The Focused Fundraiser

Donor Dock
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What if doing less made you a better fundraiser? Welcome to The Focused Fundraiser — the podcast for nonprofit leaders who are tired of the chaos and ready to prioritize what actually drives impact. Hosted by Rob Burke, each episode features honest conversations with fundraisers in the trenches who are cutting through the noise, saying no to the never-ending to-do list, and focusing on what matters most. We cover: ✔️ Fundraising strategy that doesn’t burn you out ✔️ High-touch stewardship that builds real relationships ✔️ Personal productivity and leadership in nonprofit life ✔️ Systems that help you work smarter, not harder If you’re ready to drop the “do more” mindset and lead with clarity, focus, and purpose — you’re in the right place. Live every Tuesday at 11am CT.

  1. 2d ago

    72 Teens Paid to Paint, Zero Tuition: Fundraising Alongside Earned Revenue | Laura Wetter

    When your nonprofit earns revenue, some donors assume the sales cover everything. Laura Wetter, Development Director at Urban ArtWorks in Seattle, answers that by being specific about who pays for what. Urban ArtWorks gets paid to paint commissioned murals, and that money supports the artists and staff. Foundations and individual donors fund the youth programs, which are free and pay teens a stipend to take part. Last year, 172 teens completed the mural apprentice programs, and every one of them earned $500. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke talks with Laura about fundraising alongside earned revenue. She shares how Urban ArtWorks tells the story of outcomes donors can't see on a finished wall, like confidence, leadership, and job readiness. She also walks through the four storytelling threads she leans on when arts funding is scarce, how her team treats corporate team-building days and mural commissions as the start of longer partnerships, and the biggest shift she made moving from grant writing to individual giving. If your nonprofit earns revenue and raises gifts, or you're thinking about adding an earned revenue stream, this one's for you. Laura joined the nonprofit sector in 2007 as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Chicago. Before Urban ArtWorks, she raised money for economic development work ranging from business lending and local food and farming to neighborhood development on Chicago's West Side. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Cold open: who actually funds the youth programs 00:45 - Welcome: fundraising when your nonprofit also sells its work 01:38 - From AmeriCorps VISTA in Chicago to Urban ArtWorks in Seattle 02:43 - Writing: the skill that carried across every mission 03:54 - Growing individual giving, and pausing the event to rethink it 05:04 - Earned revenue vs. donations: what commissions pay for and what gifts fund 07:10 - Raising money for outcomes donors can't see 09:20 - Four storytelling threads for when arts funding is scarce 12:09 - Turning team-building days and mural clients into recurring partners 13:54 - From grant writer to individual giving: the biggest mindset shift 15:30 - Keeping relationships at the top of a crowded to-do list 16:59 - Tactical takeaway: be grateful for your team 17:37 - How to connect with Laura CONNECT WITH LAURA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-wetter-0691284/ Urban ArtWorks: https://urbanartworks.org ABOUT THE FOCUSED FUNDRAISER Hosted by Rob Burke, CMO at DonorDock. Seasoned fundraisers share hard-earned wisdom on what moves the mission forward, because doing more doesn't lead to success. Focusing on what matters most does. Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build strong donor relationships through Smart Stewardship: https://www.donordock.com

    72 Teens Paid to Paint, Zero Tuition: Fundraising Alongside Earned Revenue | Laura Wetter

  2. Sep 22

    Mission Drift vs. Mission Evolution: How Nonprofits Lose Their Way | Sharmon Lebby

