The Nonprofit Show

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Nonprofit fraud doesn’t always kick down the door . . .sometimes you invite the vampire in and approve its invoice! Join pirate-costumed Justine Townsend of Your Part-Time Controller for a howling Halloween lesson in spotting sinister payment requests, protecting your nonprofit’s treasure, and keeping internal controls alive through the year-end fright fest.  The pirate is friendly. The invoice might not be!

With Justine in pirate gear, Tim Sarrantonio dressed as a piñata, and Julia C. Patrick emerging from a cauldron, this annual Halloween episode delivers plenty of lau...

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Nobody ordered a robot for the finance office. Yet AI may already be working inside your accounting platform, donor database, payroll system, or grant management software. Surprise! Your next technology conversation belongs on the leadership agenda.

AI data privacy for nonprofits starts with the software your team already uses. Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher of JMT Consulting explains how nonprofit leaders can ask sharper vendor questions, protect sensitive information, and welcome AI efficiencies with clear business controls.

Stephanie, JMT Consulting’s chief operating officer, connects nonprofit AI governance with everyday purchasing an...

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Nonprofit direct mail donor acquisition works best when your mailing list and your financial expectations are on speaking terms! 

Before you blame the envelope, inspect the audience. A beautifully written appeal can still flop when it lands in the wrong mailbox. With postage and paper taking a bigger bite, “send it to everyone” deserves a tougher budget conversation.   Jeff Kruszyna of JMK Victory joined the Show to explore donor segmentation, testing, and the longer game behind fundraising returns.

Jeff, founder and CEO, explained how nonprofit direct mail fundraising strategy connect...

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Nonprofit development director turnover may start with a job description that expects one person to do an entire team's work.  Major gifts. Grant writing. Events. Email campaigns. Database management. Apparently, your next fundraiser also needs a horn and a little glitter!!  Eddie Allen of Pacific Northwest Fundraising explains how stronger systems, shared donor knowledge, and a team approach give fundraising talent a fighting chance.

Eddie joins us to challenge the nonprofit “unicorn” job description and the expensive cycle of hiring, overwhelming, and replacing talented people. The conversation connects nonprofit staffi...

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In-kind donations can be a nonprofit's greatest gift . . . . .or an unexpected operational nightmare! Discover how better nonprofit in-kind donation management can reduce waste, improve donor retention, and turn everyday gifts into measurable results.

Imagine asking your community for much-needed supplies, only to receive so many of one item that you have to tell donors to STOP giving! That's exactly the kind of problem that inspired Panos Kokmotos, Co-Founder and COO of Givelink, to rethink how nonprofits collect, manage, and track donated goods.

Joining The Nonprofit Show, Panos explores an...

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If your budget meetings inspire elaborate escape plans, this conversation offers a welcome reset.  Nonprofit budget planning and accountability get a fresh look when “no” becomes the start of a better business conversation. Joseph Plagge of Martus Solutions and Jeremy Brown of Kari Hub explain how shared ownership, contingency planning, and monthly reviews connect spending decisions to mission results.

Joseph and Jeremy challenge the idea that an approved budget is the finish line. The bigger test: does that plan move your organization toward the financial position its future requires?

Jerem...

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Nonprofit program design for results starts with knowing whom you serve and what they want to achieve. Rob Jentsch of ADGN Education shows how that clarity can guide budgets, strengthen fundraising, and keep tempting funding opportunities from steering your mission off course.

A community center wants children reading on grade level. Then come a donor’s yoga classes, a science grant, and a community garden!! All good things. But are they moving those children toward the reading goal, or giving an already stretched team three more things to juggle?

Ro...

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This Independent Sector National Summit recap brings you inside the Phoenix gathering through the experiences of Tiffani R. Brown and Nancy Bacon. Discover the conversations, connections, and unexpected moments they brought home and what those experiences could mean for your nonprofit’s leadership, operations, and workforce!

Tiffani R. Brown of Monroe Impact Advisors and Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting reflect on why they invested in attending, what caught their attention, and why they left with more than a stack of conference notes.

