Episode 29: Fundraising for Small Nonprofits with Joanne Toller

Episode 29: Fundraising for Small Nonprofits with Joanne Toller

Fundraising for small nonprofits comes down to three words: acquire, renew, upgrade. James Martin sits down with Joanne Toller, nonprofit coach and CFRE (Ret.), who helps small nonprofits stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and start running a real fundraising pipeline. They cover her 90-day process, why you should build retention systems before you launch, using AI without letting it do your thinking, and the art of asking for the bigger gift (including a $30K donor asked for $120K). 👉 Learn more about Joanne at causespecialists.ca [https://www.causespecialists.ca/] and on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-toller/] Chapters * 0:00 Meet Joanne Toller * 2:00 Acquire, Renew, Upgrade * 3:00 What "Small Nonprofit" Really Means * 4:05 The First 90 Days * 6:00 From Throwing Keys to Fundraising * 10:00 Build Retention Before You Launch * 12:30 Courses and Coaching * 14:45 Hard Work, Guesswork, or Framework * 18:05 Using AI as a Tool, Not a Shortcut * 22:20 The Upgrade: Asking for the Bigger Gift * 24:45 Getting Comfortable With the Ask * 29:20 Parting Thoughts 🎧 Subscribe to Your Rally Point wherever you listen. 💙 Build human-centered donor communication at rallycorp.com/demo [https://www.rallycorp.com/demo]

Episode 28: How to Ask for Donations Without Begging with Lucas Barra

Asking for a gift isn't begging. It's service. James Martin sits down with his own sales coach, Lucas Barra of All In Coaching, for a candid talk on persistence, authenticity, and the mindset that turns "I have to make this ask" into "I get to." They cover handling the "we already gave this year" objection, naming the awkwardness on a cold call, a corporate sponsor close that nearly doubled a $50K gift, and the 12 Week Year system James still runs on. If you do any development work, this one's for you. 👉 Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasbarra/] Chapters * 0:00 How James Became Lucas's Client (Keep Calling) * 2:40 Meet Lucas Barra and All In Coaching * 4:00 The Healthy Side of a "No" * 8:30 Everyone Is in Sales * 9:20 Double Down and Become Known for One Thing * 12:20 Authenticity Wins: Name the Cold Call * 15:30 Make It About Them: The Bridge * 18:20 The Corporate Sponsor Close * 20:10 Service, Not Sacrifice * 22:00 What's the Reason for the Season? * 24:30 The 12 Week Year Explained * 30:30 Win the Day: The Gym Parking Lot * 32:30 Where to Find Lucas 🎧 Subscribe to Your Rally Point wherever you listen. 💙 Build human-centered donor outreach at rallycorp.com/demo [https://www.rallycorp.com/demo]

Episode 27: Why Donor Retention Beats Acquisition with Mike Slaughter of Dataro

Most nonprofits don't have a donor problem. They have a leaky bucket. James Martin talks with Mike Slaughter of Dataro about the least glamorous and most profitable idea in fundraising: keeping the donors you already have. They get into donor churn, predictive AI, and the Greenpeace story where a simple thank-you call saved more than 500 recurring donors. Plus why, in a world of automation, picking up the phone still wins. 👉 Connect with Mike on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-slaughter-a485b96/] Chapters * 0:00 Old Friends, Fellow San Diegans * 1:30 What Dataro Does * 2:40 The Greenpeace Story: A Thank-You Call That Saved 500 Donors * 4:30 Retention Beats Acquisition * 6:40 Your Donors Are Telling You What They'll Do * 8:30 AI Is a Tool, Not a Takeover * 11:50 More Isn't Better: The Direct Mail Problem * 16:20 Bringing Humanity Back Through Technology * 19:40 Put Yourself Out of Business * 21:50 Mike's Journey: Classy, GoFundMe, Dataro * 27:00 Pick Up the Phone * 31:40 Series A and What's Next 🎧 Subscribe to Your Rally Point wherever you listen. 💙 Build human-centered donor communication at rallycorp.com/demo [https://www.rallycorp.com/demo]

Episode 26: Gratitude isn't a task to check off. It's the heart of donor retention.

