What the Fundraising

Mallory Erickson
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Non-Profit
  • Weekly

What the Fundraising is the podcast for impact leaders and change-makers who are tired of doing things the old school way and are looking for best practices to raise money, run their organization, and think about the nonprofit sector in a whole new way.  Every Tuesday for 40-60 min, your host, Mallory Erickson, will be having real and raw conversations with some of the best personal and professional development experts, many of whom are outside the nonprofit sector. These are bestselling authors, world-renowned researchers, and TEDx experts, most of whom have never spoken to a non-profit audience before. They have come ready to share expertise, lessons, and stories that will fundamentally change the way you show up as a leader and fundraiser. There are so many valuable lessons nonprofit leaders are missing because they are outside of their typical orbit, but no more. Mallory is bringing them in and helping to apply her guest's expertise to disrupt the nonprofit sector once and for all. So if you are ready to learn how to upgrade your fundraising strategy, leadership skills, energy, habits, and mindset to bring in more funding and actually have some fun doing it, then this is the right podcast for you. If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

  1. 3 hr ago

    Pull Back to Move Forward: Momentum, Burnout and Buy-In with Joanna Sutton

    What if the reason your new process, tool or campaign plan isn’t taking off has less to do with the plan and more to do with the people you’re asking to carry it? In this episode, Mallory sits down with Joanna Sutton, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Donor Engagement at UCLA. Joanna has spent nearly 25 years building the systems behind one of the country’s biggest advancement shops. She’s a self-described process person with a background in psychology, and that mix shapes everything she does. She designs for adoption from the start, because, as a consultant once told her, you can have the best steakhouse in town, but if no one eats there, it shuts down. Mallory and Joanna talk about why stressed teams resist change, and how giving people a real choice early gives them a stake in the result. They get into breaking overwhelming work into “conquerable chunks,” pulling back like a toy car to build momentum instead of spinning your wheels, and how she reframes a project that feels like “two steps forward, ten steps back.” Then Joanna realizes, mid-conversation, that the thing that most changed her leadership had nothing to do with work. In this episode, you will be able to:  Build adoption into a new process from day one by framing it around what helps your team, not what helps you. Get real buy-in before a big change by talking with a few very different users and letting them help choose the final direction. Respond to pushback under deadline pressure by naming the anxiety underneath it, making room for it, and then moving forward together. Break an overwhelming project into “conquerable chunks” so you and your team always know the next step. Protect yourself from burnout by focusing your energy on what you can control and setting aside what you can’t. Turn an “I need this now” request into a partnership ask that respects people’s expertise and gets things done faster. Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point

  2. 3 Nov

    Arc Before Ask: A Physician's Study of Sustainable Giving with Dr. Sanjay Bindra, MD

    What would happen if a nonprofit stopped asking for an entire year? No GivingTuesday, no year-end push, no urgent emails. Dr. Sanjay Bindra, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist and the co-founder and president of GOSUMEC Foundation USA, actually ran that experiment. In this episode, Sanjay shares what he learned from the GIVE Study, a year-long, real-time look at whether a small, volunteer-run nonprofit with no paid staff could build sustainable recurring giving through relationships. He walks through his GIVE framework (Gratitude, Impact, Voice and Engagement), why he sees the first gift as the entry point to a relationship rather than the win, and why he believes recurring giving is an identity shift, not a payment plan. Mallory and Sanjay also talk about the difference between the quick spark of a giver's high and the slower work of belonging, why small nonprofits have a built-in advantage when it comes to relationships, and what it means to work on the conditions around a donor instead of working on the donor. If you lead a small shop, or you're tired of starting over at zero every January, this conversation offers a different way to think about retention, and a lot more permission to build slowly. In this episode, you will learn how to:  — See why fewer than 1 in 5 first-time donors give again, and treat the first gift as an open door instead of the finish line. — Think of recurring giving as an identity shift, not a payment plan, so your monthly giving invitations build belonging instead of pressure. — Use the GIVE framework to plan what you give your donors before you ask them for anything. — Make your small size an advantage, because you’re close enough to your community that donors can see the impact for themselves. — Build a strong identity around your cause, the way faith communities do, so the right people see themselves in your mission. — Replace year-end intensity with year-round consistency, so you aren’t starting over at zero every January. — Shape the conditions around your donors instead of pushing on the donors themselves.   Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  3. 27 Oct