For Tiffani, a first-time summit attendee, a...

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Wondering how to get board approval for a nonprofit CRM when “too expensive” ends the conversation? Tony Beall and Julia C. Patrick explore the business case for donor management software, then tackle board reporting, outside board service, and the work-from-home debate.

It’s Fundraisers Friday, and the questions have arrived with their sleeves rolled up!

First up: a board that sees a CRM subscription as a budget burden. Tony encourages fundraisers to explain the investment through the work it supports: managing donor information, strengthening fundraising processes, and preserving knowledge when e...

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You’ve crafted the appeal, told the story, and inspired someone to give. Victory lap? Almost. Your donation form still has a job to do, and one extra field, confusing message, or inconvenient payment process can blow-up that moment of generosity!  Learn how to improve nonprofit donation forms so a donor’s “yes” becomes a completed gift. Bloomerang’s Evan DaSilva shares how simpler checkout, digital wallets, and timely thank-yous can strengthen fundraising conversion and donor retention.

Evan, Senior Vice President of Payments at Bloomerang, joins us to explore the business of getting...

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AI recruiting for nonprofits can help teams manage a mountain of applications, but a polished résumé still leaves one big question: can this person do the work? Dana Scurlock, Managing Director of Staffing Boutique, explores smarter screening, candidate transparency, and hiring practices that keep human judgment in the process.

Joining Julia C. Patrick and Sherry Quam Taylor, Dana considers a hiring puzzle that deserves a seat at your next leadership meeting: employers want candidates who can use AI, yet still need to understand what those candidates can contribute themselves.

...

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Nonprofit leadership equity strategies come to life when they shape hiring, board decisions, and everyday operations. Dr. Orletta Caldwell and Erick Seelbach explore how to close the gap between stated values and organizational behavior . . . . .especially during leadership transitions!

Your nonprofit has a values statement. Wonderful. But does it show up when the board chooses its next executive director, evaluates organizational culture, or decides which problems can wait?

Joining host Julia C. Patrick, Dr. Caldwell of Beyond Existing Enterprises and Seelbach of Third Sector Company bring candid perspectives on nonprofit...

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Nonprofit revenue operations strategy starts with helping fundraisers succeed.  Your operations team clears the report queue. Your fundraisers get their spreadsheets. Everybody’s busy . . . .but is the work helping fundraising move forward?

Thomas Turner of charity: water reveals how a customer success approach can sharpen priorities, simplify data access, and strengthen donor relationships.

Thomas, Vice President of Revenue Operations at charity: water, joins us to explore a different approach: make fundraising success the mandate for the team supporting it.

That means agreeing with development leaders on the two...

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Nonprofit budgeting beyond the annual budget starts with a surprising shift: stop treating the numbers as a deadline and start using them to guide decisions! Peyton Burch of Martus Solutions and John Tiso of JMT Consulting explore how shared ownership, stronger revenue assumptions, and ongoing forecasting can turn budget season into a leadership advantage.

“We don’t have the budget!!!.” Conversation over. Idea shelved. Everyone back to their spreadsheets.

But what if that familiar response is hiding the problem your nonprofit actually needs to solve?

Peyton and John c...

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A donor offers land. Wonderful! Then comes a condition: your nonprofit must farm it for the next 50 years! Suddenly, “thank you” needs a little company . . .

Planned giving legal support for nonprofits can help turn complex donations into gifts your team is prepared to accept. Jamie Holzer White joined us to explore noncash gifts, donor confidence, and why bringing an attorney in early can keep generosity moving.

Jamie, J.D., LL.M., Vice President of Legal Services at Crescendo Interactive, explains how legal expertise can help fundraising teams identify obligations, shap...

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Managing multigenerational nonprofit teams takes more than a shared mission. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z bring different experiences to nonprofit leadership, fundraising, and daily operations. But assuming someone’s age tells you how they communicate (or whether they embrace technology) can send your management strategy sideways before the meeting even starts!

