Curious about how cryptocurrency can revolutionize nonprofit fundraising? This episode is for you. Meghan Speer sits down with Pat Duffy, CEO and co-founder of The Giving Block, who unveils his journey from pharmaceuticals to pioneering crypto donations in the nonprofit world.  Discover how nonprofits can effortlessly convert crypto donations into US dollars, avoiding the technicalities of holding or trading cryptocurrencies, and learn practical strategies for integrating crypto into your fundraising toolkit. Don’t miss this transformative conversation that could elevate your fundraising efforts to new heights.

Pat shares the compelling story of how The Giving Block emerged to solve the challenges nonprofits face in accepting crypto donations, along with a simplified breakdown of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, making the concept accessible to everyone.

Get free nonprofit professional development resources, connections to cause work peers, and more at https://nonprofithub.org

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What if leadership isn’t about having all the answers? Discover the power of embracing uncertainty with our special guest, Lisa Slayton, a former nonprofit leader who now thrives as a consultant and author. Join us as Lisa recounts her transformative journey from heading the a local Pittsburgh nonprofit to co-authoring “Life in Flux” with Michaela O’Donnell.

In this eye-opening episode, we challenge conventional problem-solving approaches by exploring the concept of “embracing the unfigureoutable.” Lisa and I talk about the shift from solving problems to fostering curiosity, especially when facing complex, unsolvable issues. Embrace your vulnerabilities and learn why admitting “I don’t know” can be a strength, leading to innovation and growth. With the metaphor of a trapeze artist as our guide, we discuss the leaps of faith required to unlearn outdated practices and navigate the ever-changing landscape of leadership. Tune in for practical wisdom and inspiration that will resonate with leaders across all fields.

Lisa Pratt Slayton is the founder and CEO of Tamim Partners. She partners with leaders and their teams to help them flourish and lead well in complex times. With 25 years of leadership, organizational consulting and coaching experience, her clients include business executives and non-profit and ministry leaders.

Get free nonprofit professional development resources, connections to cause work peers, and more at https://nonprofithub.org

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Wondering how to ensure the long-term sustainability of your nonprofit? Our latest episode with philanthropy expert Mike Goorhouse dives into the often-overlooked world of planned giving strategies. Mike joins host Meghan Speer to share his journey from a youth grantmaker to leading a philanthropic consulting company, revealing why delayed gratification is essential for securing your mission’s future. Learn how to make strategic asks that promise future rewards, even when the immediate benefits are not visible. From creative approaches to measurable metrics, this episode offers actionable steps to foster estate gift commitments, ensuring your nonprofit’s future is secure. Tune in for a comprehensive guide to mastering planned giving in the nonprofit sector.

Mike Goorhouse is Founder and Lead Consultant at Inspiring Impact, LLC, a firm dedicated to helping nonprofit and philanthropic organizations effectively inspire change in their community.

He has spent his entire career in philanthropy including working with Family Foundations, Community Foundations and Youth Grantmakers while at the Council of Michigan Foundations and serving as President/CEO for the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area (CFHZ) for 10 years.

Over the years Mike has been recognized for his commitment to philanthropy and the community. In 2011 he was named one of the top 30 Civic Leaders under the age of 30 in the nation by the National Conference on Citizenship. In 2017 he was named Young Executive of the Year as part of the MiBiz Best Managed Nonprofit Awards. Finally, he has been recognized as one of the Grand Rapids Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Business Leaders six times and three times has been named one of GRBJ’s top 200 most influential business leaders in West Michigan.

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Social media platforms can be enjoyable, but are not always beneficial for building diverse communities, as younger generations are often not actively engaged with the content nonprofits are putting out. Younger generations seem to want to be generous, but don’t often use social platforms for that kind of connection. Is it due to the fraudulent past of some organizations? Is it because older organizations have more credibility than younger ones? In this episode, host Meghan Speer chats with John Del Bello about his proposal to build the first-ever Social Philanthropic platform, which will help foster donations from younger givers and emphasize openness, transparency, and user-friendly technology.

John Del Bello is a visionary entrepreneur with over 35 years of community involvement dedicated to revolutionizing philanthropy. He combines curated technology with accessibility and affordability, drawing from 2,500+ hours of research. Holding a 2020-21 Certification in Nonprofit Leadership & Management from Austin Community College’s top-ranked Center for Nonprofit Studies, he’s equipped with vital skills for nonprofit leadership.