    The Art and Science of Prospect Research with Katherine Scott and Sarah Marcotte

    Behind every transformational charitable gift lies a trail of data waiting to become a meaningful human connection. Also, in a world where numbers often overpower stories, strategic prospect research serves as the quiet engine driving modern fundraising success. Let's meet Katherine Scott and Sarah Marcotte, co-authors of From the Ground Up: Prospect Research for Nonprofits. Both bring nearly two decades of industry expertise, and their shared experience led them to write the foundational guide they wished they'd had when starting their careers. Today's conversation explores how researchers act as backstage stage managers, translating wealth screening and raw metrics into actionable conversation starters. Katherine and Sarah tackle the tension between quantitative data and frontline fundraisers' lived experiences, cautioning against over-relying on static snapshots or biased AI tools. Ultimately, they champion a balanced approach that pairs data-driven strategy with genuine human relationships to maximize impact. In this episode, you will be able to:  Understand the true role of prospect research Discover how to pair quantitative wealth metrics with frontline fundraisers' qualitative, real-world observations. Learn to use donor data to uncover personal connections, not just evaluate financial capacity. Identify the limitations of wealth screening tools and AI, avoiding over-reliance on static snapshots or single metrics. Understand how researchers and frontline fundraisers can bridge communication gaps and move past rigid "right vs. wrong" debates. Learn why delivering targeted, high-quality insights is far more effective than cluttering reports with excessive data. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  4. 20 Oct

    331: Ditch the KPI Hamster Wheel with Charlie Melichar

    Fundraising is often mistaken for a mechanical game of hitting quotas, but sustainable growth requires balancing metrics with human connection. When organizations focus solely on short-term numbers, they risk turning lifelong donor relationships into transactional exchanges. Today, let's meet Charlie Melichar, Principal at Foster Avenue, a consulting firm dedicated to positioning and communications strategy for major campaigns. Drawing on deep sector expertise, Charlie helps institutions clarify their unique identity and build strategic fundraising frameworks that truly resonate. The discussion tackles the critical gap between rigid KPIs and genuine impact, urging leaders to establish a guiding "North Star" rather than managing solely by lagging indicators. Charlie highlights the dangers of rushing donor timelines for immediate revenue, advocating instead for psychological safety, mentorship, and margin for error within development teams. He also stresses that by using data to spark curiosity rather than drive repetitive touchpoints, organizations can move off the "hamster wheel" and build enduring trust with donors. In this episode, you will be able to:  Understand the value of supporting teams through real management and guidance instead of just judging raw numbers. Unveil the art of avoiding rushing donors for short-term cash to protect lasting relationships. Explore how to use metrics to spark curiosity about donors rather than to track transactional touchpoints. Learn why creating space for mistakes matters so staff can learn, adapt, and build better instincts. Discover how defining what success looks like helps guide a team's instincts in the right direction. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  5. 13 Oct

    AI for Nonprofits: How to Start with the Problem, Not the Technology with Naomi Morenzoni

    Technology is rapidly reshaping how organizations create social impact, and AI is emerging as a powerful force for change. Naomi Morenzoni is Senior Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy and Employee Impact at Salesforce, where she leads corporate giving, employee volunteering, matching programs, and sustainability initiatives. With 14 years at Salesforce, Naomi brings a unique perspective on using business as a platform for community change. She also oversees initiatives such as the Salesforce Accelerator and the company's nature and sustainability fund, supporting innovative solutions and the transition toward a net-zero, nature-positive world. Today's conversation explores Salesforce's founding 1-1-1 philanthropic model, which combines equity, product, and employee time to support communities. Naomi discusses the AI for Impact Accelerator, which provides nonprofits with funding, technology, and expert support, along with real-world AI applications that help farmers, students, development teams, and fundraising professionals. She emphasizes that successful AI adoption begins with a clearly defined problem, reliable data, small-scale experimentation, and continuous development of AI fluency.  Naomi also explains why AI agents should be managed much like employees, with clear goals, documentation, regular feedback, and gradually increasing responsibility. Looking ahead, she calls for stronger collaboration among technology companies, nonprofits, and funders, with greater investment in operational AI and wraparound support to maximize social impact. In this episode, you will be able to:  Understand Salesforce's 1-1-1 philanthropic model. Explore AI applications for social impact. Identify the essentials of successful AI adoption. Build AI fluency through experimentation and learning. Understand how to manage AI agents effectively. Understand how funders and tech companies can enable AI adoption. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: https://malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  6. 6 Oct

    How to Stop Making Assumptions About Your Donors and Asking Better Questions with Kyle Buchmann

    Asking better questions and leaning into uncomfortable moments can help teams build real trust and connect deeply with donors! Kyle Buchmann, Senior Vice President at Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, shares practical lessons from his long career in higher-education fundraising. He joined the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association in 2012, moving up from leading the engineering development team to his current role as Senior Vice President. Drawing on his experience managing frontline fundraisers and leading large teams, Kyle explains how to guide people through big changes and train them to succeed. During the conversation, Kyle also discusses easy-to-use tools such as the "Ladder of Inference," which helps team members catch their own assumptions before making bad decisions. Moreover, he explains why fundraisers should focus on asking thoughtful questions instead of just memorizing donor data. Finally, Kyle covers practical communication tips such as using DISC personality tests to respect different thinking styles, clear up misunderstandings quickly, and keep everyone focused on a shared mission. In this episode, you will be able to:  Identify and interrupt implicit assumptions to make clearer, more objective organizational decisions. Frame insightful, open-ended questions for donor meetings rather than relying solely on lagging historical data. Guide teams productively through moments of change, discomfort, and uncertainty toward resolution. Apply tools like DISC profiling to adapt to neurodivergent styles and prevent workplace misunderstandings. Create a safe environment where team members can respectfully challenge each other's assumptions in real time. Engage donors by helping them author their own giving stories through active, non-judgmental listening. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  7. 29 Sept