Our Co-hosts, Tim Sarrantonio and Julia Patrick, explore how communication standards, clear decision ownership, and better feedback help four generations work together without turning every difference into a workplace showdown.

The conversation gets wonderfully specific wi...

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Funding women of color-led nonprofits in the South means looking closely at who receives philanthropic investment, and who keeps being overlooked. Carmen James Randolph of the Women’s Foundation of the South shares how funding, leadership support, and regional collaboration can build health, wealth, and power for women, girls, and gender-expansive people of color.

These leaders are holding communities together. Is philanthropy giving them the resources to keep going and grow?

Carmen explores the relationship between Southern generosity and unequal access to funding. Drawing on 28 years in ph...

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How can you improve the year-end donor experience before the giving rush begins? Bloomerang Chief Marketing Officer Ann Fellman showed us where a donor’s path to giving can get difficult and what to do after the gift arrives!

This Nonprofit Power Week finale follows the donor journey from campaign message to donation page to the first welcome. Ann asks teams to walk through their website and giving process with fresh eyes: Can a first-time visitor quickly understand what the organization does, where a gift goes, and what difference it...

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How do you retain first-time donors after their first gift? An event can take months to produce. The room responds, new supporters give, and the team celebrates. That moment deserves celebration, but the donor journey has barely begun!  . . . .“It’s just starting.”

During Day 4 of Nonprofit Power Week with Bloomerang, James Goalder examines the follow-up, engagement, and measurement that keep a promising donor relationship moving.

So what happens next? James urges nonprofits to send thanks quickly and address donors personally. He recalls donating $25 to more than 1,000 organizations as an e...

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How can nonprofits improve donation conversion without losing sight of the donor relationship? During Day 3 of Nonprofit Power Week with Bloomerang, Kirsten Wantland examined what happens when someone is ready to give . . and what can still get in the way!

Kirsten starts with a deceptively simple move: record how each donation came in. A supporter who has given digitally seven times may respond differently to a direct mail appeal than someone who regularly returns a mailed gift. That history can guide segmentation and help a team decide where a more costly...

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How do you build donor trust online when supporters can research your nonprofit through websites, rating platforms, social media, and AI? 

On Day Two of Nonprofit Power Week, Katie Gaston, Director of Product Marketing at Bloomerang, explains how credibility, emotion, and evidence can turn donor consideration into confident action. 

Katie identifies two very different donor mindsets. One donor feels moved and wants to give immediately. That person needs a fast, friction-free path involving QR codes, mobile payments, and simple donation forms. The second donor studies the organization, re...

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How do nonprofits attract and retain donors before the first gift is ever made? 

This is the first of a five-day Nonprofit Power Week journey with Bloomerang, moving from donor discovery and awareness into consideration, decision-making, retention, and the upcoming giving season.

Day One starts at the beginning of the donor journey . . .Discovery, Awareness, First Impressions, and Trust.

Emily Kelly, National Accounts Manager with Bloomerang, joins us to explore what happens before someone becomes a donor, and why nonprofit leaders should treat that early relationship a...

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Donor relationships when a fundraiser leaves can expose serious gaps in nonprofit ethics, succession planning, data security, and donor communication. When the development professional changes (but the donor’s trust remains) who is responsible for what happens next?

On this Fundraisers Friday conversation, Julia Patrick and Tony Beall confront one of fundraising’s most uncomfortable transitions: whether donors should follow a fundraiser to another organization.

Julia begins with the ethical baseline established by the Association of Fundraising Professionals: donor data and portfolios belong to the nonprofit. She also...

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How to record in-kind donations for nonprofits is more than an accounting question . . .it reveals what programs truly cost and how much support the community contributes! Justine Townsend, Manager at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), explains how to value, document, report, and steward noncash gifts without distorting the books.

Donated office space, food, equipment, vehicles, program supplies, graphic design, and certain professional services can represent significant organizational support. If a nonprofit would otherwise need to purchase the item or service, failing to record it may understate both revenue and expenses, and conceal...

