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raise more in your first
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You are here to create an impact. To make a difference. To change the world.
That’s why we created Accidental Fundraiser™, a show for you – the nonprofit leader, the Chief Everything Officer. Join host Kimberly O’Donnell as she sets out to answer the often unspoken questions rattling around in your mind. Letting you know that no matter what’s ahead, you’re not alone.
Accidental Fundraiser™ is an original show featuring fundraising expert and leader Kimberly O’Donnell answering the top-of-mind questions keeping you up at night. Through the stories shared by other nonprofit leaders you’ll leave each episode empowered with a “yes, I can” mentality and be ready for anything – including your next big fundraiser.
Bret Heinrich, president and CEO of Wings of Hope, shares how they’ve been able to get their board deeply and actively involved and why paying attention to the little things really goes a long way. You’ll also hear how Wings of Hope is leveraging technology to reach parts of the world too dangerous to enter.
Erin Hogue, senior director of strategic initiatives with Walmart Giving, shares how Walmart and Sam’s Club engage their customers, members, and associates to support causes that are meaningful to them and their communities. You’ll learn how they work with public and private sector partners to solve, support, and address societal needs and what executive directors and fundraisers should think about when working with grantmaking organizations like Walmart.
GivingTuesday paves a path to more donations and supporters, but it takes creativity and time to get there. In this episode, we’re talking about the success of GivingTuesday 2022 and sharing the trends we’re seeing this year. Listen to Woodrow Rosenbaum, chief data officer of Giving Tuesday, and Pete Karns, senior vice president of Corporate Strategy at Bonterra, share their advice and more.
As we approach the end of 2022, we want to dive into the state of the sector with two of our personal fundraising coaches Chany Ockert and Cherian Koshy. In this episode of Accidental Fundraiser we’ll discuss nonprofit trends, what to think about for 2023, and advice for avoiding burnout through the holidays and beyond.
Stories foster connection, whether it’s helping someone understand the work that you do or making a very high-level concept concrete for others.
Communicating with a story is powerful, and it works. This is why we’re so excited to wrap up season 2 of Accidental Fundraiser by sharing mini moments of wisdom from our guests’ stories.
As Accidental Fundraisers, we can get bogged down in the day-to-day of our work and lose sight of the incredible impact we’re making. While it might feel selfish, taking care of yourself is critical to your ultimate mission. Mark Davis, Founder and Director of Abundance International, joins the Accidental Fundraiser podcast to share how he stays inspired and energized to do the work in front of him.
Frontline fundraisers face a difficult reality of low donation rate, especially when cold calling. How can you increase your success? In this episode of Accidental Fundraiser, Morgan Martell, self-described Zillennial and assistant director of development at Texas Tech University, shares her advice.
Break out the pie chart. How much time, energy, and resources do you devote to ensuring your funders and recipients are happy? 20%? Maybe 30%? In her journey to founding South Carolina’s Freedom Readers and serving as executive director, Tracy Bailey has learned it’s a two-way street. In this episode of Accidental Fundraiser, Tracy shares how to use your potential lack of access as a tool for motivation.
From getting no’s to a severe lack of feedback, the fundraising process can be frustrating. Who better to give advice than the grantmakers themselves? Donna Waites and Meredith Mathews from the Sisters of Charity Foundation break down all the successful tactics you need to apply for, receive, and deploy funding from grantmakers. Hint: It’s not only about proving your outcomes – stories are also critical!
Erin Mulligan Nelson, Bonterra’s CEO, joined us to talk about the future of fundraising and how nonprofits can align purpose and profit – not choose between them. If you’re properly doing what you set out to do, Erin says your donors will “stay with you, grow with you and advocate for you,” and your nonprofit will thrive.
Christina McGovern, Director of Development & Marketing at the Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County, Indiana, was able to increase individual gifts by more than 6x. How? By honing in on the organization’s “why?” and evolving their brand and messaging.
Despite a troubling childhood, Nahmias started and runs the Zimbabwe Farm Project, soon to be Africa Vertical, a sustainable farming complex in Zimbabwe that employs women from the local community to tend organic crops. She’s overcome countless obstacles and benefited from some fortunate opportunities.
