Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry

Courtney
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Nonprofits don’t need more fundraising activity. They need fundraising that actually funds the work. Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney henry is for nonprofit leaders who are responsible for raising the funding their organisation needs, without unlimited time, people or resources to do it. Hosted by Courtney Henry, fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co, the podcast takes a practical look at what actually goes into raising money for nonprofit organisations. We’ll talk fundraising strategy, philanthropy, grants, donors, boards, fundraising teams, compelling funding opportunities, donor relationships, making the ask and the internal roadblocks that can make raising money harder than it needs to be. You’ll hear practical advice, real fundraising stories and lessons from Courtney’s experience helping raise more than $80 million, from major capital campaigns to multimillion-dollar gifts. Because the goal isn’t to do more fundraising. It’s to raise the funding your organisation needs.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    Using Influencers to Boost Your Fundraising

    Struggling to get a response from major donors, trusts and foundations? The problem might not be your fundraising pitch. It might be that you're approaching the right people in the wrong way. In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising, Courtney Henry shares one of the most powerful strategies she's used to secure major gifts: finding people who can open doors to donors you wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. And we're not talking about Instagram influencers or celebrities. We're talking about people who have the relationships, connections and influence to get your organisation noticed. You'll discover how to identify the right influencers, why they don't need to be wealthy or famous, and how to engage them without asking them to become fundraisers themselves. Courtney also shares how this approach has helped her secure millions in philanthropic funding, and why having a board that doesn't know wealthy people doesn't have to hold your fundraising back. If you're tired of sending cold emails and getting nowhere, this episode will change the way you think about donor outreach.

  2. Nov 4

    Is Your Nonprofit Actually Ready to Raise Major Gifts?

    Your nonprofit needs more funding. But does that mean you're actually ready to start fundraising? Not necessarily. There's a big difference between being new to major gift fundraising and being not ready for major gift fundraising. In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry, I walk through the things I look for when assessing whether an organisation is actually ready to pursue significant philanthropic funding. We cover: whether your organisation is stable enough to start fundraisingleadership, governance and reputational issues that can become barrierswhy legal and financial readiness matterswhether you actually know what you're raising money forthe importance of a properly costed project, outcomes and impactwhy your fundraising project needs to align with organisational strategywhat involvement you need from your CEO, board and subject matter expertswhether your organisation is prepared to build donor relationshipsand one question organisations often forget to ask: what happens if the funding actually arrives?You don't need a huge fundraising team, an enormous database, wealthy board members or a perfect Case for Support before you begin. Readiness isn't the same as perfection. Sometimes the answer is: yes, start. Sometimes it's: yes, but fix a few things along the way. And sometimes the answer genuinely is: not yet. The goal is to know the difference before you start approaching donors. Hosted by Courtney Henry, founder of Henry Consulting Co and Raise Room.

  3. Oct 26

    Fundraising and your board, with special guest Dick Walker

    In today's episode I welcome Dick Walker of the R.O. Walker Company to talk about fundraising and your board.  Dick is a fundraising and nonprofit consultant with more than 35 years of experience across philanthropy, fundraising and nonprofit leadership.   Dick has led major capital campaigns, helped grow annual giving from $100,000 to almost $1 million a year, worked extensively with nonprofit boards and leaders, and advised organisations across the US on fundraising strategy, board development and major gifts. He’s also a Princeton alumnus, an experienced nonprofit board member himself, and someone who has spent decades thinking about what actually makes fundraising work.

  4. Oct 14

    6. What can a fundraising consultant actually do?

    Hiring a fundraising consultant can be a great investment for a nonprofit. But first, you need to know what you're actually hiring them to do. Fundraising consulting can mean everything from strategy, feasibility studies and campaign planning to prospect research, Cases for Support, board training, grant writing and major gifts advice. And that's where organisations can get into trouble. You can hire an excellent consultant who delivers exactly what you asked for and still finish the engagement with no more funding, or fundraising capability, than you had when you started. In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry, I unpack what a fundraising consultant can genuinely help you with, what they can't do for you, and how to work out what you should actually be buying. I cover: where external fundraising expertise can be incredibly valuablewhat consultants can and can't realistically take off your platewhy a consultant can't simply “go and get you the money”the difference between a deliverable, implementation and building internal capabilitywhy your donor relationships should ultimately belong to your organisationwhat to think about before engaging a fundraising consultantFundraising consultants can be incredibly valuable. I know, because I am one. But hiring a fundraising consultant isn't a fundraising strategy. Start with the outcome you need, understand the problem you're trying to solve, and then decide what kind of support will actually help you get there. Hosted by Courtney Henry, founder of Henry Consulting Co and Raise Room.

