The Nonprofit Show

American Nonprofit Academy
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Daily

The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily broadcast for the business side of nonprofits — bringing you practical insights, expert interviews, and real-world strategies to help your organization run smarter, lead stronger, and fund better. Each weekday, our co-hosts and guests break down the most current topics in fundraising, board governance, leadership, staffing, technology, communications, and financial strategy — giving nonprofit professionals the tools they need to build sustainable, high-performing organizations. With more than 1,400 episodes and growing, our on-demand library is a trusted resource for executive directors, team members, fundraisers, board members, and sector leaders who are ready to move beyond inspiration and into implementation. 🎥 Watch the daily show on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3A0Dqlw

  1. The Newest Leadership Training Through Role Play: What Nonprofit Teams Learn

    14h ago

    The Newest Leadership Training Through Role Play: What Nonprofit Teams Learn

    Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit leadership training through role play offers teams a different way to confront difficult decisions, build trust, and retain what they learn. Tim Sarrantonio, founder and chief designer of The Generosity Spectrum, introduces a collaborative educational gaming system created specifically for nonprofit professionals, boards, and the communities they serve. Rather than asking participants to sit through another lecture, the Generosity Roundtable places people inside realistic organizational situations. Players adopt generosity archetypes, explore competing priorities, and work toward consensus through guided storytelling. Tim says the goal is simple: “If it feels like work, we’re doing it wrong.” The episode examines a persistent operational challenge across the sector: professional development is often expensive, passive, or inaccessible. Tim notes that 97% of nonprofits operate with less than $5 million in annual revenue, leaving many organizations with limited training budgets and little time for traditional programs. The Generosity Roundtable is designed to begin with as few as three people and support groups of up to ten. A session can help teams explore issues such as stalled engagement, technology decisions, board dynamics, donor conversations, and organizational trust—in roughly 20 minutes. Tim also explains why active participation may produce stronger recall than lectures, books, and webinars. By rehearsing decisions in a protected setting, nonprofit professionals can test ideas, examine assumptions, and prepare for situations ranging from boardroom conflict to foundation presentations. As Tim explains, “We win by agreeing with each other.” That consensus-based structure encourages participants to listen, negotiate, and understand why colleagues approach the same issue differently. The conversation also explores the business model behind the project, including fiscal sponsorship, corporate underwriting, accessible pricing, and community-based distribution. Key Takeaways: Role play allows nonprofit teams to rehearse difficult decisions without risking real organizational consequences. The experience can begin with three participants and expand to groups of ten. Twenty-minute sessions are designed for time-constrained nonprofit professionals and boards. Consensus-based gameplay strengthens listening, trust, negotiation, and shared decision-making. Corporate partners can underwrite access without turning participants into marketing leads. A shared library of verified game sessions could spread ideas across organizations, regions, and conferences. 00:00:00 A New Approach to Nonprofit Leadership Training 00:02:17 Tim Sarrantonio’s Journey Into Nonprofit Education 00:03:21 The Professional Development Problem 00:05:06 Why Educational Gaming Belongs in the Sector 00:07:02 Role Play Versus Traditional Board Games 00:08:48 How the Generosity Archetypes Work 00:10:14 Why Immersive Learning Improves Retention 00:11:31 Building Consensus and Psychological Safety 00:14:10 Creating Circles of Trust 00:17:15 Sharing Knowledge Through a Library of Generosity 00:20:23 Using Scenarios for Boards and Nonprofit Teams 00:23:49 Funding Innovation Without Gatekeeping Access 00:25:35 Rethinking Corporate Sponsorship 00:28:14 The Vision for Every Nonprofit Table #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitTraining #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    31 min
  2. How Many Auction Items Does Your Nonprofit Gala Really Need?

    1d ago

    How Many Auction Items Does Your Nonprofit Gala Really Need?