Recognizing the decades-old systemic challenges facing the sector, John advocates for inclusive solutions that engage, educate, and empower all stakeholders. He unveils hidden statistics that reveal the underlying issues in philanthropy, challenging the narrative that it is solely for the wealthy.

Through his transformative platform, John aims to democratize philanthropy by empowering individuals and businesses to make meaningful contributions to local nonprofits. His two-sided Fintech/SaaS application promises to disrupt the social services sector, facilitating collaboration, coordination, and advocacy among organizations. John’s mission is clear: to harness the collective power of the younger generation and drive real societal change through accessible, affordable, and impactful philanthropy. Small change, he believes, can make a big impact when wielded effectively.

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Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) are becoming more and more prevalent in the nonprofit space, and it is becoming increasingly crucial for nonprofits to understand this method of giving. What is a DAF? What are the advantages of donating through DAFs in a world where credit card usage is more convenient? How can you accommodate donors who are looking to use this new means of supporting your mission? Learn about the motivations behind your donors who are switching to DAFs, the benefits of DAFs for your nonprofit organization, and the latest strategies for accommodating donors who use DAFs. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Greg Farrell and Mitch Stein to discuss the ins and outs of DAFs as vehicles for philanthropic giving, one of the most requested topics for the podcast.

Throughout the podcast, references are made to the following study regarding data collected about DAFs: https://www.givechariot.com/daf-fundraising-report. 

Mitch Stein is the Head of Strategy for Chariot, a payments company for Donor Advised Fund (DAF) giving. They help nonprofits incorporate Donor Advised Fund gifts into all their fundraising flows with Chariot’s integrated DAF payment option, removing the headaches of missing DAF donors and tracking DAF gifts. He had a 7 year career as an Investment Banker at Goldman Sachs before becoming a startup founder around his biggest passion – bringing more high impact innovation to the nonprofit space. His startup raised over $1M in pre-seed funding, grew to a team of 10, and helped thousands of users. In 2023, he consulted with other founders in the social impact tech sector on their Strategy, Story & Sales where he ultimately joined Chariot’s team to help make his biggest dreams for philanthropy a reality.

Greg Farrell is a legacy Hefren-Tillotson advisor. He and his wife, Christine Farrell, lead a unique group within the Baird family. Greg is a CFP® practitioner and a Senior Vice President with the firm. He is licensed for a variety of insurance needs as well, including long-term care insurance. He has authored articles for several local newspapers and has been a featured speaker on the popular financial radio call-in show, “Your Money & You” heard Sunday mornings on KDKA-AM/1020. Greg has served in numerous volunteer positions for his favorite charity, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. He is also active in Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church where Greg served as an Elder.

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Starting a nonprofit organization is a daunting task, and it can be easy to feel stuck when all the obstacles in the way of turning your passion into an organization lie before you. How can you transform a vision into a real nonprofit? How can you make a difference in your community without the funding that bigger organizations may have? Learn about how your nonprofit organization can play a role in supporting and strengthening your community, no matter how big or small your organization may be. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Lacroy Nixon to discuss his journey as a founder and director of a budding nonprofit organization that focuses on building up its community through the art of spoken word poetry. 

Lacroy “Atlas” Nixon has been writing/performing spoken word poetry for 8 years. He is the founder of Slam Connection, a slam poetry-based organization in Williamsburg created to use poetry, slam poetry, and spoken word as a means for community action. He is also on the executive board for the Writers Guild of Virginia, is a member of the poetry society of Virginia, has a book available entitled “God and his humor”, and is an artist with the Hope Booth Movement (a world-changing initiative that toured across 19 cities in the United States in March 2022 and debuted in London, UK in October 2021). He is a 2 times back-to-back (2023 and 2024) Verb Benders grand slam champion and is on The Verb Benders slam poetry team which is currently ranked 3rd in the United States. In addition to poetry, he was also an educator through the Child Defense Fund Freedom School program for 2 years as a servant leader intern and a site coordinator. He loves Jesus and hopes to inspire people to be the best version of themselves through arts and self-expression.