The issues facing the LGBTQ community have improved. Yet, they still encounter uphill battles every day. Elizabeth Schedl, executive director at the Hudson Pride Center in New Jersey, knows this first hand. She joins to share how they’ve expanded their donor base, and streamlined their acquisition and retention strategies.
We’ve got a special update for you—a sneak peek from Giving USA’s 2021 report. Each year Giving USA (a public service initiative of The Giving Institute) conducts research on the nonprofit sector in the U.S. The full report will be released on July 12th, but they published a preview featuring some of their top-level findings from last year.
The pandemic hit the economy hard. Perhaps none harder than the nonprofit world. Camille Nitschky and the Children’s Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region pivoted during the pandemic and increased fundraising by 27% despite the odds. Camille joins Accidental Fundraiser to discuss how her video strategy (and other creative fundraising ideas) led to the Grief Center’s best year yet.
Lori Alhadeff joined Accidental Fundraiser to share her journey in founding Make Our Schools Safe and lobbying for change at a national level. Listen to this episode to learn from Lori’s unwavering dedication to her mission. Whether you are a parent or not, her passion for her daughter’s legacy and school safety will strike a chord. And may even inspire action.
Fundraising is hard. Really hard. But in the end, we all know it’s worth it. Because you’ve made your mark. You’ve made a difference. You’ve changed the world one dollar, one campaign, one life at a time. Season 2 of Accidental Fundraiser is here! And it will take your fundraising career to the next level.
Figuring out what makes people give to a cause is a challenge for every fundraiser. Alyson Landers, Project Manager of Major Gifts for the Hudson River Museum in New York, joined Accidental Fundraiser to discuss her journey to becoming a fundraising professional.
In this episode, Chany Ockert and Janet Cobb join to discuss what it takes to not just survive as a fundraiser, but thrive. Chany and Janet have worked in the nonprofit world for decades, giving them unique perspectives on the current state of fundraising, and what it means to build relationships in a continually changing environment.
Fundraising is hard, but in the end, it’s worth it. In this episode of Accidental Fundraiser, we’re celebrating the conclusion of season one by revisiting some of the highlights and pulling out key learnings from our guests. Listen in to hear why experience isn’t everything and why you should stay true to your mission at all costs.
Michelle Zelaya, Strategic Partner Manager of Social Impact at Meta, joins us on Accidental Fundraiser to share everything we need to know about how to effectively use Facebook and Instagram for fundraising.
Darius Baxter is the CEO and Co-founder of GOODProjects, an organization that walks alongside families on the path out of poverty. In this episode, Darius shares his journey from raising $3,000 and feeling like it was a million, to now raising over a million just a few weeks into a new year. Listen to the latest episode to learn not only how to reach the people you serve but potential donors as well.
When an initiative brings in $90,000 for two consecutive years with low overhead and supports the mission – someone’s clearly done their job right. Hannah Hausman, Executive Director for the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, achieved that fundraising trifecta with a pledge challenge. In the latest episode, you’ll hear how Hannah adapts her tactics to the market she’s in and why asking the right question can put everything into perspective.
By the end of Nycky Miller’s first year at Gospel Rescue Mission as Director of Development, donations had almost tripled. On the latest episode of Accidental Fundraiser she shares her social media strategies and discusses why she doesn’t let mistakes made hold her back. Check out the full episode to learn how to be bold and use your missteps to grow.
There’s nothing wrong with focusing on the ask, but sometimes all you need is to share a story and show some gratitude. That’s the philosophy of Jeff Allen of Monkey’s House, where he’s learned to leverage the power of social media to grow their donor base. Check out this episode of Accidental Fundraiser to hear his tips and tricks for expressing gratitude for every contribution, big or small.
Kimberly is a seasoned fundraising and nonprofit leader. Having worked as an Executive Director, Chief Philanthropy Officer, fundraising consultant, and advisor to thousands of nonprofits, she has spent 25+ years blending fundraising, marketing, and sales principles to scale dollars raised and strengthen donor and supporter engagement. Kimberly was an adjunct professor for 11 years at Georgetown and George Mason Universities where she taught nonprofit management and leadership. A certified life/executive coach, Kimberly currently leads a team of Personal Fundraising Coaches for Network for Good and can often be found writing and speaking on the future of fundraising.