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Most fundraisers treat the finance office like the department down the hall. Germeen Guillaume wants to tear down that wall, because your books can win you gifts or cost you them. Germeen spent years doing audits in public accounting and banking before founding Visionary Accounting Group, a firm that works only with nonprofits on accounting, grant management, and audit prep. Her firm has recouped more than $2.8 million in receivables for its clients, much of it grant reimbursements that organizations were owed but weren't tracking. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke talks with Germeen about what nonprofit bookkeeping has to do with raising money. She explains what the books reveal about whether your fundraising is working, how to handle a restricted gift so you can prove where every dollar went, and what a good monthly reconciliation between your donor database and your accounting system looks like. She also covers what to say when a major donor asks about overhead or reserves, what grant program officers actually check in your financials, and how a growing nonprofit should decide between a bookkeeper, a controller, and a CFO. If you've ever been asked what last year's fundraising event actually netted and had to go digging for the answer, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Cold open: no CFO can fix bad bookkeeping 00:19 - Welcome: how your books win gifts or cost you them 01:02 - From audit work to an accounting firm just for nonprofits 02:25 - What your books reveal about whether fundraising is working 04:08 - Handling a restricted gift so you can prove where it went 05:38 - Garbage in, garbage out: why cleanup comes first 06:45 - Monthly reconciliation between your donor database and accounting system 10:00 - How clean books help you raise more and win grants 12:13 - What to tell a major donor who asks about overhead or reserves 15:21 - What grant program officers check in your financials 18:22 - Diversify your funding before one source goes away 19:33 - Bookkeeper, controller, or CFO: what finance help you need 21:23 - Tactical takeaway: track every campaign in your books 22:24 - Accounting as a trust-building tool, and how to connect with Germeen CONNECT WITH GERMEEN LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germeen-guillaume/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4mbs2tBlk7WBoVCAH8T8uQ ABOUT THE FOCUSED FUNDRAISER Hosted by Rob Burke, CMO at DonorDock. Seasoned fundraisers share hard-earned wisdom on what moves the mission forward, because doing more doesn't lead to success. Focusing on what matters most does. Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity, keep clean donor data that syncs directly into QuickBooks, and forecast your fundraising: https://www.donordock.com

When your nonprofit earns revenue, some donors assume the sales cover everything. Laura Wetter, Development Director at Urban ArtWorks in Seattle, answers that by being specific about who pays for what. Urban ArtWorks gets paid to paint commissioned murals, and that money supports the artists and staff. Foundations and individual donors fund the youth programs, which are free and pay teens a stipend to take part. Last year, 172 teens completed the mural apprentice programs, and every one of them earned $500. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke talks with Laura about fundraising alongside earned revenue. She shares how Urban ArtWorks tells the story of outcomes donors can't see on a finished wall, like confidence, leadership, and job readiness. She also walks through the four storytelling threads she leans on when arts funding is scarce, how her team treats corporate team-building days and mural commissions as the start of longer partnerships, and the biggest shift she made moving from grant writing to individual giving. If your nonprofit earns revenue and raises gifts, or you're thinking about adding an earned revenue stream, this one's for you. Laura joined the nonprofit sector in 2007 as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Chicago. Before Urban ArtWorks, she raised money for economic development work ranging from business lending and local food and farming to neighborhood development on Chicago's West Side. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Cold open: who actually funds the youth programs 00:45 - Welcome: fundraising when your nonprofit also sells its work 01:38 - From AmeriCorps VISTA in Chicago to Urban ArtWorks in Seattle 02:43 - Writing: the skill that carried across every mission 03:54 - Growing individual giving, and pausing the event to rethink it 05:04 - Earned revenue vs. donations: what commissions pay for and what gifts fund 07:10 - Raising money for outcomes donors can't see 09:20 - Four storytelling threads for when arts funding is scarce 12:09 - Turning team-building days and mural clients into recurring partners 13:54 - From grant writer to individual giving: the biggest mindset shift 15:30 - Keeping relationships at the top of a crowded to-do list 16:59 - Tactical takeaway: be grateful for your team 17:37 - How to connect with Laura CONNECT WITH LAURA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-wetter-0691284/ Urban ArtWorks: https://urbanartworks.org ABOUT THE FOCUSED FUNDRAISER Hosted by Rob Burke, CMO at DonorDock. Seasoned fundraisers share hard-earned wisdom on what moves the mission forward, because doing more doesn't lead to success. Focusing on what matters most does. Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build strong donor relationships through Smart Stewardship: https://www.donordock.com