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AI governance for nonprofits is quickly becoming a management, finance, data security and leadership responsibility . . .not simply an IT conversation! 

Dr. Stephanie Rose-Belcher of JMT Consulting explains how nonprofit organizations can gain enormous efficiencies of AI without surrendering human judgment, accountability or control of sensitive organizational data.  AI can accelerate everything from contracts and presentations to financial analysis and routine administrative work. Stephanie describes tasks that once required hours of formatting becoming dramatically faster with AI. But speed introduces a new business question: . . .who is responsible for the result?

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What should a nonprofit do after receiving a massive unrestricted gift?

This is a rare look at what happens after the transformational check arrives.

 JobsFirstNYC President and CEO Marjorie Parker shares what happened after a surprise $4 million investment connected to MacKenzie Scott.  Learn why receiving transformational money can create as many strategic decisions as opportunities.

The story begins with an unexpected message from someone representing an unnamed investor. After significant due diligence and roughly two months of conversations, Parker learned JobsFirstNYC would receive $4 million . . . “unrestricted”.  That word mattere...

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Nonprofit success planning may be a better fit for today’s volatile operating environment than the traditional three-year strategic plan. Jeffrey Wilcox, President and Chief Learning Curator at Third Sector Company, challenges nonprofit leaders and boards to stop treating planning as an event and start treating it as an ongoing organizational process.

“Strategic planning is an antiquated term. What we really are talking about now is success planning,” Jeffrey says. That distinction changes a lot!  Instead of organizing a plan around departments, fundraising, programs, governance, and other organizational functions, Jeffrey encourages nonprof...

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A strong year-end fundraising strategy for nonprofits starts long before December—and before you write the first appeal. Melaina Chromy, Sr. Brand Marketing Manager at Bloomerang, explains how nonprofit teams can improve the donor journey, reduce giving friction, coordinate campaign channels, and prepare now for stronger year-end results.

One of the first assignments is surprisingly simple: make a donation to your own organization!

How many clicks does it take? Is the form easy to use on a phone? Does the donor immediately understand what their gift will accomplish? Can so...

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Nonprofit leadership stress can quickly become a business problem, affecting staffing, communication, decision-making and a leader’s ability to keep performing. We had a candid conversation about managing stress when seemingly everyone needs something from you, with Katie Warnock, President of Staffing Boutique.

Katie knows the “always on” environment firsthand. Staffing Boutique works across nonprofit and education recruiting, where an ordinary day can include staffing emergencies, payroll issues, employee problems, client demands and unexpected calls beginning early in the morning and continuing into the evening.

Her distinction between normal pressu...

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Year-end fundraising strategy for nonprofits starts long before December. Ben Cooley, CEO of Maxwell & Marie, joins this Global Edition to explain how nonprofits can turn the holiday giving season into a carefully planned revenue opportunity, not a last-minute fundraising scramble.

Ben's message is wonderfully direct: “Your resources are in your relationships.” That means successful fundraising can't depend only on an email blast sent when December arrives.

The planning begins with a business question: What exactly are you raising money for? Finance, operations and program teams need to establish the targ...

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Nonprofit leadership decision making can suffer when speed, productivity, email, technology, and constant activity leave little room for strategic thought. Evermay founding CEO Kate Goodall joins us to explore a counterintuitive leadership idea: sometimes the smartest way forward is to slow down.

Evermay is creating what Goodall calls an “embassy for the future” in historic Georgetown, a place designed to give thinkers time, physical space, diverse peers, and fewer everyday distractions while they work on ideas with potentially generational impact.

For nonprofit executives, board members, funders, and managers, the larg...

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What if the best nonprofit association growth strategy is to stop obsessing over growth? Lorri Unumb, CEO of the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP), explains how concentrating on member value, organizational standards, advocacy, and shared infrastructure helped an association that began with roughly a dozen executives grow to about 500 member organizations.

CASP began as an informal gathering of autism service-provider executives who simply wanted to exchange ideas and figure out how to deliver better services. It eventually became a formal association in 2016 with a mission centered on cultivating, advocating for...

