We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

114. The Best of Season 2 - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE, and Julie Confer

Jon, Becky and Julie are taking you behind the studio curtain. It's our Season 2 Recap! Get ready for our Season-2-in-Review discussion where you'll learn our favorite episodes, favorite mic drop moments and the greatest takeaways offered these last four months. If you're a Cliff Notes-kind of note taker, this is the quickest way to learn about the best-of-the-best of our convos since January. Episode Overview An overview of Season 2 (1:00) The joy of meeting others: the power of podcasti...

113. Rethink Employee Giving (Part 4) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

It's our final week to talk through employee giving strategies that drive your organization to new levels of engagement. In this episode we're closing out the convo with a playbook for launching with huge momentum and staging your campaign for success. We'll also share a formula for building a presentation that connects and wins the hearts of even the toughest critics. And...icing on top? You bet - we'll share a round of feedback from the best tips and tricks from our community who is hostin...

112. Minisode: The Mission of the Crayon Initiative: Providing Joy to Millions of Children - Bryan Ware

Meet Bryan. After years of helping Fortune 100 companies streamline their manufacturing and products for ultimate efficiency, Bryan combined his manufacturing skills and his love for the arts to help children in need. And thus The Crayon Initiative was born. If you've ever wondered what happens to restaurant crayons after their one use - then tune in. We're talking about an incredible mission story that's benefiting hospitalized children. You'll never look at crayons the same again - guarant...

111. Training Leaders on Building Safe, Inclusive Spaces - Rashaunda Williams

Meet Rashuanda. She's passionate about equipping this generation's nonprofit leaders with the soft skills needed to build high-performing team. And it starts with creating a space where people feel they can thrive, share their experiences and be their authentic selves. Her team at Collective Impact is breaking through diversity and inequity gaps to train leaders to build healthy cultures which inevitably lead to healthier teams. Episode Highlights The beginning of Collective Impact and Ra...

110. How to Put the Spark into Your Nonprofit Brand - Lauren Atherton

Meet Lauren. She's a nonprofit unicorn: impeccable designer and wholly passionate nonprofit ambassador. She left the for-profit world following a life-altering health scare, and she's never looked back. Today, her design agency is building beautiful design with heart. And boy does she get marketing! Join us as she leads us through auditing your brand, trends to be looking for this year and where to start multiplying your brand. If your organizational look/logo/voice may need a refresh - this...

109. Rethink Employee Giving (Part 3) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

ReThink Employee Giving: A 4-Week Series. It's not Christmas, but it darn near feels like it, because it's employee giving branding day!! Aka: Jon and Becky's favorite topic ever🎉 We're diving into storytelling, unpacking your branding recipe and building communications plans that keep everyone speaking with one voice while still being radically in-tune to seeing each employee donor as a gifted part of your philanthropic family. Episode Overview Using the power of branding to connect with ...

108. How to Foster Grief-Informed Teams at Work - Michael Turner

Meet Mike. Have you ever met a nonprofit leader whose passion for their mission just wants you to understand their story? Well, that guy is here. And he's brought a seriously incredible story to our conversation. And he's having the tough conversations with his team who are receiving mental health support unlike anything we've seen in nonprofit. It's wonderful to see. We're talking grief informed teams and we have a special surprise for our listeners at the end of the episode. Warning: Bring...

107. Collective Giving and the Power of Giving Circles - Kyson Bunthuwong

Meet Kyson. This gritty optimist got his start in social good when he co-founded a startup aimed at tackling Malawi's illegal charcoal trade. Today, he and the Philanthropy Together team are working to empower us all with the knowledge of giving circles to build powerful communities for good. There are many in our sector who aren’t familiar with Giving Circles 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️ Tune in as we dive into this powerful community-building strategy. Kyson also throws down some wise counsel on democratizing...

