Consistency is not glamorous, but it’s the engine that keeps a nonprofit’s business model running when the calendar flips and the pressure spikes. In this conversation with Matt Glazer, Founder and CEO of Blue Sky Partners (Austin-based, national reach), we talk about building consistent engagement without burning out your team or betting the whole year on a Q4 miracle.

Matt brings a practical operator’s lens: simplify what repeats, template what you can, and stop trying to cram “97 things” into the final stretch. His philosophy is steady, sustainable progress that makes room for reality—staff illness, unexpected disruptions, and capacity limits—so quality doesn’t collapse under urgency. As Matt puts it, “I’m a big believer in doing a little bit of work a lot of the time.”

From there, the conversation gets sharply useful for fundraising and stakeholder communications. Matt challenges the sector’s fixation on “unicorn donors” and reminds us that the so-called boring work—like building a sustaining donor program—creates real stability. He shares a concrete example from his early nonprofit leadership: by repeatedly communicating the value of monthly giving, his organization grew from zero sustainers to $7,000 per month, proving that small gifts, stacked with intention, can fund real infrastructure.

The discussion also tackles a leadership truth many avoid: in many nonprofits, clients and customers are not the same people. Funders may be the “customer” demanding reporting and outcomes, while beneficiaries deserve asset-based language and authentic voice. To bridge those realities, Matt recommends human-centered design tools—journey maps, empathy maps, and personas—to understand how people experience your organization and where alignment between mission, funding, and community needs can become a win for everyone.

Finally, Matt introduces decision trees as a way to improve donor asks and engagement pathways by learning not only what people choose—but why they didn’t choose the other option. That’s how your nonprofit can turn assumptions into strategy and strategy into revenue!

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #FundraisingStrategy

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Founder syndrome gets tossed around like a diagnosis, but this conversation reframes it as a leadership and governance challenge that shows up in real nonprofit operations: decision rights, communication, accountability, and the organization’s ability to scale beyond one person’s willpower.

Guest Brittan Stockert (Donorbox) opens by rejecting the blame-heavy tone of the phrase and naming the real risk: “Founder syndrome is really when… you treat your nonprofit as if it’s yours personally… as opposed to something that you’re caring for on behalf of the people it’s serving.” From there, she maps how the issue can quietly spread through an organization: communication gaps, staff checking out, hesitation to propose new initiatives because leadership might swoop in, and small delays that snowball into major financial consequences. When reimbursable grants are submitted late, when board decisions stall, when donor communications feel inconsistent, funders and supporters notice. The result isn’t just drama it’s revenue disruption, talent loss, and the evaporation of institutional memory.

Cohost Wendy F. Adams, CFRE (Cultivate for Good) adds a sharp leadership lens: founders often need grit to build, but “grit becomes gridlock” when control replaces stewardship. Together with Julia C. Patrick (American Nonprofit Academy), the discussion turns practical: guardrails that are both procedural and human. A succession plan matters, but so does the emotional transition. Brittan shares what she’s seeing in stronger organizations: executive coaching to normalize the shift, plus simple monthly 20-minute huddles that surface misalignment early—before it becomes boardroom blowups.

The governance takeaway is direct: diversify boards beyond the founder’s inner circle, broaden “diversity” to include lived experience and day-to-day nonprofit understanding, and use term limits and talent assessment to reduce power bottlenecks. Year-end pressure amplifies everything, but the bigger message is timeless: sustainable nonprofits design systems that protect mission, people, and revenue—even when leadership is changing.

00:00:00 Welcome and today’s topic founder syndrome
00:02:45 What Donorbox is and why nonprofits use it
00:04:20 Redefining founder syndrome as behavior and stewardship
00:05:30 Real world signs control patterns and staff impact
00:09:40 The slow feedback cycle communication gaps to revenue loss
00:12:15 Grit becomes gridlock naming the turning point
00:14:45 Guardrails succession plans and executive coaching
00:15:45 Monthly 20 minute huddles to stop problems early
00:18:30 Board governance redesign lived experience and independence
00:26:35 Year end pressure sector stress and fixing systems

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #BoardGovernance

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Fundraisers Friday is back, and Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall (Mr. Nonprofit Consultancy) tackle a topic that quietly runs the business side of fundraising: donor tier levels. If you’ve ever stared at your donor list and wondered, “Where do we start, and how do we keep this manageable?” this episode is your playbook.

They begin with the “why.” Tony frames donor tiers as a practical operating system, not a fancy fundraising accessory. Done well, tiers let you personalize messaging and protect your time by matching stewardship to giving level and relationship needs. In other words: less guessing, more intentional workflows. Tony puts it plainly: “The tiers really help you… organize your workflow and your bandwidth.” That’s a business benefit every nonprofit can appreciate, whether you’re running development solo or leading a full team.