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When should a nonprofit change its accounting partner?  Accurate books matter. Timely financial statements matter. But there’s an important distinction: “Timely and accurate financial reports… [are] a great starting point, but it’s not the finish line.”!

Andrew Miller, Director at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), explains the warning signs that indicate your finance relationship may no longer be giving leadership the insight, collaboration, and strategic support the organization needs.  A strong nonprofit accounting partner should help leaders understand what the numbers mean and how those numbers affect programs, grants, sustainability, staffing, an...

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Considering new nonprofit software? Before signing a contract, scheduling implementation, or sitting through another impressive demo, there are 5 business questions your organization should answer first. Christine Chacko of Your Part-Time Controller explains how nonprofits can make smarter technology decisions while avoiding expensive fixes to the wrong problem. . . .A reporting problem doesn’t automatically mean you have a software problem!

Christine, a CPA with both accounting and technology experience, sees nonprofits wrestling with accounting systems, CRMs, payroll platforms, integrations, data, and reporting. Her first advice is refreshingly simple: diagnose the business need be...

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What questions should nonprofit leaders ask their finance team? Barbara Enright, Director and Market Leader with Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), shares five deceptively simple questions that can turn nonprofit financial reporting into a far more strategic management tool!

A financial statement may contain plenty of numbers . . . .but are they complete, final, reconciled and ready for leaders to act on? Barbara begins with the wonderfully uncomfortable question: Can we trust the numbers? She explains why preliminary figures matter, including one organization where an uncollectible pledge turned what appeared to be a surplus...

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Nonprofits are adopting AI fast, but governance, data controls and human judgment determine whether experimentation becomes real organizational value.  AI governance is becoming a business necessity as organizations move rapidly from experimenting with AI to using it throughout finance, fundraising, communications, and operations. But adoption is racing ahead of strategy and that creates a very different challenge for nonprofit leaders!

Patricia Bueso, Client Services Technology Adoption Manager at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), joined us during Nonprofit Power Week to explain how nonprofits can turn AI experimentation into trusted organizational capability.

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Nonprofit financial red flags can appear long before a financial crisis, and boards need to know exactly what they’re looking for. Deanna Peterson, Director at Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), identifies five important warning signs nonprofit leaders can build directly into board financial oversight.

During this special Nonprofit Power Week conversation, Deanna turns nonprofit finance from something reserved for “the finance people” into a management and governance discipline everyone around the board table can understand.

Start with recurring deficits. A planned deficit associated with a strategic investment may ma...

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Donor control in nonprofit funding can shape far more than a grant. It can influence what nonprofits pursue, how they operate, and even what community needs get addressed!  Stupski Foundation CEO Glen Galaich joined us for a candid examination of why big giving can fall short and what nonprofit leaders can do about it.

Glen is the author of ‘CONTROL: Why Big Giving Falls Short’ and CEO of the Stupski Foundation, which is spending down its assets and plans to return all its resources to communities by the end of 20...

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Planned giving for small nonprofits doesn't have to require a huge budget, sophisticated technology, or months of preparation. Tony Martignetti, author of ‘Planned Giving Accelerated’, says a nonprofit can launch planned giving in just one week by identifying the right donors, starting with gifts in wills, and having the first conversation.

His advice starts with simplicity.

Tony says gifts in wills, also known as charitable bequests, should be the starting point for small and midsized nonprofits. He estimates they can represent at least 75% of planned gifts, and says...

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Nonprofit finance automation is changing more than accounting. It’s reshaping staffing, security, leadership, and how information moves throughout an organization! Brad Powell of BILL and Buu-Linh Tran, CPA, of JMT Consulting explore what the modern nonprofit finance team is becoming and why leaders may need to rethink far more than their software.

Automation across accounts payable, accounts receivable, expense management, and financial workflows can remove repetitive work while giving employees faster access to the information they need. Buu-Linh describes how AI is beginning to let non-finance staff ask ordinary-language questions ab...