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Everyone in the nonprofit space is talking about Google Grants and how to get one for your nonprofit organization. But how do you use a Google Grant to its fullest potential once you’ve been approved for the grant? How can you build an effective search campaign to bring people to your website? How can you convert clicks to donations? Learn about strategies and best practices for getting the most out of your Google Grant. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Sean Littman to discuss the importance of thinking outside of the box when designing an effective search campaign and the importance of prioritizing campaigns that create an effective funnel to convert clicks to donations.

Sean Littman is a nonprofit marketing strategist that brings a fully holistic approach to an organization’s marketing and digital presence. In the past 10 years, he has started several successful companies and podcasts that grew to thousands of streams per week. However, his real interest is in helping nonprofits maximize their potential on the internet. He helps nonprofits transform their new and existing email lists into profitable campaigns on a monthly basis through visual storytelling, strong content, and email funnels. He focuses on Google for Nonprofits, helping organizations take the $10k/month and turn it into real money. He’s worked with a large range of organizations both big and small to help them achieve their goals.

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As your organization grows, all-in-one solutions may not be offering everything that your organization needs. How can you determine when it’s time to drop the all-in-one solutions and search for more fitting single point solutions? How can you motivate a shift from an all-in-one solution that your organization has been using for a long time? Learn about all the benefits of more specialized, single point solutions for your nonprofit operations and the importance of graduating from all-in-one solutions that are limiting you and your team. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Sal Salpietro to discuss the blessings and curses of all-in-one solutions in the nonprofit space and the importance of finding the correct solutions for your organization. 

Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Community Officer at Fundraise Up, and Board Secretary of Asia Wild, has a background spanning technology, digital marketing, startups, and nonprofits. As a frequent speaker, he enthusiastically encourages nonprofits to embrace innovation and efficiency in online fundraising. Having served both at a nonprofit as Director of Digital, as well as on the technology platform side, he has a deep understanding of the challenges nonprofits face and solutions to advance our missions. Eager to distill concepts into easily digestible actions, Salvatore uses analogies and self-reflecting questions to help nonprofit professionals see the world from the perspective of the donor. He speaks three languages, has lived in three countries, and is a proud girl-dad to a Swiftie.

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It’s time to stop being satisfied with “well, that’s how it’s always been.” How can you help move an organization forward that seems to be stuck in place as a leader in the organization or as just a member of the team? How can you create proactive strategies that allow for necessary change in a world that is always changing? Learn how to get started with breaking through stagnation and creating sustainable change in your organization that will allow for greater growth and success. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Beth Fisher to discuss how to lead your team and how to lead yourself to create change in your organization and create new success for your mission. 

Beth Fisher is a corporate and nonprofit executive with 25+ years of experience leading individuals, teams, and organizations to re-engineer strategies and business processes for increased efficiency, stronger cross-functional collaboration, and skyrocketing sales. She is uniquely positioned with a diverse career including: a top-ranking technology sales leader with global clients; a widely-recognized, brand-building C-suite nonprofit executive; a published author; and a business consultant with subject matter expertise in the business and theology space. The common thread and key to her success is bringing together the right strategies, tools, talent, systems, and execution to help organizations thrive.

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How can you mold your leadership strategies to create a culture of generosity in your nonprofit organization that allows for strong relationships with donors and with every member of your team? How can you implement important principles into the day-to-day operations of your organization that creates a culture for growth, authenticity, and comradery? Learn how to break down walls between different groups of your team, stay connected to your cause through adopting a willingness to get shoulder-to-shoulder with people, and become a model of transparency and authenticity as a leader in your organization. On this episode, host Meghan Speer sits down with Gabe Cooper to discuss strategies for creating a responsive nonprofit that builds a culture of generosity inside and outside its office.

Gabe Cooper is the Founder and CEO of Virtuous, a Responsive Nonprofit CRM & Marketing Platform helping nonprofits build lasting relationships with their donors. He is also the author of the top-selling book Responsive Fundraising and The Responsive Nonprofit: 8 Practices that Drive Nonprofit Innovation. After serving in a leadership role at a large nonprofit, Gabe went on to help build a series of successful software products in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. His team’s products have been featured in Wired, USA Today, NY Times, and Apple’s WWDC. His drive stems from a passion to create market-defining software and help charities reimagine generosity.

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