    Most nonprofits chase funding before they've built anything strong enough to hold it. Sharmon Lebby has spent two decades watching mission-driven organizations either build infrastructure or run on passion until it breaks down, and she's done both herself. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Sharmon shares the story of applying for a multimillion-dollar federal grant when her organization's budget was about $5,000, and why her board saying no was the best thing that happened to her. She explains why strategy, systems, and storytelling have to come before fundraising, how a Grand Forks nonprofit thrives on less than $100K a year because of the community it built, and what real collaboration looks like when two organizations want the same money. We close on mission drift: where it starts, how to tell it apart from healthy mission evolution, and the one diagnostic question every fundraiser should ask. Sharmon Lebby is the founder of Blessed Designs Consulting and Board President of Intersectional Environmentalist. Her book, Rippled Impact, is on its way to the editor. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introducing Sharmon Lebby 00:48 - Growing up in service and founding a nonprofit from scratch 02:07 - The multimillion-dollar grant mistake on a $5,000 budget 03:51 - Focus: build slow, build solid 04:50 - Strategy, systems, and storytelling before funding 06:00 - The Grand Forks nonprofit thriving on under $100K 08:17 - What an ethical clothing brand taught her about donors 10:59 - Collaboration over competition when money is on the table 13:30 - A partnership that worked: five founders, one community 15:33 - Where mission drift starts 17:38 - Mission drift vs. mission evolution 19:19 - Tactical takeaway: sit down with 3 to 5 community members 20:27 - Connect with Sharmon and her upcoming book, Rippled Impact CONNECT WITH SHARMON Website and free resources (including the Purpose Drift Diagnostic): https://www.blesseddesignsco.com/friends LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharmon-lebby/ Intersectional Environmentalist: https://intersectionalenvironmentalist.com ABOUT THE FOCUSED FUNDRAISER Hosted by Rob Burke, CMO at DonorDock. Seasoned fundraisers share hard-earned wisdom on what moves the mission forward, because doing more doesn't lead to success. Focusing on what matters most does. DonorDock helps small nonprofits find clarity and build strong donor relationships through smart stewardship. Learn more at https://www.donordock.com

    Mission Drift vs. Mission Evolution: How Nonprofits Lose Their Way | Sharmon Lebby

  3. Sep 15

    The $50K Gift Hiding in Your Donor Database: Legacy Giving Done Right | Tess Conrad

    Your most loyal $100-a-year donor might be sitting on a $3 million house and a $50,000 legacy gift your nonprofit will never see if you keep saying "planned giving." In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, Rob Burke sits down with Tess Conrad, who builds planned giving programs for charities across the US and Canada. Tess explains why the term "planned giving" confuses donors (and fundraisers), how to open a legacy conversation without making it transactional, and why financial advisors are quietly out-fundraising the nonprofit sector by steering charitable dollars into donor-advised funds. You'll learn the "brochure pass" technique for gauging donor interest, how to run a legacy giving survey that gets donors to raise their hands, and the research-backed stat every skeptical board needs to hear: donors who add a charity to their will increase their annual giving by 77% on average (Dr. Russell James). What you'll learn: Why "planned giving" is jargon and the plain language that works instead (gift in your will, gift from an IRA, gifts of stock, DAFs)The brochure pass: a low-pressure way to open legacy conversationsHow to find legacy "hand raisers" with checkboxes and a donor surveyMaking the case for legacy giving to a skeptical ED or board (average estate gift: $50,000)Why loyalty — not gift size — is the #1 predictor of a gift in a willThe DAF debate: how financial advisors see the whole financial picture while fundraisers see one giftTactical takeaway: write a clear "why" message (case for support) for legacy giftsChapters: 00:00 - Cold open: "Planned giving" is jargon 00:40 - Welcome and meet Tess Conrad, CFRE 01:25 - From theater degree to face-to-face canvassing to planned giving 02:16 - The language swap: what to say instead of "planned giving" 04:05 - Opening the legacy conversation without being transactional 04:31 - The brochure pass technique 06:16 - Finding hand raisers: checkboxes and legacy giving surveys 07:35 - Making the case to a skeptical board or Executive Director 09:39 - The 77% stat: legacy donors give MORE annually (Dr. Russell James) 10:54 - Why financial advisors are out-fundraising the nonprofit sector 13:05 - The DAF debate: deferred dollars vs. today's needs 15:37 - Loyal small donors: your best legacy prospects 17:17 - Tactical takeaway: write your legacy giving "why" message 18:33 - How to connect with Tess Connect with Tess Conrad: LinkedInBlog post: How to write a legacy giving case for supportAbout The Focused Fundraiser: Rob Burke sits down with seasoned fundraisers to unpack their hard-earned wisdom on what moves a mission forward. Because doing more doesn't lead to success — focusing on what matters most does. Curious how DonorDock can help you build donor retention through smart stewardship? Visit https://www.donordock.com

    The $50K Gift Hiding in Your Donor Database: Legacy Giving Done Right | Tess Conrad

