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The Nonprofit Show launches its Global Edition with cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Matthew Murray (CEO, Expand PR / Expand Consultancy), taking listeners inside what it really looks like to start and operate a charity/NGO in the United Kingdom—and why global expansion is as much a business decision as it is a mission decision.

Matthew opens with the on-the-ground reality that “every culture has its own nuances… laws and rules,” and that expanding beyond your home country requires leaders to respect local norms, donor behaviors, and governance expectations. The conversation quickly turns practical: Do Brits give? Matthew says yes—substantially—while noting economic pressures have shifted donor patterns. He also explains a key difference for revenue strategy: the UK doesn’t mirror U.S.-style donor tax deductions, but it does offer Gift Aid, where government adds funding to eligible donations. As Matthew describes it, “25 pence for every pound donated,” meaning a £100 gift can become £125 for the charity—an important lever for fundraising planning, messaging, and cash forecasting.

On governance and transparency, the UK’s Charity Commission functions as a dedicated regulator for charities. Matthew emphasizes the public nature of filings and the reputational impact of being late or sloppy with reporting—because funders, partners, and major donors look. In the UK, board members are typically called trustees, are usually unpaid, and cannot be paid for the trustee role itself (though they may be compensated for a separate job). For organizations with global ambitions, Matthew shares a strategic advantage: non-UK residents can serve as trustees in Britain, which can simplify governance when launching a UK-based entity.

The global discussion also contrasts donor culture. Matthew suggests UK donors may give differently than U.S. donors—often less driven by “momentary adrenaline” and more oriented toward longer-term loyalty—reinforcing the value of relationship, credibility, and consistency. Julia adds a caution for international leaders: expansion fails fast when it arrives with a “we’ll fix you” mindset. The Global Edition’s promise is clear: practical global learning that helps nonprofit executives expand responsibly, protect integrity, and build durable support across borders.

#NonprofitBusiness #GlobalPhilanthropy #TheNonprofitShow

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Boards get plenty of attention in the nonprofit sector, but this lively conversation zooms in on the role that can make or break governance performance: the board chair. Alisa Chatinsky, CEO of NPOSuccess.org, talks about what strong chair leadership really looks like—and why so many organizations treat the position like an honorific instead of a job with real operational and strategic responsibilities.

Alisa shares that after decades in nonprofit leadership and nearly 14 years consulting and serving in interim roles, she stepped into board service again and was immediately asked to chair. That experience sparked a practical question: How many chairs are actually set up to succeed? Her conclusion is simple and business-minded: “Because when a board chair is strong, the board is strong and the organization is strong.” She explains that boards often “recruit” chairs by minimizing expectations, which leads to sloppy meeting execution, confused roles, and underused talent.

The conversation becomes a working blueprint for better governance. Alisa outlines what effective chairs do: run meetings with purpose and time discipline, keep the board out of day-to-day management, build consensus, listen well, and handle conflict without letting it hijack the mission. She emphasizes governance infrastructure that supports decision-making: a governance calendar, clear expectations, job descriptions, consent agendas, dashboards, and space for generative discussions that move the organization forward.

A standout lesson is the connection between life cycle stage and board behavior. As organizations mature, the board’s work must mature too—and that can mean changing how meetings operate and what board members are willing (or able) to contribute. Alisa also advocates for board mentoring and orientation that includes real business essentials (budget, program allocations, financial results), so members can represent the organization confidently in the community. As she puts it, “We reinvest our profits in our mission.”

The episode closes with her “Five-Star Board Chair” master class concept, pairing training with coaching and a real board meeting evaluation—designed to build leadership capacity that improves governance, accountability, and long-term organizational strength.

#BoardGovernance #NonprofitLeadership #TheNonprofitShow

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What happens when a nonprofit needs to raise eight figures fast… and decides to do it with unicorn horns, a donor “blessing,” and a whole lot of joy?

We are joined by Brenda Goldsmith, Executive Director of the El Rio Foundation, the fundraising arm of El Rio Health, a federally qualified community health center (FQHC) in Tucson. Brenda walks us through the business model realities of community health centers—how they’re designed to keep people out of the hospital, how they serve patients “from birth to death,” and why fundraising looks different when many patients live at or below the federal poverty level.

