The Prosperous Nonprofit is the podcast for leaders who are building financially sustainable and impactful nonprofits and changing the world. On this show, we talk to inspiring leaders who are paving the way in the nonprofit sector in new, innovative, disruptive, and entrepreneurial ways, creating organizations that fuel their lives, their hearts, and their communities. You'll also hear from me. I'm Stephanie Skryzowski, a Chief Financial Officer, and Founder & CEO of 100 Degrees Consulting which provides CFO and bookkeeping services to nonprofits around the globe. This show is an amazing combination of inspiring stories and practical nonprofit leadership tactics to grow their impact and their income.
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Raise More Money by Creating Strong Donor Experiences with Barbara O'Reilly
Episode 175
Monday, August 26, 2024 • Duration 40:36
Nonprofit leaders, if you're ready to catapult your revenue, then this episode is for you! I sat down with special guest, Barabara O'Reilly, expert fundraiser and CEO of Windmill Hill Consulting, to chat about what organizations can do to boost their fundraising revenue. We dove into what's holding nonprofits back and how they can grow to become financially strong organizations. We also discussed the importance of setting realistic goals and expectations when hiring a fundraiser. Plus, why relationship building and consistency are important factors in fundraising.
About Barbara
Barbara is a seasoned fundraising consultant on a mission to help more nonprofits raise more money by creating strong donor experiences. Whether it was leading record-setting reunion classes, securing tens of millions of dollars from global corporations following some of the most devastating natural disasters around the world, or overseeing a team that grew donor engagement of major individual donors, Barbara knows that fundraising is much more than just asking for money. Her firm, Windmill Hill Consulting, works with organizations giving them the resources, skills, and mindset they need to build stronger donor relationships and catapult their revenue.
Barbara serves as past president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Washington DC Metro Chapter. She sits on the board of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and AFP Foundation and chairs the Research Committee for the Giving USA Foundation. In 2020, she joined the faculty at the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute teaching nonprofit fundraising.
Realistic expectations when hiring fundraisers (17:15)
How to bridge the fundraising gap in small nonprofits (23:30)
Staying organized throughout the fundraising process (30:20)
Trends in fundraising and philanthropy (35:15)
Teasers
"Fundraising is about more than just asking for money."
"The real magic happens with conversations and with really understanding who those donors are and what drives them. But the challenge is that it takes time. And nonprofits, most of them, do not have the luxury of time."
"Saying that there are no donors out there is preposterous. There are. We've got to reframe our language to talk about that future state. Because then the donors are going to go in that direction with you if they see there's a path they can take with you."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
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Capital Campaign Fundraising with Amy Varga
Episode 174
Monday, August 12, 2024 • Duration 56:23
Are you a nonprofit leader wondering if your organization should launch a capital campaign? If you're on the fence about it, then this episode is for you. I'm chatting with special guest, Amy Varga, capital campaign expert and founder of The Varga Group.
She dives into what you need to know, including how to leverage your donor base, conduct a feasibility study, and how financial planning plays an important role in campaign planning. She also breaks down how to tell the difference between incremental growth and a campaign. This is such a great episode for leaders looking to learn more about capital campaigns and how to use them in your organization.
About Amy
For over 25 years, Amy Varga has worked with organizations to strengthen philanthropy, leadership, and boards. Amy founded The Varga Group in 2013 as a management consulting firm specializing in capital campaigns, major gifts fundraising, fundraising training, retreat facilitation, board development, and leadership coaching. The Varga Group has guided over 100 higher education institutions, independent schools, and nonprofits to raise more than $250M.
In this episode, you'll get a deeper understanding of capital campaigns including:
Amy's lifelong dedication to nonprofits (6:30)
Assessing needs and filling the gap (9:25)
Amy's fundraising journey (14:20)
What campaign consulting is (19:35)
Leveraging your existing donor base (24:35)
Conducting a feasibility study (28:15)
Incremental growth vs. a campaign (33:45)
Behind the Scenes of Our 2024 Team Retreat
Episode 165
Monday, April 22, 2024 • Duration 23:50
Does your organization have team retreats? Whether you're just beginning to explore them or you're looking for new ideas for your next one, this episode is for you. I'm diving into a special, behind-the-scenes look at our annual team retreat.
