Fundraising isn't easy, but it should be simple. We take the mystery out of fundraising with practical tips and strategies to help nonprofit leaders grow their revenue and impact so they can do more good in the world.
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In today’s pod we sat down with Dr. Margaret Faulkner, Senior Marketing Scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science to talk about how nonprofits really grow.
The Institute is famous for its evidence-based approach to marketing and the groundbreaking book How Brands Grow. Dr. Faulkner brings decades of research from blue-chip commercial brands to the nonprofit sector, challenging some of our most deeply held beliefs about donor loyalty, retention, and brand differentiation.
Key Takeaways
Acquisition Beats Retention for Growth: While the nonprofit sector has heavily indexed on donor retention for the last 20 years, science shows that acquisition is actually the vital driver of growth. Because donors naturally lapse due to changing life circumstances (attrition), you must continually acquire new donors just to stand still, let alone grow. Relying solely on retention will eventually erode your donor file and lead to a deficit.
The Law of Double Jeopardy: Smaller charities often assume they have better loyalty and deeper connections with their donors than massive organizations. However, research proves otherwise. Big brands naturally have higher loyalty metrics simply because they are highly visible and easy to think of.
Mental Availability & Category Entry Points: To grow, you need "mental availability"—the propensity for a donor to easily think of your brand. This is built by connecting your charity to "Category Entry Points," which are the real-life triggers that prompt someone to give (e.g., tax time, turning 60 and wanting to run a marathon, or wanting to leave a legacy).
Physical Availability: Mental availability is useless if it's hard to make a gift. Physical availability means making your online platforms streamlined and ensuring that donating, volunteering, or signing up for events requires as few clicks as possible.
Focus On Marketing Reach: When spending your marketing budget, prioritize broad reach over high frequency. It is better to reach a wide audience once than to inundate a small group of the same people multiple times. Ensure your creative uses distinctive brand assets early on to capture attention in a cluttered environment.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
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#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal rela
#116: Why DAF donors give more—and how to find them, with Mike Todd
While often misunderstood or overlooked, DAFs are the fastest-growing giving vehicle and can serve as a recession-resistant revenue stream for your organization. Because DAF money is "pre-funded" by donors who have already received their tax receipts, asking for a grant shifts the conversation entirely from "parting with money" to simply aligning with your mission.
Mike Todd breaks down exactly how DAFs work for donors at all wealth levels and explains why donors who switch to DAF giving tend to increase both their grant sizes and retention rates.
You will also learn a straightforward, practical strategy to tap into this revenue source, starting with crucial CRM coding practices—specifically the difference between hard and soft credits—and essential communication rules between your finance and fundraising teams.
Finally, we get into how a simple, free update to the forgotten copy on your website's "ways to give" page can make your charity instantly "DAF attractive," helping you uncover $50,000 donors currently hiding in your $50 mass-market file.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode:
#115: How to choose the right CRM to support your fundraising growth, with Scott Billows
In this episode we sit down with Scott Billows, founder and CEO of Belmar, to walk through a practical, step-by-step framework for evaluating and implementing a new CRM.
You’re going to learn how to build a priority "this is what I need" list, gain internal alignment, and navigate vendor selection—including why you might want to skip the traditional RFP process in favor of working with an "architect" to map out your requirements.
Scott also shares expert advice for ensuring a smooth implementation, such as building a 20% buffer into your budget and securing strong executive alignment.
Finally, we explore why your technology should be treated as a living, evolving asset requiring continuous care to prevent technical and cultural debt.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact:
#114: Is this the end of the donor pyramid? Personalization, AI, and listening to donors at scale, with Anton Lipkanou
The donor pyramid is collapsing. Individual giving is shrinking. And yet, total philanthropic revenue is still growing—just from fewer and fewer people.
In this episode, we sit down with Anton Lipkanou, President of Delve Deeper, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of donor data, and how fundraisers can respond.
Together we explore:
Why donor files are aging faster than time itself
How the “Eiffel Tower” of giving reveals a dangerous imbalance
What “Jobs to Be Done” means for understanding donor motivation
How to listen to donors through data, not just surveys
The new role of AI in personalizing donor journeys at scale
You’ll leave this episode with practical ideas to start listening like a major gifts officer — even when you’re talking to tens of thousands of donors.
Quotes:
“Donors are hiring your organization to do a job for them. It’s not about you — it’s what they can do through you.” — Anton Lipkanou
“If giving is a story of self, then our job as fundraisers is to listen for the story donors are trying to tell.” — Mike Duerksen
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
#113: How Make-A-Wish Canada Built A Winning Giving Tuesday Flywheel, with Rapinder Dhinsa
Giving Tuesday isn’t just one day on the calendar— it’s a chance to build a core pillar of a larger year-end campaign.
In this episode, we sit down with Rapinder Dhinsa from Make-A-Wish Canada to learn how she turned Giving Tuesday into a powerful, multi-year growth engine.
Rapinder shares how her team built a campaign that got stronger every year — layering in new channels, integrating matched gifts, and weaving Giving Tuesday into the broader year-end strategy to maximize results. You’ll hear how they aligned email, social, direct mail, and paid ads to create a unified donor experience, plus the lessons they learned about timing, storytelling, and making every donor feel like an important part of the team.