    Send us Fan Mail How many auction items should a nonprofit gala have? Jason A. Champion of Winspire shares a measurable nonprofit gala auction strategy for selecting stronger items, creating bidding urgency, and protecting fundraising revenue. The answer begins before guests enter the ballroom. Rather than assuming which trips, experiences, or packages donors will want, Jason recommends surveying ticket holders, sponsors, and supporters before the event. A simple five-question form can reveal interest in sporting events, beach destinations, city experiences, international travel, and dream locations. That early input gives nonprofits something invaluable: evidence that potential bidders have already raised their hands. Jason also challenges the belief that every donated item belongs in the auction. As he puts it, “Just because it was donated doesn’t mean you need to use it.” Quality, pricing range, audience fit, and presentation matter more than filling every table with merchandise. The episode provides several concrete nonprofit auction benchmarks. For a silent auction, Jason recommends approximately one item for every four to five attendees. A room of 350 to 400 guests, for example, may need roughly 40 carefully chosen items—not 150 choices that overwhelm bidders. For a live auction, he recommends one or two major tentpole experiences plus two or three supporting items, with no more than six total. He also advises offering opportunities across a wide financial range, from approximately $500 to $20,000, so the auction reflects the giving capacity represented in the room. Staffing is equally important. A trained benefit auctioneer can read the audience, communicate the mission, manage momentum, and relieve executive and development leaders who have been asking for money all year. “Hope is not a business plan,” Jason warns. Technology should simplify registration, mobile bidding, checkout, and payment processing. However, the live paddle raise should remain visible and immediate because public participation creates social proof, energy, and additional giving. Key Takeaways Survey donors before selecting auction experiences or packages.Plan roughly one silent-auction item for every four to five attendees.Limit the live auction to six focused, high-value opportunities.Build an auction portfolio spanning approximately $500 to $20,000.Use a professional benefit auctioneer to protect momentum and revenue.Modernize bidding and checkout while keeping the paddle raise visible.#NonprofitFundraising #NonprofitGala #TheNonprofitShow 00:00:00 How Many Auction Items Does a Gala Need? 00:02:34 How Winspire Supports Nonprofit Auctions 00:05:07 Finding the Perfect Auction Item 00:05:44 Survey Donors Before Selecting Packages 00:08:23 Why Quality Beats Auction Quantity 00:10:14 Designing Events for Different Donor Types 00:12:53 Edit the Speeches and Protect the Program 00:13:47 Why a Benefit Auctioneer Raises More 00:18:57 The One-Item-for-Five-Guests Formula 00:19:57 Why Live Auctions Should Stop at Six Items 00:23:37 Modern Bidding Technology and Faster Checkout 00:24:33 Why the Paddle Raise Should Stay Live 00:26:31 Structuring the Auction Without Exhausting Guests 00:28:26 Final Advice for Nonprofit Leaders Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    31 min
  3. Do Less to Achieve More? The Hidden Costs Draining Your Nonprofit’s Revenue

    2d ago

    Do Less to Achieve More? The Hidden Costs Draining Your Nonprofit’s Revenue

    Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit revenue growth requires more than another campaign, gala, or grant application. John Abrahamson, CFO and COO of Action Council, shares how nonprofits can connect earned revenue, contributed revenue, program priorities, financial literacy, and organizational culture within one stronger business strategy. Action Council provides infrastructure and fiscal sponsorship for approximately 30 smaller organizations delivering healthcare, education, and other community services in Monterey County. Drawing from this work—and his leadership experience with organizations including the National Geographic Society and Monterey Bay Aquarium—John challenges the siloed approach that often separates finance, fundraising, programming, and earned revenue. His recommendation is direct: examine every activity according to its required resources and measurable contribution to the mission. “You can actually have higher impact by doing fewer programs that have the most impact toward your stated mission,” John tells us. The conversation explores how mission creep develops, why finance leaders must understand what happens beyond the spreadsheet, and how financial literacy can reduce fear across departments.  The discussion also introduces the “Bubba Gump Effect”—the idea that organizations may face greater danger by tying themselves to the shore and waiting for conditions to improve than by moving directly into change. Using Blue Ocean Strategy principles, John encourages nonprofit leaders to question inherited business models and explore revenue opportunities outside crowded, familiar territory. Another major lesson is the difference between plate cost and true cost. A fundraising gala may appear profitable until staff time, insurance, technology, facilities, operational disruption, and missed opportunities are included. As John asks, was the squeeze worth the juice? Ultimately, disciplined financial decisions depend on trust, communication, and consistent leadership. “It’s sometimes more compassionate to say no than it is to say yes and not be able to fully fulfill.”   Key Takeaways: * Integrate earned and contributed revenue into one organizational strategy. * Compare each program’s resource requirements with its contribution to mission. * Include labor, overhead, disruption, and opportunity cost when evaluating events. * Build financial literacy before asking employees to accept difficult decisions. * Use periods of change to reconsider legacy processes and revenue models. * Earn organizational trust through consistent, visible leadership behavior. 00:00:00 Creative Approaches to Nonprofit Revenue Growth 00:01:31 How Fiscal Sponsorship Provides Business Infrastructure 00:04:23 Why Earned and Contributed Revenue Belong Together 00:05:26 Breaking Down Organizational Silos 00:07:49 Doing Less to Produce Greater Mission Impact 00:10:12 Mission Creep and the Changing Funding Landscape 00:12:07 Moving Finance Beyond Rows and Columns 00:14:01 Building Financial Literacy Across the Organization 00:15:27 The Bubba Gump Effect: Facing the Storm 00:18:54 Plate Cost Versus the True Cost of Programs 00:20:15 Do Nonprofit Galas Really Produce a Return? 00:22:33 Measuring Opportunity Cost and Mission Impact 00:24:17 Why Strong Leaders Give Teams Permission to Say No 00:25:41 Consistency, Culture, and Organizational Trust Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    31 min
  4. Your Major Donor Chose Another Nonprofit—What Did You Miss?