106. Rethink Employee Giving (Part 2) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

ReThink Employee Giving: A 4-Week Series. This week we're diving into building a campaign framework whose heartbeat is its people, projects and process. Don't worry. It's way more interesting than it sounds. Because when impact is the core of your plan, it's easy for everything to flow from it. We've got tips, heartfelt stories and plenty of structure to get you started on your own campaign. Thanks for joining us again for our favorite discussion topic: employee giving!🤝 Episode Overview P...

105. Uniting Athletes Around Purpose - Marcus Daniell

Meet Marcus. He may be a professional tennis pro who regularly rubs elbows with the likes of Federer and Nadal, but that's not how he wants to be remembered. As the founder of High Impact Athletes, he's challenging his fellow athletes to connect with their favorite missions and join him pledging 10% of their annual earnings to those causes. His life goal: to create a movement in the sporting world where athletes can maximize their position of power to influence good. Three cheers for this👏👏👏...

104. The Secret to Soliciting Major Gifts... Virtually - Lereca Monik

Meet Lereca. She's an accomplished Houston-based major gift officer who personally knows all about the power of philanthropy. As a recipient of human and youth services, she's always had an innate desire to give back. And she's channeling that passion into activating gift officers to "thank to bank" in an approach that equally uses the head and the heart to engage. She's walking us through virtual major gift asks and setting smart metrics. Episode Highlights Lereca’s story and journey to ...

103. Rethink Employee Giving (Part 1) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

Rethink Employee Giving: A 4 Week Series. Buckle up, campers. Because we're going on a bit of a journey as Jon and Becky unpack what we believe holds one of the keys to revolutionizing your development strategies: employee giving. That's right, there's some serious untapped power by championing the philanthropy of those closest to your mission. If you're open to exploring a 180 degree strategy shift on how to build an employee giving campaign that is built upon a community-makes-it-better-et...

102. 3 Financial Safety Nets Every Nonprofit Must Have - Germeen Guillaume

Meet Germeen. She's the caped crusader in the back of house that we all need. We talk a lot about raising money and stewarding it, but rarely discuss how to care for it. Germeen helps nonprofits shore up their financial operations and has led organizations to recoup millions in receivables with her smart accounting management. And she's making it FUN! Tune in and hear the 3 tips to strengthen your financial records and learn about moving financials virtually. Believe us - management will tha...

101. Donor Relations and Fundraising Collide... For Good - Mark Lanum

Meet Mark. This senior director of donor relations at Brown University believes the road to the next gift goes through stewardship.  And the best way to accelerate that process is to strengthen the relationship between donor relations and frontline fundraisers. Join us as we talk about breaking down the silos in our fundraising shops and leaning into the future of donor relations. Mark is hysterical and made this conversation a complete joy. Come learn and laugh with us. Episode Highlights ...

100. Community (Really Is) Everything - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

Join us as we celebrate 100 podcast episodes! 😍🎉🤩✨😁 Jon and Becky share their biggest lessons learned over the last 100 episodes, and the transformational power of community. With each connection we make, the world has gotten smaller and our dreams have gotten bigger. Tune in for a sneak peek at an exciting project we've been working on! We're so grateful you're here, friends. Episode Overview An ode to 100 podcast episodes (2:00) The power of community (5:00) Story binds us together (6:...

99. Disrupting the Crowdfunding Sector for Good - Max Friedman

Meet Max. You may know him best as the CEO of Givebutter, an online fundraising platform that powers more than $100M in donations annually for thousands of nonprofit organizations. But this seriously humble visionary is giving us a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the company's founding story that began in a college dorm room and has grown to become the #1 rated nonprofit fundraising platform in the world. If you've ever wondered how to leverage the power of crowd funding and mobilize your rab...

98. How to Diversify the Talent Pipeline in Philanthropy - Karon Moody Harden

Meet Karon. She believes philanthropy can be a trusted partner in advancing the greater good. And her team at the Council on Foundations is centered on doing just that by fostering heathy work environments, developing diverse people and advocating for progress. By bringing people together around these topics, her org is bridging divides and creating opportunities for people to listen, share and do the work. And her One Good Thing will move your heart. Episode Highlights Karon’s story and j...

