Real Talk for Real Fundraisers

Latest Episodes:

Preparing for a High-Impact Fall and Year-End Fundraising Season Aug 20, 2024

Show notes

With summer vacations wrapping up and back-to-school season in full swing, it’s time to start taking a close look at your fundraising plans for the fall and year-end.

Are you feeling prepared for the busy months ahead? We know how valuable this time of year is in your fundraising cycle, which is why it’s so important to focus on creating a strong strategic plan for your donors.

In this episode, Jeff Schreifels is joined by Debi Dunham, Client Experience Leader here at Veritus, and our special guest Jarrod Williams, Director of Development for the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh and an alumnus of our online academy.

Listen in to this episode to learn what steps you can take right now and in the months ahead to set yourself up for a successful year-end fundraising season.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

What fundraisers need to do during the fall fundraising season to prepare for a successful year-end

How to shift your efforts so that you’re using your time effectively in November and December
Planning touch points that will cut through the noise during a busy time for your donors

Re-Release: Using Permission-Based Asking with Your Donors and Securing Meetings Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

It’s the most intimidating part of fundraising: asking someone for a gift.

But that’s not the only thing that fundraisers need to ask for. You’re also requesting meetings, inviting donors to attend events, and asking them to share the personal drivers behind their giving.

So, whatever you’re asking for – how do you do it in a way that honors the donor as a partner in your mission?

We developed our Permission-Based Asking™ model as a framework for more authentic dialogue. No more guessing what your donor is thinking or making assumptions about what’s going on for them.

This episode is a re-release of one of our most-downloaded podcast episodes on asking, featuring Karen Kendrick, our Senior Director of Client Engagement, and Debi Dunham, Senior Client Experience Leader. Listen in to hear some real-life examples of how a permission-based approach to asking can transform your donor relationships.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

How Permission-Based Asking™ works to build collaborative dialogue

Strategies to practice and develop your asking skills in any context

Results from Veritus clients who’ve used Permission-Based Asking with their donors

Applying The Veritus Way Internationally! Jul 23, 2024

Show notes

Did you know that Veritus Group is an international consulting agency, with offices in the UK & Europe (in addition to our US & Canada team)? We often get questions about how The Veritus Way works in different cultural settings, so we wanted to spend some time sharing about our work with international clients and highlighting what’s been working well for them.

In this episode, Jeff is joined by Sara Di Lullo, Director of Client Engagement for Veritus UK and Europe, along with Karen Kendrick, Senior Director of Client Engagement for Veritus Group in the U.S. and Canada. Tune in to hear Sara and Karen share how our clients are taking a relational approach to major gifts in an international context.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

Some of the concerns we hear most often from leaders or fundraisers who aren’t sure if The Veritus Way will work for them

The challenges to implementing a culture shift and adopting a strong major gifts strategy

How our approach has been working for our international clients

Special Episode: Live from the AADO Conference Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

Veritus Group was incredibly honored to be the Presenting Sponsor for the AADO Conference in 2024.

AADO (African American Development Officers Network) is a network of more than 3,500 fundraising professionals of color. Their annual conference is the premier event for fundraising, development, and operations professionals of color, and their allies.

During the conference, our team sat down with several AADO leaders and conference presenters to talk about the projects they’re working on and the path toward racial justice in the non-profit sector.

Our guests on this episode are Birgit Burton, Chief Executive Officer of AADO; Nneka Allen, Founder of The Empathy Agency; and Christopher Beck, Senior Advisor for Principal Gifts and Inclusive Philanthropy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

We were so inspired by this conversation and hope you’ll come away feeling encouraged by the insights shared and the progress toward racial justice in our sector. Thanks for listening!

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

The journey toward racial justice in the non-profit sector
Progress made and current initiatives to support people of color in the fundraising community
What it looks like to create a space where people can bring their authentic selves to their work in philanthropy

Do You Know the Hidden Potential in Your Donor File? Jun 18, 2024

Show notes

Over the past two decades, our team at Veritus has analyzed hundreds of different non-profits’ data files, and we see the same trends over and over again. While overall revenue may go up year-over-year, many donors give less over time (or go away altogether). But organizations are often unaware this is happening because the loss is covered up by gifts from new donors.