Most nonprofits chase funding before they've built anything strong enough to hold it. Sharmon Lebby has spent two decades watching mission-driven organizations either build infrastructure or run on passion until it breaks down, and she's done both herself. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Sharmon shares the story of applying for a multimillion-dollar federal grant when her organization's budget was about $5,000, and why her board saying no was the best thing that happened to her. She explains why strategy, systems, and storytelling have to come before fundraising, how a Grand Forks nonprofit thrives on less than $100K a year because of the community it built, and what real collaboration looks like when two organizations want the same money. We close on mission drift: where it starts, how to tell it apart from healthy mission evolution, and the one diagnostic question every fundraiser should ask. Sharmon Lebby is the founder of Blessed Designs Consulting and Board President of Intersectional Environmentalist. Her book, Rippled Impact, is on its way to the editor. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introducing Sharmon Lebby 00:48 - Growing up in service and founding a nonprofit from scratch 02:07 - The multimillion-dollar grant mistake on a $5,000 budget 03:51 - Focus: build slow, build solid 04:50 - Strategy, systems, and storytelling before funding 06:00 - The Grand Forks nonprofit thriving on under $100K 08:17 - What an ethical clothing brand taught her about donors 10:59 - Collaboration over competition when money is on the table 13:30 - A partnership that worked: five founders, one community 15:33 - Where mission drift starts 17:38 - Mission drift vs. mission evolution 19:19 - Tactical takeaway: sit down with 3 to 5 community members 20:27 - Connect with Sharmon and her upcoming book, Rippled Impact CONNECT WITH SHARMON Website and free resources (including the Purpose Drift Diagnostic): https://www.blesseddesignsco.com/friends LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmon-lebby/ Intersectional Environmentalist: https://intersectionalenvironmentalist.com ABOUT THE FOCUSED FUNDRAISER Hosted by Rob Burke, CMO at DonorDock. Seasoned fundraisers share hard-earned wisdom on what moves the mission forward, because doing more doesn't lead to success. Focusing on what matters most does. DonorDock helps small nonprofits find clarity and build strong donor relationships through smart stewardship. Learn more at https://www.donordock.com

Your most loyal $100-a-year donor might be sitting on a $3 million house and a $50,000 legacy gift your nonprofit will never see if you keep saying "planned giving." In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke sits down with Tess Conrad, who builds planned giving programs for charities across the US and Canada. Tess explains why the term "planned giving" confuses donors (and fundraisers), how to open a legacy conversation without making it transactional, and why financial advisors are quietly out-fundraising the nonprofit sector by steering charitable dollars into donor-advised funds. You'll learn the "brochure pass" technique for gauging donor interest, how to run a legacy giving survey that gets donors to raise their hands, and the research-backed stat every skeptical board needs to hear: donors who add a charity to their will increase their annual giving by 77% on average (Dr. Russell James). What you'll learn: Why "planned giving" is jargon and the plain language that works instead (gift in your will, gift from an IRA, gifts of stock, DAFs)The brochure pass: a low-pressure way to open legacy conversationsHow to find legacy "hand raisers" with checkboxes and a donor surveyMaking the case for legacy giving to a skeptical ED or board (average estate gift: $50,000)Why loyalty — not gift size — is the #1 predictor of a gift in a willThe DAF debate: how financial advisors see the whole financial picture while fundraisers see one giftTactical takeaway: write a clear "why" message (case for support) for legacy giftsChapters: 00:00 - Cold open: "Planned giving" is jargon 00:40 - Welcome and meet Tess Conrad, CFRE 01:25 - From theater degree to face-to-face canvassing to planned giving 02:16 - The language swap: what to say instead of "planned giving" 04:05 - Opening the legacy conversation without being transactional 04:31 - The brochure pass technique 06:16 - Finding hand raisers: checkboxes and legacy giving surveys 07:35 - Making the case to a skeptical board or Executive Director 09:39 - The 77% stat: legacy donors give MORE annually (Dr. Russell James) 10:54 - Why financial advisors are out-fundraising the nonprofit sector 13:05 - The DAF debate: deferred dollars vs. today's needs 15:37 - Loyal small donors: your best legacy prospects 17:17 - Tactical takeaway: write your legacy giving "why" message 18:33 - How to connect with Tess Connect with Tess Conrad: LinkedInBlog post: How to write a legacy giving case for supportAbout The Focused Fundraiser: Rob Burke sits down with seasoned fundraisers to unpack their hard-earned wisdom on what moves a mission forward. Because doing more doesn't lead to success — focusing on what matters most does. Curious how DonorDock can help you build donor retention through smart stewardship? Visit https://www.donordock.com