    How Nonprofits Can Use AI Without Amplifying Bad Culture with Tim Lockie

    When modern technology fails to solve an organization's friction, the root cause is rarely the software; it is the human systems behind it. This episode reframes digital transformation, proving that operational harmony relies far more on culture, mindset, and people than on shiny digital products. Meet Tim Lockie, who brings over 20 years of experience working inside and outside the nonprofit sector. As a human-centric tech and AI expert, Tim has spent his career helping organizations bridge the gap between technical infrastructure and human behavior.  Today's conversation dismantles common software marketing myths, pointing out how buying products without updating organizational habits leads to widespread adoption failure. Moreover, using an orchestra analogy, Tim explains that while individual tools act as instruments, organizations struggle with orchestration, often spending less than 3% of budgets on staff support compared to software. To fix this, he advocates appointing "first chairs," or dedicated leads, to guide teams from basic software support to true success. Finally, the discussion warns that AI will amplify existing organizational habits, making poorly run teams play bad music faster while noting that smaller teams can achieve paradigm shifts rapidly when they prioritize mindset over mechanics. In this episode, you will be able to:  Identify the Root Cause of Technology Failures Evaluate Common Tech Marketing Myths Formulate a Human-Centered Resource Strategy Implement the "First Chair" Operations Model Predict the Cultural Impact of AI Adoption Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels. Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team. Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

  8. 22 Sept

    Thousand Day Planning: A Different Approach to Fundraising Leadership with Jay E. Davenport

    In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast, What happens when we stop thinking about fundraising as simply asking for money and start thinking about it as relationship building, connection, and philanthropy? In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast, Mallory Erickson talks with Jay E. Davenport, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Penn State University, about building a culture where alumni engagement, fundraising, leadership, and philanthropy are deeply interconnected. Drawing from his 32-year career in higher education, Jay shares how his experience at VCU shaped his philosophy around “base building”, nurturing relationships with people at every level of the fundraising pyramid and creating meaningful opportunities for engagement before a financial gift is ever expected. Jay also shares how he approaches leadership and change management within an institution with deep history and tradition. Rather than abandoning what has worked, he believes in “innovating on behalf of tradition”, and finding ways to improve existing practices while honoring the institution's legacy. A major focus of the conversation is Jay’s 1,000-day planning framework, which translates a big organizational vision into clear priorities, responsibilities, and milestones. He explains how this approach gives teams clarity about where they are going, how their individual work contributes to the larger mission, and what needs to happen next. In this episode, you will be able to:  Understand why donor engagement should come before the financial ask. Think beyond major gifts and nurture lifelong relationships across the entire fundraising pyramid. Build more connected and integrated alumni and donor experiences. Lead organizational change while honoring institutional history and tradition. Use a 1,000-day plan to turn a big vision into actionable priorities. Create clarity around roles, responsibilities, and organizational priorities. Develop a culture where the entire team sees itself as part of fundraising. Prioritize relationship building as a leading indicator of fundraising success. Recognize and celebrate your team in ways that are meaningful to them. Shift from asking for money to connecting donor passion with institutional need. Get all the resources from today’s episode here.  Support for this show is brought to you by Donor Perfect. Our friends at Donor Perfect really understand fundraising on so many levels. Stay aligned while working online with a seamless and secure payments experience for your donors and your team. Empower donors to give where they are, whenever they like, automate data entry, and process online, monthly, and mobile payments, and accept payments over the phone. Connect with me:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.

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About

What the Fundraising is the podcast for impact leaders and change-makers who are tired of doing things the old school way and are looking for best practices to raise money, run their organization, and think about the nonprofit sector in a whole new way.  Every Tuesday for 40-60 min, your host, Mallory Erickson, will be having real and raw conversations with some of the best personal and professional development experts, many of whom are outside the nonprofit sector. These are bestselling authors, world-renowned researchers, and TEDx experts, most of whom have never spoken to a non-profit audience before. They have come ready to share expertise, lessons, and stories that will fundamentally change the way you show up as a leader and fundraiser. There are so many valuable lessons nonprofit leaders are missing because they are outside of their typical orbit, but no more. Mallory is bringing them in and helping to apply her guest's expertise to disrupt the nonprofit sector once and for all. So if you are ready to learn how to upgrade your fundraising strategy, leadership skills, energy, habits, and mindset to bring in more funding and actually have some fun doing it, then this is the right podcast for you. If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.

Information

  • Creator
    Mallory Erickson
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    342
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mallory Erickson Coaching
  • Show Website
    What the Fundraising

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