Gratitude isn't a task to check off. It's the heart of donor retention. James Martin sits down with Lynne Wester, founder of the Donor Relations Group, on why thanking donors for who they are (not the size of their gift) is what keeps them giving for years. From a $5 gift that grew into $7 billion, to the loyal $10-a-year donor who quietly left millions, Lynne makes the case that fundraising is about relationships, not money. 👉 Learn more about Lynne's work at donorrelations.com [https://www.donorrelations.com/] Chapters * 0:00 Meet Lynne Wester * 1:00 From Disney to Donor Relations * 2:20 Why Gratitude Is the Core * 4:40 Givers vs. Takers * 7:05 Thank Donors for Who They Are * 9:30 Human Beings, Not Human Doings * 11:55 Nonprofits Are the Hope of a Community * 14:15 Community First and the Zero-Jerk Rule * 16:30 Professionalizing Fundraising * 23:15 Learning to Ask for Help * 25:40 Get Off the Bench * 32:20 Where to Find Lynne 🎧 Subscribe to Your Rally Point wherever you listen. 💙 Build human-centered donor communication at rallycorp.com/demo [https://www.rallycorp.com/demo]

Episode 25: Why Fundraisers Need Practice, Not Scripts (with Mallory Erickson of Practivated)

Your Rally Point Podcast: Mallory Erickson — Fundraiser Readiness, Behavioral Science, and Practicing for the Moments That Matter In this episode, James sits down with Mallory Erickson—fundraiser, executive coach, and creator of the first-ever Fundraiser Readiness Platform, Practivated.com [https://practivated.com], to explore why fundraising is as much about the nervous system and mindset of the fundraiser as it is about strategy and donors. Mallory shares how behavioral science, neuroscience, and coaching transformed her own fundraising career and led to the creation of a safe, supportive practice environment where fundraisers can build confidence, clarity, and connection before entering high-stakes donor conversations. What You’ll Learn * Why stress and fear cause fundraisers to become transactional instead of relational * How practicing donor conversations builds “muscle memory” for real-world meetings * What personalization at scale means for fundraisers—not just donors * How Practivated’s AI coach “Tivi” supports strategy, messaging, and donor preparation * Why role-play with feedback is more effective than scripts alone * How managers can use leading indicators to better coach and support their teams * Common use cases: onboarding, campaign readiness, stalled donor relationships, and transformational giving * How technology can heal “tech trauma” when it’s built by fundraisers for fundraisers Resources * Learn more about Practivated: practivated.com [https://practivated.com] * Connect with Mallory Erickson on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallory-erickson-bressler/] and social platforms * Referenced concepts: behavioral science, neuroscience, executive coaching, donor conversation role-play Quotables * “Stress and fear can sound like loyalty, compassion, and strategy—but they keep us small.” * “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” * “We lose transformational gifts when stress makes us transactional.” * “This is about muscle memory, not scripts.” * “Success as a service, not software as a service.” * “My North Star has always been improving the lives of fundraisers.” Skip to What You Want to Hear * 00:00 — Introduction + Mallory’s journey into fundraising and coaching * 02:00 — Why fundraisers struggle: stress, fear, and isolation * 04:20 — The origin story of Practivated * 06:40 — How stress shrinks big gifts into small asks * 08:15 — On-demand AI coaching with Tivi * 10:30 — Role-play scenarios and skill-based feedback * 12:25 — Manager dashboards and leading indicators * 14:20 — Why practice builds confidence and presence * 16:20 — Adoption challenges and culture change * 18:10 — Use cases: onboarding, campaigns, and stalled donor relationships * 21:30 — Healing tech trauma in the nonprofit sector * 24:55 — Closing reflections on success, partnership, and mission If this episode sparked new ideas about how your team can prepare for stronger donor conversations, we invite you to learn more about how Rally Corp [https://rallycorp.com/demo] helps nonprofits engage supporters with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Connect with us to see how Rally’s tools and guidance can support your fundraising strategy and help you mobilize people for good.