A board of 68. A staff of 50. 70,000 students a year. Most organizations would call that unmanageable — Laurie Sallarulo turned it into a fundraising engine. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Laurie, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida, about how she runs something big without letting it get slow. When she arrived almost twelve years ago, her first instinct was to cut the board in half. Instead she assigned every board member a relationship manager, wrote down exactly what "board member" means, and started sending quarterly report cards. Board members now notice when something's missing from theirs. Laurie also gets into the four criteria she screens every board prospect against (including the one she calls "no jerks"), why she stopped tracking dollars in her weekly development meetings and started tracking meetings and asks instead, and how JA converts 5,000 annual volunteers into donors with a $10-a-month campaign and a QR code on every wall. Plus: what to put in front of a donor when your program's real outcome is ten years out. If your board is polite but passive, or your volunteer program has never produced a gift, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 01:21 - From Brooklyn to banking to advertising to the nonprofit sector 02:36 - Which corporate habits transferred, and which didn't 02:52 - Running a nonprofit is running a business 04:27 - Why she didn't cut a 50-person board in half 05:03 - Giving every board member a relationship manager 06:00 - Getting clear on the give/get, the personal gift, and introductions 06:30 - Quarterly report cards — and why board members read them 07:00 - The overnight retreat that changed board relationships 07:20 - Four criteria for every board seat (including "no jerks") 08:05 - Welcomed vs. belonging: stewarding board members like donors 08:35 - Unreasonable Hospitality, The Power of Moments, and stewardship plans for everyone 10:25 - Mobilizing 5,000 volunteers a year through the school district 10:51 - Where volunteer-to-donor conversion stalls out 11:22 - It works both ways: 89% donor retention starts with engagement 12:15 - One Future: $10 a month, QR codes, and the end-of-day ask 12:50 - Turning employer partners and paid internships into gifts 13:46 - What development directors should expect from their chief executive 14:16 - Alignment: CEO, COO, and CFO leading development together 15:20 - Clarity on goals — and on the behaviors that get you there 15:45 - Tracking meetings, proposals, and asks instead of dollars 17:04 - Proving impact when the outcome is ten years away 17:30 - Fifth grade, eighth grade, high school: telling the full-spectrum story 18:10 - College grads who can tell their JA BizTown story 18:40 - Pre-apprenticeship: 100 students, $4 million in economic impact 19:16 - Tactical takeaway: ask everyone you know who else you should meet 20:13 - How to connect with Laurie and JA South Florida RESOURCES MENTIONED Unreasonable Hospitality by Will GuidaraThe Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan HeathLINKS Junior Achievement of South Florida: https://jasouthflorida.orgConnect with Laurie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljsallarulo/Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention: https://donordock.com

Best systems, wrong person? You fail. Best person, terrible systems? You still fail. Austin Satrom has spent his career sitting with leadership teams and boards that have hit a ceiling, and he's found the distinction between the two is where most nonprofits get stuck. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Austin — founder of Breakthrough Advising and a certified System & Soul coach — about what it actually takes to stop running your organization on heroics. They get into carving out time to work on the organization instead of in it, building an org chart that starts with the what instead of the who, the CEO/board chair covenant Austin puts on paper, and how to run a weekly meeting that produces decisions instead of another meeting. Then Austin makes the case that the strategic plan collecting dust on your shelf is one of the most underused fundraising tools you own. If your board meetings feel busy but never decide anything, or your growth has outrun the systems meant to support it, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Best systems, wrong person: why both have to be right 00:11 - Welcome: why good people in good orgs still spin their wheels 01:02 - Falling into the nonprofit world from ministry and corporate 02:24 - Running on heroics: what to install and what to cancel 02:57 - Working ON the organization instead of in it 05:11 - When revenue and impact outgrow your systems 05:48 - The org chart that starts with the what, not the who 09:16 - The CEO and board chair covenant 09:45 - What goes in it, and why both parties sign 12:12 - What separates a meeting that decides from one that doesn't 12:35 - The weekly sync: start on time, end on time 13:30 - The scoreboard: five metrics, no rabbit trails 15:00 - Prioritize the issues list instead of ticking down it 17:20 - EOS, Traction, and structure for the nonprofit sector 17:38 - Strategy problem or trust problem? 18:10 - Micromanaging, delegation, and the leader's honest question 21:04 - Tactical takeaway: pull your strategic plan off the shelf 21:30 - Using the plan to shape donor stories and show stewardship 23:29 - How to connect with Austin + wrap up LINKS Breakthrough Advising: https://www.breakthroughadvising.comConnect with Austin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-satrom-5ba02377Email Austin: [email protected] how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