    5d ago

    Your Major Donor Chose Another Nonprofit—What Did You Miss?

    Send us Fan Mail What happens when one of your best donors gives far more to another nonprofit? These major donor stewardship strategies can help your organization move beyond frustration, learn what influenced the gift, and build stronger opportunities for future investment. On this Fundraisers Friday conversation, Julia C. Patrick and Tony Beall confront a painful fundraising reality: a donor may care about your mission, possess considerable giving capacity, and still make their transformational or legacy gift somewhere else! The wrong response is indignation. The stronger business response is curiosity, gratitude, and an honest review of the donor relationship. Tony advises nonprofit leaders to look beyond their internal database and understand a donor’s broader philanthropic activity. “Invest some time in really understanding the full profile of your donor, not just the profile that exists within your organization.” That knowledge can reveal why another organization received the larger commitment. Perhaps there was a matching opportunity, a clearly defined project, a compelling future vision, or simply a direct invitation your nonprofit never extended. The conversation also addresses a common fundraising weakness: under-asking. Rather than surprising a donor with an oversized request, Tony recommends testing the opportunity through language such as, “How would you feel if I asked you to double your investment?” This creates room for an honest response while connecting the proposed gift to measurable community impact. Julia reinforces the importance of giving donors something meaningful to fund: “If we can get your investment, we can do this.” The discussion moves fundraising away from building organizational coffers and toward financing visible results. The co-hosts also examine legacy gifts, balancing immediate fundraising needs with long-term sustainability, and handling donors who expect board influence in exchange for financial support.  Key Takeaways: Study donors’ broader philanthropic activity, not only their history with your organization. Celebrate gifts to peer nonprofits before asking what motivated the decision. Connect larger requests to specific programs, outcomes, and people served. Test donor readiness before presenting a formal major-gift request. Discuss legacy giving with donors across a wider range of ages. Use a written gift policy to prevent donations from becoming board-level pay-to-play arrangements. 00:00:00 When Your Best Donor Gives Somewhere Else 00:02:59 Looking Beyond Your Internal Donor Data 00:04:05 Celebrate the Other Gift—and Learn From It 00:06:38 Moving a Loyal Donor Toward a Major Gift 00:08:00 Share the Strategic Plan and Future Vision 00:09:42 How to Test a Larger Ask Without Making It 00:12:27 When Another Nonprofit Receives the Legacy Gift 00:15:05 Under-Asking and Missed Planned-Giving Opportunities 00:17:20 Funding Today’s Crisis While Building Tomorrow 00:18:50 The Five-Minute Call That Changed a Donor 00:20:10 When a Donor Wants Influence Over the Board 00:22:17 Why Every Nonprofit Needs a Gift Policy #NonprofitFundraising #MajorGifts #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    28 min
  5. Where AI Actually Saves Nonprofits Time

