Did you know that brainstorming with AI can increase your number of creative ideas by up to 60%? In this episode, I’m joined by social impact entrepreneur and AI thought leader Amy Neumann to talk about how AI can make nonprofit work more efficient, creative, and impactful. Amy shares SO MANY tactical examples of how nonprofits can integrate AI responsibly, whether it’s for content creation, donor communications, research, or internal efficiencies. Using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to spark st...
Jul 09, 2025•30 min•Ep. 191
Redefining productivity (and actually slowing down) might be the KEY to preventing burnout in the nonprofit world. Author, coach, and leadership expert Kishshana Palmer is joining me to break down what it really takes to do less, better , especially during your busiest fundraising seasons. From her "RETHINK Method", which starts by challenging what productivity actually means - to embracing boundaries, joy, and rest as strategic advantages, Kishshana unpacks the pressures nonprofit professionals...
Jul 02, 2025•36 min•Ep. 191
I'm sharing five website tweaks I've discovered while working with eight organizations through VIP intensives since March. These simple changes can transform your website into a catalyst for evergreen monthly giving growth, even during the summer fundraising slump. Book your VIP Intensive here. • Make your homepage message unmistakably clear - ensure visitors immediately understand what you do, who you serve, and why it matters • Create a dedicated monthly giving landing page that explains your ...
Jun 30, 2025•12 min•Season 1Ep. 190
What if your next major donor or corporate partner is already in your LinkedIn inbox, and all you need is the right message to start the conversation? Carson Heady is someone who's truly mastered the art of showing up online with purpose. He's a five times best selling author, podcast host, and one of the most insightful voices on social leadership. As the Managing Director at Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, Carson is here to share how nonprofit professionals can borrow proven strategies from ...
Jun 25, 2025•35 min•Ep. 189
Would you believe it if I told you that texting is now one of Boys Town’s TOP revenue generating channels? Text messaging isn’t just for appointment reminders. It’s becoming one of the fastest and most effective ways nonprofits can deepen donor relationships. In this episode, I’m talking to Jasonea Shockey, Director of Digital Marketing at Boys Town , to share how her team launched their successful SMS strategy from scratch. With no new hires, they repurposed email content, added emojis, and saw...
Jun 18, 2025•24 min•Ep. 188
Katherine Lacefield is taking us behind the scenes of growing a monthly giving program from absolute zero to 2,000 committed donors in just FIVE years, all through grassroots efforts. You’ll hear exactly how Katherine and her team used face-to-face canvassing and phone fundraising (NOT flashy ad campaigns or pricey agency consultants!) to spark long-term donor relationships. These are scrappy, creative tactics that built a high-retention recurring giving engine, all done in-house. We also dive d...
Jun 11, 2025•44 min•Ep. 187
This week, we are honoring Pride Month with a powerful conversation about storytelling, community, and the impact of showing up - not just for a moment, but month after month. At the center of this episode is Kate Anderson, Community Philanthropy Manager of Sustainers, who offers us an inside look at how The Trevor Project is building a movement of lifelong allies and deepening relationships with their recurring donors. You’ll hear about the behind-the-scenes tactics they’re using to drive 40-50...
Jun 04, 2025•26 min•Ep. 186
Building resilient nonprofit teams has never been more crucial. Today I’m bringing you an enlightening conversation recorded LIVE at LinkedIn’s 2025 Nonprofit Talent Impact Summit in D.C. You’ll hear from Betsy DiMalanta from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dr. Luisa Boyarski from Georgetown University's Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership about what it actually takes to develop effective teams that can weather uncertainty and how to navigate today's complex talent environment...
May 28, 2025•42 min•Ep. 185
What happens when FIVE nonprofit leaders overcome their fear of asking for monthly donations? Transformation. Growth. Sustainability. Today’s episode is an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the final support call of my Monthly Giving Mastermind . The Campers, The Plenty, The Advocates, The Circle, and The Cultivators reflect on their launch journeys, their biggest mindset shifts, how they leveraged their boards, and the strategies that are already helping them attract and retain monthly donor...
May 21, 2025•43 min•Ep. 184
Monthly Giving Week is here! So how do you grow a recurring donor program from a trickle to over 5,200 committed supporters? In this powerful episode, Ashlyn Jones, the force behind Houston Food Bank’s “Faithful Friends” program, shares how the organization invested in a full-time sustainer role. AND, why having someone solely focused on nurturing monthly givers has been a game changer for retention and revenue. Ashlyn walks us through how emergencies, storytelling, and strategic touchpoints hel...