Then the conversation turns into a masterclass in campaign strategy and community education. El Rio needed to support a 91,000-square-foot integrated health center expansion—part of a $50 million community investment—without federal capital support. The foundation was asked to raise $10 million quickly, despite never having run a major capital effort at that scale.

Instead of leading with heaviness, Brenda and her team built a campaign brand that made giving feel welcoming and social. The “Blessing Project” was born after a simple discovery: “Does anyone know what a herd of unicorns is called?… we Googled that and we found out a herd of unicorns is called a blessing.” From there, the foundation created a clear participation on-ramp: a $1,000 commitment for five years made you an “El Rio unicorn,” complete with a unicorn horn photo moment.

Underneath the fun was serious execution: board and senior leadership made first commitments, the team held 100+ face-to-face meetings in roughly 70 days, offered multi-year giving options, used tours to teach donors what an FQHC really does, and engaged younger ambassadors through the El Rio Vecinos (ages 25–40). The results speak for themselves: a stretch goal raised, a revised goal, and a growing donor community that wanted to be part of something that made their neighbors healthier.

Brenda says it best: “Make it fun, make it joyous—put the fun in fundraising.”

00:00:00 Welcome
00:02:18 El Rio Foundation at 25 years and why tenure matters in development
00:03:30 What a community health center is and how it differs from a hospital
00:06:00 Why FQHC fundraising is different and why tours matter
00:08:22 Board ambassadors and the El Rio Vecinos young professional arm
00:09:30 The Blessing Project begins a major expansion with a fast timeline
00:13:00 Unicorns as a campaign identity and the “blessing” discovery
00:15:35 Leadership and board commit first over $700K in early momentum
00:18:10 100+ face-to-face meetings and why multi-year gifts worked
00:23:10 Unlocking employee giving over $1M committed from staff
00:27:25 Campaign branding icon vocabulary momentum and joy

#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisingStrategy #CapitalCampaigns

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Gift acceptance policies sound like paperwork—until a donor tries to turn your organization into their personal dare! In this episode, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall get practical about why this policy is a frontline operating tool for modern fundraising teams: it protects mission alignment, strengthens governance, and keeps staff out of reactive, high-pressure decision-making.

Julia opens with a classic “strings attached” scenario that shows why boundaries must be set before the check arrives. “I don’t think you could do that because we make the big donor sign this thing called a gift acceptance policy,” she recalls, describing how even naming rights and donor direction can be clarified in advance. Tony adds real-world texture: unusual asks aren’t hypothetical. Policies exist to protect the organization and the humans raising the money.

From there, the conversation shifts into the business mechanics: ethics and values alignment, legal compliance, and the operational difference between restricted and unrestricted gifts. The cohosts stress that gifts are no longer just cash—especially during the Great Wealth Transfer—so nonprofits must prepare for nontraditional assets like real estate, collectibles, royalty streams, and other property types that carry valuation, liquidation, storage, and reputational implications. The conversation gets real about “wackadoo gifts” and the hidden costs that can turn a “donation” into a liability.

They also address governance: who drafts the policy (development, finance, CEO), how it gets board approval, and why annual review matters. They’re candid that boards can modify policies “at will,” which makes proactive clarity even more essential. Most importantly, they frame the policy as an empowerment tool. “It empowers you to feel good about how you’re responding… it’s in alignment with senior leadership… it’s in alignment with the board,” Tony says, emphasizing how preparedness reduces risk and speeds decision-making when donor conditions get complicated.

Finally, they discuss where the policy should live: typically internal—available when asked, shared in a professional PDF format, but not pushed into donor packets or posted publicly as a default.

#GiftAcceptancePolicy #FundraisingLeadership #TheNonprofitShow

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Leadership transitions don’t have to be terrifying revenue cliffs. In this conversation, Travis Craddock, CFRE and Founder of Craddock Strategies, reframes interim development leadership as a powerful strategic advantage—not a temporary patch.

Too often, organizations view interim fundraising support as “a warm body in an empty seat.” Travis challenges that mindset directly. “It prevents rushed or misaligned hires that can be expensive,” he explains, positioning interim leadership as a disciplined pause that protects both donor relationships and long-term revenue health.

