - Both guests saw intergenerational connections and realistic optimism as summit strengths. 00:00:00 Independent Sector Summit Recap 00:01:20 Meet Summit Attendees Tiffani R. Brown and Nancy Bacon 00:04:22 Why They Invested in Attending the Summit 00:06:17 Different Regions, Shared Nonprofit Challenges 00:09:16 Tiffani’s Highlight: The CEO Intensive 00:10:40 Nancy’s Highlights: Leadership and National Connections 00:12:43 Meeting the Next Generation of Nonprofit Leaders 00:15:55 What Surprised Tiffani: Shared Services and Open Conversations 00:17:49 What Encouraged Nancy: The Workforce Health Focus 00:22:22 The Summit Atmosphere: Realism Meets Optimism 00:23:59 Serious Conversations—and Yes, Some Dancing 00:26:28 Was the Summit Worth the Time Away? #TheNonprofitShow #IndependentSector Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail Wondering how to get board approval for a nonprofit CRM when “too expensive” ends the conversation? Tony Beall and Julia C. Patrick explore the business case for donor management software, then tackle board reporting, outside board service, and the work-from-home debate. It’s Fundraisers Friday, and the questions have arrived with their sleeves rolled up! First up: a board that sees a CRM subscription as a budget burden. Tony encourages fundraisers to explain the investment through the work it supports: managing donor information, strengthening fundraising processes, and preserving knowledge when employees leave. His question puts a different number on the conversation: “So what price tag are you putting on that information walking out the door?” Julia and Tony discuss using vendor testimonials to help make the case and exploring capacity-building support. Tony shares a local community foundation example that he believes offers up to $5,000—an illustration of a possible funding route, rather than a universal grant opportunity. Next comes boardroom access. How often should the development director present? Julia advocates a place at every meeting; Tony favors monthly engagement when possible, with quarterly presentations at a minimum. The goal: stronger relationships, clearer fundraising expectations, and better understanding of how revenue reaches the organization. They also consider whether fundraisers should serve on another nonprofit’s board. The conversation centers on learning, community participation, confidentiality, and knowing when to step back from a vote. Then comes the office debate: must productive fundraising happen within earshot of everyone else’s phone calls? They explore hybrid work, employee well-being, and performance monitoring. As Julia puts it, “And that trust goes both ways.” Watch to get fresh ideas you can bring into your next budget discussion, board meeting, or conversation with your manager.  Key Takeaways: - Build the CRM case around fundraising processes and donor knowledge continuity. - Explore capacity-building funding for donor management infrastructure. - Establish regular development director presentations to strengthen board understanding. - Address outside board service through confidentiality, conflict policies, and recusal. - Evaluate hybrid work through performance, employee satisfaction, and available tools. 00:00:00 Fundraisers Friday: Questions Fundraising Leaders Are Asking 00:02:30 When Your Board Says a Nonprofit CRM Is Too Expensive 00:05:04 Protecting Donor Knowledge When Fundraisers Leave 00:07:31 Finding Capacity-Building Funds for CRM Software 00:08:39 How Often Should Development Directors Present to the Board? 00:11:46 Can Fundraisers Serve on Another Nonprofit’s Board? 00:15:19 Confidentiality, Boundaries, and Recusing Yourself 00:17:19 Making the Case for Working From Home 00:20:28 Noise, Neurodiversity, and Employee Well-Being 00:20:59 Explaining Remote Work Decisions Without Damaging Trust 00:24:14 The Architecture of Fundraising: Careers and Leadership 00:26:30 Send Your Nonprofit Leadership Questions Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Send us Fan Mail You’ve crafted the appeal, told the story, and inspired someone to give. Victory lap? Almost. Your donation form still has a job to do, and one extra field, confusing message, or inconvenient payment process can blow-up that moment of generosity!  Learn how to improve nonprofit donation forms so a donor’s “yes” becomes a completed gift. Bloomerang’s Evan DaSilva shares how simpler checkout, digital wallets, and timely thank-yous can strengthen fundraising conversion and donor retention. Evan, Senior Vice President of Payments at Bloomerang, joins us to explore the business of getting donors across the finish line. As he puts it, “You don’t want to introduce moments of friction after you’ve already won that appeal.” One conversation-stopper: what if you collected the donation before asking for additional donor details? Evan reports that Bloomerang’s Express Donate feature has shown a 55% increase in conversion by capturing the gift first. He addresses the fear of losing contact information and why losing the donor’s attention may be the bigger risk. The discussion connects nonprofit donation form optimization with campaign planning, internal coordination, and donor confidence. Your appeal and landing page should tell the same mission story. Digital wallets can reduce typing on mobile devices. Even the wording used to ask donors to cover processing fees deserves attention. Then comes the chore with fundraising upside: testing. Walk through the entire giving experience on phones, tablets, desktops, and different browsers. Invite people across generations to try it, too.  And don’t leave the thank-you until later. Evan cites a statistic that first-time donors thanked within 48 hours are four times more likely to give again. He explains how consistent impact messaging and preferred communication channels help connect that first gift to an ongoing relationship. Key Takeaways: - Align campaign appeals, donation pages, and acknowledgments around the same mission. - Capture the gift before requesting additional donor information. - Offer digital wallets to simplify mobile giving and support donor acquisition. - Test across devices, browsers, and donor generations. - Prepare timely thank-yous before launch; ask how donors prefer to stay in touch. 00:00:00 Make It Easy for Donors to Give 00:01:43 Capturing the Gift at the Moment of Generosity 00:04:04 Align Your Donation Form With Every Campaign 00:07:08 Connect Fundraising, Marketing, and Form Design 00:08:19 Donation First, Donor Details Second 00:12:14 Improve Form Copy and Processing-Fee Requests 00:12:56 Digital Wallets for Mobile Giving and Donor Acquisition 00:15:41 Test Donation Forms Across Devices and Browsers 00:17:33 Test the Giving Experience Across Generations 00:19:49 Plan the Thank-You Before Campaign Launch 00:21:52 Match Donor Follow-Up to Communication Preferences 00:24:32 Ask Donors How They Want to Stay in Touch #TheNonprofitShow #DigitalFundraising #DonorExperience Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: [email protected] Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show