    6d ago

    Where AI Actually Saves Nonprofits Time

    Send us Fan Mail How AI saves time for nonprofits depends far less on the excitement surrounding the technology and far more on the quality of the organization’s data, workflows, and financial controls. Buu-Linh Tran, Senior Vice President of Financial Solutions at JMT Consulting, and Torbjorn Nilsen, Director of Business Solutions at DATABASICS, explain where AI can deliver measurable value—and where nonprofit leaders should proceed carefully. The conversation moves beyond broad promises about efficiency and into the daily work of nonprofit finance operations. Data entry, receipt review, expense coding, compliance checks, anomaly detection, and financial reporting are all areas where technology can reduce repetitive work and help employees focus on higher-value decisions. One example shows how AI can examine an itemized receipt, recognize an alcohol brand, and flag a potentially unallowable expense. It can also identify spending drift, unusual fund-code activity, or patterns that may be missed when transactions are reviewed individually. But automation is not the same as control. As Torbjorn cautions, “We can’t let the machine control. The control still has to be there.” AI should help nonprofit teams surface concerns and direct attention—not make unchecked financial decisions. Buu-Linh offers another important reality check: “Look at the basics first—look at tools that help you streamline your operations.” Poor data, inconsistent coding, and inefficient processes do not become reliable simply because AI has been added. The guests also discuss natural-language reporting, which could allow managers to ask direct questions such as, “How much have we spent on this conference?” or “Are supply costs higher than last year?” Instead of learning a complicated reporting system, users may receive the information they need in plain language. JMT Consulting has served nonprofit organizations since 1991 and currently supports more than 2,300 nonprofits. DATABASICS has worked with nonprofit organizations since the mid-1990s, helping manage time, expenses, grants, and workforce processes. Key Takeaways: Begin with the operational problem—not the desire to adopt AI. Clean, consistent data is essential for reliable AI-generated analysis. Data entry and high-volume receipt processing are strong automation opportunities. AI can flag anomalies, unallowable costs, spending drift, and questionable fund coding. Natural-language reporting can make financial information more accessible to non-finance managers. Human oversight, privacy controls, and cross-department collaboration remain essential. 00:00:00 Where Does AI Genuinely Save Time? 00:01:50 JMT Consulting and the Nonprofit Finance Landscape 00:03:51 How DATABASICS Supports Time and Expense Management 00:05:05 Using AI Without Losing Financial Control 00:06:31 Data Privacy, Compliance, and Security Risks 00:08:37 Fix the Basic Workflow Before Adding AI 00:11:18 How AI Detects Expense Report Problems 00:14:05 Why Poor Data Produces Poor AI Results 00:16:15 Data Entry and Reporting Tasks AI Can Reduce 00:20:03 Creating More Time for Strategy and Mission 00:23:38 Turning Financial Reports Into Useful Insights 00:27:40 Finding Spending Drift and Fund-Code Anomalies #NonprofitAI #NonprofitFinance Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    31 min
  6. Beyond Wealth Screening: Who Will Really Fund Your Nonprofit?

    Jun 24

    Beyond Wealth Screening: Who Will Really Fund Your Nonprofit?

    Send us Fan Mail Nonprofit prospect research beyond wealth screening requires more than locating wealthy people. It means finding funders with the capacity, mission alignment, and relationship connections that can lead to a credible fundraising conversation. Shahar Brukner, Co-Founder, President, and CRO of Impala Digital, explains why traditional nonprofit wealth screening often leaves development teams with plenty of data—but no clear path to a donor. Shahar organizes effective prospect research around three business priorities: capacity, alignment, and relationships. A prospective donor may possess enormous wealth, but that does not mean the person supports your cause, makes gifts at the level you need, or can be reached through someone they trust. As Shahar explains, “If someone has a relationship to my organization through the board or through a donor…they automatically become a prospect.” Impala has assembled public nonprofit and philanthropic data reaching back to 2014. Shahar says its platform includes information on approximately 16 million people and more than 213 million connections, serving over 10,000 nonprofits and nearly 2,000 foundations, grantmakers, and advisors. The conversation also examines how AI may make genuine relationships even more important.  Shahar offers: “If it gets very easy to communicate with someone…then the level of connection needs to go up.” This episode offers a sharper way to evaluate prospects, activate board networks, approach funders respectfully, and turn data into a disciplined relationship-building strategy. Key Takeaways: Evaluate prospects through capacity, mission alignment, and relationships—not estimated wealth alone. Replace “Who do you know?” with specific, researched introduction requests for board members. Prioritize connected prospects before chasing the largest foundations or wealthiest individuals. Treat an initial gift as the beginning of a longer cultivation and stewardship process. Record donor intelligence and relationship history accurately in the organization’s CRM. Expect AI-generated application volume to push some funders toward invitation-based or relationship-led grantmaking. 00:00:00 Who Can Really Fund Your Nonprofit? 00:01:43 Building a Data Platform for Philanthropy 00:03:02 When a Three-Month Fundraising Plan Takes 18 Months 00:05:14 Where Traditional Wealth Screening Falls Short 00:06:43 Capacity, Alignment, and Relationships 00:10:34 Why Board Connections Remain Underused 00:11:17 Stop Asking Board Members “Who Do You Know?” 00:12:40 Mapping the Nonprofit Sector’s Relationship Network 00:16:10 Start With Connected Prospects, Not the Biggest Funders 00:19:59 Donor Research, Privacy, and Transparency 00:24:01 How AI Is Changing Grant Applications 00:26:49 Turning Fundraising Data Into Smarter Decisions #NonprofitFundraising #ProspectResearch #DonorResearch Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    31 min
  7. The State of the Nonprofit Sector 2026: America’s Safety Net

