Fundraising Voices From Ruffalo Noel Levitz

In the face of tragedy, we all want to do something. That's the case for Susie Harder, a speech pathologist whose community was changed forever by the California wildfires. So, after she donated, she started on something new - to both help kids with the healing process and to raise more funds to support them. The result is the Junior Authors program, where kids make a book, voting on each component. This is a great example of the shift to what we're calling "participatory philanthropy," where people do along with their giving. Susie describes this new way to contribute, and why it's been successful. You can find out more about the Junior Authors program and see examples at their web site.

Fundraising is a challenging and rewarding profession. And it seems like some people are just born to it, that engaging donors and amplifying philanthropy just come naturally. That’s the case with Emily Collins here at RNL. She’s part of a fundraising family – and I got her on the line to talk about why she joined the field, how she mentors young people to look at this career, and how things are going with student engagement ambassadors in today’s remote environment. Find out more about the remote-ready RNL Digital Engagement Center, which keeps your donors engaged across integrated calling, texting, and personal video. And it can keep your student ambassadors working and driving to your fundraising goals.

Shira and Jay Ruderman from the Ruderman Family Foundation join the podcast to talk about their efforts to advance a more inclusive society. The Ruderman Family Foundation has dedicated the past two decades to enhancing awareness of, and providing programming and services in, the field of disability inclusion. And they are growing to support more needs. Jay and Shira connected to talk about how the make funding decisions, how you can best engage a foundation, what happens when a foundation speaks up on key issues, and what they see coming for the future of philanthropy. The Ruderman Family Foundation Jay’s Podcast: All Inclusive with Jay Ruderman

2020 was a challenging year for all of us. But there were also opportunities brought about from the shifts we all made in the pandemic, and Pamela Barden recently wrote: it's time to stop complaining and get back to serving donors. In this podcast, we explore what fundraisers can be doing proactively to provide great donor service, even when we can't be next to each other. Read Pamela's article in NonProfit Pro. Check out Pamela's web site.

Chris Collins, Vice President for Development at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, talks about engaging donors during the COVID pandemic, the impact of generous gifts to fuel vaccine research, and what's special about working to support a higher education and healthcare partnership.

Engaging mega-donors is key to any campaign, and to the long-term future of your organization. Russ Hodge, CEO and Founder of the Hodge Group says focusing on the right prospects, listening to their passions, and connecting with their key influencers is important. It can unlock something he calls "hyper philanthropy." Here's our conversation about engaging principal givers, even in this challenging time. Find more about the Hodge group at: https://hodge-group.com/  

As fundraising leaders, we have an important commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in how we channel philanthropy. The national focus on social justice has caused many of us to think critically about where the money comes from, where it's going, and how our actions as leaders build an environment for inclusion with both donors and the recipients of charity. This conversation with Christina Hall of California State University, Long Beach, and Farzana Nayani. an acclaimed DEI consultant and educator began when Christina sent me a chat message during our recent Advancement Innovation Summit. In the podcast, we unpack the "why" of DEI efforts in advancement, how you actually get started, and the important role that uncomfortable conversations have in moving us forward. Check out Farzana at her site: farzananayni.com

Americans are generous, but who wants to give of their time and who wants to give money? What are the similarities of those that give one or both? What are the differences? And how can nonprofit organizations engage them? Newport One, along with some other top industry experts, surveyed over 2,000 donors prior to the pandemic, and gained some insights into how and why people help others through giving. I got on the line with Craig DePole, president of Newport One, to unpack the survey and what it uncovers for key personas in our giving base. Download the survey here.

Telling your organization's story - and your personal story, is key to connecting with supporters. Who could be better to help us do that then a former standup comedian turned professional storytelling consultant for major non-profits? Carlos Maestas, Founder & Chief Storysmith @ Key Ideas, and author of Mommy Lied to God joins the podcast to talk about how you can best tell your authentic story to engage greater support.

Investing in your students, while they are still on campus, is crucial to your advancement mission. Research tells us that philanthropy is a learned behavior, and your students also have a lot to offer in engaging donors directly and authentically. Jessica Elmore is Associate Director of Diversity Programs for the Kansas State University Alumni Association. She’s passionate about engaging a diverse group of students to help further the University, and that’s why she’s also chairing the CASE Diversity and Student Advancement Seminar, online, October 15-20. RNL is excited to sponsor this special event. Hear Jessica break down the power of an inclusive student advancement program and what you'll hear more of at the Seminar. Register today for the CASE Diversity and Student Advancement Seminar.