Colleen Mitchell talks about generosity in three different rooms. She runs annual giving at MidAmerica Nazarene University, pastors youth and families at her church, and teaches freshmen the rest of the week. Her takeaway from all three: relationship doesn't change just because the room does. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Colleen about what she learned from the admin seat in an advancement office, the historical donor data sitting unused in most databases, and why the $5-a-month recurring donor is her favorite person to work with. She also breaks down Champions Challenge, MNU's athletics crowdfunding campaign that invites people to invest in what's already working instead of leading with scarcity and urgency. If you run the annual fund, wear more than one hat, or feel like the need never ends, Colleen's answer to burnout is simpler than you'd expect: go say thank you. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Relationship doesn't change when the room changes 00:24 - Welcome: one fundraiser, three different rooms 01:07 - The accidental path into fundraising 02:47 - What the admin seat taught her about the whole shop 03:54 - Becoming the bridge: asking "why do we do it this way?" 05:10 - The donor data you already have and aren't looking at 05:53 - Quick wins, and the limits of constituency codes 07:00 - What actually changed about how they use their data 07:38 - The database admin who typed in 35 years of yearbooks 08:53 - Where they still struggle: donor contact info 09:31 - Stewardship packets and matching student stories to donors 10:51 - What preaching and teaching taught her about donors 11:54 - Making the case for annual giving 12:56 - The quiet cohort: $5 to $25 every paycheck 13:47 - "I get the rest": the overwhelm and the upside 15:56 - How to spot a donor who's ready for the next step 17:08 - Champions Challenge: leading with gain instead of gap 18:47 - The women's soccer team that caught the vision 20:04 - One thing every fundraiser should do today: say thank you 20:34 - How saying thank you protects you from burnout 21:43 - Connect with Colleen + wrap up KEY TAKEAWAYS Relationship skills transfer across every room.The admin seat is the best training in fundraising.Most organizations are sitting on donor data they've never touched. Constituency codes are a starting point, not an answer.Recurring donors giving $5 to $25 a paycheck are the backbone. They show up quietly and consistently, and you never have to ask them again — you get to thank them.Consistency is the signal for readiness.You don't always need a defined gap to raise money.Saying thank you is the highest-leverage thing on your list.LINKS Connect with Colleen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcintosc/Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

Fundraisers are at the mercy of their systems. And when the technology doesn't work, most nonprofit teams do the same thing: they buy more of it. Tim Lockie, founder of The Human Stack, says that almost never works, because the real problem lives in the human stack, not the tech stack. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke sits down with Tim Lockie, who built a seven-figure Salesforce consulting firm before turning his focus to the part of technology everyone overlooks: the people. Tim explains why your CRM struggles are usually culture problems in disguise, walks through his orchestra analogy for understanding tech adoption, and shares a simple framework for figuring out whether your tech is ahead of your culture or your culture is ahead of your tech. You'll learn why "digital voluntolds" are quietly holding your fundraising team together, why new software keeps becoming expensive shelfware, and how to think about letting AI into your work without amplifying the problems you already have. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro: doing more vs. focusing on what matters 01:01 - Tim's path: 20 years in nonprofits and a seven-figure Salesforce firm 03:01 - Why no software solves the people problem 05:47 - Signs your team has thrown in the towel on its database 05:59 - The orchestra analogy: instruments, sheet music, and musicians 08:56 - Adoption vs. orchestration: playing well together 09:53 - The conductor and the "first chairs" who actually drive change 12:58 - The techie by necessity, and what they should stop doing 15:00 - The power differential and the rise of "digital voluntolds" 16:14 - Is your culture ahead of your tech, or your tech ahead of your culture? 17:57 - Why tech rollouts die and become expensive shelfware 20:28 - Adoption comes down to ownership 21:13 - AI, ethics, and fundraising.ai 22:00 - Three rules for letting AI into your fundraising work 24:54 - Tactical takeaway: the six-question digital health quiz 25:43 - Where to connect with Tim KEY TAKEAWAYS Tech problems almost always have human roots. You can't solve a people problem by buying more software.Your organization is an orchestra: software is the instruments, data is the sheet music, and your people are the musicians. Buying new instruments won't fix a musician problem.Real change doesn't come from the whole team at once. It comes from "first chairs," the champions on each team who others look to when something breaks.Fundraising teams are often one job description away from solving their own tech problems, if leadership carves out real, budgeted time for the person already doing the work.Tech rollouts die when engagement and accountability stop. Maintaining your systems is like reconciling your books: you never actually stop.LINKS The Human Stack: https://thehumanstack.comTake the Nonprofit Digital Health Quiz: https://thehumanstack.com/quizConnect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlockie/Email Tim: [email protected] how DonorDock helps you build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

