A Legacy of Generosity

Revisit a classic episode from Season 1 as we join Steve Boland from Next in Nonprofits to talk about donor communications. Donor segmentation is a proven tool for communicating effectively with our audiences. Join co-hosts Mark Beenken & Kristi Ackley as they explore how to apply that tool to communications for legacy donors with guest, Steve Boland. Steve is a nonprofit veteran with over twenty-five years of experience helping charities grow with new ideas in fundraising and communications and is the Managing Partner of Next in Nonprofits. He'll share insights on why and how to segment your communications to capture the attention of potential legacy donors. Steve also shares some great tips for cultivating those individuals to also help with opening doors to other legacy donors! This episode is so good, we’re sharing it again!

Listen in as Kim Snyder from the Excelsior Bay Group shares a model for engaging funders and nonprofits in mutually trusting relationships that lead to greater community benefit. Kim describes how she serves as “consultant in residence,” expanding access to expert counsel for under-resourced nonprofits, especially in greater Minnesota. Her collaboration with the Mankato Area Foundation shows how bringing everyone to the table creates greater trust and new synergy for doing good.

What are your personal and team goals for professional development? Do you want to grow and deepen your knowledge, strengthen team relationships and skills, or expand your network and advance your career? Listen in on this conversation with Marie and Gay for a treasure trove of resources.

In this episode we’ll be learning all about what Charitable Gift Annuities are, best practices for non-profits creating CGA agreements, best prospects for this gift vehicle, and recent news around payout rates. As a consultant, Edith (Edie) works with charitable organizations across the country, providing assistance on both gift-specific questions and issues relating to operation of their planned giving programs. Edie also helps charities comply with state regulations for issuance of gift annuities and is a contributing author for Charitable Gift Annuities: The Complete Resource Manual. Edie has spoken at American Council on Gift Annuities (ACGA) conferences, local planned giving councils, and to varying groups within charitable organizations (including Boards, staff, and donors). She is a past board member the ACGA.

Join us for part two of the conversation with Frances Roen of Fundraising Sol to learn the five key ingredients to reclaim fundraising as a practice that nourishes the heart and sol of your team and those you serve. Doesn’t it make sense that the work we do to support a healthier community should be grounded in the wellness of our teams and organizations? We think so! Frances Roen is the Founder and CEO of Fundraising Sol where since 2018, she has partnered with dozens of nonprofits and hundreds of nonprofit professionals across the country to make fundraising the bright spot in their days.

Join us as we talk to master storyteller, Lori L. Jacobwith about the nine steps listed below to a successful fundraising campaign. Step 1 - LeadershipStep 2 - StaffStep 3 - Board MembersStep 4 - Goals, Timelines, and UrgencyStep 5 - Telling Your StoryStep 6 - Keeping Your Donors EngagedStep 7 - Money ConversationsStep 8 - Be SpecificStep 9 - Donor Data Management Lori also shares some great tips and insights on how to tell impactful stories that continue the "hope journey". This includes the hugely positive impact of having board members make thank you calls to first time donors and how they are 37% more likely to donate again when this happens than when it doesn't! Listen now for more great insight!

Our latest episode is live!! Join us again with Aileen Rosa Sanchez as we talk about how events have evolved since Covid. Aileen shared some great tips for maximizing engagement and going beyond the event to connect with new and current donors. We touch on the huge success Aileen’s former employer, Lutheran Social Services (LSS), had during their fall annual event in 2022 and lessons learned there. If you’re planning an event in 2023, you’re going to want to listen to this first! #fundraising #events #plannedgiving #fundraisingevent

Join Gay & Kristi as they talk with Aileen Rosa Sanchez about transformational leadership and how to bring new people into your development team. In this conversation they touch on topics like recruiting, training and advancing your team, reaching the hard to reach, embedding IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access) values into your team culture and employee recognition. If you're leading and/or growing a team, you'll want to listen in to this one! Aileen Rosa Sanchez is the Senior Director of Philanthropy at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Children's Home. She is a strategy, equity and fund development leader. Aileen’s previous philanthropic portfolio includes Mayo Clinic, the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, and various Twin Cities nonprofits, as well as political and foundation engagement. Aileen helped co-found the Latino Economic Development Center in Minnesota and also the New World School of the Arts Alumni Foundation in her hometown of Miami, Florida. She has also helped build diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at various institutions.

Tricia Schleper, Lifecoach with Schleper Coaching, helps us explore and identify how limiting beliefs affect our personal and professional lives. These subtle, sometimes unrealized beliefs can hinder our ability to communicate and expand our skillsets as Development Professionals. If you have ever wondered why you can’t seem to make the next level, or overcome internal stress or fear, this episode might open the door. Tricia discusses common limiting beliefs, how they impact our work, and simple steps we can take to put limiting beliefs behind us.

