The Nonprofit Show is the nation’s daily live video broadcast for the business of nonprofits — where nonprofit leaders, teams, and changemakers gain practical strategies to strengthen operations, improve performance, and sustain impact.
Each weekday, our Co-hosts and expert guests tackle the most current topics in fundraising, management, marketing, staffing, and technology — all designed to help you run smarter, lead stronger, and deliver on your mission with confidence.
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MEET SOME OF OUR RECENT GUESTS AND EXPERTS
Nonprofit accounting system redesign is essential for organizations struggling with reporting, grant tracking, and decision-making. This episode explores how better system design transforms financial data into actionable insight.
How nonprofits can turn volunteer engagement into a long-term donor pipeline through smarter systems, timing, and strategy. In this episode, Chloe Boonstra of Bloomerang breaks down how nonprofits can rethink volunteer engagement as a strategic growth engine rather than a transactional activity. Instead of focusing on short-term staffing needs, organizations must design systems that turn initial interest into sustained commitment.
As Chloe explains, “We want to get away from the mindset of just filling a shift… and instead set the tone for a long-term partnership.” That shift in thinking unlocks new opportunities—not only for retention, but for deeper engagement across your entire organization.
A practical blueprint for nonprofit leaders to build strategy, avoid mission drift, and drive measurable impact through disciplined, business-minded operations.
This conversation highlights practical strategies nonprofit leaders can apply immediately:
Building a long-term strategic vision while adapting in real time
Using data and feedback loops to refine programs
Avoiding mission drift through disciplined decision-making
Structuring programs for measurable, scalable impact
Communicating outcomes differently to funders vs. community stakeholders
A practical breakdown of how nonprofits build grant-ready systems, manage pipelines, and improve funding success in a competitive environment. Nonprofit grant strategy isn’t about chasing funding—it’s about building a system that consistently delivers results. In this discussion, Sarah Clarke of Impact Funding Solutions shares how organizations can become truly grant-ready, manage long-term pipelines, and improve their approval rates in an increasingly competitive funding environment.
Many nonprofits assume that writing a strong application is enough—but Sarah challenges that mindset. Success starts long before submission. Financial transparency, aligned reporting, and clear program budgets all play a critical role in establishing credibility with funders. As she explains, “What a potential funder wants to see is financial transparency and accountability.” Without that foundation, even strong missions can struggle to secure funding.
This conversation also reframes expectations around grant success. With approval rates often hovering around 20%, nonprofits must shift from a one-off application mindset to a pipeline-driven strategy. “Grants aren’t a fast financial fix—they’re a long-term overall grant strategy,” Sarah notes. That means building a system where multiple applications are in motion at different stages, ensuring consistent opportunity over time.
Beyond strategy, Sarah highlights the operational side of grants—what it really takes to manage them effectively. From maintaining a centralized grant toolkit to tracking deadlines, managing portals, and handling post-grant reporting, grant management is far more than writing proposals. It’s an ongoing operational discipline that requires structure, consistency, and accountability.
Whether you’re just starting or refining your approach, the message is clear: organizations that invest in readiness, systems, and stewardship will outperform those relying on effort alone.
#NonprofitStrategy #GrantWriting #TheNonprofitShow
Nonprofit leadership coaching ROI isn’t about feel-good conversations—it’s about measurable performance, accountability, and organizational alignment that drives real results. Wendy F. Adams, CFRE and CEO of Cultivate for Good, breaks down what coaching actually delivers for nonprofit leaders—and why many organizations misunderstand its value. From executive directors to development leaders, coaching is not a luxury—it’s a strategic tool for improving leadership effectiveness and organizational outcomes.
Wendy emphasizes that leadership is the starting point for all impact: “Where the leader goes, there goes the organization.” Without alignment at the top, teams stall, cultures fracture, and missions drift. Coaching helps leaders identify blind spots, clarify priorities, and move from insight to action.
This episode challenges fundraisers to keep pace with rapid shifts in donor expectations, technology, and data-driven decision-making. It explores how professional development, transparency, and modern strategies are essential for long-term nonprofit success.
How nonprofits can use data for decision making starts with a simple shift: recognizing that data is just information you already have. In this episode, Dr. T’Ping Westbrook and Dr. Allison K. Holmes break down how nonprofit leaders can move from confusion to clarity by using data as a strategic tool—not a reporting burden.
For many organizations, data feels overwhelming, technical, or even intimidating. But as Dr. Westbrook explains, “Data is information. If you have information, you have data.” This powerful reframe removes the barrier and puts nonprofits back in control of their decision-making.
The conversation challenges a common mistake across the sector—collecting data primarily to satisfy funders instead of strengthening internal strategy. Instead, the guests emphasize starting with a critical question: what information do you actually need to run your organization effectively?