I'm discussing the benefits of retreats and why I think they are 100% worth the investment. Plus, the logistics and considerations leaders need to keep in mind when planning them. I'm also sharing the lessons I've learned from this retreat and from past years like taking pressure off the team, ensuring we allot enough time for activities, and not having a jam-packed itinerary.
In this episode, you'll get a behind-the-scenes look at our annual team retreat, including:
The benefits of an in-person team retreat (1:30)
Travel logistics to consider (4:45)
Why I don't believe in a jam-packed itinerary (6:40)
Taking pressure off of the team (9:20)
Finding a balance in the types of retreat sessions (13:50)
Considerations for next year's retreat (19:00)
Teasers
"We're just trying new things every year and learning what works and what doesn't work, then revising for the next year."
"We tried to have a mix of training sessions where we're introducing new ideas or concepts to the team and they're learning something as well as 100 Degrees sessions where we were really informing the team and gathering feedback around the company."
Creating an Organizational Culture of Wellness with Melissa Wesner
Episode 164
Monday, April 15, 2024 • Duration 49:00
How does your nonprofit take care of its employees? Recent research shows that employees who strongly agree their employer cares about their overall well-being (compared with those who don't) are 71% less likely to report high levels of burnout, leading to happier and more productive employees. In this episode, I spoke with special guest, Melissa Wesner, Licensed Counselor, about how nonprofit leaders can create a culture of wellness that benefits both employees and your bottom line.
Melissa shared a ton of strategies and resources leadership teams can use to cultivate this wellness culture like how to prevent burnout, the importance of addressing your own well-being, and setting strong boundaries. She also discussed how this wellness culture benefits the organization financially with lower employee turnover and more productivity. Plus, Melissa debunked one of the most common myths about taking care of your employees. This is a great episode for nonprofit leaders looking for ways to boost employee well-being and impact on the communities their organization serves.
About Melissa
Melissa Wesner is a Licensed Counselor, Brainspotting Consultant, and Founder of LifeSpring Counseling Services a group counseling practice in Maryland. Melissa loves hosting, planning, and bringing people together for meaningful experiences which is one of the reasons that she is now hosting international retreats for entrepreneurs and leaders. She is also the host of the Dreaming & Doing podcast, a podcast for big dreamers and action-takers looking for weekly doses of inspiration from successful entrepreneurs and wellness experts.
In this episode, you'll learn strategies for creating an organizational culture of wellness including:
Spring Cleaning Your Systems
Episode 163
Monday, April 8, 2024 • Duration 28:54
When was the last time you took a long, hard look at your systems and processes? Although this isn't exactly an exciting process, it is so beneficial for your nonprofit. Organizations that regularly look at how they can improve their processes not only save time but money and resources as well.
In this episode, I'm discussing why taking a deep dive into your processes is important, how it builds trust with your donors, and how this can help your nonprofit scale in the future. I'm also sharing my favorite technology solutions, how to review your current tech stack, and how to implement new software. I'm even giving away my favorite tech secret!
In this episode, you'll learn why it's important to streamline your systems and processes, including:
Finding efficiencies in your processes (2:00)
Ensuring your data is accurate (3:55)
Building trust with transparency (5:05)
Optimizing decision making (5:45)
Meeting compliance requirements (6:40)
Scaling your nonprofit (7:30)
Eight different areas of tech solutions for your nonprofit (9:05)
My favorite technology secret (22:05)
Diving into your current tech stack (23:40)
The do's and dont's of implementing new software (26:00)
Teasers
"Having the right systems really helps make sure you're looking at accurate data, accurate financial information, accurate program information, etc."
Leveraging the Power of Donor-Advised Funds with Mitch Stein
Episode 162
Monday, April 1, 2024 • Duration 46:47
Is your nonprofit getting donations from Donor-Advised Funds (DAF)? Whether your nonprofit is seasoned, brand new, or just looking to start accepting donations from DAFs, this episode is for you! I chatted with special guest, Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy for Chariot, a Donor-Advised Fund solution for nonprofits to maximize DAF fundraising.
Mitch shared how he is helping nonprofits leverage the power of DAFs by explaining what they are, why they're important, and how he is breaking down barriers for donors. He also talked about why it's important to prevent costly errors and eliminate administrative challenges so that nonprofits can get the most money from DAFs. This is a great episode for organizations looking for a different way to bring in funding and diversify their revenue streams.