  4. Sep 8

    Board Report Cards: How JA Activates 68 Board Members | Laurie Sallarulo

    A board of 68. A staff of 50. 70,000 students a year. Most organizations would call that unmanageable — Laurie Sallarulo turned it into a fundraising engine. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Laurie, President & CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida, about how she runs something big without letting it get slow. When she arrived almost twelve years ago, her first instinct was to cut the board in half. Instead she assigned every board member a relationship manager, wrote down exactly what "board member" means, and started sending quarterly report cards. Board members now notice when something's missing from theirs. Laurie also gets into the four criteria she screens every board prospect against (including the one she calls "no jerks"), why she stopped tracking dollars in her weekly development meetings and started tracking meetings and asks instead, and how JA converts 5,000 annual volunteers into donors with a $10-a-month campaign and a QR code on every wall. Plus: what to put in front of a donor when your program's real outcome is ten years out. If your board is polite but passive, or your volunteer program has never produced a gift, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 01:21 - From Brooklyn to banking to advertising to the nonprofit sector 02:36 - Which corporate habits transferred, and which didn't 02:52 - Running a nonprofit is running a business 04:27 - Why she didn't cut a 50-person board in half 05:03 - Giving every board member a relationship manager 06:00 - Getting clear on the give/get, the personal gift, and introductions 06:30 - Quarterly report cards — and why board members read them 07:00 - The overnight retreat that changed board relationships 07:20 - Four criteria for every board seat (including "no jerks") 08:05 - Welcomed vs. belonging: stewarding board members like donors 08:35 - Unreasonable Hospitality, The Power of Moments, and stewardship plans for everyone 10:25 - Mobilizing 5,000 volunteers a year through the school district 10:51 - Where volunteer-to-donor conversion stalls out 11:22 - It works both ways: 89% donor retention starts with engagement 12:15 - One Future: $10 a month, QR codes, and the end-of-day ask 12:50 - Turning employer partners and paid internships into gifts 13:46 - What development directors should expect from their chief executive 14:16 - Alignment: CEO, COO, and CFO leading development together 15:20 - Clarity on goals — and on the behaviors that get you there 15:45 - Tracking meetings, proposals, and asks instead of dollars 17:04 - Proving impact when the outcome is ten years away 17:30 - Fifth grade, eighth grade, high school: telling the full-spectrum story 18:10 - College grads who can tell their JA BizTown story 18:40 - Pre-apprenticeship: 100 students, $4 million in economic impact 19:16 - Tactical takeaway: ask everyone you know who else you should meet 20:13 - How to connect with Laurie and JA South Florida RESOURCES MENTIONED Unreasonable Hospitality by Will GuidaraThe Power of Moments by Chip Heath & Dan HeathLINKS Junior Achievement of South Florida: https://jasouthflorida.orgConnect with Laurie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljsallarulo/Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention: https://donordock.com

    Board Report Cards: How JA Activates 68 Board Members | Laurie Sallarulo

  5. Sep 1

    Your Strategy Problem Is Probably a Trust Problem | Austin Satrom

    Best systems, wrong person? You fail. Best person, terrible systems? You still fail. Austin Satrom has spent his career sitting with leadership teams and boards that have hit a ceiling, and he's found the distinction between the two is where most nonprofits get stuck. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Austin — founder of Breakthrough Advising and a certified System & Soul coach — about what it actually takes to stop running your organization on heroics. They get into carving out time to work on the organization instead of in it, building an org chart that starts with the what instead of the who, the CEO/board chair covenant Austin puts on paper, and how to run a weekly meeting that produces decisions instead of another meeting. Then Austin makes the case that the strategic plan collecting dust on your shelf is one of the most underused fundraising tools you own. If your board meetings feel busy but never decide anything, or your growth has outrun the systems meant to support it, this one's for you. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Best systems, wrong person: why both have to be right 00:11 - Welcome: why good people in good orgs still spin their wheels 01:02 - Falling into the nonprofit world from ministry and corporate 02:24 - Running on heroics: what to install and what to cancel 02:57 - Working ON the organization instead of in it 05:11 - When revenue and impact outgrow your systems 05:48 - The org chart that starts with the what, not the who 09:16 - The CEO and board chair covenant 09:45 - What goes in it, and why both parties sign 12:12 - What separates a meeting that decides from one that doesn't 12:35 - The weekly sync: start on time, end on time 13:30 - The scoreboard: five metrics, no rabbit trails 15:00 - Prioritize the issues list instead of ticking down it 17:20 - EOS, Traction, and structure for the nonprofit sector 17:38 - Strategy problem or trust problem? 18:10 - Micromanaging, delegation, and the leader's honest question 21:04 - Tactical takeaway: pull your strategic plan off the shelf 21:30 - Using the plan to shape donor stories and show stewardship 23:29 - How to connect with Austin + wrap up LINKS Breakthrough Advising: https://www.breakthroughadvising.comConnect with Austin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austin-satrom-5ba02377Email Austin: austin@breakthroughadvising.comLearn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

