Suzy Myers Jackson didn’t expect to have a career in fundraising, but when the opportunity to lead an organization that aligned with her passion for theatre presented itself, she hit the ground running.

So many leaders who come to me are already raising millions but want to diversify their funding model. Often their organizations are greatly dependent on ever-changing and slow-paying government dollars like Medicaid/Medicare. They also want to scale gen-ops revenue through philanthropy but want help learning how to do that for the long-term.

That's exactly what we're talking about with my client, Erie Family Health Center’s Vice President of Development, Melissa Hilton. Erie is a FQHC - even if you aren't a Federally Qualitified Healthcare Center, this episode will be really valueable.

You have questions about your nonprofit’s board, Mary Hiland has answers!

I recently had an amazingly enlightening conversation on my podcast with Mary, who has been a leading expert in the nonprofit industry for over 40 years. She is the Founder and President of Hiland Consulting, where she supports executive directors through mentoring and coaching.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing from Maiya Holliday, CEO and Founder of Mangrove Web Development. She is a creative leader and collaborator who crafts digital solutions to augment the impact of changemakers. AND, she's a self-taught coder with over a decade of hands-on experience.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing from Arlene Siller, an absolute expert in the field of grant writing. I'm talking over 29 years of experience in securing multimillion-dollar grants! Arlene is the founder of Ascend Nonprofit and Business Solutions LLC, a firm helping women and minority owned nonprofits around the country secure essential funding through grants.

You’ll hear me talk a lot about budgets and really understanding the financial needs of a nonprofit organization. While “money talk” is a significant portion of nonprofit strategy, it’s certainly not the only focus point.

I recently had Bofta Yimam on my podcast to share her expertise on why visibility through storytelling is so important for nonprofit success.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing from my client turned colleague, Erin McPartlin! Erin led the organization, Tutoring Chicago, for nearly two decades and has recently made a career change through the launch of her consultancy.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing straight from my client, Mandy Moody, Executive Director of Green City Market, an organization here in Chicagoland securing the future of food.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing from my colleague, Brooke Richie-Babbage, lawyer turned nonprofit founder turned impact strategist and coach in New York City.

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing straight from my client, Yamilée Toussaint Beach, Founder and CEO of STEM From Dance, a national organization headquartered in New York City. As a Mechanical Engineer and Dancer, Yamilée is a perfectly balanced right brain and left brain individual. Those types of people make the best leaders AND the best fundraisers in my book!

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing straight from my client, Tre Moore, National Director of India Rural Evangelical Fellowship (IREF). I’ve worked with Tre for years now, so we know each other well! Honestly, he’s become an amazing fundraiser. Maybe one of the best.

If you've been following along with me for a while, you know my love for Tracy Goodwin!

So, when I asked her to be on my podcast and she said YES, I about fell off my chair. Needless to say, I’m so excited to share this podcast with you today!

So appropriate that I launch this Case Study Podcast on Valentines Day! Because I just LOVE this client!

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing straight from Amy Fass, Executive Director of SHOES That Fit. I’ve loved every minute working with Amy and her team! Amy and I even discovered our enneagram numbers together so you know there's a bond!

I'm excited for you to listen to my interview with Tony Martignetti on the podcast today!

The reason I wanted Tony to come on my podcast was pretty simple. I wanted him to demystify Planned Giving for us.

He didn't disappoint. 

On this month’s podcast, you’re hearing straight from my client, Emily Norton, Executive Director of the Charles River Watershed Association in Boston. I’ve loved every minute working with Emily; she makes me belly laugh in most meetings, is an A+ student, and is a task-master.

Do you know exactly what to say to inspire your donors?

Nonprofits have solid, metric-based missions, but putting those activities into words that the average person can understand can be tricky. Hiring a short-term writer may help. Or even giving the task to the development team. But this won’t work in the long run.

So what can you do to attain clarity on communications?

One of the biggest factors contributing to the Great Resignation is professional development being the first thing to get cut from the budget.

Because of this, our fundraisers aren’t equipped to handle investment-level conversations and lead donors to major gifts.

So what should be done? Investing in your staff is the top priority.

I love talking about time allocation.

Your organization may be spending too much time on the wrong solutions.

Even if you think you know so much, you still need someone to tell you, “Have you tried this? Have you thought of it this way?”

For me, my coach helps me see what it looks like to actually have the money to accomplish a client’s strategic plan.

So what have I learned from looking through an objective lens?

Let me guess. Right now, you’re looking for your next developmental director.

It’s pretty crazy. And I admit, it’s the most difficult hire for an organization. The worst-case scenario would be ending up with the wrong person on the bus. And we don’t want that, right?

But today, let’s make it a little bit easier as I share the things you need to watch out for in your next fundraiser so your organization can hit revenue goals!

Welcome to Season 3 of The Business Behind Fundraising!

For this season, we’ll be going in-depth on a few of the factors impacting the Great Resignation that I want you to reflect on.

Today’s episode will be all about why you should invest more money into overhead, especially your fundraising staff.

Spoiler: No new grant appeal, board member, or celebrity shout-out is going to fix your insufficient overhead cash. It’s all about solid groundwork and being honest with our needs and numbers.