Rainmaker Fundraising

Andrew Olsen
  • 4.8 (45)
  • Non-Profit

The Rainmaker Fundraising podcast, hosted by Andrew Olsen, a 25+ year veteran fundraiser who has served more than 1,000 nonprofits, helping them raise over $1 Billion is your home for candid conversations about fundraising and nonprofit leadership. You'll get high-quality conversations with fundraising practitioners, industry experts, and outsiders who bring a unique perspective to the nonprofit sector. The show also includes occasional solo episodes where Andrew addresses specific topics in-depth. rainmakerfundraising.substack.com

  1. Oct 8

    Building a Culture of Generosity

    Dr. Clark Dickerson has led more than 250 capital campaigns over 40 years. Every one of them has rested on the same three principles: * God is the owner of all * We’re stewards and not owners * We’re blessed to bless others In this episode, Andrew sits down with Clark Dickerson, the co-founder of DickersonBakker to talk about his new book, Growing into Generosity: God’s Call to Greater Financial Faithfulness. Clark starts at the beginning. His first campaign was a $2 million effort for a Tennessee Christian school in 1985. Then comes a 100th-anniversary campaign at Johnson Bible College. Afterward, the college president pulled him aside and said the only thing wrong with this kind of fundraising was that they hadn’t started 20 years earlier. Clark also shares how he won his first college campaign. When a president asked how many successful college campaigns he’d led, Clark answered, “When we finish yours, it will be one.” From there, the conversation goes after the hard stuff: * Why pastors, executive directors and board members avoid talking about money, and what that silence costs their organizations. * Why up to 40% of Christians give nothing at all. * Why a couple earning $600,000 a year could say “there just wasn’t anything left” at the end of the month. * Clark’s argument that the hardest stewardship principle is prayer. He believes many people don’t pray about their giving because they’re afraid of what the answer might be. Clark also explains why these ideas apply well beyond ministry. His long-time line is that “donors do the good deeds,” and the organization is simply the conduit. His advice to fundraisers is to raise money for the need, not the building. The episode closes with one of the best donor stories you’ll hear. A board chairman angrily refused a $50,000 ask: “Who in the world do you think you are?” Then he showed up at Clark’s airport hotel at 11 p.m., soaked from a thunderstorm, to say yes. The two talked until 3 a.m., and that conversation changed how the family gave from then on. In this episode: * (00:47) Clark’s first capital campaign, in 1985 * (03:34) The campaign that convinced Clark this was his calling * (07:26) Who Growing into Generosity was written for, and the three principles behind every campaign * (13:28) What happens to an organization when its leader won’t talk about money * (18:18) Do these principles work in secular fundraising? Why “donors do the good deeds” * (20:18) The hardest principle for people to accept: praying about giving * (23:19) Giving first versus giving last * (25:38) The midnight knock: stories of generosity that changed lives * (29:50) When people don’t know, and when they know but aren’t willing Get the book: Growing into Generosity: God’s Call to Greater Financial Faithfulness by Dr. Clark Dickerson. This episode of the Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast is sponsored by my newest book, Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide to High-Impact Offers. This 49-page book (yeah, it really is that short — on purpose) is packed with the specific guidance and insights you need to improve your nonprofit’s fundraising offers and raise more money. It includes the exact framework I have used to guide hundreds of organizations through the offer development process over the last 25 years. And you can read it faster than you can read a Trader Joe’s newsletter. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Jul 3

    97% of wealth in America is non-cash

    This might be the most important information you hear today for your nonprofit’s growth. The majority of wealth in the U.S. is held outside of cash, in other assets like stock, 401k’s, IRA’s, real estate, and closely held business interests. But nearly every nonprofit I’ve encountered (and at this point, that’s thousands) are focused on asking donors to write them a check or give by credit card. Essentially going after that remaining 3%. Why? Nonprofits that are actively seeking asset-based gifts are generating huge returns compared to those that aren’t. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Jul 3

    Securing $100K gifts (in the mail!)