About Mitch
Mitch is a social entrepreneur, community builder and impact innovator. He is currently the Head of Strategy for Chariot, a Donor-Advised Fund solution for nonprofits to maximize DAF fundraising. He previously founded a nonprofit marketplace and community called Pond after leaving his role as a VP on Goldman Sachs' Technology Investment Banking team. He's a long-time board member at The LGBT Center of NYC and an active alum of the Startup Leadership Program NYC.
In this episode, you'll learn about how nonprofits can leverage the power of Donor-Advised Funds to diversify their revenue streams, including:
Developing a strategy for generalized funds (4:45)
Breaking down barriers for donors (5:55)
What Donor-Advised Funds are (9:50)
Why Donor-Advised Funds can be seen as controversial (12:40)
Building Strong Community Relationships to Support Earned Income Initiatives with Megan McNally
Episode 161
Monday, March 25, 2024 • Duration 41:29
Are you leveraging the power of strong community relationships? This episode is full of strategies leaders can use to build lasting relationships in their communities and help diversify their funding with earned income. I spoke with special guest, Megan McNally, co-founder of The Foundry, who shared how she's using the relationships she's built to fund her nonprofit primarily through earned income.
She discussed how she is building a social enterprise, partnering with the community, and not heavily relying on fundraising to operate her nonprofit. Megan also shared what financial management looks like for her, how she came to understand the true cost of things like time and efficiency, and why it's important to have a strong financial foundation. This is a great episode for nonprofit leaders looking to use the relationships they have with the community to diversify their revenue streams.
About Megan
Megan is the co-founder of The Foundry. She graduated from Barnard College with a degree in Environmental Policy, has worked on green building construction sites across the country, and gained experience in woodworking at Yestermorrow Design/Build School. She moved back to Buffalo to run a woodworking business from 2011-2014 and is passionate about supporting women and people of color in "non-traditional" career pathways.
Megan is active in Big Brothers Big Sisters and encourages everyone to consider mentorship. She has been the recipient of the Women Who Move The City Award, BizJournal's 30 under 30 Award, Protege of The Year from the University at Buffalo's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and one of the finalists in the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo Centennial Awards.
Scaling Your Nonprofit Using Unique Revenue Streams with Sara Allen
Episode 160
Monday, March 18, 2024 • Duration 36:28
Are you looking for ways to scale your nonprofit? This episode is full of strategies leaders can use to grow their organizations and boost their impact on the communities they serve. I spoke with special guest, Sara Allen, Executive Director for Sojourns Community Health Clinic, who shared how she's managed to do just that by using unconventional revenue streams.
She chatted about how she's shifted her mindset to think of her nonprofit as more like a business, and how this has positively impacted her organization and the community. Sara also shared several different strategies she's used to scale her nonprofit using unique revenue streams. This is such a great episode for leaders to learn how to grow their organization!
About Sara
As the Executive Director for Sojourns Community Health Clinic, Sara feels honored to lead a clinic that provides naturopathic primary care, physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, and other services to help people feel whole and well.
Originally from the West Coast and raised on the East Coast, Sara believes that cohesion can be created across divides. Her sights are set on helping the world to embrace a model of wellness that is holistic, integrative, compassionate, and effective. Sara resided in the Washington, D.C. area for 20 years before relocating to New England in 2022. She holds a master's degree in public communication with a public health focus from American University, a bachelor's degree in religion and women's studies from Duke University, and is a certified life and health coach.
In this episode, you'll learn strategies for growing and scaling your nonprofit to boost your impact like:
The Importance of Cultural Considerations in Nonprofit Communities with Kelly Dumas
Episode 159
Monday, March 11, 2024 • Duration 38:59
Are you a nonprofit leader searching for ways to better serve your community? Look no further! I chat with special guest, Kelly Dumas, about how you can have a bigger impact on the people you serve. She discusses the importance of cultural considerations, going beyond "checking the box" and truly understanding your community. Kelly shares her first-hand experience of this when an individual came to her organization after a hallucination misdiagnosis. In reality, this person was performing a spiritual practice that is common in their culture, but no one took the time to become aware of these cultural differences. There are so many powerful lessons nonprofit leaders can take away from Kelly's experiences.