Can we raise money in this challenging time? Well, many of our bigger donors have more cash right now, quite a few have seen investments balloon, and the need is very great. Gail Perry spends her time helping fundraisers and non-profit leaders. And she thinks we should look at it differently. It's not about a better "pitch." Sometimes, we just need to get out of our own way, maximize our use of emotional intelligence, the right metrics, and focus on the joy of giving for donors. We unpack what's going on right now in the midst of a pandemic, the best ways that fundraisers can engage donors, and how philanthropy is thriving at a time we need it the most. Find our more about Gail Perry's Fired Up Fundraising at GailPerry.com

Heard about remote engagement, P2P Texting, artificial intelligence, and visual caller ID and wondering how they work? Interested in the latest in crowdfunding, giving days? We've got something great for you. Coming up on Sept. 17-18, we're hosting the RNL Advancement Innovation Summit, free and online. Part of the event is something we call Key Innovation Downloads - 6 sessions that get right into how these new technologies amplify donor engagement and help you maximize fundraising results. On this episode, four RNL innovators drop an quick overview of what's happening with these technologies, and preview their Download sessions. Register for the Summit today - space is limited and we're filling up!

Planned giving is crucial to securing the long-term future of your organization. But to many fundraisers, it's mysterious, scary and something they shy away from. Lori Kranczer from Everyday Planned Giving unpacks why fundraisers shouldn't be afraid of planned giving, and how to work gift planning into just about every conversation. We also talk about shifts fundraisers are making during COVID to address planned giving. Find our more about Everyday Planned Giving at everydayplannedgiving.com

If you're running a non-profit or a fundraising program, you're a juggler. Keeping all the balls in the air is tough, and only tougher in times of crisis. Sarah Olivieri at PivotGround knows this, and she's created a system that helps leaders find confidence, clarity and create the same in supporters. Check out our conversation to hear more. Sarah Olivieri is a nonprofit business strategist, #1 International Best Selling author, and former Executive Director. She has been featured on over 50 podcasts and is the creator of the Impact Method™ - a framework that helps nonprofits simplify their operations, build aligned teams, and make a bigger impact without getting overwhelmed or burning out. Check out PivotGround to hear more about the Impact Method.

I’m excited to bring back on today’s episode Brady Josephson, managing director of the NextAfter institute. He spends his days conducting experiments, tests and looking deep into the data of donor response to see how we can do a better job communicating with and spurring action from our supporters. We cover what he's seeing as organizations reach out during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thinking critically about all aspects of your appeals is crucial – and testing and experimenting is a big part of challenging the norm and doing a better job with how we convert donors to action is really important right now. We unpack the fundamentals of how any organization can do that right away. Check out NextAfter and their library of experiments.

Have you harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to personalize your communications to donors and supporters, based on what you can see they actually care about? Not too many fundraising shops have, and this is a huge miss. Our RNL QuadWrangle experts, Solomon Grey and Peter Caron, join this episode to talk about the power of AI-driven communications, along with the special features of QuadMail, integrations with RNL Crowdfunding and Giving Days, and virtual events with giving.

Video rules in today’s communication landscape. Whether it’s powerful video for a campaign launch, educational video to help boost awareness of what you’re doing, or even personal videos we can now make and deliver quickly to supporters, fundraisers and non profits need a strong video strategy. We’re in a world where Tik Tok and YouTube are the primary social currency, and if you’re not investing in video, you’re way behind the curve. I got on the line with Doug Scott at Tectonic, a company that works with great non-profits to produce powerful videos, to get his take on how this medium is changing, and the key things non-profit leaders need to do maximize their impact through video. Check out Tectonic at Tectonic.video

It’s a remarkable time for healthcare philanthropy. Every day, our healthcare heroes are on the front lines of the COVID -19 pandemic. And donors of all sizes are stepping up to support them. This virus impacts entire communities, and philanthropy is part of what is going to get us through this. We wanted to hear what it’s like to be in the middle of this every day, so RNL consultant Greta Daniels and I got on the line with Allie Quick,  Chief Philanthropy Officer at the Allegheny Health Network and Beth Heiter, Director of Development at the Office of Medical Annual Giving for Johns Hopkins University Medical.

In a world where we compete with spammers, scammers, and all kinds of causes contacting our supporters, it's become harder to get donors to pick up the phone. Great new solutions, including advanced whitelisting of numbers and visual caller ID can really help. You now have the ability for your organization's logo and even a call to action display on many mobile devices when the call comes in. And combining this calling with other channels like text, personalized video and integrated email really increases ROI. Shad Hanselman provides an overview of these solutions, and their impact.

We're changing things up a little bit here on the podcast. On this episode we hear from Emma Gawor and Sofia Bermejo, two daughters of RNL parents who had their college lives totally changed as their campuses responded to COVID-19. They're highly connected to their friends, they communicate at light speed, and they have a lot of insights on how this pandemic is impacting their education. They've been uprooted from their friends, but they're still doing homework, exams, group projects and now juggling life in social distancing. They're using everything from Zoom to Club Penguin to stay connected. They will be different students and different alumni after this. Hear what they have to say about college life in the health crisis.