From there, nonprofit leaders can begin building a data-driven culture grounded in clarity, shared language, and purpose. Organizations that succeed in this space align their teams around a common understanding of their work, ensuring that data is accessible, relevant, and actionable across departments.
This episode explores how nonprofits can fix fragmented data systems by centralizing information, improving reporting, and building scalable infrastructure that supports growth and better decision-making. A strong nonprofit data management strategy is no longer optional—it’s essential for scaling impact, improving reporting, and saving valuable staff time.
Cherry Yang, CEO of Claribase and an award-winning Airtable consultant, shares how nonprofits can move from fragmented systems and spreadsheet overload to centralized, scalable data operations. If your team is constantly switching tools, copying and pasting data, or struggling to produce reports, this conversation offers a clear path forward.
Cherry explains why most nonprofit systems fail: they operate in silos. Fundraising platforms, program data, financial tools, and spreadsheets often live separately—creating inefficiencies and increasing risk. As she notes, “People end up doing a lot of copy and pasting… and it just doesn’t work. It’s not efficient, and people waste so much time.”
Instead, she advocates for centralized data systems that connect teams, automate workflows, and provide real-time dashboards for leadership. With the right structure, nonprofits can eliminate manual processes, reduce errors, and give decision-makers immediate access to insights.
Nonprofit payroll is no longer just administrative—it’s a strategic function tied to compliance, retention, and funding transparency. This episode breaks down the key risks and opportunities leaders must manage to protect and scale their organizations.
Exploring how nonprofits can build a seamless donor journey strategy by integrating earned revenue, audience experience, and long-term philanthropic engagement. A strong nonprofit donor journey strategy connects every touchpoint—from first interaction to long-term giving. Dr. Jonathon Scott Crider of Fox Tucson Theatre shares how integrating earned revenue, audience experience, and philanthropy can transform financial sustainability for nonprofits.
For organizations balancing mission delivery with revenue realities, this conversation highlights a critical truth: “This organization has to sell tickets in order to fulfill its mission.” Ticket sales drive engagement, but they are only the beginning. The real opportunity lies in what happens next.
Jonathon outlines how his team manages the full continuum—from awareness to ticket purchase, live experience, and ultimately donor cultivation. Rather than separating marketing and development, they treat every attendee as a potential long-term supporter. This unified approach allows them to grow both earned and contributed revenue simultaneously.
One of the most powerful takeaways challenges traditional fundraising assumptions. Many nonprofits focus heavily on high-capacity donors, but Jonathon emphasizes that loyalty may be the most overlooked asset: “You’re leaving money on the table when you’re not talking to people who’ve just been loyal to you.” Consistent, modest donors often represent strong planned giving prospects because of their sustained connection to the mission.
The episode also introduces practical strategies like identifying “super fans”—high-frequency participants who can become key donors—and aligning programming decisions with sponsorship opportunities. By connecting experiences directly to funding, nonprofits can create a more predictable and engaged revenue model.
For nonprofit leaders, this conversation reinforces a critical operational mindset: every interaction is part of the donor journey. When organizations intentionally design that journey, they unlock deeper engagement, stronger loyalty, and more sustainable growth.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitStrategy #Fundraising
The nonprofit development assistant role responsibilities are often misunderstood—but getting this position right can dramatically increase fundraising results and operational efficiency.
In this Fundraisers Friday episode, Julia Patrick and Tony Beall break down why this role is not just administrative support—but a strategic investment that frees your fundraising team to focus on revenue generation, donor relationships, and long-term growth.
As Tony explains, “Nonprofit fundraising professionals need to have the bandwidth to be away from their desk… making connections and stewarding relationships.” Without that support, highly paid development leaders end up doing low-value administrative work—limiting your organization’s return on investment.
This conversation dives into the real responsibilities behind the role, including donor database management, acknowledgments, reporting, event coordination, CRM oversight, and campaign support. These are not small tasks—they are the operational backbone of effective fundraising.
Julia highlights a critical mindset shift: “Even just opening your heart and your mind to having this support might be a little bit of a challenge.” Many organizations—and even development professionals—struggle to delegate, which creates bottlenecks and slows growth.
You’ll also learn:
When a nonprofit should consider hiring a development assistant
How to structure the role (full-time, part-time, or shared)
Why customer service skills are essential in fundraising operations
How this role supports donor experience and retention
Career pathways and talent pipelines (including interns and volunteers)
Most importantly, this episode challenges nonprofit leaders to think in terms of time value and ROI—are your highest-paid fundraisers doing the work that actually drives revenue?
If your organization is serious about scaling fundraising and improving efficiency, this is a conversation you need to hear.
#TheNonprofitShow #NonprofitLeadership #FundraisingStrategy
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