    Your Strategy Problem Is Probably a Trust Problem | Austin Satrom

  6. Aug 25

    The Donor Data Hiding in Your Database (And How to Use It) | Colleen Mitchell

    Colleen Mitchell talks about generosity in three different rooms. She runs annual giving at MidAmerica Nazarene University, pastors youth and families at her church, and teaches freshmen the rest of the week. Her takeaway from all three: relationship doesn't change just because the room does. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Colleen about what she learned from the admin seat in an advancement office, the historical donor data sitting unused in most databases, and why the $5-a-month recurring donor is her favorite person to work with. She also breaks down Champions Challenge, MNU's athletics crowdfunding campaign that invites people to invest in what's already working instead of leading with scarcity and urgency. If you run the annual fund, wear more than one hat, or feel like the need never ends, Colleen's answer to burnout is simpler than you'd expect: go say thank you. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Relationship doesn't change when the room changes 00:24 - Welcome: one fundraiser, three different rooms 01:07 - The accidental path into fundraising 02:47 - What the admin seat taught her about the whole shop 03:54 - Becoming the bridge: asking "why do we do it this way?" 05:10 - The donor data you already have and aren't looking at 05:53 - Quick wins, and the limits of constituency codes 07:00 - What actually changed about how they use their data 07:38 - The database admin who typed in 35 years of yearbooks 08:53 - Where they still struggle: donor contact info 09:31 - Stewardship packets and matching student stories to donors 10:51 - What preaching and teaching taught her about donors 11:54 - Making the case for annual giving 12:56 - The quiet cohort: $5 to $25 every paycheck 13:47 - "I get the rest": the overwhelm and the upside 15:56 - How to spot a donor who's ready for the next step 17:08 - Champions Challenge: leading with gain instead of gap 18:47 - The women's soccer team that caught the vision 20:04 - One thing every fundraiser should do today: say thank you 20:34 - How saying thank you protects you from burnout 21:43 - Connect with Colleen + wrap up KEY TAKEAWAYS Relationship skills transfer across every room.The admin seat is the best training in fundraising.Most organizations are sitting on donor data they've never touched. Constituency codes are a starting point, not an answer.Recurring donors giving $5 to $25 a paycheck are the backbone. They show up quietly and consistently, and you never have to ask them again — you get to thank them.Consistency is the signal for readiness.You don't always need a defined gap to raise money.Saying thank you is the highest-leverage thing on your list.LINKS Connect with Colleen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcintosc/Learn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

    The Donor Data Hiding in Your Database (And How to Use It) | Colleen Mitchell

  7. Aug 18

    You Don't Have a Tech Problem, You Have a People Problem | Tim Lockie, The Human Stack

    Fundraisers are at the mercy of their systems. And when the technology doesn't work, most nonprofit teams do the same thing: they buy more of it. Tim Lockie, founder of The Human Stack, says that almost never works, because the real problem lives in the human stack, not the tech stack. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke sits down with Tim Lockie, who built a seven-figure Salesforce consulting firm before turning his focus to the part of technology everyone overlooks: the people. Tim explains why your CRM struggles are usually culture problems in disguise, walks through his orchestra analogy for understanding tech adoption, and shares a simple framework for figuring out whether your tech is ahead of your culture or your culture is ahead of your tech. You'll learn why "digital voluntolds" are quietly holding your fundraising team together, why new software keeps becoming expensive shelfware, and how to think about letting AI into your work without amplifying the problems you already have. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro: doing more vs. focusing on what matters 01:01 - Tim's path: 20 years in nonprofits and a seven-figure Salesforce firm 03:01 - Why no software solves the people problem 05:47 - Signs your team has thrown in the towel on its database 05:59 - The orchestra analogy: instruments, sheet music, and musicians 08:56 - Adoption vs. orchestration: playing well together 09:53 - The conductor and the "first chairs" who actually drive change 12:58 - The techie by necessity, and what they should stop doing 15:00 - The power differential and the rise of "digital voluntolds" 16:14 - Is your culture ahead of your tech, or your tech ahead of your culture? 17:57 - Why tech rollouts die and become expensive shelfware 20:28 - Adoption comes down to ownership 21:13 - AI, ethics, and fundraising.ai 22:00 - Three rules for letting AI into your fundraising work 24:54 - Tactical takeaway: the six-question digital health quiz 25:43 - Where to connect with Tim KEY TAKEAWAYS Tech problems almost always have human roots. You can't solve a people problem by buying more software.Your organization is an orchestra: software is the instruments, data is the sheet music, and your people are the musicians. Buying new instruments won't fix a musician problem.Real change doesn't come from the whole team at once. It comes from "first chairs," the champions on each team who others look to when something breaks.Fundraising teams are often one job description away from solving their own tech problems, if leadership carves out real, budgeted time for the person already doing the work.Tech rollouts die when engagement and accountability stop. Maintaining your systems is like reconciling your books: you never actually stop.LINKS The Human Stack: https://thehumanstack.comTake the Nonprofit Digital Health Quiz: https://thehumanstack.com/quizConnect with Tim on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tlockie/Email Tim: tim@thehumanstack.comLearn how DonorDock helps you build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