Most fundraisers who say they hate fundraising were never actually trained to do it. That was true for Mary Rockwell Thon, until she learned to talk about giving in a donor-centric way. Twenty years later, she's raised money for Girl Scouts, the Alzheimer's Association, child abuse prevention, and now MENTOR Vermont. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Mary about the storytelling habit every fundraiser should drop, why the $10-a-month donor can be worth more than a one-time big gift, and how to make donors feel the impact of slow, relationship-based work. Mary also shares a grounded, honest take on ethical fundraising and where AI does and doesn't belong in nonprofit communications. If you're on a lean team, or you're the whole team, this conversation is full of practical ways to spend your limited hours where they actually pay off. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro: focusing on what moves a mission forward 00:51 - Mary's accidental path into fundraising 02:46 - The training that changed everything: donor-centric fundraising 03:49 - The storytelling habit to drop and the one to add 04:45 - Make your organization the guide, not the hero 05:18 - What transfers from cause to cause, and what to unlearn 06:28 - Different fundraising styles: events, major donors, corporate 07:21 - Ethical fundraising and asset-based storytelling 08:35 - Navigating AI in nonprofit communications 09:29 - Disclosure, composite stories, and honesty with donors 10:14 - Donor retention in a small market 11:56 - Making impact felt when outcomes are slow 13:35 - Where lean and solo teams should spend their time 14:40 - Find a development mentor: you don't have to do it alone 15:14 - Wrap up KEY TAKEAWAYS Fundraising is a learnable skill. The discomfort many people feel usually means they were never trained to talk about giving in a donor-centric way.Stop telling stories about your programs. Tell the story of your beneficiary and how the donor made a difference. Make the donor the hero and your organization the guide.Use asset-based framing, not "sad puppy" appeals. Talk about the strengths you're building on, not just the need.Be honest about AI and composites. If you use a composite person or an AI-assisted draft, make it clear, and don't pass off generated art as real.The $10-a-month donor often has more lifetime value than a one-time large gift. Retention beats constantly chasing new donors.Ask your board to introduce you to five new people a year, and don't rush the ask. Build the relationship first.Translate impact into donor-sized terms. "Your gift trains one mentor" lands better than abstract capacity-building language.On a lean team, build a yearly calendar (grants, appeals, communications) so you're not chasing your tail, and find a development mentor so you're not doing it alone.LINKS MENTOR Vermont: https://mentorvt.orgConnect with Mary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-thon-5317421a/Association of Fundraising Professionals (find a local chapter and mentoring): https://afpglobal.orgLearn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

Move for Hunger has transported more than 70 million meals to food banks and pantries across the US and Canada, and they don't own a single truck. In this episode, Rob Burke sits down with Jennifer Bushinger-Ortiz, Director of Development at Move for Hunger, to unpack how you fund a mission that runs on a network instead of a warehouse. Jennifer has spent nearly two decades in development, and she brings a refreshingly honest take on building a corporate-first fundraising model, making enormous impact numbers feel human, holding two messages at once (fighting hunger and cutting food waste), and knowing when a big, risky campaign is worth it. If you lead fundraising or development at a nonprofit, this one is full of tactics you can use this week. Chapters 00:00 - Welcome to The Focused Fundraiser 00:56 - From theater to fundraising: Jennifer's path 03:21 - Inside Move for Hunger's corporate-first model 06:45 - Making big numbers mean something: food as the hero 10:11 - Holding two messages: hunger and food waste 12:27 - Segmenting your story for the room you're in 14:40 - Big, risky campaigns and a Guinness World Record 17:55 - The fundraising tactic Jennifer thinks is overrated 20:38 - Tactical takeaway: keep learning, trust your gut 22:21 - How to connect with Jennifer Key Takeaways Know your type. Build your fundraising model on the strength you actually have, not the one every other nonprofit copies. Move for Hunger leaned into its network of 1,400+ moving and transportation companies instead of chasing individual donors.Make the food the hero. When your impact numbers are too big to picture (50,000 pounds of potatoes), put the tangible thing at the center of the story. See: their "Operation Fruit Cup" campaign.Segment by industry and motivation. Some partners care about environmental impact and CO2 saved from landfills; others care about data and local impact. Research the room before you walk in.Big, splashy events (like their Guinness World Record cereal domino run) raise awareness at a scale no marketing budget can buy, but they require leadership that will invest in risk.Diversify or hit your ceiling. There is no one-size revenue model anymore. If too much of your funding sits in one bucket and that bucket disappears, you're stuck.Trust your gut, then defend it. Before you push a bold idea past your board or team, poke every hole in it so your "why" is airtight.About Move for Hunger Founded in 2009 by Adam Lowy, Move for Hunger rescues food that would otherwise be thrown out when people move and gets it to food banks and pantries. In the US, 38% of perfectly good food ends up in landfills. It's not a food creation problem, it's an access and waste problem. Links Move for Hunger: https://moveforhunger.orgLearn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through smart stewardship: https://www.donordock.com

