Real Talk for the Non-Profit Event Pro – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Keith Clarke, Director, Corporate & Community Partnerships at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Keith started his career at PMCF as a Coordinator, and his passion for fundraising to eradicate cancer in his lifetime is what has kept him going strong 14 years later. You will often hear Keith mention the word "lucky" throughout this episode and while luck may be in the stew, we also know that a lot of hard work, belief and willingness to be bold has helped his organization get to where they are today. Keith talks about the importance of always innovating and reminds us that failing fast, learning from it and trying something new is something to be celebrated. Keith's passion really shines through when he shares about his community events team. Rather than overcomplicate, his team works closely with corporations/companies/families to find out how they want to give back and provides first-class support to make it happen. The bottom line: let's make it as easy as possible for people to fundraise for our organizations!

If you're curious to see what an epic DIY program looks like, make sure you check out D.I.Y. to Conquer Cancer.

”Every partnership and group we steward or support is unique and different.” – Keith Clarke 

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne kicks off our hot seat coaching series with Pam Osmond, Fund Development Manager at Home Horizon, a local charity in Collingwood, Ontario that provides transitional housing, programs and support for youth at risk of homelessness. (Side note: if you haven't already listened to our episode with Pam, make sure you do that!). The event on the hot seat? The 15th annual Bowls for Beds, which involves selling and auctioning off bowls that are hand-painted by local youth and artists. One of Amy's superpowers is being able to drill deep into the 'why' and find creative ways to tie it back to the non-profit organization. From event timing to the sponsorship deck, she gives Pam so many real, tangible tips to take her event to the next level that you're going to want to take notes because you'll be able to apply them to your next event too!

Do you want to be in the hot seat? Drop us a line and tell us what event/campaign you'd like some help with and you could be featured on our next hot seat coaching episode! 

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, we are excited to kick off a mini-series that is focused on all things marketing and communications. We all know how important it is to foster deeper and more meaningful connections with our community, however we sometimes lose sight of the vital role that our communications play in developing those relationships. Let's face it, as non-profit event professionals, you wear many different hats and finding the time to make changes to the language in your communications can seem not only overwhelming, but nearly impossible. But fear not, Amy is here to help! And she's making it really easy to put her practical tips into play. As a non-profit mailing list junkie, Amy has rounded up a list of ten tired phrases that are no longer inspiring your constituents and is providing a fresh and unique perspective, and all you have to do is fill in the blanks. So if you're still using phrases like "Make a difference" or "Help us reach our goal" (don't worry we're not judging), make sure you take notes so you can start effectively engaging your audience to take action and raise money. You got this!

Didn't get a chance to write everything down? Don't worry, we got you covered! Click HERE to receive a download of the whole list.

Love this and want more? Great! We're offering a free webinar where we will dive deeper into taking your communications from worn out to wow! Click HERE to register NOW.

“In communications, as Donald Miller taught me, if you confuse, you lose.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jodi Wilding, a Certified Integral Associate Coach with a private coaching practice and a passion for helping people become who they want to be, achieve the success they desire and make the impact they are meant to have. Jodi kicks things off by talking about intentions and gives us our first of many "a-ha" moments of the episode. At the beginning of the year, many of us are busy thinking about action words that will drive us toward our goals, but what if we asked ourselves, "How do I want to FEEL this year?" instead? Powerful, right?! In the non-profit sector, it's easy to focus on what we don't have, but Jodi reminds us that we can flip the script and that we have a choice about how we respond to our circumstances. Want to try a fun exercise? While we all know that things can go wrong at an event, try to write a list of all the things that could go right and see how your perspective shifts. Jodi is an inspiring good human and we know this episode will motivate you to start living your best life!

*To ensure that Maya Angelou is given the credit she deserves, here is the quote that Amy refers to at the end of the episode: "If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude."

If this episode really hits home for you and you're looking for a coach to help you gain clarity and chart the path forward toward achieving your goals, look no further! You can connect with Jodi directly at hello@jodiwilding.com. Also, make sure you check out her website.

”Whatever we put our intention on, and our focus on, that is what's gonna grow.” – Jodi Wilding

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, we get a front-row seat to Amy's wonderful world of creativity, thoughts and ideas all centered around the theme of reward programs. She shares that a recent (joy-inspired!) spontaneous 48-hour trip to Dublin, Ireland was booked with airline points and it got her thinking about perk programs and why adding VIP benefits to our non-profit events is a must. The reasons why credit card companies offer reward programs are the same reasons why non-profits should be offering them too: to attract and retain customers. Amy walks us through many different ways that your participants can earn points or become eligible for certain benefits, as well as provides a laundry list of opportunities to incorporate a VIP experience into your event. Amy has so many great ideas of ways to reward and recognize your VIPs (Very Important Participants, that is) that you're going to want to have a pen & paper handy to write them all down; they are pure gold!

And speaking of perks...surprise! We have a little gift for you, our amazing good human listeners. Go HERE for a FREE downloadable version of our Perk Program for Non-Profit Events Guide.

Need help adding a reward program that makes sense for your organization and your event? Perfect.  Click HERE to book a free call with Amy.