97. Shifting our Perspective: How Storytelling Exposes Inequalities, Challenges Systemic Racism and Builds Community For Good - Niven McCall-Mazza

Meet Niven. As a passionate voice for female empowerment and Vice President of the News Platforms at theSkimm, she wakes up everyday with a goal to make it easier for a generation of women to live their smartest lives. Niven cut her teeth learning the essentials of journalism and ethics at NBC News, and now channels her passion and expertise into fostering good around the world. Tune in for a moving conversation about connecting, informing, activating and empowering women around the most imp...

96. Conscious Leadership + Male Allyship at Work and in the World - Carley Hauck

Meet Carley. This author and adjunct faculty at Stanford University and UC Berkeley teaches leadership and business as a platform for positive change in the world. Carley shares her passion for inclusive leadership and creating a workplace and world that works for everyone while prioritizing people and planet first. She's even walking us through male allyship and how men can be partners in the fight for gender equality. It's  We Are For Good Podcast Women of Impact Week presented by Virtuou...

95. Madam C.J. Walker's Gospel of Giving: Black Women's Philanthropy During Jim Crow - Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman

Meet Dr. Freeman. This award-winning scholar and Assistant Professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has an incredible story to tell. Which prompts us to introduce the incomparable Madam C.J. Walker, the trailblazer for black women philanthropists. Dr. Freeman research focuses on the history of African American philanthropy and his latest book is entitled, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow. Confession: we all cried ...

94. Then and Now: Giving Trends Among Women - Kiersten Marek

Meet Kiersten. She's a force for compassion as the founder and publisher of Philanthropy Women and through her clinical social work. Her passion and knowledge on justice and equity run deep, and she loves sharing stories about women donors and their allies who are advancing social change. We're talking 2021 women giving trends and discussing the intersection of philanthropy and gender equity. It rocked our world, and we know you'll get a lot out of it too. It's  We Are For Good Podcast Wome...

93. She's the First: A Mission to Ensure Every Girl is Educated, Respected, and Heard - Tammy Tibbets & Christen Brandt

Meet Christen and Tammy. As founders of She’s the First, they're fighting for a world where every girl can choose her own future. For the past decade, they’ve worked closely with local organizations around the world and changemakers of all ages and backgrounds, from college students to celebrities. They're also the authors of the incredible book Impact: A Step by Step Plan to Create the World You Want to Live In. If you're looking for playbook to be a light to your favorite charity - then th...

92. Sneak Peek! Women of Impact Week - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE, Becky Endicott, CFRE and Julie Confer

Tune in for a preview and sneak peek of the We Are For Good Podcast Women of Impact Week presented by Virtuous.  Next week we're releasing 5 episodes, each dedicated to celebrating the incredible women making an impact in our world, and how you can take action to harness the power of women to further your causes too. Women are standing in a storied moment in time. We believe women have the potential to massively influence the future trajectory of philanthropy through their gifts, their volu...

91. Then and Now: Giving Trends Among Women - Kiersten Marek

91. The Impact of Self Doubt: How Discovering Your True Value Changes Everything - Eryn Eddy

Meet Eryn. This social entrepreneur and creativity director is powering through some seriously awesome coaching on empathy, entrepreneurship, the power of honest conversations and the impact of self-doubt. Want to change the world? Start with valuing yourself, she says. It's an honest conversation with the woman who literally built a brand telling you you're So Worth Loving. Episode Highlights Eryn’s Career Journey - 2:54 Valuing oneself - 15:30 The “accidental” CEO - 20:13 Seeking ins...