Can you get someone to give to a cause they'll never see in person? Morgan Gross and Sjeel Haarhuis, co-founders of Fundraising Beyond Borders, have spent a combined decade-plus raising money for international programs across East and Southern Africa. In this episode, they break down the four pillars of fundraising across distance, why authentic beats polished every time, and how "shiny object syndrome" quietly wrecks small nonprofit teams that are already stretched thin. Whether your donors are down the street or across the world, this conversation is about building trust you can't do in person, choosing the right channels for your actual donors (not everyone else's), and focusing on the two or three fundraising activities that will actually move the needle. Chapters: 00:00 - Cold Open: The Shiny Object Syndrome Trap 00:32 - Welcome to The Focused Fundraiser 01:29 - Morgan's Path: From Second-Grade Teacher to Zambia 02:53 - Sjeel's Path: From the Netherlands to Nonprofit Ops 03:51 - What International Fundraising Teaches Every Nonprofit 04:15 - The Four Pillars of International Fundraising 05:48 - Moving Donors to Give to a Cause They Can't See 08:03 - Why Authentic Beats Polished 09:51 - Choosing the Right Channels: Acquisition vs. Retention 12:24 - Mobile Giving and the Apple Pay Shift 12:58 - Email Stewardship: Quality Over Frequency 13:55 - Pressure-Testing a Fundraising Plan 16:07 - Finding Your Ideal Donor 16:53 - What Lean Teams Should Stop Doing 19:10 - Busyness vs. Building Fundraising Capacity 21:14 - Say "Not Yet," Not "No" 22:34 - Tactical Takeaways 23:47 - Relationships First, Community Second 25:19 - Connect With Fundraising Beyond Borders Key Takeaways: Fundraising across distance rests on four pillars: donor trust, cross-cultural communication, digital presence, and connection. Authentic, unedited content (a live video, a behind-the-scenes look) builds more donor trust today than a polished, produced campaign. Know your ideal donor and put your time where they actually are, not on every channel at once. Small teams grow fastest by focusing on two to three fundraising activities with the highest ROI, not by chasing every "shiny object" idea from a webinar or board member. Say "not yet" instead of "no" to new ideas. It keeps the door open without derailing your focus. Stewardship beats frequency in email. Send fewer, better emails rather than hitting an arbitrary weekly quota. Links: Fundraising Beyond Borders: fundraisingbeyondborders.com DonorDock: donordock.com

Most fundraisers are taught to chase: more grants, more new donors, more names on the list. Jackie Jones did the opposite and built something that lasts. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke talks with Dr. Jacqueline "Jackie" Jones, founder of the I SEE ME Foundation, which helps girls build inner confidence in a social-media age. A former accountant turned 26-year teacher turned nonprofit founder, Jackie funds free programming through community partnerships, in-person conversations, and a foundation of small recurring donors. We get tactical on how she stewards those relationships, where she lets AI help (and where she refuses to), and the hardest lesson every founder eventually faces: letting go. If you run a small shop and feel like you're applying for everything and gaining nothing, this one is for you. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 - Why "I SEE ME" exists: confidence in a social media age 01:05 - From accountant to 26-year teacher to nonprofit founder 03:28 - The fundraising lesson: stop applying to everything 05:07 - Why $5/month recurring donors keep the lights on 06:43 - Beyond the statistic: story-driven giving that sticks 08:21 - Using AI ethically without cheapening the relationship 11:57 - Building a brand that stays focused 14:23 - The founder bottleneck: learning to let go 17:48 - Tactical takeaway: connect, don't just collect 19:14 - Where to find Jackie and I SEE ME ✅ KEY TAKEAWAYS Don't apply for everything. A constant flow of "no" wears you down. Laser-focus every application on your exact mission so even a no teaches you something.A base of small recurring donors ($5/month) can cover your core operating needs and protect you when grants fall through.Stewardship beats acquisition. Send photo collages 3–4x a year and testimonials that tell donors, "you are responsible for these faces."Don't sell a statistic. Use photos, video, and audio so donors feel like they were in the room.AI should be an exponent to relationships, not a replacement. Use it for the logistical, mundane work (flyers, formatting) and protect the authentic voice of the people you serve.Founders stall growth when everything runs through them. Train people you trust, hand off delivery, and free yourself to focus on the board and the mission.🔗 LINKS I SEE ME Foundation: https://iseemefoundation.orgConnect with Jackie on LinkedIn (search "I SEE ME" / Jacqueline Jones)Learn how DonorDock helps you build retention through smart stewardship: https://www.donordock.com🎧 The Focused Fundraiser is where we talk about focusing on the fundraising practices that actually matter, with the experts and founders doing the hard work. New episodes weekly.

