This lively Fundraisers forum delivers real-world guidance on the operational side of fundraising and nonprofit management. Cohosts Julia Patrick and Tony Beall tackle a range of audience-submitted questions that reflect the day-to-day realities facing development professionals and nonprofit leaders.

The conversation opens with a thoughtful discussion about who should pay for professional association memberships, such as AFP. Tony makes a compelling case for organizational investment in staff growth, noting that these memberships provide far more than education. They create peer connection, shared problem-solving, and emotional support in a profession that can often feel isolating. Julia reinforces this with a story from a local chapter event where a fundraiser left feeling renewed and ready to keep going — a reminder that community can directly influence staff retention and performance.

Next, the cohosts address a governance question many nonprofits wrestle with: who sees the strategic plan and fundraising goals? Tony outlines a clear division of roles. Boards and senior leadership help establish the goals, while staff design the strategies to achieve them. Most importantly, these plans should be communicated organization-wide. As Julia puts it, “if people don’t know where the organization is headed, they can’t help move it forward.”

Email communications strategy also gets attention, with insights on sender credibility, leadership visibility, and the technical role email platforms play in engagement rates. Julia shares that American Nonprofit Academy reaches 43,000 subscribers monthly, underscoring how metrics like open rates influence decision-making and timing.

The fast-paced convo also covers the importance of maintaining an up-to-date case statement, describing it as a living fundraising tool that should evolve alongside the strategic plan. Finally, Tony breaks down the distinctions between corporate relations and foundation relations, clarifying differences in funding cycles, expectations, reporting, and relationship management.

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