    You Don't Have a Tech Problem, You Have a People Problem | Tim Lockie, The Human Stack

  8. Aug 11

    Donor-Centric Storytelling: How to Turn Your Mission Into Gifts | Mary Rockwell Thon

    Most fundraisers who say they hate fundraising were never actually trained to do it. That was true for Mary Rockwell Thon, until she learned to talk about giving in a donor-centric way. Twenty years later, she's raised money for Girl Scouts, the Alzheimer's Association, child abuse prevention, and now MENTOR Vermont. In this episode of The Focused Fundraiser, host Rob Burke talks with Mary about the storytelling habit every fundraiser should drop, why the $10-a-month donor can be worth more than a one-time big gift, and how to make donors feel the impact of slow, relationship-based work. Mary also shares a grounded, honest take on ethical fundraising and where AI does and doesn't belong in nonprofit communications. If you're on a lean team, or you're the whole team, this conversation is full of practical ways to spend your limited hours where they actually pay off. CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro: focusing on what moves a mission forward 00:51 - Mary's accidental path into fundraising 02:46 - The training that changed everything: donor-centric fundraising 03:49 - The storytelling habit to drop and the one to add 04:45 - Make your organization the guide, not the hero 05:18 - What transfers from cause to cause, and what to unlearn 06:28 - Different fundraising styles: events, major donors, corporate 07:21 - Ethical fundraising and asset-based storytelling 08:35 - Navigating AI in nonprofit communications 09:29 - Disclosure, composite stories, and honesty with donors 10:14 - Donor retention in a small market 11:56 - Making impact felt when outcomes are slow 13:35 - Where lean and solo teams should spend their time 14:40 - Find a development mentor: you don't have to do it alone 15:14 - Wrap up KEY TAKEAWAYS Fundraising is a learnable skill. The discomfort many people feel usually means they were never trained to talk about giving in a donor-centric way.Stop telling stories about your programs. Tell the story of your beneficiary and how the donor made a difference. Make the donor the hero and your organization the guide.Use asset-based framing, not "sad puppy" appeals. Talk about the strengths you're building on, not just the need.Be honest about AI and composites. If you use a composite person or an AI-assisted draft, make it clear, and don't pass off generated art as real.The $10-a-month donor often has more lifetime value than a one-time large gift. Retention beats constantly chasing new donors.Ask your board to introduce you to five new people a year, and don't rush the ask. Build the relationship first.Translate impact into donor-sized terms. "Your gift trains one mentor" lands better than abstract capacity-building language.On a lean team, build a yearly calendar (grants, appeals, communications) so you're not chasing your tail, and find a development mentor so you're not doing it alone.LINKS MENTOR Vermont: https://mentorvt.orgConnect with Mary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-thon-5317421a/Association of Fundraising Professionals (find a local chapter and mentoring): https://afpglobal.orgLearn how DonorDock helps you find clarity and build retention through Smart Stewardship: https://donordock.com

    Donor-Centric Storytelling: How to Turn Your Mission Into Gifts | Mary Rockwell Thon
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About

What if doing less made you a better fundraiser? Welcome to The Focused Fundraiser — the podcast for nonprofit leaders who are tired of the chaos and ready to prioritize what actually drives impact. Hosted by Rob Burke, each episode features honest conversations with fundraisers in the trenches who are cutting through the noise, saying no to the never-ending to-do list, and focusing on what matters most. We cover: ✔️ Fundraising strategy that doesn’t burn you out ✔️ High-touch stewardship that builds real relationships ✔️ Personal productivity and leadership in nonprofit life ✔️ Systems that help you work smarter, not harder If you’re ready to drop the “do more” mindset and lead with clarity, focus, and purpose — you’re in the right place. Live every Tuesday at 11am CT.

Information

  • Creator
    Donor Dock
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Donor Dock
  • Show Website
    The Focused Fundraiser

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