About Kelly
Kelly Dumas is a licensed clinical social worker and serves as the Executive Director of the Healing Hub of New York, Inc. She holds over 20 years of experience in behavioral health and nonprofits. Her work has included providing clinical services, executive and senior leadership, and overseeing the operations of the largest behavioral health organization in Western New York where she developed and led many programs, including the Black Mental Health Team which she brought together to meet the needs of the community following the racially motivated TOPS shooting that took 10 precious lives and left many scarred.
A subject matter expert in community Black mental health, Kelly has traveled abroad to learn about indigenous practices that can be incorporated into the work she does within the community. She has also facilitated trainers to come to Buffalo and train 22 individuals in Indigenous Psychotherapy, an approach that centers people of color. She is a woman of faith and serves as the Director of Mental Health at Zion Dominion Global Ministries where she has worshipped for 22 years. Kelly is also an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work. She enjoys spending time with her husband Reggie and two children Denise and Dennis.
Breaking Nonprofit Norms to 4x Your Fundraising with Christina Edwards
Episode 158
Monday, March 4, 2024 • Duration 56:15
If you're a nonprofit leader looking to 4x your fundraising revenue, then this episode is for you. I chat with special guest, Christina Edwards who shares how she is teaching nonprofit leaders to break industry norms to skyrocket their fundraising. We dive into the importance of investing in professional development, nonprofit "rules" Christina wants us to break when it comes to social media and email outreach, how to leverage social media influencers, and so much more!
About Christina
Christina Edwards is the Founder & CEO of Splendid Consulting and the host of the Purpose and Profit Club Podcast. Christina is more than just a lifelong entrepreneur; she's a trusted marketing expert, a passionate business coach, and a catalyst for positive change.
With her innovative Profit & Impact Flywheel Method, Christina has empowered thousands of ambitious social impact businesses and nonprofits to achieve remarkable success. Her clients consistently experience extraordinary revenue growth, often doubling or even quintupling their income. This is a testament to Christina's unwavering expertise and the transformative power of her programs.
Christina's mission is clear: she's dedicated to helping purpose-driven founders like you achieve your boldest dreams. She believes that success should be enjoyable and scalable, and she's here to guide you every step of the way.
In this episode, you'll learn strategies you can implement to 4x your organization's fundraising, like
Resources and tools for boosting your fundraising efforts (6:00)
The intersection of financial planning and campaign planning (40:50)
Teasers
"I think there's something magical about practitioners being educators for those programs."
"They're going to need to also grow their operations and their staffing and also potentially their facilities to grow all of those things. So that's what a capital campaign really is about. Sometimes I think people misunderstand a capital campaign to be a building campaign."
"We don't let them waste their money. That's important as an ethical and integrity thing, for me to tell people upfront so that they can spend their money, building their capacity and doing all the things."
"A good consultant will tell you, no, please don't hire us. This is not the right fit for many reasons."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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"I cannot emphasize enough what a great investment a team retreat is. And it is an investment, so you need to budget for it. You need to prepare for it. But it's a fantastic investment into your organization."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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What brain spotting is and why it's beneficial (4:30)
The importance of addressing your well-being (7:10)
Strategies for preventing burnout in the nonprofit sector (10:20)
Setting better boundaries for ourselves (20:10)
How building a culture of employee wellness impacts the bottom line of an organization (26:00)
Cultivating an organizational culture of wellness (38:30)
Teasers
"We have this people-pleaser trait, and we want to make everybody happy. We say yes, even when we don't want to say yes. The problem with saying yes when we don't want to say yes is that's when resentment comes in."
"Give yourself permission to not feel guilty about taking care of yourself."
"Taking care of your employees' well-being does not necessarily mean that you have to spend all of this money on extravagant things."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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"Before we run out and get all excited and buy a bunch of new software that we may or may not use, I want you to look at what you already have and see if there are places where you can upgrade your existing subscriptions."
"We can really only do one thing at a time and do it really well."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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Making it easy to use Donor-Advised Funds (17:30)
Preventing costly errors and getting your nonprofit the most money (21:05)
Eliminating administrative challenges (26:40)
Adapting an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset (31:50)
Creating technology for the nonprofit sector (38:20)
Teasers
"You're not too late. It's the perfect time to start leveling up, planning, and developing a strategy around generalized funds."
