Purpose & Profit Club® – The Nonprofit Fundraising & Marketing Podcast

Hosted by Christina Tzavaras Edwards

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205

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Ready to stop fundraising the old way and start doubling results? Join nonprofit strategist Christina Tzavaras Edwards for bold, fast-action tactics that help you 2X your next fundraiser and build a community fueled by generosity. From leveraging the Social Street Team®: Influencer Marketing Method to mastering courageous fundraising asks, this podcast equips you with the mindset and strategies needed to spark deep engagement and sustainable growth—no extra workload required. Music by The Selmanaires, featuring "Selmanaire Rock." Visit http://www.splendidatl.com/podcast for more.

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June 16, 2026Episode 20221 min

202: Stop Crying Wolf: How to Fundraise Without Burning Out Your Donors

There's a marketing concept that applies directly to how nonprofits fundraise: some messages are painkillers, and some are vitamins. Painkillers solve immediate problems: urgent, scarce, make-or-break. Vitamins build something sustainable: aspirational, visionary, long-term. Most nonprofits accidentally built their entire fundraising strategy around one extreme or the other, and both extremes are costing them donors.In this episode, I break down the difference between painkiller and vitamin fundraising, when each one belongs in your strategy, and what happens when you overuse either. I also dig into the dangerous gray zone I call vague vitamin messaging, content that sounds nice, means nothing, and converts nobody. If your campaigns are flatlining, your donors are churning, or your monthly giving program isn't growing, this episode will show you exactly why and what to do instead.Topics:The painkiller vs. vitamin fundraising framework, and why most organizations are stuck in one extremeWhy chronic panic messaging trains donors to churn, distrust, and disappearWhat vague vitamin messaging looks like, and why it's just as dangerous as over-urgencyHow the Chicks for Change campaign hit 115% of its goal in under two weeks using a pure vitamin strategyWhy monthly giving is the ultimate vitamin, and what a small monthly donor program signals about your messagingHow to balance both painkiller and vitamin in a sustainable fundraising calendarFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

June 9, 2026Episode 20135 min

201:From Pinterest Board to Panama: How One Founder Fundraised Before She Had Proof

What does it look like to fundraise tens of thousands of dollars before a single wall is built?In this episode, I sit down with Louise Henry, founder of Tim's Club, a nonprofit community space in Panama being built from scratch to support individuals with autism and intellectual disabilities. Inspired by her younger brother Tim, Louise spent years building an online business first so she could dedicate herself to bringing this vision to life. We dig into how she transferred her entrepreneurial and email marketing skills to nonprofit fundraising, how she uses Pinterest vision boards to hold belief before there's evidence, what a hard hat tour does for donor trust, and how her monthly progress reports keep international supporters connected and coming back. This is a conversation about clarity, courage, and what it really means to fundraise before you have proof, and it's one of my favorites.Topics:Building a nonprofit capital campaign from scratch (land, structures, and programming) in PanamaHow entrepreneurial and email marketing skills transfer directly to nonprofit fundraisingUsing Pinterest vision boards to hold donor belief before there's tangible proofCreative low-lift campaigns: stepping stone sponsorships, bench naming, product bundles, and peer-to-peerWhy hard hat tours are one of the most underused donor engagement toolsMonthly progress reports and live workshops as donor retention and connection toolsFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here. If you've listened to the show and found it valuable, would you leave a review?It helps more nonprofit leaders find the podcast, and I read every one.Thank you for being here for episode 200 and beyond.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

June 2, 2026Episode 20058 min

200: Live Panel from GiveCon: The Advice We Don't Put on Slides

This is a special episode recorded live at GiveCon 2026, sponsored by Bloomerang.I joined three powerhouse experts, fundraising event strategist Samantha Swaim, digital marketing consultant Julia Campbell, and Bloomerang CMO Ann Fellman, for a candid panel called "The Advice We Don't Put on Slides." No safe takes, no polished talking points, just the real stuff consultants say behind closed doors. We cover what nonprofits consistently get wrong, the trade-offs nobody wants to make, what actually moves the needle, and the advice we give all the time but wish we didn't have to. From a scarcity mindset to the 17 touchpoints it takes to convert a donor, from abandoning friend-raisers to stepping into CEO energy, this conversation is packed with the kind of honest, actionable insight you don't usually get in a conference session.Topics:The most expensive mistakes nonprofits repeat Why the call is coming from inside the house when donor numbers decline, and what to do about itWhy "just do a raffle" and "friend-raiser" events are costing organizations more than they raiseThe 15–17 touch points it takes before revenue comes in, and why that changes everythingFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here. If you've listened to the show and found it valuable, would you leave a review?It helps more nonprofit leaders find the podcast, and I read every one.Thank you for being here for episode 200 and beyond.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