    Jun 23

    The State of the Nonprofit Sector 2026: America’s Safety Net

    Send us Fan Mail What is the state of the nonprofit sector in 2026—and can organizations sustain rising demand while protecting their workforce, leadership pipeline, and financial strength? Dr. Akilah Watkins, President and CEO of Independent Sector, joins us for a far-reaching conversation about the business conditions shaping America’s 1.9 million charitable nonprofits. Nonprofits continue to hold one of the strongest positions of public trust among American institutions. Dr. Watkins reports that 57% of Americans express very high or favorable trust toward nonprofits. Yet that confidence exists alongside increasing pressure: weakened public safety nets, a more difficult government relationship, rising service demand, workforce exhaustion, and a major leadership transition. The workforce numbers require serious attention. Nearly 13.9 million Americans work for charitable nonprofits, and approximately two-thirds are women. Nationally, about 22% of full-time nonprofit employees do not earn enough to cover their bills.  As Dr. Watkins explains, nonprofit organizations compete for human capital just like every other sector. Compensation, retirement security, leadership development, and workplace culture are not side issues. They determine whether organizations can retain institutional knowledge, attract future executives, and continue meeting community needs. “If we want leaders for the future, we have to invest in leadership today,” she says. The conversation also examines the nonprofit sector’s role in nonpartisan voter engagement. Research cited during the episode indicates that voter participation increases by approximately 10% when nonprofits are involved. With fewer than 40% of Americans actively volunteering, civic engagement is becoming an operational concern as well as a community concern. “The work that we do has been deeply invisible, but extremely felt personally by Americans,” Dr. Watkins explains. This is a sector-level business conversation for nonprofit executives, board members, fundraisers, advocates, and managers responsible for building organizations that can endure. Key Takeaways: Public trust is a major nonprofit asset, but organizations must connect that trust to stronger advocacy and clearer public storytelling. Workforce sustainability requires competitive compensation, retirement access, professional development, and realistic workload expectations. Approximately 22% of full-time nonprofit employees nationally cannot earn enough to cover their basic bills. Leadership succession must begin before senior executives retire and institutional knowledge leaves the organization. Managing as many as five workplace generations requires updated leadership and communication practices. Nonpartisan voter engagement can increase community participation while strengthening nonprofits’ civic role. 00:00:00 Meet Dr. Akilah Watkins of Independent Sector 00:02:09 Representing America’s 1.9 Million Charitable Nonprofits 00:06:04 The State of the Nonprofit Sector in 2026 00:06:29 Why 57% of Americans Still Trust Nonprofits 00:07:37 A Changing Relationship Between Nonprofits and Government 00:09:24 The Exhausted 13.9 Million-Person Nonprofit Workforce 00:11:49 Does the Sector Have Its Next Generation of Leaders? 00:12:30 The Nonprofit Compensation Numbers Leaders Cannot Ignore 00:14:02 Retirement Security and Six Workforce Policy Priorities 00:15:01 Leadership Succession and the Five-Generation Workplace 00:20:23 Voting, Volunteering and the Nonprofit Civic Role 00:25:13 Independent Sector’s 2026 National Summit in Phoenix #TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #NonprofitSector Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    30 min
  8. Can AI Find Your Nonprofit—or Are Donors Missing You?

    Jun 22

    Can AI Find Your Nonprofit—or Are Donors Missing You?

