In this energizing conversation, Ann Fellman, Chief Marketing Officer at Bloomerang, provides a data-forward look at what donors will expect in 2026—and what that means for the business of fundraising. The conversation opens with a “hopeful reframe” rooted in fresh research: Bloomerang conducted a national survey of 1,000 U.S.-based donors in November 2025, and the findings point to a bright, measurable shift—not a collapse—in generosity.

Ann’s central message is numbers-backed and morale-boosting: donor behavior is changing, but people still want to give. As she puts it, “It’s not a decline in generosity. It’s a shift in how generosity shows up.” For nonprofit leaders, that shift demands smarter relationship strategy, not louder volume. Younger donors, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are “more relational,” seeking belonging and alignment. Ann expands the classic “time, talent, treasure” framework with two additional drivers—testimony and ties—because social proof and community can be the catalyst that converts interest into giving.

Several statistics land like actionable business insights. Gen Z respondents were twice as likely as Baby Boomers to give after a positive interaction, and 21% said they were influenced by a celebrity or peer. Millennials showed strong values alignment, with 43% prioritizing shared values. Meanwhile, channel strategy needs a reset: donation sites and nonprofit websites remain leading channels, with 48% of Millennials gravitating toward website giving. Yet the surprise data point for 2026 planning is direct mail: Gen Z reported being twice as likely as older generations to give via direct mail—often because tactile outreach can lead to digital conversion through QR codes.

Trust also emerges as a major retention lever. Ann shares that 70% of Americans have done recurring giving, signaling confidence in mission and stewardship, while Gen Z is the most likely generation to stop giving when trust erodes. The operational mandate is clear: personalized, timely, segmented communication that respects attention. In Ann’s words, “Personalization is not a nice to have… it’s going to be a must to have.”

#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitFundraising #DonorEngagement

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Every nonprofit says they want board meetings that are strategic, energizing, and worth everyone’s time. And yet… so many board meetings still feel like a quarterly endurance test: long decks, last-minute prep, and a live meeting that turns into a read-aloud.

We visit with Robert Wolfe, CEO and founder of Zeck—to reimagine how boards and leadership teams communicate—because meeting design is not a “nice-to-have.” It’s a capacity issue. When leaders burn 100–150 hours building decks and board members struggle to engage with clunky PDFs, the mission pays the price.

Robert shares the origin story behind Zeck, built from his experience as an operator who lived the board-meeting grind firsthand. He’s refreshingly blunt about the tools we still tolerate: “No one in the world would wake up in the morning and read their news in a PowerPoint slide deck.” And he makes a bold comparison that lands for any executive team trying to modernize: “Zeck is to board meetings as DocuSign is to signing your contracts and agreements.”

The conversation focuses on what matters for nonprofit business operations: saving staff time, boosting board participation, and moving governance work out of the live meeting and into smarter pre-work. Robert walks through practical innovations like pre-voting (so approvals don’t eat the first 45 minutes), analytics that show engagement (and create healthy peer pressure), and AI features that support content creation—without turning every boardroom comment into a permanent artifact.

If your board meetings create dread, drag down morale, or result in rubber-stamp decisions, this episode offers a modern path forward—one that respects time, improves decision-making, and helps leaders stay focused on outcomes, not formatting.

#TheNonprofitShow #Zeck #BoardGovernance

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The Great Wealth Transfer is already in motion, and Gen X is standing in the receiving line! Wendy F. Adams, CFRE, CEO of Cultivate for Good and longtime friend of the show, brings a leader’s lens and a fundraiser’s candor to a question many nonprofits still avoid: Who inherits donor loyalty, and what are we doing to earn it? She shares a personal story that makes the business case impossible to ignore—after her mother passed, Wendy discovered a long list of recurring gifts to multiple organizations. The dollars were real, consistent, and meaningful. The relationship? Nearly invisible.

Wendy introduces a practical concept that flips stewardship into a forward-looking strategy: the “beneficiary checkup.” Instead of waiting until a donor is gone and the organization is forced into an awkward conversation, Wendy challenges nonprofits to invite beneficiaries into the relationship now—while the donor can celebrate impact, and while the next decision-maker can form a real connection.

The episode presses on a tough truth: recurring donors are often treated as “set it and forget it,” and that quiet neglect can become a revenue cliff when a family member inherits the decision. Wendy also speaks directly to Gen X expectations: they want clarity, outcomes, and honesty, not glossy language. As she puts it, “Proof beats poetry.” And when it comes to legacy decisions, she’s blunt: “Give it to us straight and keep us a part of the dialogue.”

For leaders and boards, the call is simple: build confidence around assets, legacy tools, and storytelling that shows what happens because someone invested. The wealth is moving. The question is whether your nonprofit will be part of the next chapter—or quietly left behind.