May 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 183
Did you know that only 3% of charitable giving in the U.S. happens on a recurring basis, and moving that needle to just 5% could unlock $9 BILLION in annual funding for nonprofits?! Today I’m sharing my keynote from the 2025 Monthly Giving Summit and pulling back the curtain on what it really takes to stop treating recurring giving like a side hustle. It’s time to make it the main event! Sustainable, predictable revenue doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when we lead with intention, ask bold...
May 07, 2025•18 min•Ep. 182
PR success can create a snowball effect for your nonprofit, ALL at once. But how do you do it? In this episode, I’m talking to former U.S. diplomat turned PR powerhouse Gloria Chou, who’s helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small organizations land over 10,000 media features without needing an agency, big budget, or insider contacts. Gloria shares why traditional PR is often gatekept and how you can break through using her "CPR Method" (Credibility, Point of View, and Relevance) to craft pitch...
Apr 30, 2025•33 min•Ep. 181
If you’d like to check out Flodesk + get my 4-Part Email Welcome Series Workflow sign up with my link ! What if your email marketing platform actually made you feel smarter instead of overwhelmed? Dawn Richardson, Product Education Manager at Flodesk, is here to help you redefine what’s possible in nonprofit email marketing (with ALL the segmenting and automations too!) Email personalization in 2025 is going way beyond just inserting a supporter’s name. Dawn introduces link actions, form prefere...
Apr 23, 2025•36 min•Ep. 180
If you're still manually sending thank you notes, chasing spreadsheets, or struggling to keep up with donor touch points, this episode could save you THOUSANDS of dollars. I’m talking with Rachel Bearbower, an absolute systems wizard and the founder of Nonprofit Automation Agency , to break down how nonprofits can implement systems and automations that actually feel personal. Rachel walks us through some compelling case studies, including a monthly giving program that used customized workflows t...
Apr 16, 2025•35 min•Ep. 179
Did you know that 80% of LinkedIn's BILLION-plus members want to give back to organizations? Today I’m joined by a repeat guest: Ariana Younai, Head of LinkedIn for Nonprofits! And we’re here to cover how you can strategically use LinkedIn’s most powerful (and often overlooked) tool: Sales Navigator. Ariana shares exactly how it can help fuel your fundraising efforts, build warm donor relationships, and unlock corporate partnerships. And she’s giving us allll the data, examples, and a time-sensi...
Apr 09, 2025•34 min•Ep. 178
Today’s episode is a peek behind the curtain of my recent virtual Monthly Giving Summit. The good, the surprising, and everything in between! With a team of 6 handling strategic planning and marketing, we ended up with 31 speakers and 4,693 registrants from 58 countries! I’ll share what we paid in speaker fees, the secrets behind our marketing approach, why simple, no-frills video ads work, and how a $2,500 investment in paid ads generated 26% of our total registrations at just $2.04 per registr...
Apr 02, 2025•28 min•Ep. 177
Did you know that LinkedIn video uploads have increased by 34% year over year?! If your nonprofit isn’t leveraging video on LinkedIn, you’re missing out on a major opportunity to connect with potential donors and advocates. In this episode, I’m sharing a replay of a recent livestream I co-hosted about the power of LinkedIn video with Scott Rising, Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn. We cover why it’s the FASTEST growing content format on the platform and how nonprofits can use it as a ...
Mar 26, 2025•55 min•Ep. 176
Today, I'm sharing something I normally reserve for my paid mastermind clients: a ready-to-implement, 4-part email welcome series designed specifically for monthly donors. Even better? It’s built in Flodesk so you can download and customize it immediately for your organization! When you’re capturing new monthly donors, are you missing a crucial opportunity to take them through a well-timed sequence? I’ll break down the four strategically timed emails that I recommend sending: an immediate thank ...
Mar 19, 2025•17 min•Ep. 175
What happens when a nonprofit and a major beauty brand come together to change the narrative on the deeply ingrained biases surrounding facial differences? You’re about to learn how a BOLD vision turned a dream collaboration with Sephora UK into reality with Phyllida Swift, CEO of Face Equality International. Phyllida starts by sharing her incredible story of resilience and strength after a car accident. The important work she does today stands at a unique intersection of human rights, disabilit...
Mar 12, 2025•32 min•Ep. 174
You deserve to be on stages of all shapes and sizes this year. And the only way that we're going to shake up this world for good is if we get your stories out there! Speaking coach Heather Sager is behind the mic today to break down the wild world of public speaking and how to craft your signature talk. Whether you’re pitching your nonprofit, leading a meeting, or commanding a stage, Heather shares how a simple mindset shift from fear to service can transform your confidence AND your effectivene...