Julia reinforces that tiers help organizations stop spinning their wheels. Once you know who’s in which group, you can plan communications, offers, and engagement with purpose instead of defaulting to blank-stare marketing meetings. As she says, “It kind of like helps you steer the ship.” The cohosts also emphasize that tiers are not “grades.” You’re not ranking human worth—you’re segmenting so you can communicate better and build a healthier donor experience.

From there, they move into how to set tiers responsibly: start with your giving data, avoid “one-size-fits-all,” and keep the number of tiers realistic (think three to six for most organizations). They also talk about naming your tiers for easier internal coordination and stronger external marketing—especially when the names align with your mission or community identity.

A standout real-world lesson comes from Julia’s local public radio example: a tiny, smart monthly ask (“just $5 more”) designed to move sustainers up a level. The business takeaway? When tiers are built on data and paired with clear value, you can create predictable pathways for donors to grow with you—without making it feel heavy or salesy.

00:00:00 Welcome to today’s topic donor tiers
00:01:10 Who Julia Patrick and Tony Beall are
00:01:42 The Architecture of Fundraising book and why it helps
00:03:48 Why donor tiers matter personalization and bandwidth
00:06:33 Build tiers from your own giving data
00:07:10 Donor tiers are not donor grades
00:08:37 How many tiers is too many three to six
00:09:16 Donors vs members and tier differences
00:10:16 Monthly sustaining donors as a unique tier

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Finishing the year “strong” is not just a slogan for nonprofit leaders; it’s a finance and operations project. Regional Director Ellie Hume from Your Part-Time Controller walks through five concrete steps to wrap up the year with fewer surprises and more control.

She starts with yearend giving appeals. Too many organizations accidentally lock donations into narrow buckets by saying things like “your gift will buy two backpacks.” Donors then reasonably assume their dollars can only be used for that purpose. Ellie urges development and finance to work together on language so appeals connect to mission without boxing funds into restrictions the organization never intended.

Next, she turns to scenario planning and timing. December is often halfway through the fiscal year for June 30 year end organizations and just after the budget has been approved for calendar year nonprofits. That makes it a perfect time to revisit assumptions, test “what if” scenarios, and adjust to shifting funding realities instead of waiting for a crisis.

Ellie then pairs this with strategic planning, reminding viewers that a three or five year plan can’t sit on a shelf. Boards and executives need to treat it as a shared roadmap, check progress regularly, and bring staff into the conversation. As she puts it, “If your staff is not bought into your strategic plan, it's going nowhere.”

Finally, she gets very practical: start 1099 and audit preparation now. Confirm W 9s, addresses, tax IDs, and vendor coding before January chaos sets in. Pull last year’s audit checklist, gather board minutes, grant agreements, policies, and make sure reconciliations are current. That preparation reduces stress for finance, the executive director, and external partners, and it frees up capacity when the sector is under increased scrutiny.

Throughout, Ellie frames finance as a strategic partner, not just report producers. The goal is a nonprofit that is calm, compliant, and ready for whatever the new year brings.

00:00:00 Welcome and Ellie Hume introduction
00:02:30 YPTC growth and new Chicago and Seattle offices
00:05:30 Why relationships matter in nonprofit finance
00:07:20 Year end appeals and unintentionally restricted gifts
00:11:45 Scenario planning at calendar and fiscal year midpoints
00:14:20 Keeping multi year strategic plans active and shared
00:18:30 Getting staff genuinely engaged in the strategy
00:19:50 Early 1099 preparation and W 9 best practices
00:22:10 December audit prep using last year checklists
00:24:45 Reducing stress and freeing finance to be strategic

#YearEndNonprofitFinance #NonprofitAccounting #TheNonprofitShow

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Around the world, women and girls walk long distances every day to fetch water, losing education, income, and safety in the process. On this global episode of The Nonprofit Show, we welcome Shilpa Alva, founder and executive director of Surge for Water, beaming in late at night from Samarkand, Uzbekistan. From the first moments, Shilpa reframes water as a gendered economic issue, not just an infrastructure problem. As Shilpa puts it, “The water crisis is a woman’s crisis” — and it is also a profound injustice baked into race, gender, and geography.

Shilpa walks us through Surge’s “water plus” model: safe water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health, all rooted in a woman centered, community owned approach. Surge does not parachute in solutions; it backs local leaders in rural Uganda, Indonesia, and Haiti so they can design and manage what their communities truly need. For nonprofit executives, the business implications are huge: the World Bank estimates a twenty one to one return for every dollar invested in comprehensive water access, yet most funders still treat water as a narrow infrastructure line item instead of a generational prosperity strategy.

The conversation then moves into power, money, and the shifting landscape of international aid. With government funding cuts shaking the sector, organizations that once relied on large public grants are now competing for the same corporate and individual donors as smaller NGOs. Surge has navigated this by diversifying its revenue model between the United States and Dubai, and by building creative fundraising events that attract sectors like design and architecture into the water conversation.