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Nonprofit financial leaders are being asked to do more with less, manage rising risk, and still advance mission with confidence. Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher, COO of JMT Consulting, provides a forward-looking conversation on FinTech forecasts and what nonprofit executives must be preparing for now.

Dr. Rose-Belcher reframes finance as the operational backbone of nonprofit leadership, not a barrier. She opens by addressing cybersecurity, urging leaders to view it as a governance, compliance, and financial responsibility rather than an IT task. “This is not an IT issue. This is an everybody issue,” she explains, placing accountability squarely with executive leadership and boards. With donor data, financial systems, and integrated platforms increasingly interconnected, leaders must treat cyber readiness as an enterprise-wide business risk.

From there, the discussion moves to platform strategy. Rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all solution, Dr. Rose-Belcher challenges nonprofit leaders to take ownership of their technology ecosystem. The responsibility, she explains, is not simply to buy tools, but to understand workflows, integrations, return on investment, and the operational change required to realize value. Finance leaders, often serving as what she calls “accidental technologists,” must either develop this fluency or intentionally bring in expert guidance.

Predictive analytics emerges as a defining leadership capability for 2026. Dr. Rose-Belcher encourages nonprofit financial teams to move beyond static annual budgets toward rolling forecasts and scenario planning. By modeling funding shifts, cost changes, and operational risks throughout the year, finance teams can elevate their role from record-keeping to strategic decision support.

Talent constraints also surface as a pressing leadership challenge. With fewer trained accountants entering the field and nonprofit compensation pressures persisting, leaders must focus on skill development, retention, and creative workforce pipelines. Dr. Rose-Belcher shares how JMT is investing in long-term intern programs to strengthen the sector as a whole.

The episode closes with a powerful leadership message: finance teams must act as strategic partners and educators across the organization. “We consider finance the enabler of the mission, not the blocker,” Dr. Rose-Belcher notes—a mindset shift that can transform silos into shared stewardship.

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We sit down with Keith Mestrich, Senior Advisor of Nonprofit and Foundation Partnerships at Crescent Cares, for a great nonprofit business conversation. As nonprofit leaders step into a new year filled with uncertainty and rapid change, Keith offers a clear message: finance isn’t a back-office function to tolerate—it’s one of the strongest tools a nonprofit has to stay steady, make smarter decisions, and keep programs moving when conditions shift.

Keith shares that early in his nonprofit CFO journey, he drew a firm line about how the role should operate: “As the CFO, I’m a full partner, just like any of your other programmatic partners are.” That idea sets the tone for the discussion. When finance is treated as an equal partner—connected to program strategy, staffing, and planning—leaders gain visibility into what’s possible, what’s risky, and what’s sustainable. Keith also explains why finance is often sidelined in the sector: many nonprofit executives rise through program excellence and suddenly inherit budgets, banking, insurance, and reporting—without ever being trained for the business mechanics.

From there, the conversation shifts to technology decisions that can protect both time and dollars. Keith uses a simple example that lands with almost every organization: paper checks. Moving payments and processes into modern systems can increase speed, reduce cost, strengthen tracking, and lower exposure to fraud. He also points to the growing potential of analytical tools and AI to strengthen forecasting—helping leaders anticipate cash-flow pinch points and plan ahead instead of reacting late.

Scenario planning becomes another centerpiece, and Keith keeps it approachable: you don’t have to create a plan for every possible situation. Focus on two major categories—key personnel changes and major financial impacts—and walk through what you would do if something shifted quickly. He emphasizes that this is a management responsibility, while boards should ensure it’s happening and revisited regularly.

Finally, Keith reframes risk management as something that supports confident leadership, not fear. As he puts it, “The bad guys know that our sector isn’t as sharp… They target us.” Reviewing insurance, cyber readiness, and coverage levels isn’t glamorous—but it’s part of protecting the mission with the same care you bring to programs.

#TheNonprofitShow #Nonprofitboards #NonprofitFinance

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In the nonprofit world, “funding” is often treated like a finish line. But in this conversation, Gloria Dixon—Executive Director and Director of Philanthropy at the BECU Foundation—frames it as something more useful: a long-term business relationship built on trust, clarity, and shared accountability.

Gloria begins with BECU’s origin story, rooted in cooperative problem-solving: in 1935, Boeing employees pooled money in a tin box so colleagues could buy the tools they needed to work. That same “people helping people” ethos still shapes how BECU shows up today—through products and services, employee volunteerism, and philanthropic partnerships designed to strengthen community financial health.