Fundraising drives relationships and the big gifts. Nobody puts the systems, the data, and the back-end operations on the flyer, and that's exactly the work that keeps an organization alive. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Sami Zoss, founder of Zoss Collaborations and a former higher-ed foundation COO who calls herself a "systems girly with an ADHD aesthetic." Sami makes the case for a project-management mindset in nonprofits (the non-techie kind), the healthy tension between relationship-driven fundraisers and the people who build the systems, and how to earn trust through small wins instead of big overhauls. We get practical about the smallest data cleanups with the biggest payoff, how to advocate to your board for the time to fix your back end, and where AI is genuinely useful for a development team versus where it's just hype. She closes with one of the most doable tactical takeaways we've shared: get one thing out of your head and into the institution every week. If you've ever felt too busy raising money to fix the systems underneath it, this one is for you. Chapters 00:00 - The unglamorous side of fundraising: systems and operations 00:45 - Sami's path: from criminal justice major to foundation COO 03:08 - A "systems girly with an ADHD aesthetic" 03:57 - The most common broken system: no project management 06:25 - Getting relationship-driven fundraisers to trust a process 06:55 - "We're going to trip over money": building trust through small wins 11:06 - Leadership buy-in and the grace to fail 12:27 - Institutional knowledge walking out the door 13:06 - The smallest data cleanup with the biggest payoff 15:42 - "Too busy raising money to fix the back end" 18:52 - Where AI is genuinely useful, and where it's hype 24:12 - Context is everything: using AI safely 26:22 - Tactical takeaway: one thing out of your head each week Key takeaways Most nonprofits are so good at saying yes that they lose track of what they're working on and whether it's still mission-aligned. A light project-management mindset fixes that. Trust between fundraisers and operations is built in small, incremental wins, not big overhauls. You need leadership buy-in to fail gracefully. Processes are wrong before they're right. Institutional knowledge walks out the door when staff leave. Document it before that happens. Smallest cleanup, biggest payoff: keep contact info current and run a monthly contact-record cleanup. Advocate to your board for the time to fix systems. Lower the short-term fundraising expectation to raise long-term accuracy. AI is useful when it's genuinely useful, not just interesting. Mind your context and your data, and never let it manipulate the donor relationship. AI amplifies the relationship, it doesn't replace it. Tactical takeaway: every Friday, write down one thing that lives only in your head and get it into the institution. Connect with Sami Zoss Zoss Collaborations | Fundraising.AI advisory council About DonorDock DonorDock helps nonprofits find clarity, build stronger donor relationships, and grow retention through smart stewardship. Learn more at https://www.donordock.com Subscribe for a new episode every week.