“You are motivating people to do what you want them to do, what you need them to do, to reach your fundraising and participant goals.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc
• LinkedIn 
• Instagram: 
  • Beyond Inc
  • See what Amy is up to HERE
  • Our sister company Bea & Co 

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Seanna Thomas, Food and Nutrition Consultant and Host of Meal Prep Mondays on CP24 Breakfast in Ontario, Canada. She is a mom of three and passionate about helping parents, families and young athletes make easy, nutritious and budget-friendly meals. As busy event planners, we've all had those days where we're run off our feet and barely have time to grab a muffin, a bag of chips and a slice of leftover pizza - sound familiar? Well, we can do better! Seanna gives us some simple, yet effective ways to best fuel our bodies while setting up and on event day so that we have the energy and focus to last for the long haul. She also reminds us that eating the right foods post event is so important to help our bodies recover and repair. And don't worry, you don't have to give up all of your favourite treats. Seanna is a firm believer that we CAN have it all when it comes to our nutrition, and teaches us how to get the right balance. Seanna dishes out a lot of 'food for thought' around how we can better feed not only ourselves, but also our staff, volunteers and participants so that everyone is feeling their best!

We know you're going to want more tips and recipes from Seanna so make sure you follow her on Instagram, Facebook and check her out every Monday morning around 7:45am on CP24 for Meal Prep Mondays!

”It really isn't about overhauling everything, it's just about tweaking it to make you feel better.” – Seanna Thomas

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Cassidy Spencer, Director, Annual Campaign & Special Events at YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South. Cassidy has been in the non-profit sector for several years, she's passionate about events and a fan of the podcast! Amy and Cassidy dive right in to how small moments can have a big impact when it comes to bringing your cause to life, being thoughtful about sponsor gifts and treating your event volunteers like the rock stars that they are. Make sure you have a pen & paper handy because Cassidy is full of real-life examples and simple (and inexpensive!) ideas for your next event. She's also on a mission to say goodbye to "rubber chicken" dinners forever and we're here for it! Cassidy's positive energy, ability to build meaningful relationships and love for all things events truly makes her a one-of-a-kind good human; we know you're gonna love her as much as we do!

Want to connect with Cassidy directly? You can find her on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

”If you're making the gift all about you, it's not a gift, it's a transaction.” – Cassidy Spencer

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Brian Carney, CEO of Blue Sea Foundation. The vision at Blue Sea is a more generous world where charities thrive and Brian is an incredibly passionate advocate for non-profits, specifically in the peer-to-peer fundraising space. Blue Sea offers national peer-to-peer fundraising events for social service charities to consider, including the well known Coldest Night of the Year. We all know that Amy could talk about the positive impact of P2P events forever and Brian is here for it! The two of them dive right in to why the power of P2P events is real, how non-revenue results are often overlooked and the fact that these events feed so many of your organization's other development programs. Buckle up for some soap box moments! Brian also wants all of us to start taking more risks in our marketing, even if it ends up offending some people - don't be scared! Listen to the end to hear both Brian and Amy's thoughts on new artificial intelligence technologies like ChatGPT and how you can start using them to your advantage. You don't want to miss it!

For more information on Blue Sea Foundation, check out bluesea.org. Also make sure you check out cnoy.org to find out more about Coldest Night of the Year and lovesweatandgears.org for more on Love, Sweat + Gears.

”If you don't invest, if there's no incubation for your future, you're just gonna have less and less.” – Brian Carney

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

In this episode, your host Amy Milne gets real with Jen Garden, Chapter Director for Northern Alberta at Make-A-Wish Canada. Jen has been in the non-profit sector for almost 15 years and her passion for fundraising and building relationships is contagious. Amy and Jen first met in person pre-pandemic at Camp Beyond, a one-of-a-kind conference for non-profit event pros. Jen is a big believer in finding opportunities for personal development which is why she obtained her CFRE Certification in 2021 and is currently working on her Masters in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. Jen kicks things off by walking us through her career journey with Make-A-Wish Canada for which she is so grateful. From there, her and Amy dive right into why all non-profits organizations should be creating partnerships with other charities. They talk about how to get the conversation started, the keys to having a successful partnership, and why the benefits outweigh the challenges. Jen gives us some real life examples of Make-A-Wish partnerships - be prepared for a few moments that will tug at your heart strings! Make sure you stick around to the end to hear about why Amy likes to give out small rubber ducks to her colleagues - you don't want to miss it!

Want to reach out to Jen to chat further? You can find her on LinkedIn or email her at jen.garden@makeawish.ca.

”All we can do is change the world.” – Jen Garden

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!

Happy New Year! One year ago, this podcast was simply an idea so believe us when we say we are beyond excited to bring you another year of amazing guests doing what they do best to change the world one day at a time. In this episode, to start us off on the right foot, your host Amy Milne gets real about why we need to wave goodbye to those old new year's resolutions and usher in the era of setting intentions. This is also the 'year of 50' for Amy which means lots of celebration! We have a some gifts up our sleeve to keep the party going all year long, so make sure you enter your email at startingbeyond.com and you'll be the first to know when the first gift drops! We can't wait for you to join us next week with our first guest of Season 2!

“Resolutions demand instant results but intentions, they nurture and grow allowing us to bloom beautifully throughout the year.” - Amy Milne

Connect with us:

• Beyond Fundraising Inc: https://www.startingbeyond.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-milne-8946791/
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/milneamyr/
  • https://www.instagram.com/startbeyond/

Finding yourself stuck on an event, marketing or communication problem and you wish you had someone you could talk it through with?  Well look no further, fill out the form below and sign up for our hot seat coaching. Amy and the team are here to move the pylons out of your way!

Sign Up here for more information on how YOU can get on the hot seat!