  5. Oct 14

    5. Why Your CEO Has to Be Involved in Fundraising

    Hiring a fundraiser doesn’t mean your CEO can step away from fundraising completely. A good fundraiser should take most of the fundraising work off the CEO’s plate. They can manage the strategy, prospects, donor pipeline, meeting preparation, proposals, follow-up and all the work happening behind the scenes. But there are parts of fundraising they can’t replace. In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry, I talk about why CEO involvement matters when you’re trying to build donor relationships and raise funding, particularly as the opportunities become larger and more relationship-led. We cover why donors may want access to organisational leadership, how CEO involvement can build trust and confidence, what can happen when the CEO is absent from fundraising, and what the CEO actually needs to do without becoming the fundraiser themselves.  The goal isn’t to turn your CEO into a full-time fundraiser. It’s to have the fundraiser own the fundraising process while the CEO contributes the leadership, relationships and credibility that only they can bring.  You can delegate fundraising. You can’t completely delegate leadership. Hosted by Courtney Henry, founder of Henry Consulting Co and Raise Room.

  6. Oct 14

    4. Applying for More Grants Might Not Solve Your Funding Problem

    Applying for more grants might not be the answer to your nonprofit's funding problem. Don't get me wrong. I love grants. My first job in fundraising was in grant writing, and philanthropic grants can be a fantastic part of a nonprofit's funding strategy. But if your organisation needs $250,000 and you're constantly applying for $10,000, $20,000 or $50,000 grants, it's worth asking a bigger question: Are the grants you're pursuing actually capable of getting you to your funding goal? In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry, I talk about why philanthropic grants and philanthropy are much more closely connected than many nonprofits realise. I cover: Why applying for more grants isn't always the answer to a bigger funding needThe difference between philanthropic and government grantsWhy some of the best grant fundraising starts before you submit an applicationWhy relationships with foundations and funders matterWhat “invitation only” can really meanHow meeting funders before applying changed the way I approached grant fundraisingWhy organisations already pursuing grants may be closer to broader philanthropic fundraising than they thinkOne of the biggest lessons I learned early in my fundraising career was that a foundation isn't just an application portal. There are people on the other side of that application making decisions about what gets funded. Building relationships with those people can completely change the way you approach grants.  So rather than only asking: “What grants can we apply for?” I'd encourage you to start asking: “Who might want to fund this?” Your grant strategy doesn't need to disappear. But it might be time to start looking beyond the application form and build a broader philanthropic funding strategy.  I'm Courtney Henry, a nonprofit fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co. I've spent more than a decade helping nonprofits build fundraising programs, pursue major philanthropic funding and raise the money they need to do their work. Subscribe to Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry for practical conversations about what it actually takes to raise the funding your organisation needs.

  7. Oct 14

    3. How I'd Raise Funds for a Small Nonprofit Without a Fundraising Team

    If you run a small nonprofit without a fundraising team, philanthropy might be one of the best fundraising options you're not considering. In this episode of Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry, I talk through exactly how I would approach raising funds if I were the CEO of a small nonprofit with a clear funding goal and no dedicated fundraising team. I love philanthropy for smaller organisations because you don't necessarily need a huge team or thousands of donors to make it work. In fact, being small can sometimes be an advantage. You're often much closer to the need, the people you serve and the impact a donor could help create. I cover: Why small nonprofits can be particularly well suited to philanthropyWhat I'd get clear on before looking for potential fundersThe people you actually need involved if you don't have a fundraising teamHow I'd identify potential funders based on alignment, capacity and connectionHow to move from identifying a potential donor to building a relationship and working towards a giftWhy you can start building fundraising capability before you're ready to hire a dedicated fundraiserPhilanthropy can look like something only large nonprofits, universities and major institutions do because they're often the organisations we see securing and talking about major gifts. But you don't need their enormous fundraising teams to get started. You need to understand the process.  If I were running a small nonprofit with a clear funding goal and no fundraising team, I'd give philanthropy a very serious look. I'm Courtney Henry, a nonprofit fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co. I've spent more than a decade helping nonprofits build fundraising programs, pursue major philanthropic funding and raise the money they need to do their work. Subscribe to Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry for practical conversations about what it actually takes to raise the funding your organisation needs.

