What happens when a kid who scribbles “play soccer at Ohio State” in kindergarten actually does it—and then decides his story shouldn’t be the exception? That question sits at the center of this episode with Channing Chasten, professional athlete and founder of The One Percent Kid Foundation.

From the start, Channing describes a childhood shaped by two steady forces: the soccer pitch and a mother who refused to let academics trail behind. Homework came first, the ball came second. Years later, that same mix of discipline and imagination is now driving a nonprofit built on three pillars: soccer, literacy, and mindset.

Channing explains why he believes in the power of tiny, consistent gains instead of giant leaps. As he puts it, “If you break it down into a small step, you realize starting is the easy part.” That simple idea—1% better every day—guides everything from his youth programs to his fundraising strategy.

We follow his journey through literacy camps where reading comes before drills, turning books into the ticket to soccer practice. He shares what he’s learning about plummeting reading scores, the heartbreaking link between third-grade literacy and incarceration, and why his team expanded from early grades to high schoolers who have already fallen behind.

The story widens as he walks through how he built a board full of nonprofit veterans and soccer leaders, deliberately choosing people who know both the sport and the sector. Their mentoring shapes his ambitions: building a national model starting in Arizona, creating mindset workshops in schools, and eventually launching a scholarship fund for under-resourced students who come through the program.

Along the way, we glimpse the grind behind the dream: chasing grants, securing a city award from Chandler, collecting impact data, filming quality videos so donors can actually see the work, and constantly revisiting big revenue targets in six- and twelve-month windows.

By the end, The One Percent Kid isn’t just a catchy name—it feels like an invitation to kids, donors, and communities to believe that small, steady progress can rewrite a life story.

00:00:00 Welcome introduction to Channing Chasten
00:01:05 What is The One Percent Kid Foundation
00:03:04 Why 1 percent progress matters for big goals
00:04:41 Mission soccer literacy and mindset explained
00:06:34 How reading becomes the ticket to play
00:07:31 Expanding from early grades to high school students
00:10:07 Building a nonprofit board with real sector experience
00:13:20 Learning from mentors and planning for sustainability
00:15:22 Literacy first or soccer first what donors care about
00:16:53 Showing impact through video data and testimonials
00:19:45 Big long term vision for The One Percent Kid
00:24:26 The One Percent Kid book school visits and SEL
00:27:01 Where to find Channing and final mindset message

#TheNonprofitShow #YouthSoccer #LiteracyMatters

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Year-end generosity is a perfect storm for cybercrime—and most nonprofits don’t see the danger until after the damage is done. We talk with Alex Brown, Director of Business Development at Richey May, about why the busiest time of your fundraising year is also one of the most hazardous for your systems, donors, and reputation.

Alex explains how attackers watch for holiday chaos: staff on vacation, rushed year-end gifts, last-minute tax receipts, and overloaded inboxes. “Attackers know you’re not paying as much attention,” he warns, “so you have to be a little extra diligent this time of year.” From fake donation pages to altered bank details, the tactics are increasingly sophisticated—and AI is making fraudulent emails and voice calls nearly impossible to spot by eye or ear alone.

The conversation walks through your “front door” risks, starting with your website and WordPress plugins, then moving into infrastructure scanning tools, outdated software, and weak admin logins. Alex shows why role-based access matters: if every staffer can see and change everything, one compromised account can expose your entire donor database and even your bank relationships.

He also tackles the human side of cybersecurity. Alex explains phishing and vishing in plain language, and why urgency (“this is a one-time exception,” “we need this code right now”) is such a powerful pressure tactic. He urges leaders to replace fear and punishment with ongoing micro-training and a culture where people feel safe admitting, “I clicked something weird.” Silence is exactly what attackers are counting on.

Finally, the episode turns to donor communication. Nonprofits must be crystal clear about how they will and will not contact supporters—what domains they use, which links are legitimate, and what information they will never request by phone, text, or email. Clear expectations protect donors and preserve trust, even if attackers try to impersonate your brand.

This is not a technical luxury; it’s a governance and stewardship issue. If your organization depends on digital generosity, you also depend on digital safety.

00:00:00 Why year end giving is peak cyber risk for nonprofits
00:02:24 From audit firm to cyber team The Ritchie May story
00:06:03 Your website as the front door and WordPress plugin dangers
00:09:21 Infrastructure scanning tools and the cost of skipping updates
00:11:13 Donor data as gold role based access and endpoints explained
00:15:01 AI tools laptops at desks and unsafe workarounds
00:18:51 Phishing vishing and how attackers hijack email and voice
00:25:12 Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility and micro training
00:27:35 Why punishment backfires and reporting mistakes matters
00:29:59 Setting clear donor communication rules to prevent fraud
00:31:33 Final thoughts and Julia’s personal cyber to do list

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitCybersecurity #DonorTrust

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

Grant writers and fundraisers share the same mission, but often work in different corners of the building—and sometimes entirely different worlds. In this Fundraisers Friday convo, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall peel back the curtain on how these two roles can move from quiet coexistence to true collaboration.

Julia opens with gratitude—for long standing sponsors who have never tried to steer the show’s content, and for a sector that now offers far more professional development than when many fundraisers began. She reflects on her own journey from community fundraising to co-authoring The Architecture of Fundraising with Tony, noting how accessible tools and training could have transformed her early efforts. “I could have raised so much more money for my community if I had been educated,” Julia admits, inviting viewers to keep learning alongside them.

Tony adds his perspective from years in executive leadership, where he saw the strain between event heavy fundraising teams and grant writers tucked away in quiet corners—or now, working remotely. He reminds us that grant writing is both demanding and discouraging work, with many applications never funded despite excellent cases. “We have to find ways to continually celebrate the work that’s being done by grant writers, whether the grant is being approved or not,” Tony says, naming the emotional labor behind every proposal.

Together, Julia and Tony explore how shared language, aligned metrics, and thoughtful use of technology can connect these roles. They talk about separate goals for grants, events, and individual giving, all tied together through dashboards, regular communication, and clear expectations. They even walk through ethical ways to use board and community relationships to support grant applications—without crossing any lines.

In the end, this learning session becomes a gratitude filled call to action: respect each lane, build consistent communication, celebrate the wins, and ensure leadership is championing the relationship between grant writers and fundraisers. When those pieces come together, fund development becomes a unified team effort instead of a quiet, siloed grind.

#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday #NonprofitFundraising

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

Find us Live daily on LinkedIn!

Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show

Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!
12:30pm ET 11:30am CT 10:30am MT 9:30am PT

Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com
Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show