90. Stronger Than Stigma: Mental Health in the Workplace - Ian Adair

Meet Ian. This three-time nonprofit Executive Director is taking his two favorite topics - leadership and mental health - and he's putting together and facing its stigma right in the eye. You know we're crazily clapping for the front row. He's talking about why leaders must be culture caretakers of their organizations. Tune in if you want to help your leader get there, or just tune in if you'd like to be an incredible leader in the future. We need more Culture Caretakers in our sector! Epis...

89. Grow Your List + Build an Email Welcome Series with Firepower! - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

We finished unpacking 10 steps to make your website irresistible to donors in last Friday's episode, and there were some serious questions and interest around creating a freebie and welcome series from our attendees. So we decided to break it down for those who might be stuck. You might be asking, "Well, I got their email address. Now what?" No worries, friends. We got you👊 Join us as we outline how to create an irresistible freebie then breakdown how to employ a drip email welcome series to...

88. Major Gifts: Finding the Courage to Ask For More - Julie Ordoñez

Meet Julie. She's a change agent, a challenger, a bonafide fundraiser and risk taker. aka: she's clearly our people. The former top 1% performer of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles is now a nonprofit coach, and she's here to talk about the grit and courage needed to ask for major gifts. We're talking how to Change What You Believe, Change How You Fundraise, and Change the Size of Your Impact. Our minds were blown. Tune in! Episode Highlights Julie’s Journey to the non-profit sector - ...

87. Doing Business Better: The Founding and Mission of Simple Modern - Mike Beckham

Meet Mike. You're about to meet one of the world's most kind, giving CEOs. When your company's mission statement is "we exist to give generously," you know everything that comes afterward is going to come from a pure place. We're sitting down for a founder's story about a socially good company that's turning the water bottle industry on its head, and each measure of success is getting poured back into incredible philanthropic missions. It's a thought-provoking discussion about doing business...

86. Making Your Website Irresistible to Donors and Raise More Money (Pt. 2) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

We're completing the final five quick steps to take your website through a super fast refresher to seriously boost your traffic and online donations. Join us as we talk about selecting the right visuals, creating a welcome series and explore how to gather feedback. Even better, we’re going to unpack this course alongside our buddy Dana Snyder at Positive Equation in a FREE online challenge that starts this week, so tune in! Episode Overview This topic of optimizing websites will never get ...

85. Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Fundraising - Nathan Chappell, MBA, MNA, CFRE

Meet Nathan. As one of the world's foremost experts on the intersection between Artificial Intelligence and philanthropy, we're diving into the future of fundraising and how A.I. is less scary than we think. In fact, it could be simply brilliant. Join us as we visit with this expert who's leveraging A.I. already to help inspire a worldwide increase in generosity. Episode Highlights Nathan’s story and journey to where he is today (2:19) The future of philanthropic giving and trends Nathan ...

84. How to Leverage Venture Philanthropy to Grow Your Impact - Dr. Angela Jackson

Meet Angela. When you meet someone with a Harvard PhD in Education Leadership, you settle in because you know innovation and genius are going to collide. And yes it did! We're talking to Dr. Jackson about venture philanthropy (what is it?) and exploring how we can leverage our missions to breakthrough to social entrepreneurs. It's a fascinating discussion about developing innovative technical solutions to help missions partner with big dreamers. Episode Highlights Dr. Jackson’s story and ...

83. Making Your Website Irresistible to Donors and Raise More Money (Pt. 1) - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

Our websites are the front door of our organizations, but how much effort and time are we spending optimizing them for our donors to fall more in love with our mission and make a gift? In today's world - you can't afford not to make your website irresistible to your donors. Over the next two weeks we are walking you through 10 quick steps to take your website from 'wah-wah-wah' to 'WOW!' and set you up to raise more money online. Spoiler: it’s not rocket science. But little shifts can make ...

82. The Power of a Thank You - JD Beebe

Meet JD. This serial entrepreneur and big-hearted founder stumbled into founding his company, ThankView, during an attempt to make writing his wedding thank you notes more enjoyable. Today, the sincere personalized video company helps 1,500 nonprofits say thank you through the creative use of video. And as you can imagine, the stories that come with them are incredible. We're talking the power of thank you, and you'll come to see how big JD's heart is and why he's one of our favorite people....

