In this thoughtful Fundraisers Friday conversation, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall take viewers inside one of the most persistent tensions in fundraising: the distinction between donor appeals and donor relationships. Using real experiences, honest stories, and decades of shared sector knowledge, they walk through why these two ideas are often treated as opposites—when in reality, they function best in tandem.

Their convo opens with warmth and camaraderie, quickly shifting into a substantive examination of how appeals work. Tony offers a clear definition, noting that appeals are intentional, seasonal communications designed to spur timely action. Year-end campaigns, back-to-school initiatives, and Giving Tuesday messages all fall squarely into this category. They carry a sense of immediacy, a call for participation “in the here and the now.”

But as Julia points out, the urgency of an appeal can mask deeper strategy concerns. Organizations sometimes over-rely on “spray-and-pray” messaging, sending thousands of identical asks without considering whether the recipient is already deeply invested, newly aware, or somewhere in between.

From here, the cohosts explore the more nuanced terrain of donor relationships—a slower, more personal rhythm grounded in trust, communication, alignment of values, and long-term stewardship. As Tony states in one of the episode’s most resonant lines, “Building the relationships, maintaining the engagement… will ultimately result in a larger gift.” It’s a reminder that fundraising is seldom about instant gratification; it is about cultivating connection over time.

The two also address the emotional dynamics of how appeals are perceived. Tony shares a striking moment when he received a letter with the single handwritten word “Help!”—a gesture intended to convey urgency but which instead signaled distress. Julia and Tony use this example to emphasize the responsibility fundraisers have when they frame need, motivation, and tone. They move into donor segmentation, donor tiers, and the organizational realities faced by nonprofits of every size—from kitchen-table startups to high-rise institutions.

Throughout the conversation, the cohosts reinforce the idea that appeals and relationships should not be competing strategies. Instead, they are complementary tools within a bigger architecture—one that acknowledges the emotional, operational, and strategic layers that shape philanthropic investment.

#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday #NonprofitLeadership

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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

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A valuable and thought-provoking conversation with Carrie Wright, consultant and coach at Wright Consulting. Joined by cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Wendy F. Adams, Carrie guides leaders toward a more thoughtful, rigorous, and human-centered approach to nonprofit organizational performance.

Rather than rushing into resolutions and planning cycles, Carrie urges leaders to adopt a practice of year-end reflection—an intentional look backward before charting the year ahead. As she states, “There’s a saying that ignorance is bliss, but I genuinely believe that knowledge is power.” That philosophy becomes the cornerstone of her framework: understand what fueled the team, what depleted it, and what priorities still belong at the table.

Carrie challenges organizations to treat mission, vision, and values not as decorative phrases, but as practical tools that recalibrate purpose. When teams drift from their “why,” burnout rises and cohesion dissolves. One method she employs is asking every team member to restate the mission in their own words and connect it directly to their daily responsibilities. This creates clarity, alignment, and ultimately ownership—an essential sequence for high-performing teams.

Quarterly rhythms also play a central role in Carrie’s approach. Instead of waiting an entire year to revisit goals or assess team health, she encourages predictable check-ins, extended conversations, and off-site sessions where challenges, ideas, and wins can surface in psychologically safe ways. These rhythms reduce confusion, prevent moving targets, and strengthen trust through consistency.

Carrie also emphasizes leadership development at every level. With her mantra, “Lead from where you sit,” she reframes leadership as an act accessible to all staff—not a title. This perspective urges team members to examine their habits, define one development goal, and consider what needs to be eliminated, automated, or delegated to make true progress.

Finally, she offers a compelling metaphor: culture as a thermostat—not something you set and ignore, but something requiring constant monitoring. Pulse checks, real communication, and people-first decisions are essential to preventing turnover and maintaining momentum.

With clarity, warmth, and strategic depth, Carrie presents a blueprint for nonprofits seeking resilience and alignment in the year ahead.

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #TeamCulture

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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

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Rethinking nonprofit success usually begins with new metrics or another training calendar. In this conversation, educator and learning strategist Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting proposes something far more disruptive: stop confusing information with action. Drawing on adult learning research and decades inside associations, state agencies, and community organizations, she challenges the sector’s default response to problems—more workshops, more webinars, more content.

Nancy names the uncomfortable truth: only about 10 percent of training translates into behavior change. That means roughly 90 percent of our investment in “capacity building” does not reliably alter what people actually do. For a sector that prides itself on stewardship, that is a profound governance and management issue, not merely a pedagogical one.

Instead, Nancy urges nonprofit leaders to move from a training mindset to a performance mindset. Rather than asking, “What session can we send them to?” she asks, “What would it take for our board members, staff, or volunteers to perform this task?” That question opens a richer design space: targeted knowledge, specific skills, practice in a safe environment, emotional connection, and practical support, such as job aids and clear task lists.

At the center of her framework is a deceptively simple sentence: “our nonprofits are only as strong as their people are.” Capacity is no longer an abstract concept; it becomes the ability, confidence, emotional readiness, and structural support that everyday people need in order to act.

Nancy also reframes motivation. Emotions may trigger interest, but sustained action depends on the partnership of competence and confidence, repeatedly reinforced through real practice. Her story of a board member whose service is rooted in the grief of losing a child makes this point vivid: when we slow down enough to know why people are at the table, we unlock a different level of commitment and trust.

For boards, fundraisers, and executives, this discussion is an invitation to pause the endless “rinse and repeat” of busywork and reconsider how learning, performance, and human psychology intersect.

00:00:00 Today’s big question
00:02:02 Meet Nancy Bacon educator designer and learning strategist
00:03:33 Information is not action the ten percent reality of training
00:06:31 From training to performance what board members really need
00:12:48 Nonprofit capacity our organizations are only as strong as their people
00:16:01 Competence confidence and the lost art of practice
00:18:30 Motivation emotions and the gap between need to know and need to do
00:21:47 Why are you really on this board the story that changed the room
00:25:32 Nonprofits are in the people business brain and behavior science in action
00:26:18 Under pressure can nonprofits still slow down to rethink success

Find us Live daily on YouTube!

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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