Are you wondering, maybe even a little worried, about how a recession will impact your fund development efforts? Then this episode is one you won't want to miss. Jennifer Berges, Director of Philanthropy at EngenderHealth, shares her experiences as a development officer during periods of uncertainity and the strategies she's used to keep her organizations on track. Planned and legacy giving are two areas she leans heavily into during economic downturns to help her donors be creative about the ways they support the organizations they love.  Jennifer is responsible for developing and executing EngenderHealth’s individual giving strategy, including major gifts, planned giving, and family foundation gifts. She also oversees the philanthropy team and annual giving. Jennifer has more than 17 years of experience in fundraising, management, and leadership at higher education, public media, and arts organizations. Prior to joining EngenderHealth, she served as development director at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Jennifer holds a bachelor of arts in history and American culture studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a master of business administration from the University of South Florida.

In this season of gratitude, be reminded of the joys and rewards of the work we do. Hear from two philanthropy professionals about key themes of donor relations, with the donor’s passion at the center. Our guests will share examples and lessons learned from more than 60 combined years of experience. You will come away with practical insights and tips along with renewed inspiration. Guest bios: Lynn Praska Lynn joined the planned giving team at the University of Minnesota Foundation in 2009. She came to the Foundation from Hamline University where she had more than 17 years of planned and major gift development experience. Lynn is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the Minnesota Gift Planning Association. She served on the MGPA board from 2006 to 2011, and as chair in 2008. Lynn currently served on the Conference Committee and Communications Committee for MGPA. Susan Hommes Susan joined the planned giving team at the University of Minnesota Foundation in 2007 and was recently named Senior Director of Planned Giving. She has over 30 years of development experience, having held positions with United Way, Catholic Charities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and Community Action Council (360 Communities). Susan earned her B.A. from the College of St. Benedict and her M. A. in public administration and management from Hamline University. She is a member of the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners and the Minnesota Gift Planning Association, serving as chair in 2006. She currently served on the board and is past president of the West St. Paul/Mendota Heights Rotary Club and is an active volunteer with St. Pascal Baylon church and school. She lives in St. Paul with her husband Joe and son Peter. She enjoys hiking, bicycling, and wine!

In this episode, we take a shallow dive into the emerging digital currency world. Dan, Chase, and Carl explore cryptocurrency's history, current uses, and possible future – and the mysterious NFT. The discussion also covers concerns regarding gifts of cryptocurrencies to nonprofits and how nonprofit organizations can better position themselves to receive digital currency donations. Dan Kramer is a financial strategist and investor in the St. Cloud area that helps clients nationwide with organizing and structuring their personal finances to gain more control of their money, recover losses to increase client's wealth. Chase Larson is the Chief Lending Officer at St. Cloud Financial Credit Union and is a results driven leader with 15 years of experience in Finance, Credit and Banking.

Join Ali & Kristi as the dive into the unconscious mind with NLP Trainer, Author & Speaker, Betsy Pake. Together they explore how the internal stories we have can hold us back from hitting our goals, affect conversations with donors and impact our view of money. Betsy shares practical, easy steps to create awareness and start making shifts that will help anyone get "unstuck". Once we have great awareness about ourselves we can also start identifying patterns in others and create a more effective approach to working with donors based on their "buying strategy". Listen in now to unlock your potential to raise more money for the mission you care about!  Betsy is a Master Mindset coach, board-certified trainer of NLP and Hypnotherapy and founder of The Alchemy institute. As a best-selling author, speaker, and host of the popular podcast, The Art of Living Big, Betsy creates opportunities to shift your mindset and change your life. You can find out more about her on her website: betsypake.com.

Overall, 33% of U.S. adults have a will, according to Caring.com’s 2021 wills and estate planning survey. Meanwhile, 27.5% of Black Americans have one, up from 25.9% in 2020. According to legalzoom.com Estate Planning Statistics, “the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of people who have created a will or estate plan, but most Americans still remain without.” Some might consider this a state of emergency, but for those in fundraising and planning professions, it is an opportunity. Learn from Patrick Schmitt of FreeWill on how your nonprofit can lean into this month's theme and utilize FreeWill's platform to bring in more legacy commitments that support your mission. Patrick also shares stats about millennial wealth, forecast on planned gifts and the rise in crypto giving. Get some great talking points in this episode! This episode's co-hosts are Ali Schneider, Animal Humane Society and Kristi Ackley, Fair Winds Consulting. To learn more about FreeWill, visit their website: https://www.freewill.com/

Join our hosts, Carl Newbanks and Kristi Ackley, in this classic episode as our guests share scary stories of will bequests gone wrong! Jim Dwyer and Nancy Brown have decades of experience working with nonprofits and donors to align charitable goals with mission and purpose. But these years of experience don't come without nightmare stories that would keep any development professional up at night.