81. The Story of Rising Above the Storms - Alphonsine Anderson and Devin Hood

Meet Alphonsine. She may be the world's bravest sister. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, her parents and two siblings were killed in the conflict leaving her to raise three younger siblings under the age of 10. It's a harrowing story of survival, chasing educational dreams and eventually landing her dream job at Cisco. Today, she's talking about paying her good fortune forward through a new nonprofit benefiting Rwandan children, and she's even brought a board member into the discussion. Lov...

80. An Impact Uprising: Expand Your Vision of What's Possible - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

Getting clear-eyed and full-hearted toward a mission and vision holds the power to fuel your work, give clarity of when to say "heck yes" to opportunities and when to give a hard pass too. You've likely heard in our podcast intro that our vision is "to create an impact uprising"... but what the heck does that mean anyway? The answer just might surprise you - even if you are a ridiculous idealist like us. In this Friday Convo, Jon and Becky give a peek behind the curtain of what's motivati...

79. The Real Truth about Campaign Feasibility Studies - Beth Silverstein

Meet Beth. She knows the textbook approach to conducting campaign feasibility studies. But in this conversation she challenges us to throw out the old playbook, because our campaigns deserve our fresh eyes and creative minds to improve this planning process. Beth has reimagined the typical feasibility study by not just trying to predict future investments, she's leveraging storytelling in these meetings too (yippee!) to create a more inclusive and collaborative process that pays dividends. W...

78. Using Marketing Automation to Treat ALL Donors Like Major Donors - Gabe Cooper

Meet Gabe. He's a founder on a mission since learning the nonprofit sector was facing a generosity crisis. While major donors are pouring into the industry, the rank and file mid-level and lower donors are dropping off. And now Gabe's team is punching back through some seriously innovative and brilliant tech strategy that gives our annual giving programs hope. We're talking about leveraging marketing automation to treat ALL donors like major donors whilst building some seriously rabid fans i...

77. The Power of Thinking Bigger - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

It's your time. Time to step boldly out and embrace the big thinking your mission needs to scale and grow long-term. We're finishing up our final entrepreneurial hacks series with one of our favorite topics: thinking bigger. Fair warning: it requires us to employ cognitive diversity (gosh, we love this expression!). By digging into big problems to debate root causes and solutions, we can eliminate roadblocks and find a clearer path to news successes. Evolved professionals don't let challeng...

76. Crash Course on Building a Strategic Development Plan + Raising $100M+! - Bill Littlejohn, CFRE

Meet Bill. The self-professed evangelist for strategic philanthropy just may be the godfather of healthcare philanthropy. With more than 30 years under his belt in the development sector, this CEO of San Diego's Sharp HealthCare Foundation wants us to stop talking about being costly and start talking about being profitable. We're talking about the intentionality behind syncing development and strategic plans and celebrating frontline healthcare heroes. Episode Highlights The power of phila...

75. Reimagine Corporate Partnerships + Discover The Lost Art of Connecting - Susan McPherson

Meet Susan. She is a serial connector, angel investor, and corporate responsibility expert who just happens to be the ultimate word weaver. We're talking through the new normal of corporate responsibility (it's no longer nice to have - it's essential!), and she's giving her best advice on networking. Spoiler: there's nothing better you can give someone than connecting them to others. This Girls Who Code and 19th News adviser and investor took our breath away with her compassion and wisdom. T...

74. Fail More Often: A Growth Hack - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

Found yourself stuck in the vicious cycle of ‘playing it safe’ to avoid failing at all costs?  Well friends, it’s time to flip the script. We believe failure just might be what's missing in each of us to grow into the people who take our causes and missions further than ever before.  In our Friday Convo, we dive into how to embrace a healthy mindset around failure, and how to build failure into your bold goals and actions. We also share our simple steps for turning failures into a springboa...