If you want to make your Giving Tuesday campaign more than a one-day event — and turn it into a launchpad for your whole year-end fundraising — you won’t want to miss this conversation.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact:
#112: How to evolve your fundraising offer and positioning as your organization scales, with Phil Calvert
Imagine building a huge organization on the back of “$5.38 buys a meal for a neighbour experiencing homelessness”, when a meal is just the doorway, not the destination.
It’s a situation many nonprofits find themselves in. Their programming has changed and evolved, but their core value proposition and fundraising offers haven’t—because they are tried, trued, tested and proven.
In today’s episode, The Mustard Seed’s Philip Calvert sits down with Mike to pull back the curtain on what happens when an inner city ministry grows into a multi-city, $73m engine for life change—housing, mental health supports, job training and more—while many donors still picture soup lines at Christmas.
With 38,000 active donors and a strong brand, Phil and his team are facing a choice: keep raising money on meals… or reframe the offer around real outcomes. Last year alone, 1,300 people graduated from their shelter to affordable housing—effectively exiting homelessness. That’s the story. Now how do you scale it?
In this episode you’ll learn:
Why meal-based offers work—and when they start to trap your brand.
How to test new impact messages (like shelter-to-housing “graduations”) without tanking revenue.
Ways to align fundraising, programs, and ops so donors fund what actually drives change.
A simple 3-step path to review metrics, pilot new offers, and roll out a refreshed public story.
—
⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn:
#111: Live from Summit: Asking without fear: how to stop worrying and learn to love the ask, with Michael Mitchell
Think asking for money is scary? Michael Mitchell has been there, done that, and sweated through enough awkward asks to keep the deodorant industry in business for a lifetime.
After two decades of nervously asking for everything from $90 to $9 million, he's discovered something unexpected: asking can actually be kind of amazing.
Yes, asking someone for money feels about as natural as dancing at a board meeting. Even seasoned fundraising professionals get tongue-tied. But what if you could learn to ask with confidence, courage, and conviction?
In this highly practical session recorded live at the Build Good Summit, Michael (who still gets a little nervous every time he asks) will share a proven, permission-based framework to help you overcome the mental and emotional barriers that make asking so intimidating. From how to craft the perfect ask to navigating moments of uncertainty, you'll discover how to approach giving conversations as authentic invitations to create real change.
Perfect for leaders who understand that great fundraising doesn't require being fearless -- just the courage to ask anyway.
Don't let fear keep you from fueling your mission. Discover the joy of asking without fear as you learn to invite generosity in ways that feel natural and authentic.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
#110: Live from Summit: Fundraising appeals that work with, not against, human nature, with Kevin Schulman and Stefano Di Domenico
Fundraising appeals are packed with bad habits that refuse to die—bolded words, underlined sentences, multiple hard asks, and financial symbols littered throughout. The data is clear: none of this is actually helping.
So what does?
This practical, no-fluff session recorded live at the Build Good Summit will strip away ineffective tactics and replace them with a proven, behavioral science-backed approach to crafting appeals that work.
This session isn’t theory—it’s specific, actionable, and counterintuitive. You’ll walk away with clear do’s and don’ts for writing stronger, more effective appeals—without gimmicks, without pressure, and without the bad habits fundraisers keep passing down.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
#109: Live from Summit: How to acquire more recurring donors: a tested & proven approach to growing recurring revenue, with Nathan Hill
Monthly giving has been the buzzword of the nonprofit industry for the past few years. But most conversations about recurring giving lack substantial data and evidence about what really works to increase recurring revenue.
While it can be inspiring to see examples from complex organizations that are seemingly "doing it right", growing your recurring giving program often isn’t as complicated as some would have you think.
In this workshop session, you’ll take a hands-on look at your current fundraising efforts to identify tested, proven, and practical opportunities to grow your recurring revenue by acquiring more monthly donors.
Throughout the session, we’ll cover tactics and strategies that have been proven to increase results through real-world a/b testing covering key areas including:
Converting recurring donors within the one-time donation process
Upgrading one-time donors after they’ve made their first gift
Launching a dedicated recurring giving acquisition campaign using a proven framework
Whether you have a monthly giving program up and running today, or you’re looking to launch one in the future—this session will equip you with proven insights that you can apply to your program right away to start growing your recurring revenue.
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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode:
#108: Live from Summit: The stories we tell, the supporters we keep—lessons in new donor acquisition & retention from UNHCR Canada, with Shairoze Walji
When emergencies happen, donors respond. But too often, that generosity fades just as quickly as it arrives.
While acquiring new donors is important, how can we better cultivate and steward those who have already given?
How do we bridge the gap between crisis-driven giving and long-term donor commitment?
And how do we engage supporters in a way that reflects the evolving expectations of Canadian donors?
This session recorded live at the Build Good Summit explores what’s changing in fundraising today – how donors are engaging across multiple channels, why traditional storytelling approaches no longer resonate, and what organizations need to do to build deeper, lasting relationships.
Shairoze Walji shares her full-circle story about how her family arrived in Canada as refugees and how, years later, she now works to support displaced people through UNHCR. Our personal connections to our work matter, and when we tap into those connections in the right way, we build trust, community and donor relationships that extend far beyond a single moment of crisis.
—
⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com
🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/
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❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
----
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
----
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
----
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
----
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
––
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1
Thanks for listening!
––
#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing
Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?
BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.
You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.