"Just imagine you had a gift card that you couldn't use. You had to log into your bank account to use your gift card at Starbucks. How likely are you to stop in Starbucks versus knowing how usable the gift card is? You're going to both use it more often and spend more money because the money is already allocated."
"We've worked with about 6,000 nonprofits. We ran an aggregate test across our current customers and over 40 percent of them had an inconsistency with their name or address."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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In this episode, you'll learn the importance of diversifying revenue streams and how the community can help support your nonprofit's mission through earned income, including.
Providing support and advocacy for creative entrepreneurs (5:00)
Creating a social enterprise and new revenue streams (10:45)
Leveraging community relationships for earned income initiatives (14:20)
The importance of building relationships within the community (18:45)
What financial management looks like for a nonprofit leader (24:00)
Shifting your mindset to understand the true cost of things (29:15)
How a strong financial foundation impacts your mission (35:30)
Teasers
"I was doing environmental science and learned about a lot of the challenges around the old housing and housing stock in the city of Buffalo. And I ended up convincing my school to buy a house in the foreclosure option."
"In terms of our approach, we really try to look at what sort of earned income can we do?"
It's an opportunity for us to employ our young people who are practicing the skills that they're developing, and they get paid to do it. It's justification that the skills that they're learning can actually give you money."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
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Leveraging different sources of revenue (5:30)
Thinking of your organization as both a nonprofit and a business (8:40)
Expanding your funding sources (14:10)
Thinking outside the box to scale your nonprofit (19:25)
Finding a balance when you have multiple responsibilities (26:45)
Advice for future nonprofit leaders (30:20)
Teasers
"I would encourage nonprofits to bring in a bit of a business mindset."
"We operate like a nonprofit, we think like a business, but then we want to serve like a community member."
"This particular program isn't quite as profitable, but we're going to keep doing it anyway, because number one it's important to our mission, and number two, we know that this program over here is more profitable and can sustain it. I think that's yet another reason that it's so important to really understand your numbers and manage them well."
"Does your calendar reflect your priorities?"
Resources
Visit the Sojourns website and use code PROSPER for a discount on your purchase: https://sojourns.org
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
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Read the podcast transcript here.
Episode Summary
In this episode, you'll learn the importance of cultural considerations in the nonprofit sector, including:
Why nonprofits need to know and understand the people they serve (6:00)
Understanding cultural practices in the communities you serve (10:10)
Supporting communities healing from trauma (17:40)
The power of hope (21:00)
How understanding your finances supports your leadership efforts (25:20)
The impact of a strong financial management system (31:00)
Teasers
"Indigenous psychotherapy really just teaches how you kind of incorporate the differences that may exist and often exist when you are working with people of color."
"I just felt this calling that my assignment, which I'm very clear on, is centered around addressing the mental wellness of the people."
"A nonprofit is not for the weak at heart. There are rough days, but hope keeps me going."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
Subscribe to the show so you don't miss a thing!
Why you need to invest in professional development (9:20)
The power of accountability (13:10)
The difference between a coach and a consultant (15:30)
How mindset can directly impact your revenue (17:50)
Determining your tolerance for risk (23:40)
Building your entrepreneurial skills as a nonprofit leader (27:50)
Turning nonprofit rules on their head (31:00)
Leveraging the power of social media influencers (39:55)
The most scalable fundraising strategy (42:00)
Changing up your nonprofit's email strategy (48:15)
Teasers
"Investing in coaching has been like going for a walk versus going on a jet."
"A consultant is typically a subject matter expert on what they do. A coach tends to be a little bit more agnostic and they can help you get to where you want to be."
"It's that mindset piece that is really a huge part of coaching and a big part of what I think people miss as being pivotal to their revenue."
"I never want organizations to tout their low overhead. Do you know what you're also saying? Great news. We pay our staff at poverty level… You can pay people well. You can pay them a better salary and it will make your organization more money."
New episodes are released weekly! Find them all plus show notes and exclusive bonus content at 100degreesconsulting.com/podcast.
Leave us a review! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." Let me know what you loved most about this episode!
Subscribe to the show so you don't miss a thing!
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