Fundraising is built on trust. When leadership shifts, donors notice. Travis prioritizes immediate communication, transparency, and clarity so nothing falls through the cracks. Renewals are tracked. Grants are monitored. Donors are reassured. Strategy stays in motion.

But here’s where the real opportunity emerges.

An interim professional arrives without emotional baggage. That means clearer data analysis, honest conversations about ROI, and strategic evaluation of legacy traditions. Should the gala continue? Is it delivering meaningful return? Are event attendees being cultivated into major donors? These are business questions—asked gracefully, but directly.

Travis describes himself as “gracefully honest,” and that honesty becomes catalytic. Interim work isn’t simply maintenance. It’s an opportunity to elevate roles, revise job descriptions, shift from event-driven tactics to relationship-based fundraising, and align hiring with long-term strategic direction.

He emphasizes data-driven decisions, CRM fluency, relationship-centered fundraising, and partnership with CEOs and boards. In many cases, he becomes the strategic driver—project-managing fundraising momentum while executives focus on mission execution.

Three months may be the minimum engagement window. Six months may be ideal. But within that time, organizations can stabilize revenue, recalibrate strategy, build infrastructure, and hire with intention.

Anything is possible when nonprofits embrace transition as transformation!

00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Interim Fundraising
00:02:30 What Craddock Strategies Provides Nonprofits
00:04:03 Interim Leadership Beyond a Temporary Fix
00:06:48 Expanding the Definition of the Fundraising Team
00:09:21 Strategy Versus Firefighting in Development
00:11:09 Evaluating Events and Return on Investment
00:14:18 Communicating with Donors During Transition
00:17:18 Hiring Timelines and Interim Engagement Length
00:18:32 Revising Job Descriptions to Match Strategy
00:23:01 Technology Investment and Infrastructure Mindset

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A visit with Doug Chapiewsky, CEO & President of Kanso Software, and Cameron Bowman, CAAS Solutions Consultant at JMT Consulting, for a fast-moving, systems-first conversation on one thing every nonprofit runs on: trustworthy data.

Cameron frames the moment we’re in as “the golden age of software”—more tools, more dashboards, more integrations, and more AI than ever before. But that abundance comes with a price: fragmented systems, duplicated entries, and competing versions of the same truth. His fix is refreshingly operational. Data integrity isn’t a buzzword; it’s a checklist: accurate, complete, consistent across systems, timely, and traceable/auditable. When any one of those breaks, nonprofits pay for it in grant compliance headaches, restricted-fund confusion, audit stress, and board decisions made on shaky information.

Doug brings the lens of housing—where data errors don’t just create inconvenience; they disrupt funding, compliance, and real people’s stability. Kanso’s mission is to simplify a highly regulated, high-stakes domain where sensitive data is everywhere and staffing capacity is often thin. As Doug puts it, “Trust outweighs technology… and if we don’t have that trust, it really gets right to your mission.” The episode drills into the reality that single-vendor “one system does it all” is fading fast; modern organizations operate in an ecosystem. That’s why both speakers prioritize open systems paired with serious guardrails—especially when handling social security numbers, income data, and family composition.

The conversation turns tactical with a Business Process Review (BPR): mapping where data originates, how it moves, who owns it, what controls exist, and where manual workarounds (shadow spreadsheets, email approvals, offline tracking) weaken audit trails and invite risk. Cameron lands a line every operations leader should post near their monitor: “Technology will amplify your process. It won’t correct your misaligned workflows.”

Finally, the duo urge nonprofits to build a cadence—monthly, quarterly, at least annually—to revisit processes, configuration, and integrations as funding rules, reporting needs, staff, and tech keep shifting. The message is clear: clean data isn’t a finance luxury—it’s a mission accelerant.

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitTechnology #DataIntegrity

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We lean into a timely business truth: nonprofit sustainability is built as much through belonging as through budgets. Cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tim Sarrantonio welcome Rachel D’Souza, Founder and President of Gladiator Consulting, for a conversation that reframes community-building as a practical growth strategy for donors, volunteers, staff cohesion, and long-term resilience.