Shilpa is candid about decolonial practice and the uncomfortable truth that international NGOs are part of a historic power structure. Surge actively works to reduce that power imbalance so local partners shape solutions and control implementation. SurgeForWater.org shows us all how to align mission, funding strategy, equity, and storytelling.

00:00:00 Global welcome and introducing Shilpa Alva from Uzbekistan
00:02:23 What Surge for Water does and the water plus model
00:04:03 Why the global water crisis is a women centered injustice
00:07:01 Lost hours, education, and income cost of water collection
00:08:52 Respecting local roles while shortening the walk and reducing harm
00:11:37 Making distant donors care storytelling and climate connections
00:13:13 Creative events and interior design partners as a fundraising engine
00:14:50 Aid cuts, USAID shifts, and new competition for nonprofit funding
00:15:52 Decolonial practice and sharing power with local leaders
00:21:18 How Surge builds trust with next generation donors and partners
00:22:46 Metrics versus stories choosing humanity while still tracking results
00:27:23 Funding wins, 2026 expansion plans, and Shilpa’s hopeful vision

#TheNonprofitShow #WaterJustice #WomenInLeadership

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Donor retention is not just a feel good metric it is one of the most powerful levers in the business model of a nonprofit. We sit down with Kirsten Wantland, Principal Industry Strategist at Bloomerang, to explore how organizations can move beyond fear and confusion and actually use retention data to protect revenue and grow lifetime value.

Kirsten begins by explaining her new role at Bloomerang, serving as a bridge between fundraisers in the field and the engineering and product teams. She brings frontline development experience directly into the CRM design process and is now helping shape Penny, Bloomerang’s new AI strategic fundraising partner. Penny will guide staff on which segments to work, what messages to send, and where to focus limited time so small teams can function like much larger shops.

From there, the conversation turns to why traditional retention tracking leaves so many nonprofits stuck. Measuring retention once a year on a calendar basis keeps leaders in a reactive posture, staring at last year’s results instead of managing today’s risks. Kirsten introduces the concept of ‘rolling retention’ a metric that constantly surfaces donors who are about to lapse based on their actual giving patterns. That simple shift creates a proactive pipeline of people to thank, call, invite, and re-engage before they disappear.

At the heart of her approach is a deeper philosophy about donor relationships. As Kirsten puts it, “Ultimately, our donors want a place to belong. They want to be part of a mission. They want to be part of a solution.” Rolling retention, better benchmarking, and even AI tools like Penny are there to serve that goal helping fundraisers step away from purely transactional requests and toward thoughtful, ongoing engagement.

Kirsten closes by urging organizations to start somewhere, choose a few key metrics, track them consistently, test new strategies each quarter, and adjust when the data shows no movement. In a crowded landscape of 1.8 million nonprofits, the ones who treat retention as a core business function not just an afterthought will be the ones that build resilient revenue and loyal communities.

#TheNonprofitShow #DonorRetention #NonprofitBusinessStrategy

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Labor myth buster Dana Scurlock, Director of Recruitment at Staffing Boutique, reframes temporary staffing as a sophisticated business tool for nonprofit leaders—not a last-resort move when things are on fire. Dana steps in to show how strategic temp and temp-to-perm staffing can stabilize teams, protect budgets, and protect sanity.

She starts with a fundamental question: how many staffing firms does a nonprofit really need? From organizations that have never used an agency to those calling their fifth recruiter, she explains why understanding an agency’s model matters. Staffing Boutique works on a contingency basis, which means urgency, flexibility, and the freedom for nonprofits to keep recruiting on their own. In contrast, ‘retained’ firms require exclusivity and upfront fees, which can slow things down and lock organizations into one channel.

Dana is equally direct about transparency. Salary ranges, the history of the role, why the previous person left, whether someone is quietly being replaced—these details aren’t gossip; they’re the bedrock of a solid search. Without that clarity, candidates endure endless interviews only to discover the compensation was never realistic. As Dana puts it, “It’s not just an interview for them. It’s an interview for you to see if it’s the right place where you want to work.” That two-way lens is exactly what reduces turnover and builds longer tenures in mission-essential roles like development.

Then she pulls back the curtain on the economics. That apparently “high” hourly bill rate often includes recruiting, weekly payroll, taxes, unemployment, and insurance—costs nonprofits would shoulder anyway. Agencies absorb administrative burden and even handle tough conversations when a placement isn’t working out or a project ends. For conflict-averse leaders, that alone can be priceless.

Dana also defends temp work as a legitimate career choice, from interim executive directors steering transitions to seasoned admin professionals who thrive on variety. In her world, temp staffing is not about “just getting a body in the seat”; it’s about building smart, flexible staffing strategies that support the long-term health of nonprofit organizations.

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitStaffing #TempWorkStrategy

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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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