"We’re not just telling stories anymore—we’re helping people make sense of the world." That’s the powerful message behind this week’s episode of Nonprofit Nation featuring Kristen Grimm, founder and strategist of Spitfire Strategies, a leading communications firm that helps nonprofits, foundations, and social changemakers sharpen their voice and deepen their impact. In this conversation, Kristen introduces the concept of “meaning-making” — the process of helping people interpret what’s happen...
💰 What’s a DAF and why should nonprofits - of every size- care about this trend in giving? My guest this week is Mitch Stein, Head of Strategy at Chariot, a fintech company revolutionizing how nonprofits receive Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) donations. Mitch shows us the growing significance of DAFs - which now hold over $230 billion in charitable assets - and why most nonprofits are still leaving money on the table. From integrating DAFs into digital fundraising to engaging donors more stra...
How do you tell stories that not only inform but inspire people to act? In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I’m joined by Caroline Keylock, co-founder of LookUP, a global storytelling consultancy helping nonprofits, brands, and agencies harness the power of narrative to drive growth, connection, and impact. Caroline shares her unique perspective drawn from both the nonprofit and commercial sectors, including her work with Wikimedia, Alzheimer’s organizations, and The Communications Network. ...
What if everything you’ve been taught about fundraising isn’t wrong—but just too safe? In this episode, I’m joined by Lisa L. Stueckemann, CFRE, author of Fundraising Rebel—a book that’s shaking up how we think about donor relationships, generosity, and what it means to lead with courage in today’s fundraising landscape. Lisa is a consultant, mentor, and nationally recognized speaker who’s worked with hundreds of nonprofit teams to help them ditch the “donor-centric” buzzwords and build real,...
What does it take to lead with strength and compassion when your work revolves around trauma, crisis, and healing? In this episode, I’m joined by Bridgette Stumpf, CEO and Co-Founder, and Lindsey Silverberg, Executive Director at Volare, a nonprofit based in Washington, DC that provides free, trauma-informed legal, advocacy, and therapeutic services to survivors of crime. Formerly known as the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), Volare has grown from a grassroots startup into a $5M org...
What does it take to build a truly inclusive, culturally competent organization where burnout isn’t the norm — but the exception? In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I’m joined by Dr. Rick Rodriguez, Co-Founder and Learning Partner at The Rooted Life — a first-generation, LGBTQ+, minority-founded, bilingual coaching and consulting organization that centers people, culture, and identity at the heart of leadership. With over 20 years of experience supporting schools, nonprofits, and mission-dr...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists and get helpful templates to help you raise more. 🪷 💰 What if the nonprofit sector could help grow giving by $52 billion every year? That’s not a pie-in-the-sky projection. It’s the real, data-backed opportunity uncovered by Woodrow Rosenbaum, Chief Data Officer at GivingTuesday, in their latest research from GivingTuesday Data Commons: Growing Giving: How Nonprofits Can Unlock Billions in Generosi...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their 12 Year-End Fundraising Checklists and get helpful templates to help you raise more. 🪷 Why do women give — and what truly inspires them to give more? In this powerful episode of Nonprofit Nation, I’m joined by Jacqueline Ackerman, Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.and a leading voice in gender and philanthropy. With a background shaped by early experien...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 Kathleen Jeanette Guillaume-Delemar is the President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress. From her historic role as the first Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latina, Haitian American elected to the Glenarden City Council to her current work shaping national policy, Kathleen’s journey is both...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 Is the print newsletter dead? Not so fast. In this episode, I’m joined by Julie Edwards, also known as The Nonprofit Maven, a fundraising strategist and coach who helps organizations move from reactive chaos to strategic clarity. Julie shares a real-world case study where one mid-size...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 What if your most powerful advocates are already inside your community — and just waiting for you to activate them? In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, Julia Campbell talks with Tasha Van Vlack, community builder, engagement strategist, and founder of The Nonprofit Hive, about how nonprof...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 The numbers don’t lie - 2024 was a record-breaking year for charitable giving. But are you actually feeling it this year? And what does it mean for 2026? I talk with Wendy McGrady, President and COO of The Curtis Group, and Chair of Giving USA Foundation, to break down insights from the ne...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 What if your nonprofit’s most passionate supporters aren’t new donors or current volunteers, but the people who were part of your mission years ago? In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I talk with Gustavo Zylberberg, founder of Vitalcy, an AI-powered engagement platform built to help nonp...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 How can nonprofits tell powerful, compelling stories without compromising the dignity of the people they serve? In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I welcome Carly Euler, Marketing Director at MemoryFox and creator of the Ethical Storytelling Report. With a rich background in fundraising,...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, I’m joined by Amanda Nicholson, an email fundraising strategist with a background in special education and a deep commitment to advocacy and social justice. With nearly four years of experience helping nonprofits close critical fundraising gaps, Amanda ...
🪷Nonprofit Nation is supported by Bloomerang. Download their free Ultimate Guide to GivingTuesday and get helpful templates to help you raise more on the biggest day of the year for new donor acquisition. 🪷 In this episode of Nonprofit Nation, we’re joined by Faigy Gilder, a nonprofit digital marketing strategist with over 15 years of experience helping small organizations punch above their weight. With an MPA and a passion for practical, no-fluff strategies, Faigy specializes in teaching AI ...
What if nonprofit burnout isn’t inevitable—but preventable? This week on Nonprofit Nation, we’re joined by Megan Whitney—nonprofit leader, coach, and mindfulness guide—who’s on a mission to help changemakers stop sacrificing their well-being for the work. After an 18-year career in the sector—and burning out a decade ago—Megan realized that passion alone isn’t enough. Now, through 1:1 coaching, team workshops, and guided meditations on Insight Timer, she equips nonprofit professionals with to...
What does it take to lead with purpose in philanthropy today? How can foundations lead in moments of political uncertainty or during periods of reduced federal support for nonprofits? As nonprofits across the country face political and financial pressures—from policy rollbacks to funding cuts—the role of foundations has never been more critical. In this episode, Dr. Sherece West-Scantlebury, President & CEO of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, joins us to reflect on how philanthropy ca...
Simply “raising awareness” isn’t enough anymore for nonprofits. In this episode, communications specialist Kathleen Tonini joins Nonprofit Nation to challenge one of the sector’s most common traps—mistaking noise for strategy. With her G.A.M.E. framework (Goal, Audience, Message, Engage), Kathleen helps values-driven organizations get clear and confident about how they communicate, so they can inspire real action—not just fill inboxes. Together, we dig into the difference between performative...
Can artificial intelligence actually help you raise more money, as well as build better donor relationships? We’re diving into the future of fundraising with Juliet MacDowell, a veteran development strategist who’s raised over $1 billion for global NGOs and is now the founder of Mission AI. Whether you're a seasoned fundraiser or just curious about how AI is impacting our sector, this episode is full of practical insights, big-picture thinking, and a hopeful look at what’s next for nonprofit ...