May 26, 2026Episode 19921 min

199: Stop Making Your Fundraising Campaign Feel Like a Final Exam

What if the pressure you're putting on your fundraising campaign is actually the thing slowing it down?In this episode, I'm talking about something I watched play out on a Little League field this weekend: two coaches, same-age kids, same skill level, completely different energy, and completely different outcomes. And I couldn't stop thinking about how much it looked like what I see inside fundraising campaigns every single week. When you hold too tightly to a goal, when every quiet day feels like failure, when the whole campaign starts to feel like a final exam, that pressure changes everything: your messaging tightens, your team feels it, and your donors feel it. And ironically, the pressure creates the very outcome you were trying to avoid. I talk about what pressure actually does to campaign performance, why three of my clients inside The Purpose & Profit Club® thought they were behind when they were actually ahead, the difference between a dirty win and a beautiful loss, and what it really means to lead a campaign well all the way to the end.Topics:How white-knuckling a fundraising campaign changes the outcome, and not in the way you hopeThe payoff of pressure and why we hold onto it even when it hurts usWhat pressure actually does to campaign pacing, messaging, and team energyWhy three clients thought they were behind, and were actually aheadThe difference between a dirty win and a beautiful loss in fundraisingHow to lead a campaign well without making it a final examFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

May 19, 2026Episode 19816 min

198: The Give-Get Fundraising Trap That's Costing You More Than You Think

Your donors don't need a goodie bag, a raffle prize, an auction item, a t-shirt, or a chicken dinner. If your fundraising strategy is built around giving them something in order to get something back, that's the give-get model, and it might be exactly what's slowing your organization down.In this episode, I'm breaking down the difference between a real SPRINT™ campaign and an old-school fundraising method wrapped in new language. I talk about why events, raffles, auctions, and 5Ks aren't inherently bad, but why building your entire fundraising strategy around them adds friction, drains people's power, and quietly signals that you don't trust the mission to be enough on its own. If you've ever said, "Why don't we just do a raffle?", this episode is for you.Topics:What a SPRINT™campaign actually is, and what it isn'tWhy wrapping an old-school fundraiser in SPRINT™ language doesn't make it a sprintHow events add friction for donors and where the money gets lost in the processThe give-get mentality and why donors don't need to be bribed to giveQuestions to ask before choosing your next campaign vehicleWhy defaulting to events usually means you don't yet trust the ask, and what to do insteadFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

May 12, 2026Episode 19722 min

197: Why Sending 3+ Emails on the Final Day Can 2X–9X Your Campaign

I recently got an email from a development manager telling me I send too many emails. She's not wrong for feeling that way, but that feeling is rooted in one of the most expensive beliefs in nonprofit fundraising. And that's exactly what I'm unpacking in this episode.Today, I'm breaking down the data behind email frequency, what it actually costs your organization when you hold back, and why the inner monologue of "I don't want to bother people" is quietly limiting your mission. I talk about what the M+R benchmarks report actually shows about how many emails high-revenue nonprofits are sending, why campaign-based intensity is where your revenue is sitting, and what happened when one development manager followed the Easy Emails For Impact™ process and 9x'd their typical campaign results, without a single new donor on the list.P.S. Easy Emails For Impact™ enrollment is now open with 50% off. Go to splendidcourses.com/email for all the details.Topics:Why "you send too many emails" is rooted in one of the most expensive beliefs in fundraisingWhat the M+R benchmarks report actually shows about email frequency and revenue growthThe difference between sending more emails and sending more emails at the right timeWhy holding back during a campaign window is limiting your mission, not protecting your donorsHow one development manager 9x'd campaign results by staying in the conversation longerWhy you're not building your strategy around your donorsWhy email revenue grew 16% last year, and what that means for organizations not tapping into itFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