    Justin Wheeler, Founder/CEO of Funraise and I talking about the realities of activating major giving behavior through high-touch direct mail outreach. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  4. 08/12/2025

    Practivated: Your Virtual Fundraising Coach

    Every fundraiser on the planet has, at some point, wished they could have a prep conversation with a donor before they actually sit in front of them to make an ask of any kind.  But that’s silly. That’s not possible. Instead, most of us settled for half-baked role playing with a colleague from time-to-time.  And that was helpful. Sort of. But it was never exactly what we needed. It was never dialed in as much as many of us wanted. The result?  Many of us still walked into donor visits and meetings nervous, unsure of ourselves, and unprepared to navigate […] Chapters (00:00:00) - Rainmaker Fundraising: Guest Interview(00:01:17) - Practical Learning for Fundraisers(00:03:31) - Facebook's First Paying Customers(00:03:50) - Why I Launched a Tech Company(00:08:10) - How the Fear-Based Fundraising System is Changing the Way(00:11:10) - Baker Fundraising: From Friendly to Fundraising(00:15:46) - The New Way to Coaching(00:18:28) - How To Raise Money With a Board of Directors(00:19:38) - Beyond the Money Flow(00:24:21) - Fundraising Goals and Motivation(00:26:15) - The New Goal-oriented Meeting(00:28:28) - "A Touch of Mercy"(00:29:17) - Give Like a Corporate Coach(00:31:08) - Coaching of the Leader(00:33:54) - Practivated: How to Navigate the Challenging Personality of(00:38:38) - A Few More Favors For You Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  5. 07/22/2025

    Nonprofit Leader Burnout

    “How are you?” Simple question, right?  If you lead a nonprofit organization, a ministry, or work inside one, this probably feels like a loaded question. A trap, if you will.  What we all know, but what so few are willing to admit, is that burnout is at an all-time high in our sector. As Nathan LaGrange, Executive Director at Oasis Rest International says, leaders don’t set out in their careers to flame out. No one wants to burn out, to harm their most precious relationships, or end up on the brink personal and professional failure. But it happens. https://youtube.com/shorts/ksKb5a8B_GI?feature=share In […] Chapters (00:00:00) - Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast: Rest and Recover(00:01:19) - Andrew McMillan on Planting His Soul(00:07:38) - Oasis Rest: A Place for Leaders to Talk(00:09:06) - Burnout in the Church(00:13:47) - The importance of caring for the leader(00:19:34) - A Sacred Controversy About Service Profit Chain(00:25:26) - How to Reset the Relationship Between CEO and Donor Development(00:29:13) - How Do You Retreat Away From Responsibilities?(00:32:57) - How to Encourage Your Pastor(00:35:54) - The Retreat Safety(00:38:04) - Life, Love, Liberty and Legacy(00:41:47) - Oasis of Rest(00:45:50) - How to Slow Down in Leadership(00:50:34) - Oasis REST: Slow Down(00:51:23) - How to Reach Out to Nonprofit Leaders(00:52:32) - The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  6. 07/17/2025

    Driving innovation at charity: water

    With access to clean water remaining a pressing issue in our world, charity: water stands out as a beacon of innovation and change. Brady Josephson, VP of Marketing and Growth (and a semi-regular guest on The Rainmaker show), shares insights into how the organization is transforming the way it engages with the world, driven by a relentless mission to provide clean water to every person on the planet. In our conversation, Brady the power of curiosity, a trait that fuels his (and the entire team’s) approach to innovation at charity: water. Working alongside the organization’s founder Scott Harrison, who embodies […] Chapters (00:00:00) - Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast(00:01:01) - Meet Charity Water's Chief Marketing Officer(00:02:50) - Dave Raley on His 'Superpower'(00:03:43) - Charity Water Executive Director on Innovation(00:07:37) - What's the Balance Between Innovation and Change at Charity Water?(00:12:18) - The Nonprofit Organization's Attention Challenge(00:15:18) - Creating a Charity Experience Lab in Franklin(00:18:11) - The World Without Water Experience(00:24:08) - Small Nonprofits: The Next Step in Innovation(00:29:57) - How to get in touch with Charity Water(00:30:36) - The Biggest Mistakes Nonprofits Make(00:31:04) - A Request for the Rainmaker Podcast Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  7. 07/07/2025

