Fundraising Voices from RNL – Details, episodes & analysis

I've always wanted to grab a gift officer right in the middle of donor visits and ask "how's it going." On this episode, Mike Herdlick from Tiffin University joins the podcast, live from a Hampton Inn. He was a professor, a Dean, and now he's a fundraiser.

We talk about how relationships matter in getting appointments and boosting excitement about giving. And, how student affairs and teaching experience apply to our work in philanthropy.

Check out Tiffin University

Our boards, who give us advice, guidance and often, big gifts, are an important area of support in our advancement efforts. But we're not doing great with diversity on our boards. Just 22% of board members nationwide coming from underrepresented backgrounds. We have work to do. GHJ and the GHJ Foundation have been hard at work on this issue, and we got on the line with Donella Wilson and Derrick Coleman from GHK to talk about key strategies to build an inclusive and engaged board.

Find out more about the GHJ Foundation

Meet Derrick Coleman

Meet Donella Wilson

Marc A. Pitman, CSP®, The Fundraising Coach, joins the podcast to talk about how we've all adapted this year, the power of investing in your personal development, and key things fundraisers need to do as we transform donor engagement going forward.

Marc says: It's about finding your unique style. His new book, "The Surprising Gift of Doubt," challenges the ways we look at fundraising. Marc says, the questions you're asking may be as important as the answers. We're pulled in many directions as fundraisers, and our doubts tell us things about how we can best engage donors.

Find our more about Marc at FundraisingCoach.com

Greg Warner at MarketSmart is known for challenging the norm. In this conversation, we talk about the best ways to find major and planned giving donors. Spoiler alert: it's not moves management, or relentlessly sending gift officers at them. We talk about the value of engagement, crafting a great donor experience, and how data is changing the way we work with donors.

Check out MarketSmart at imarketsmart.com

Fundraisers and alumni relations professionals are increasingly working together. As we’ve said before, it’s about treating alumni as more than walking ATMs--and truly investing in the value of a lifetime experience with our supporters.

Gary Toyn, senior researcher at Access Development, and one of the creators of the VAESE survey of alumni relations professionals, joins the podcasts to break down the trends, challenges and opportunities for alumni engagement in 2021.

Check out some of Gary’s blogs

Get the results of the latest VAESE survey

Religious centers at our universities have been part of the student life experience for decades. What happens when the pandemic means that we can’t be next to students in the same way? Well, enterprising faith leaders come up with new ways to stay connected to their students, and to donors. Andrew Robinson, owner and president of Petrus Development, works with great faith leaders every day, and he got on the line with Matt Bond, director of development at the St. John Catholic Student Center at Oklahoma State University to talk about how they are adapting during the pandemic, and to provide advice for faith-based fundraising in 2021.

Check out Petrus Development

Check out the St. John Catholic Center at Oklahoma State University

Alright podcast listeners, here’s a tip. If you want to get invited to be on Fundraising voices, be sure to put something like the “neuroscience of education” in your email to me. That’s what my new friends at FuelEd, who have used their experience as researchers and therapist to help educators transform their relationships with students, did. They got my attention.

I got on the line with Megan Marcus and Kelley Munger on the FuelEd team to talk about relationship-driven education, the science behind emotional intelligence, and what it means for us as we engage students and donors.

Check out FuelEd online

Check out the book, The Social Neuroscience of Education

There's no doubt that applying for and getting grants is a key priority for your organization. Shavonn Richardson at Think and Ink Grant Consulting has made it her mission to help nonprofits, especially those who are serving diverse communities, to maximize their grant success. I got on the line with Shavonn to talk about the environment for grant seeking in 2021, how to get it right and succeed, and how these resources impact our crucial goals of equity, inclusion and social justice.

Check out Think and Ink Grant Consulting online.

We have a lot of work to do in diversifying our teams, and truly supporting professionals from diverse backgrounds. Nneka Allen, Co-editor and Author of Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love and Birgit Smith Burton from Georgia Tech joined the podcast to discuss this important topic. They’ve assembled the experiences of diverse professionals, in their own voices, in this incredible book. They share some takeaways, and talk about how we can do better to embrace diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice in our advancement work.

Find out more about Collecting Courage and get a copy

The African American Development Officers (AADO) Network

Diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice are important priorities for charitable organizations. Tanya Rumble and Mariya Yurukova are passionate about the topics of diversifying our fundraising teams, and our donor base. They come at the issue from different backgrounds, and with a wealth of experience in the non-profit world. They’ve been writing and presenting on the issue significantly in the past year, and I got on a call to welcome Mariya back to the podcast, meet Tanya, and hear their great insights on key steps to take for social justice as fundraisers.

Here is a link to their article in AFP Advancing Philanthropy - Swept Under The Rug: The Issue of Diversity in Our Sector 

And also, Ring the alarm: It's 2021 and the nonprofit sector does not have a plan for engaging with diverse donors

And this great series on supporting BIPOC colleagues in the non-profit sector:

Part 1: https://lnkd.in/gBEaxiR
Part 2: https://lnkd.in/grdi6gg
Part 3: https://lnkd.in/g9A3Q5p
Part 4: https://lnkd.in/gAKvSef
Part 5: https://lnkd.in/gwQNhaJ