    Send us Fan Mail How nonprofits can improve AI visibility is quickly becoming a fundraising and revenue question—not merely a marketing concern. As donors increasingly use AI search tools and workplace-giving platforms to decide which organizations to support, nonprofits must ensure their mission, impact, financial credibility, and organizational information can be found and understood. Catherine LaCour, CEO and Executive Director of the Blackbaud Giving Fund, joins The Nonprofit Show to explain how donor discovery is changing and what nonprofit leaders should do now. The Blackbaud Giving Fund has distributed nearly $3 billion since 2020 to approximately 300,000 nonprofit organizations worldwide. That experience gives Catherine a broad view of how donors, companies, technology platforms, and nonprofits are connecting. “If AI cannot find clear and accurate information about the nonprofit organization, then the donor’s not going to find it either,” Catherine explains. Nonprofit AI search optimization begins with the fundamentals: clear language, current organizational information, credible impact reporting, and consistency across websites, social channels, workplace-giving profiles, and other digital platforms. Catherine recommends writing so that a middle-school student can quickly understand who the organization serves, what it does, and what results it produces. The conversation also explores AI strategies for nonprofit fundraising. AI can analyze donor behavior, assist with segmentation, strengthen personalization, draft stewardship communications, and reduce administrative work. But Catherine cautions organizations to treat AI like an intern: it can produce a useful first draft, but human review remains essential. Workplace giving represents another major opportunity. Approximately 27 million donors participate in workplace programs, contributing about $5 billion in 2023. Nonprofits that fail to claim, complete, and update their profiles may be missing donors who are already motivated to give. Catherine’s advice is direct: start simple, but start now. Test what AI says about your organization, correct information gaps, clean your donor data, and choose one internal task where AI can create immediate capacity. Key Takeaways: AI visibility should become an ongoing organizational process, similar to donor stewardship. Mission, impact, leadership, and program information must remain consistent across every digital channel. Success stories and impact reports help AI systems understand and prioritize an organization. Clean donor data is essential for accurate segmentation, personalization, and fundraising analysis. Completed workplace-giving profiles can unlock employee donations, matching gifts, and recurring payroll contributions. Use AI to reduce administrative work while preserving human oversight and donor relationships. 00:00:00 Why AI Visibility Matters to Nonprofits 00:02:08 Nearly $3 Billion Distributed Through the Blackbaud Giving Fund 00:04:39 How AI Is Changing Donor Discovery 00:07:23 The First Steps to Better AI Search Visibility 00:10:12 Making AI Visibility an Ongoing Business Process 00:11:26 Using AI to Strengthen Fundraising Relationships 00:12:45 Why Clean Data Must Come First 00:13:39 AI as a Force Multiplier for Smaller Nonprofits 00:15:05 Treat AI Like an Intern 00:16:13 Unlocking Workplace and Corporate Giving 00:17:49 27 Million Workplace Donors and a $5 Billion Opportunity 00:18:37 Finding Better-Aligned Corporate Partners 00:19:16 Claiming and Strengthening Workplace-Giving Profiles 00:22:15 Where Nonprofits Should Begin 00:25:01 Ask AI the Hard Questions About Your Organization 00:26:30 The Content That Helps AI Prioritize Your Nonprofit 00:28:52 A Six-Step AI Guide for Reaching More Donors  #NonprofitAI #NonprofitFundraising #TheNonprofitShow Find us Live daily on YouTube! Find us  Live daily on LinkedIn! Find us Live daily on X: @Nonprofit_Show Our national co-hosts and amazing guests discuss management, money and missions of nonprofits!  12:30pm ET   11:30am CT  10:30am MT  9:30am PT Send us your ideas for Show Guests or Topics: HelpDesk@AmericanNonprofitAcademy.com Visit us on the web:The Nonprofit Show

    30 min
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About

The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily broadcast for the business side of nonprofits — bringing you practical insights, expert interviews, and real-world strategies to help your organization run smarter, lead stronger, and fund better. Each weekday, our co-hosts and guests break down the most current topics in fundraising, board governance, leadership, staffing, technology, communications, and financial strategy — giving nonprofit professionals the tools they need to build sustainable, high-performing organizations. With more than 1,400 episodes and growing, our on-demand library is a trusted resource for executive directors, team members, fundraisers, board members, and sector leaders who are ready to move beyond inspiration and into implementation. 🎥 Watch the daily show on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3A0Dqlw

Information

  • Creator
    American Nonprofit Academy
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 American Nonprofit Academy
  • Show Website
    The Nonprofit Show

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