    Fundable & Findable with Kevin L. Brown

    Should you invest in branding, OR, should you invest in fundraising?  What creates greater impact for your cause?  The answer often depends on who you ask. There are plenty of fundraising consultants who will tell you that investing in brand is a useless exercise, and all you need to do to be successful is invest in fundraising. Buy more direct mail. Spend more on paid ad programs. Hire more consultants. Do more events. If you’re not careful, you’ll invest in a grab bag of tactics that may not move the needle for you on revenue. Sadly, too many nonprofits do […] Chapters (00:00:00) - Kevin Brown on Fundable & Findable(00:00:45) - How to Build a Brand for Nonprofits(00:02:00) - Writing Down the Book(00:02:33) - Getting Out There: The LinkedIn Content(00:03:44) - Mission Clarity and How to Raise Money(00:06:30) - What is Vision for Nonprofit Leaders?(00:08:38) - The Secret to Success in Raising Money(00:11:03) - Brand Investment in Community(00:11:43) - Brand Investment: An Investment(00:13:17) - What Role Do Boards Have in the(00:15:01) - Strategic Plan: Everything Is Possible, But Everything Isn't(00:17:15) - The Investment Strategy of Building a Brand(00:18:17) - Nonprofit Communications and Brand Teams Understaffed(00:20:05) - How to Build a Nonprofit Brand with Just One Word(00:23:37) - A Few Favors for the Rainmaker Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

  8. 06/25/2025

    Virtuous 2025 Benchmark Report

    Do you know the 7 key donor performance metrics that drive organizational fundraising success in your nonprofit?  My friends Gabe Cooper and Carly Berna from Virtuous help us dig into those KPI trends in this conversation about the Virtuous 2025 Nonprofit Benchmarking Report. Some of the insights we cover in this conversation include: The importance of donor retention, and the key difference between overall retention and net donor retention Challenges facing the nonprofit sector, and how doubling down on relationship, personalization, and automation can help offset some of those challenges Why you have to start leveraging data and automation (including […] Chapters (00:00:00) - The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast(00:01:21) - Virtuous's 2025 Nonprofit Benchmarking Report(00:02:17) - The 7 KPIs that Matter The Most to Driving Revenue Growth(00:03:49) - Donor Experience: Days Between First and Second Gifts(00:06:46) - Donor Welcome Series(00:08:31) - The decline of the everyday donor(00:12:12) - The Future of Fundraising: Data Literacy(00:16:13) - Will AI Change the Way Nonprofits Raise Money?(00:19:23) - Mid- and Major Donors(00:25:48) - Mid-level Donors: The Middle Child(00:27:11) - Donor Outreach(00:30:23) - Nonprofit Giving: Average Gift Increases(00:33:22) - Are You More Likely to Give Online?(00:34:41) - Nonprofit Giving: New Donor Acquisition(00:37:43) - Donors' Long Term Value(00:39:30) - Ask Again: How to Ask the Donor(00:42:07) - Virtuous Nonprofit Data 2017: Most Encouraged(00:45:09) - Top Nonprofit Executives Discuss the Benchmark Report(00:45:54) - A Few More Favors For You Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

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4.8
out of 5
45 Ratings

About

The Rainmaker Fundraising podcast, hosted by Andrew Olsen, a 25+ year veteran fundraiser who has served more than 1,000 nonprofits, helping them raise over $1 Billion is your home for candid conversations about fundraising and nonprofit leadership. You'll get high-quality conversations with fundraising practitioners, industry experts, and outsiders who bring a unique perspective to the nonprofit sector. The show also includes occasional solo episodes where Andrew addresses specific topics in-depth. rainmakerfundraising.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Andrew Olsen
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    103
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Andrew Olsen
  • Show Website
    Rainmaker Fundraising

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