Rachel describes nonprofits as one of society’s last best “third spaces”—those informal gathering places that used to create trust across differences. With remote work, the pandemic’s aftershocks, and algorithm-driven polarization, many people have fewer natural pathways into civic life. That shift creates risk for organizations relying on legacy participation habits. It also creates opportunity: nonprofits can intentionally become the place where people reconnect around shared purpose and shared outcomes.

The discussion moves from theory into operating reality: boards at impasses, teams facing funding gaps, and leaders stuck in fight-flight-freeze. Rachel offers a pragmatic path forward—start with shared facts, clarify who holds which decisions, and practice disagreement before the stakes spike. “If you want to be better at conflict, that means you have to practice it, just like anything else,” she said, recommending simple meeting exercises that build the muscle of respectful debate.

Tim grounds this in organizational dynamics leaders recognize instantly: misalignment between finance and fundraising can derail systems decisions, contracts, and staff trust—without anyone “hating” anyone. The fix is not heroics; it’s earlier conversations, shared language, and a commitment to being in the room together.

Rachel draws a bright line leaders need: discomfort is part of growth, but it is not the same as harm. When emotions run hot, the first move is often a pause—reset the temperature so people can listen to process, not just respond. This convo offers a hopeful business case: build community on purpose, and capacity follows.

00:00:00 Welcome and why community building matters right now
00:02:10 What Gladiator Consulting does and why “belonging” drives results
00:04:30 Nonprofits as “third spaces” and the business opportunity
00:06:10 Tim’s real-life example of nonprofit spaces creating connection
00:08:00 Invitation culture making people feel welcome
00:10:10 People give through nonprofits and identity-based connection
00:11:30 Practicing conflict in meetings before stakes rise
00:14:05 Finance and fundraising misalignment as an operational risk
00:16:20 Shared clarity who decides what and why it matters
00:22:20 Pause tactics discomfort vs harm and moving forward

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #CommunityBuilding

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Starting a new role as a nonprofit’s fundraiser can feel like stepping onto the field mid-game—high expectations, limited time, and a lot of “what happened before I got here?” On this Fundraisers Friday, cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall offer a practical, confidence-building roadmap for what a new development officer should focus on in the first 30 days—with the business realities of nonprofit revenue, relationships, and systems front and center.

Julia sets the tone with honesty and heart, and Tony brings the steady reassurance every new fundraiser needs: “It’s all about listening, learning, and building trust in your first 30 days.” From there, they lay out the early priorities that protect both results and stamina. First: get anchored in the mission. Tony makes the point that mission alignment isn’t sentimental—it’s operational. If you don’t truly connect with the purpose, the work becomes an uphill climb.

Next, they move into relationship strategy: creating a thoughtful internal and external “relationship tour” so you can meet leadership, board members, and key stakeholders the right way. The emphasis isn’t speed—it’s sequence, context, and smart preparation so those early conversations build momentum instead of misunderstanding.

Then comes the systems side: CRMs, reporting, access issues, and the real-world obstacles that appear when prior staff have departed. Tony offers a realistic view of getting up to speed quickly, and Julia adds the on-the-ground reminder that you’ll be meeting people immediately—so you’ll need to document interactions in the CRM from day one.

Finally, they elevate culture as a performance driver. Julia notes how pressure often lands on the development officer as “the savior,” and Tony reframes it: fundraising works best as a team effort, not a solo canoe trip. As Julia puts it, “It’s the nucleus of the whole organization.” If you’re new in the seat, this episode gives you both direction and permission: respect the past, build trust first, and then earn the right to recommend change.

00:00:00 Welcome to Fundraisers Friday
00:01:00 First 30 days focus for a new development officer
00:02:40 Mission alignment why it matters on day one
00:06:40 Relationship tour CEO board and key stakeholders
00:11:50 Systems and CRM access reporting and ramp up
00:15:40 Visibility scan marketing segmentation and social presence
00:18:00 Respect history build trust then recommend change
00:19:40 Fundraising pressure and why it must be a team sport
00:21:20 Culture shifts and board leadership impact
00:24:00 How to learn culture by asking better questions
00:26:10 Tony offers a 30 60 90 plan for development roles
00:28:10 How to request the PDF and episode close

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