From there, the discussion moves into what many nonprofits are feeling right now: shifts in funding, rising uncertainty, and the need to adjust strategy without losing momentum. Gloria makes the business case for longer-term, larger-dollar commitments—because multi-year stability gives nonprofits room to plan, staff, and deliver outcomes instead of living in perpetual fundraising churn. She explains trust-based philanthropy as a power shift that respects expertise closest to the work: “We have to trust them to do the work…give them the funding they need… and then just get out their way so they can do the best work.”

That mindset shows up in BECU Foundation’s approach to grants. Instead of long, technical applications, Gloria’s team prioritizes conversation and relationship—practical for a small staff overseeing partnerships with nearly 300 nonprofits annually, and aligned with how trust actually gets built. Reporting expectations, she explains, vary by the size and structure of the partnership—light-touch for small, one-time support, and more defined reporting for multi-year agreements.

Perhaps the most refreshing business lesson is Gloria’s view of “competition.” In her words: “There is no competition, never.” The goal isn’t brand ownership—it’s maximizing community outcomes. BECU also adds value beyond checks: their name can signal credibility to other funders, they share partner insights across philanthropic networks, and they even play matchmaker—connecting senior executives to nonprofit board opportunities when leadership talent is needed.

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The Great Wealth Transfer is no longer a future talking point—it is unfolding right now, and nonprofit organizations that are not prepared risk watching history pass them by. Cohosts Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall confront what may be the most consequential financial shift the nonprofit sector will ever face: an estimated $90–$100 trillion moving between generations, with $12–$18 trillion potentially directed toward charitable causes.

The urgency is unmistakable. While awareness of the wealth transfer exists, Julia and Tony raise a sobering concern: most nonprofits are still treating this moment as business as usual. Traditional planned giving conversations are happening, but without the staffing depth, board expertise, or internal policies needed to responsibly handle what is coming. As Tony notes, “It’s going to happen. It’s the largest transfer of wealth in history, and nonprofit organizations need to think about how they are ready for it right now.”

The conversation exposes a hard reality—many development teams are already stretched thin, juggling events, grants, membership, and major gifts. Expecting those same teams to manage estate gifts, complex assets, and family dynamics without focused expertise is risky. Julia warns that this lack of preparation could result in missed gifts, internal conflict, or worse—board fractures triggered by ethical or values-based disputes over donor sources.

The episode also widens the definition of wealth itself. Beyond cash, nonprofits must be prepared to assess real estate, securities, collectibles, and even intellectual property. Julia shares examples that range from transformative royalty gifts to deeply problematic asset donations that create storage costs, legal exposure, or reputational strain. Without clear gift policies in place, organizations may accept assets that cost more to manage than they ever generate.

Perhaps most alarming is the human side of the transfer. Julia and Tony describe real cases where heirs contested legacy gifts, leaving nonprofits entangled in legal and emotional turmoil. These situations underscore the need for deeper donor relationships that include family members—not just the donor alone.

This episode makes one thing clear: readiness is no longer optional. Policies, staffing, board composition, and professional advisors must be aligned now, not later. As Julia reminds viewers, this moment will not wait. The organizations that act decisively will serve their missions for decades to come—those that don’t may never get a second chance.

#TheNonprofitShow #FundraisersFriday

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With the kind of energy that makes you sit up straighter: Tim Sarrantonio, now Chair of the Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP), leads a boardroom-level conversation about one of the biggest business threats to nonprofits today: misinformation.

Tim pulls back the curtain on what FEP actually is—an ambitious collaboration where major CRM and data partners contribute anonymized giving data that is organized into a secure warehouse overseen by GivingTuesday and the AFP Foundation. The result: monthly, real-world insights into donor behavior at a scale that fundraisers rarely get, and fast enough to influence decisions in real time. For nonprofit leaders trying to forecast revenue, frame strategy, or explain retention trends to a board, this is not “nice-to-know” information—it’s operational intelligence.

From there, the discussion pivots into how misinformation sneaks into our sector: vendor marketing that cherry-picks success stories, “benchmark” claims without context, and social posts engineered for clicks rather than truth. Tim’s advice is blunt and practical: follow the sources, examine methodology, and treat data as a tool for leadership—not a headline to repeat. As he puts it, “All data is the electronic representation of relationships.” That single line reframes retention drops and donor shifts as more than numbers—they’re signals about trust, connection, and experience.

The conversation closes with a future-facing lens on AI. Tim urges nonprofits to treat generative tools like a junior staff member—helpful, fast, and absolutely in need of editing. He even teases a new project: an educational role-playing game for fundraisers that uses AI to interpret workshop artifacts and accelerate learning. The takeaway is clear: in a world full of noise, nonprofits win by becoming disciplined stewards of evidence, context, and credibility.

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