Passion starts a nonprofit. Structure keeps it alive. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke sits down with strategic advisor Leah Wiley, who spent nearly two decades as a community organizer before she began coaching nonprofit leaders. Leah explains why so many mission-driven organizations stay in "building the plane while flying it" mode for too long, how that fuels leadership burnout, and what it actually takes to build the structure underneath the mission. We get into letting go of the vine as you scale, stewarding your staff the way you steward donors, the discipline of saying no, and the one question every fundraiser should ask themselves today: am I doing this alone? If passion alone isn't moving your mission forward, this conversation will help you find the focus and the framework to do work that lasts. Chapters 00:00 - Building the plane while flying it 00:50 - Leah's path: from community organizing to nonprofit coaching 03:36 - Strengthening how an organization is structured 04:41 - The #1 structural problem: building too long without a blueprint 06:45 - Letting go of the vine as you scale 09:16 - Burnout and why it comes up every episode 11:35 - Stewarding your staff the way you steward donors 13:20 - Saying no and focusing on what matters most 17:12 - The question to ask donors: why do you do this work? 18:44 - Tactical takeaway: am I fundraising alone? 20:35 - How to connect with Leah Key takeaways "Building the plane while you fly it" is healthy at launch and a liability when it lasts for years. Strong mission-driven organizations require a strong mission-driven architecture: bookkeeping, hiring, roles, and a fundraising plan that fits the strategy. Burnout is usually a structure problem, not a willpower problem. Stewardship starts internally. Leaders who ask their staff about their lives and roles build cultures people don't want to leave. Ask donors why they got involved and what keeps them here, then actually listen. Fundraising should never sit on one person. Board, staff, and volunteers all have a role. Connect with Leah Wiley Email: [email protected] About DonorDock DonorDock helps nonprofits find clarity and build stronger donor relationships through smarter retention and stewardship. Learn more at https://www.donordock.com Subscribe for a new episode every week. New conversations with the people in the trenches of nonprofit fundraising.

Every nonprofit wants more new donors. Patrick Kirby thinks that is exactly the problem. The people who already love your mission are where your major gifts, your bequests, and your steadiest support come from, and they are the ones we keep ignoring. In this episode, Rob Burke sits down with Patrick Kirby, founder of Do Good Better Consulting and author of Fundraise Like a Fifth Grader. After 20 years helping nonprofits "suck less at fundraising," Patrick makes the case for going back to the basics: real human connection, one question almost no one asks their donors, and a phone call with no ask attached. He breaks down what to track in your CRM, how to get a reluctant board to open doors instead of fundraise, and how to fight the burnout taking down nonprofit leaders across the sector. If you have ever felt like fundraising advice was written for someone with a bigger team or a bigger budget, this conversation is for you. Chapters 00:00 - Don't Forget the Donors Who Loved You First 00:30 - Welcome and Meet Patrick Kirby 01:25 - From Losing an Election to Winning at Fundraising 02:52 - The Biggest Mistake: Skipping the Basics 05:28 - Why Retention Beats Chasing New Donors 05:52 - The One Question: How Do You Like to Be Thanked? 08:59 - Matching Gratitude to Communication Style 11:10 - Stewardship Is Showing Impact All Year 13:13 - What to Actually Track in Your CRM 16:22 - How to Get a Reluctant Board to Open Doors 20:31 - Burnout, Turnover, and Playing the Long Game 23:40 - Tactical Takeaway: Pick Up the Phone 25:37 - Patrick's Book and Where to Connect Key Takeaways - The most common fundraising mistake has nothing to do with budget or team size. It is trying to do everything and forgetting the basics. Technology should free up your time for human connection, not replace it. - Retention beats acquisition every time, yet nonprofits do the opposite. Love the ones who have loved you longest. They are where major gifts and bequests come from. - Ask every donor one question almost nobody asks: "How do you like to be thanked?" It unlocks a hyper-personalized gratitude plan and tells the donor you actually know them. - Don't go a full year without connecting. Ask permission to send updates and notes with no solicitation attached, then steward consistently across the calendar. - Track the right things in your CRM: last contact, communication preferences, how they like to be thanked, and the weird, specific details that prove you are curious about the person, not the pocketbook. You never ask for a major gift unless you know the name of the donor's dog. - Stop asking your board to fundraise. Ask them for warm introductions instead, recalibrate expectations every year, and set a doable KPI (one or two names a quarter, not five a month). - Burnout is the number one issue facing nonprofit leadership. Acknowledge it, treat fundraising as a long game, and find a peer community so you know you are not alone. - The single best thing you can do today: pick up the phone. Call a donor to say thank you and share their impact. Make no ask. Let the CRM handle the back-end work so you can focus on the conversation. Links - Do Good Better Consulting: https://dogoodbetterconsulting.com - Fundraise Like a Fifth Grader (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Fundraise+Like+a+Fifth+Grader+Patrick+Kirby - See how DonorDock helps you build relationships and retention through smart stewardship: https://donordock.com