May 5, 2026Episode 19619 min

196: The Right Way to Use AI for Nonprofit Fundraising Emails

AI is everywhere right now, and in the nonprofit sector, it's making some organizations' fundraising sharper and others completely generic. The difference isn't the tool; it's how you're using it.In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly where AI helps and where it quietly hurts your fundraising emails. I talk about the most expensive mistake I see nonprofits making - handing the wheel over to AI completely and treating the first draft like the final answer. I share how my clients inside The SPRINT Method™ and The Purpose & Profit Club® are actually using AI as a thought partner, not a ghostwriter, and what the difference looks like in results. If you've been using AI to write your emails faster but wondering why nothing is converting, this episode will show you why, and what to do instead.P.S. Easy Emails For Impact™ enrollment opens May 7 with 50% off the course. Go to splendidcourses.com/email to get first access and learn more.Topics:Why AI is making some nonprofit emails sharper and others completely generic, and what determines the differenceThe GPS analogy: why AI should help you get there faster, not decide where you're goingWhat to use AI for and what to never hand over to it in your fundraisingHow to spot an AI-written email, and why they raise nothing even when they look polishedUsing AI as a thought partner to push your ideas deeper, not replace themA simple three-question filter to run before you hit sendFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

April 28, 2026Episode 19520 min

195: 7 Reasons Your Emails Aren't Converting Into Donations

If sending emails feels like something you dread, rush, or quietly avoid, this episode is for you. I walk through the seven reasons nonprofit emails aren't converting into donations, and I want you to listen not for what sounds good, but for where you recognize yourself, because the second you see it, you can change it.From writing emails that are polished but completely forgettable to stopping too soon just as momentum is about to build, these are the patterns I see across organizations of every size, from solo founders to teams with 100,000 subscribers. None of this is about making yourself feel bad. It's about getting clear on what's actually getting in the way, because most of these are simple fixes that just take a little courage to do differently.Topics:Why "fine" emails that aren't wrong are still completely forgettable, and what a converting email actually doesHow your energy and relationship with email show up in your writing and affect resultsWhy assuming your donors hate email is one of the most expensive beliefs in nonprofit fundraisingThe difference between repetition that annoys and repetition that actually lands your messageHow to find the micro moments inside your everyday work that make the most powerful emailsWhy most campaigns die in the middle, and how to stay in it when it feels quietFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

April 21, 2026Episode 19428 min

194: The Story You’re Telling Is Costing You Funding

Somewhere along the way, many nonprofit leaders start carrying a version of their story that is heavier than it needs to be. A missed goal becomes proof they should be further along; a hard year becomes evidence they're behind; and what's tricky is that this story can sound incredibly responsible, measured, even accurate, but it's still a story. And it's costing you funding.In this episode, I introduce the concept of the wound version versus the hero's version, and why the story you're telling about your organization (to your donors, your board, your team, and yourself) changes everything about how people experience your leadership and your asks. I walk through how to identify your wound story, rewrite it as the hero's version, and why this isn't about spin or fake positivity. It's about refusing to lead from a place that weakens you. Same facts → Different meaning → Different results.Topics:Why the story nonprofit leaders tell about their organization directly impacts fundingThe wound version vs. the hero's version, and how to tell the differenceHow a wound story leaks into donor conversations, campaign language, and board updatesWhy "realistic" language often shrinks leadership and repels donorsA step-by-step process for rewriting your wound story into the hero's versionReal examples of how the same facts can be told in two completely different waysFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here. If you've listened to the show and found it valuable, would you leave a review?It helps more nonprofit leaders find the podcast, and I read every one.Thank you for being here for episode 200 and beyond.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links

April 14, 2026Episode 19317 min

193: The Fundraising Skill No One Taught You

Online fundraising isn't hard because your donors aren't online. It's hard because most nonprofit leaders were never actually taught how to fundraise in the first place, and that's exactly what I'm fixing in this episode.In this follow-up to last week's episode on campaign frequency, I dig into why so many organizations try online fundraising once, don't hit their goal, and walk away convinced it doesn't work for them. I break down what a real SPRINT™ campaign looks like versus what most nonprofits do (sending one email, posting a donation link, and hoping for the best). I cover the data behind email fundraising, why your donors aren't as offline as you think, and why a donate button is not a strategy. If you've ever told yourself online fundraising just doesn't work for your organization, this episode will change how you see that.Topics:Why 99% of nonprofit leaders were never actually taught how to run a campaignThe difference between fundraising activity and a real campaign strategyWhy your donors aren't as offline as you think, and how to invite them into a new giving habitWhat a real SPRINT™ campaign looks like versus one email and a donation linkThe snowball effect, and why momentum makes giving psychologically contagiousWhy a small email list isn't a barrier when the message is strongFor a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits deliver a better giving experience and create sustainable, thriving organizations. Combining robust, easy-to-use technology with people-powered support and training, Bloomerang empowers nonprofits to work efficiently, improve supporter relationships, and grow their donor and volunteer bases. Learn more here.Resources:Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign SystemPurpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more. May contain affiliate links