  8. Oct 14

    2. How involved does a CEO actually need to be in fundraising?

    How involved does a CEO actually need to be in fundraising? If your organisation is pursuing significant funding, the CEO doesn’t need to become the fundraiser. But they probably can’t hand the whole thing over to the fundraising team either. In this episode of The Nonprofit Fundraising Podcast, I talk about what I actually need from a CEO when I’m working with them to raise funds, and what the fundraiser should be taking care of behind the scenes. I cover: What a CEO needs to know about the project they’re fundraising forWhy understanding and genuinely caring about the impact mattersHow to talk to donors without treating every conversation like a pitchWhat your fundraiser should be doing to prepare you for donor meetingsThe small things CEOs need to do between meetings to keep relationships movingWhat the CEO doesn’t need to manageHow fundraisers can train and support CEOs to become really good at fundraisingThe CEO doesn’t need to keep track of every donor, decide the next move or manage the fundraising process. That’s the fundraiser’s job. But when the time comes to build the relationship, talk about the impact, make the phone call, send the email or have the funding conversation, the CEO has an important role to play. The goal isn’t to turn your CEO into a fundraiser. It’s to make sure they know how to play their part in raising the funding your organisation needs. I’m Courtney Henry, a nonprofit fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co. I’ve spent more than a decade helping nonprofits build fundraising programs, pursue major philanthropic funding and raise the money they need to do their work. Subscribe for practical conversations about nonprofit fundraising, philanthropy, donors, boards, fundraising teams and what it actually takes to raise funds.

  9. Oct 14

    1. Things to know before you hire a fundraiser

    Thinking about hiring a fundraiser because your nonprofit needs more funding?  There are a few things I think you should have in place first. In this episode of The Nonprofit Fundraising Podcast, I talk about why hiring a fundraiser doesn't automatically make an organisation ready to raise funds, and what you can do to give that person the best chance of succeeding. I cover: Why you need to know what you're actually fundraising for before you hireThe difference between having a Case for Support and having a genuinely fundable projectWhy your funding priorities should come from your organisation's strategyWhat happens when you ask a fundraiser to build the fundraising function and raise the money at the same timeWhy leadership still needs to be involved in fundraisingHow to set your fundraiser, and your organisation, up for successHiring a great fundraiser can be one of the best investments a nonprofit makes. But they need something to work with. The goal isn't to do more fundraising. It's to raise the funding your organisation needs. I'm Courtney Henry, a nonprofit fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co. I've spent more than a decade helping nonprofits build fundraising programs, pursue major philanthropic funding and raise the money they need to do their work.

  • 9 Episodes

About

Nonprofits don’t need more fundraising activity. They need fundraising that actually funds the work. Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney henry is for nonprofit leaders who are responsible for raising the funding their organisation needs, without unlimited time, people or resources to do it. Hosted by Courtney Henry, fundraising strategist and founder of Henry Consulting Co, the podcast takes a practical look at what actually goes into raising money for nonprofit organisations. We’ll talk fundraising strategy, philanthropy, grants, donors, boards, fundraising teams, compelling funding opportunities, donor relationships, making the ask and the internal roadblocks that can make raising money harder than it needs to be. You’ll hear practical advice, real fundraising stories and lessons from Courtney’s experience helping raise more than $80 million, from major capital campaigns to multimillion-dollar gifts. Because the goal isn’t to do more fundraising. It’s to raise the funding your organisation needs.

Information

  • Creator
    Courtney
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Nonprofit Fundraising with Courtney Henry