The current season of The Fundraising Elevator—Swaim Strategies’ in-depth series of discussions featuring guests from across the world of fundraising events—is well underway, delivering a wealth of insights into what makes a great fundraising event from a curated array of experts to help guide your fundraising event strategy, planning, and execution. This season, we’ve tackled a wide range of topics, going beyond the basics to explore the science behind a successful event and how nonprofits can tap into the power of community, and much more.
You can find The Fundraising Elevator on all major podcast services as well as YouTube and the Swaim Strategies Substack. If you like what you hear, make sure to subscribe to help support our work!
The spirit of nonprofit work is inherently tied to community, regardless of the mission or the people funding it. But as development professionals and fundraising event planners design galas and auctions, it’s all too easy for connections to the community to be sidelined in favor of attracting certain types of donors.
In this episode, we were joined by Nel Taylor, an organizational equity specialist and an expert on ethical, inclusive fundraising. Nel brings a deep knowledge of equity-centered practices and accountability structures as well as firsthand experience in the trenches of the fundraising world, where they learned from a young age how fundraising can change lives, and how nonprofits can decenter the communities they serve. Their work stretches across fundraising campaigns and accountability systems, and they now serve as Founder and Steward of Now This Consulting, which aims to help nonprofits build community and prioritize equity as a foundational principle.
The discussion begins with a rundown of how traditional fundraising events tend to create an environment of exclusivity focused on social status, exploring how nonprofits can rethink event systems in order to better connect with the communities they serve. Nel also offers a real-world case study of a successful event developed on a powerful guiding principle: identify the most generous thing an organization can do, then figure out how to make it happen.
It’s no secret that today’s economic landscape is highly fraught, with unilateral cuts to federal funding and an environment that has widened the gap between everyday donors and the ultra-wealthy. Uncertainty has come to define today’s economy, leading nonprofits to wonder how they can continue to pursue their missions and effectively serve their communities.
In this conversation, we were joined by Deborah Steinkopf and Anthony Petchel, co-founders of the Nonprofit Financial Leadership Academy. Deborah and Anthony begin the episode by taking an unflinching look at today’s economic and political realities while also finding reason for hope in rising total giving levels and surges in advocacy as individuals across demographics step up to make a difference.
This is a discussion full of actionable insights, ranging from the growth of Donor Advised Funds to the impact of tax policy on giving and how nonprofits can avoid leaving money on the table through a focus on donor retention. It’s a highly strategic conversation that’s sure to offer fresh ideas on how to reinvigorate your fundraising models and strengthen relationships with donors.
This very special episode of The Fundraising Elevator podcast was recorded live at this year’s Elevate Conference in Portland, Oregon, and features a lively discussion around the neuroscience of giving with veteran fundraiser Clay Buck and behavior science expert Cherian Koshy.
At the core of this discussion is both guests’ insistence that despite general pessimism concerning the state of society and specific concerns within the nonprofit sector about sustainability, generosity is a core part of what makes us human, and there are real opportunities for nonprofits to thrive when they focus on relationships.
The guests also take a moment to challenge the audience to consider the power of gratitude in the donor relationship, demonstrating how organizations can build stronger partnerships with supporters by focusing on true impact over dollar amounts. By moving away from a transactional model and toward a more open, inclusive style of fundraising, nonprofits can elevate their work today and in the future.
In another unique episode of The Fundraising Elevator podcast, we assembled a panel of six event planners with experience in fundraising to explore current trends and shifts in the nonprofit landscape. Few understand the realities of fundraising events like the people who bring them to life, and this panel brought a wealth of insight into how nonprofits can reshape their approach to events to fit today’s environment
Episode guests:
Above all, the panel came back to the theme of authenticity in events, emphasizing that audiences today prefer connection and genuine experiences over performance and spectacle. The event planners also shared ways to bring more joy into fundraising events and campaigns, including the marketing tools that invite audiences to participate and give. They also shared tips on managing event costs and enhancing impact through intentionality rather than spending.
We’ll round out this recap with the most recent episode of The Fundraising Elevator podcast, another roundtable discussion featuring a crew of benefit auctioneers with broad experience in the fundraising world. The panel begins by exploring what’s currently working well for nonprofits when it comes to auctions and fundraising events before moving on to the paddle raise, also known as the special appeal, which the panel members argued is an underutilized tool that nonprofits should be brave enough to use to meet their goals.
Then, the panel moves on to discuss the benefits of hiring an experienced benefit auctioneer who can bring the specific type of energy and goodwill to your fundraising events that will spur guests to become donors. They also speak on the need for more auctioneers and fundraising professionals of color, emphasizing also the need for multilingual auctioneers who can fully and authentically represent the communities being served.
Episode guests:
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