Fundraising HayDay

How NOT to Start a Nonprofit

Tax exempt organizations in the United States are the third largest employment sector behind manufacturing and retail. Nonprofits do a lot of good. They help feed the hungry, conduct research for childhood cancer, preserve the environment, provide healthcare to the uninsured, fight injustice, and so much more. As much good as nonprofits do in our communities, that does not mean a new nonprofit is the solution to all of life's problems. Join us as we discuss the reasons you might not want to start a nonprofit.

Tips for Helping Boards Succeed

Join co-hosts Amanda and Kimberly for the ups, downs, and all-arounds of working with Boards of Directors as a board member, staff, or consultant. Successful boards can open doors for fundraising, grant seeking, and building strong partnerships in the communities served.

Top Ten Tech Tools for Grant Pros

From productivity tools to social media management, there are a plethora of tech tools to help grant and fundraising professionals with saving time and keep up with it all. Cohosts Amanda and Kimberly share their favorite tools, from Toggl to Miro, and so much more.  Whether you are a consultant or employed by a nonprofit, local government, or other agency, tech tools are a must-have for getting the job done.

Nonprofit Productivity with Less Stress

Learn how to make productivity tools work for you, not run your life in this fun, fast-paced interview with Scrum and Agile expert Avi Schneier, the Principle Consultant, Agile Transformations of Scrum Inc. From writing more grants, to raising more money, to the importance of tracking happiness, we cover the waterfront of efficiency and effectiveness in this episode.

In the episode, Avi shared three great scrum related resources, and they are:

(1) Book - Scrum The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time (AKA the red book)

(2) Book - The Scrum Fieldbook: Faster Performance. Better Results. Starting Now. (AKA the yellow book)

(3) Blog Post - 7 Steps To Hybrid Teams Success - Scrum Inc

Starting and Growing Your Own Consultancy

For some fundraising and grant professionals, consulting is the ultimate end game. For others, they fall into it through no fault of their own. Either way, one must do more than build a good product and hope clients will come knocking on the door. Join our conversation with Lucy Morgan, owner of MyFed Trainer, to learn the ropes on building and growing a successful business all your own. 

Paths to and Beyond Fundraising: The Road Less Traveled

On this season's episode of the road less traveled we are talking to Simon Scriver, cofounder of Fundraising Everywhere. A backpacking trip in Australia led to his beginnings in the fundraising world, a profession he did not even know existed before then. One never knows their career trajectory in the fundraising field, and it turns out that even a fear of public speaking cannot keep a good fundraiser down. Take a listen to Simon's path and imagine where your career may lead. 

Earmarks, Quality Data, and Difficult Conversations

Today we're talking with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, cohosts  of the Pantsuit Politics Podcast. They're known for their grace-filled political discussions, something all grant and fundraising professionals need to know a thing or two about. Join our conversation as we discuss the comeback of federal earmarks, collecting quality data, changing your mind, and having difficult conversations.  

Employees: To Give or Not to Give

Employee giving is a touchy subject. Don't believe us, check out the conversations on Twitter. We're talking to Ephraim Gopin, Founder of 1832 Communications. After hearing both sides of the argument from leaders in the nonprofit field, he spearheaded a survey of his own, sharing the results in his eBook, Employee Giving: Does Charity Begin in the Office? (Get your own free copy here: Employee Giving Ebook - 1832communications.com. Join our discussions surrounding his survey results, what he learned through this project, and how to best handle employee giving in your nonprofit. And in the words of Ephraim: #alwaysbelearning.

From Novels to Grants, It's All Research and Storytelling

To write a clear and compelling grant proposal, we need accurate data and a convincing call to action, woven throughout a  persuasive narrative. At the heart of our work, we are storytellers. And who better to chat with about storytelling than best selling author Jessica Handler. Not only is she an author, she is also a lecturer in English at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and a grant reviewer. Join our discussion on how to improve our craft.

Prospect Research: What's Old is New Again

Before you write the grant, you need to find the grant. Grant prospect research is a pivotal component of a grant professional's work. So where do you find the right funder and the right application for your organization and the needs it serves? The answer is simple: the same place grant professionals have been looking for the past 20+ years. We're talking about the usual suspects, plus a few you might not know about yet.