Mar 05, 2025•40 min•Ep. 173
The Monthly Giving Summit is HERE! Instead of scrambling for last minute dollars or stressing over whether a big donor will renew their gift, imagine that you have a solid foundation of predictable revenue that gives you room to breathe, plan and focus on the work that truly matters. That's what a thriving monthly giving program can do. This year’s summit is a space where we can all come together. You’ll hear from industry leaders like Liz Forkin Bohannon, author of Beginner’s Pluck , Stephanie ...
Feb 26, 2025•15 min•Ep. 172
Did you know 97% of recurring donor value occurs AFTER the first gift? Author and nonprofit advisor Dave Raley is here to share why the subscription economy is reshaping recurring giving and how nonprofits can shift from a transactional mindset, to building engaging donor experiences that foster long-term retention. We get into why you need a dedicated staff focusing on recurring giving programs (one of Dave's clients saw 6-figure year-over-year growth after implementing this!), how brands like ...
Feb 19, 2025•39 min•Ep. 171
Nonprofits need to stop playing it safe. Liz Bohannon (our keynote speaker for the upcoming 2025 Monthly Giving Summit!) is here to share her take on embracing perceived failures, or as she calls them, "Pluck Ups." What if failure wasn't something to fear, but something to celebrate? Liz shares how the stories we tell ourselves about setbacks can either lead to shame and isolation or open doors to resilience and growth. She recounts a powerful moment when she misinterpreted an audience member’s ...
Feb 12, 2025•39 min•Ep. 170
Last week’s federal grant freeze sent shockwaves through the nonprofit sector, and you may be wondering, what is the impact as it relates to funding and future sustainability? DeaRonda Harrison, CEO of June First Firm , is here to break down what this means for grant-funded nonprofits. DeaRhonda shares her expertise on federal and private grants, explaining the ripple effects of the freeze, the confusion surrounding the government’s response, and how organizations can adapt in times of funding u...
Feb 05, 2025•28 min•Ep. 169
How can you use a quiz to elevate your nonprofit’s fundraising goals? I’m excited to bring back Lauren Hanson from Every Shelter , to share the nuts and bolts of their successful GivingTuesday quiz that generated 170+ new contacts AND counting. Inspired by The Adventure Project, who deployed a similar strategy ( see Episode 7! ), Lauren breaks down the easy-to-use quiz maker she used, and the 4-part email sequence that follows, inviting participants to join their monthly giving program, The Have...
Jan 29, 2025•29 min•Ep. 168
How can you use LinkedIn to boost your nonprofit’s visibility, partnerships and funding? In this episode, I’m sharing FIVE powerful tips that can help you maximize LinkedIn in 2025. We’ll cover how to craft an impeccable LinkedIn profile and company page that serves as your nonprofit’s “digital handshake”, using the “2-2-1” content strategy to captivate and connect, and the importance of experimenting with different post types (from videos, to polls, newsletters, and long-form articles) to see w...
Jan 22, 2025•32 min•Ep. 167
Get ready to explore the vibrant world of ocean and beach conservation! Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation , leads one of the most impactful environmental nonprofit organizations. Today, Chad shares his 27+ years of turning surfing culture into a powerful force for environmental stewardship, now with over 200 chapters and thousands of volunteers. You’ll hear everything from how Surfrider aligned corporate partnerships with brands like Alaska Airlines, GoPro, and Pinterest, and how adva...
Jan 15, 2025•41 min•Ep. 166
When I was 23, I could not even fathom starting a nonprofit, but Courtney Johnson did just that. In this episode, she shares her extraordinary journey and how her father’s battle with long cancer inspired her to start Culinary Care, an organization dedicated to supporting cancer patients with nourishing meals. Fostering corporate partnerships have been a game changer for Courtney and she walks us through how hosting 20 of their interactive, culinary “cookoff” events resulted in $300,000! We brea...
Jan 08, 2025•45 min•Ep. 165
In 2025, can you dare to wonder? To kick off the new year, I’m sharing my word of the year, and what’s to come on the Missions to Movements podcast in 2025. The four core themes we’ll be diving into? Revolutionizing fundraising, monthly giving programs, personal branding and thought leadership, and creating unique partnerships. In this episode, I also take a moment to reflect on my favorite moments from 2024, from writing a book to launching a successful virtual Monthly Giving Summit, and how th...
Jan 01, 2025•19 min•Ep. 164
Could embracing the latest nonprofit tech trends redefine your fundraising strategy for 2025?! Today I’m sharing a comprehensive, data-driven look at my top FIVE key trends and predictions that will transform how you connect with supporters in the new year… starting with AI! We’ll explore how AI innovations like Claude and Perplexity are transforming grant writing and donor communication, with fascinating examples from the American Red Cross (who use AI for real-time disaster relief), to Greenpe...
Dec 25, 2024•30 min•Ep. 163