73. How to Take Your Virtual Event to the Next Level - Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey

Meet Lindsay. While the rest of us are scrambling to figure out virtual events, she's been orchestrating them online for years alongside her nonprofits clients. And today she's bringing those tips to the show. She'll be sharing what she believes is the new normal for event fundraising as well as sharing innovative approaches to engagement. If you're looking for virtual event ideas - today is your day. Freebies shared too! Episode Overview Lindsay’s career journey (2:10) The new normal fo...

72. Inspiring a New Culture of Inclusivity + The Power of Higher Ed Philanthropy - Kim Nyoni

Meet Kim. He's spent his career in university development from University of Arizona and Berkley to today at UNLV. He's talking about the future of philanthropy in higher education and trends for the sector - including efforts to encourage universities to embrace the Diversity & Inclusivity in Advancement Pledge. It's not just a pledge; it's a call to action. There's a lot to discuss even as he talks through 2021 strategic planning. Tune in! Kim’s career journey (2:03) The future of philan...

71. The Secret of Batch Work! - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

We get asked a lot how we're able to drop three podcasts a week while running our business and giving our best to our families. There's seriously only solution, and it's batching. Other than batching gifts, we had never heard that term until a couple years ago when we started recognizing the parallels between entrepreneurs and nonprofits, and it is game-changing to staying focused and doing a lot in a short amount of time. Feeling overwhelmed? Overburdened? Whether it's professionally or per...

70. How to Level-Up Your Nonprofit's Online Marketing - Dana Snyder

Meet Dana. This social media expert loves helping nonprofit marketers and organizations cultivate passionate online audiences of donors, partners, and advocates. Your websites and your socials are your storefront right now. And Dana's diving into how to leverage events on social media and tips to broaden your donor base. This is the social media episode you need to hear. Episode Highlights Dana’s story and journey to founding Positive Equation (2:56) Dana’s tips for leveling-up your digit...

69. How Nonprofits Can Collaborate with Online Influencers + Build a Movement - Nick Lynch

Meet Nick. This former Make-A-Wish kid knows what it's like to benefit from the nonprofit sector, and now he's paying that gift forward. Nick founded Collidescope, a social media analytics and measurement software-as-a-service platform allowing global causes, influencers and orgs to collaborate and track their cumulative influence and impact. Hear how a gamer raised more than $250K for a domestic violence shelter. He's talking partnerships between nonprofits & influencers, and we should all ...

68. Reimagine How You Communicate + Engage With Your Donors This Year - Jonathan McCoy, CFRE and Becky Endicott, CFRE

We know your nonprofit has impact to share, and you've got people and donors who need (and want!) to hear from you... but there just isn't enough time in the day to do it all. We get it, we've been in the trenches - or should we say the constant content grind for years right there with you. This week's episode is a Hail Mary to the nonprofit communication warriors who want to level up their game and dive into a better way to create, share, engage and, sharing and engaging at scale. The We A...

67. The Pearl House: How a Mission of Love + Education is Transforming Lives - Courtney Bullard

Meet Courtney. She's telling her founder's story about the power of leading from a place where focus is always on helping "the one." The Pearl House was founded in 2013 to provide hope for girls in rural Ghana, Africa. By providing physical care, emotional support, spiritual development and life-changing academic/vocational opportunities, they empower these girls like never before. Hear one girl's tear-jerking story of hope of what happened her first moments on campus. We encourage keeping t...

66. A Mission to Serve Kids Experiencing Homelessness - Susan Agel

Meet Susan. She's on a mission to partner with families experiencing homelessness to educate their children and create pathways to success through her organization, Positive Tomorrows. As the only private school in America devoted solely to educating children experiencing homelessness, they’re leading the charge in developing a comprehensive educational system built to bring these students up to a level playing field. But they're also bringing fun and heart too. Tune in and get inspired. Th...