So, what can you do about this? The first thing to do is start analyzing your donor file so you can understand where you have opportunities. For today’s episode, Jeff is joined by Theresa Tapocsi (Client Experience Leader) and Amy Chapman (Director of Client Engagement) for a conversation about how we perform our free donor file assessment to identify the hidden potential in your donor file.

The sooner you understand what’s happening in your data, the sooner you can take action. We hope this episode helps you think about your next steps in analyzing your donor data for opportunities to better engage your donors.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

The data points Veritus looks at in our free Donor File Assessment and where organizations have the greatest opportunities to improve their fundraising programs
How we use historical performance to determine a 5-year forecast for your organization
Common reasons why non-profits reach out to Veritus for our free, no-obligations assessment of their donor file
Tips for anyone looking to start analyzing their own donor data in this way

Practical Tips for Facilitating a Donor Meeting Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

As a fundraiser, you play two roles in any donor meeting. First, you’re there to be a partner to your donor, which means you’re seeking to learn more about their passions so you can help to match those with your organization’s programs.

And your second role is to act as a facilitator so that everyone is on the same page about the purpose of the meeting and leaves feeling like their time was well-used. This is a real skill that requires some practice.

In this podcast episode, Karen and Matt share their top tips for how fundraisers can successfully facilitate a donor meeting using our Permission-Based Asking™ model.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

Some common challenges fundraisers have around meeting facilitation
An overview of our Permission-Based Asking™ model
Our team’s top tips for facilitating an effective meeting with a donor

How Mid-Level and Direct Response Can Partner Together May 21, 2024

Show notes

Building a partnership between mid-level and direct response is crucial to your organization’s success. Yet many organizations are missing out on opportunities to align these groups in a way that will strengthen the donor pipeline.

For this episode, we invited special guests Becca Burgess, VP of Client Services at Moore, and Kara Ansotegui, Senior Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the American Cancer Society, to join us for a conversation about creating a partnership between mid-level and direct response that will result in stronger relationships with donors at every stage of giving.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

The difference between a high-touch direct mail campaign and a relational mid-level approach
Creative ways that organizations can promote collaboration between mid-level and direct response teams
Barriers that prevent these groups from coordinating their donor outreach

Measuring Metrics That Matter May 14, 2024

Show notes

Many non-profit leaders rely on metrics because it’s easier than sitting down with their frontline fundraisers each week and helping them stay focused and accountable to their strategic plan. But when your fundraising performance metrics are not aligned with building meaningful relationships with your donors, it can cause a whole host of problems.

What are the metrics that really matter in fundraising, and how can managers best support their teams to stay on track with those key performance goals?

In this podcast episode, Jeff is joined by Matt and Debi for a conversation about the metrics that truly matter for your fundraising success and how we approach these metrics in our coaching work with fundraisers.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

The difference between managed metrics (meaningful connections, cash flowed revenue goal, etc.) versus unmanaged metrics (visits, phone calls, emails)
How we define and measure meaningful connections
Our advice to leaders for how to provide fundraisers with coaching and accountability around the metrics that matter

What to Do When You Inherit a Caseload Apr 24, 2024

Show notes

Many fundraisers aren’t starting their caseloads from scratch – they’re inheriting a donor caseload that was previously managed by someone else. Whether you’re a new hire, or you’re moving into a new role within the same organization and taking on a new caseload, this transition can be complicated.

How do you introduce yourself to these donors who already know your organization, but not you?

In this episode, Matt Gill and Diana Frazier offer steps you can take to help you navigate this transition depending on the specifics of your situation. We hope these tips will help you feel more confident about stepping into your new role in a way that honors the donor and strengthens their connection to your organization!

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…

What to do based on the different scenarios in which you might be inheriting a caseload (starting at a new organization, or moving into a new role at your current organization, or redistributing caseloads)

Protocols for introducing yourself to donors and where to use warm hand-offs from a previous caseload manager

Tips for leadership on how to support fundraisers who are taking on a new portfolio

Mapping the Donor Journey: A Pipeline Health Checklist Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

Is your organization set up to support the donor journey? What structures do you have in place to develop your donor relationships from initial acquisition to cultivation, mid-level, major gifts, and planned giving?

These are some of the questions you need to consider as you work to build a healthy donor pipeline. In this episode, Richard and Jeff discuss five key focus areas for organizations seeking to improve their donor’s experience at every stage of their giving journey.

Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about…