Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions for Canadian and American Nonprofits

Hosted by Further Together: Fundraising Strategies for Nonprofit Organizations

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Episodes

352

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-CA

About the show

Welcome to Small Nonprofit, the podcast designed for leaders, fundraisers, and advocates in the nonprofit sector who want to create real change. We provide small nonprofit organizations with strategies to enhance their fundraising campaigns, improve nonprofit governance, and implement ethical fundraising practices that resonate with today’s values-driven donors. Hosted by an experienced nonprofit consultant, Maria Rio, this show delves into the unique challenges of nonprofit fundraising and community-centric fundraising, providing tools for donor engagement and major gifts fundraising. 👤 Who Should Listen? This podcast is perfect for anyone involved in a small nonprofit seeking practical advice on fundraising strategy, nonprofit leadership, and board accountability. Whether you're looking for innovative fundraising ideas for nonprofit organizations or trying to create an impact measurement framework that demonstrates your organization’s value, Small Nonprofit is here to guide you. 🎤 Core Topics We Cover Community-Centric Fundraising: Learn how ethical fundraising practices can strengthen donor relationships, enhance donor engagement, and align your organization with values-based major giving principles. We’ll help you shift from a donor-centric model to one that prioritizes the community. Systemic Change and Governance: From participatory budgeting to nonprofit board of directors best practices, we explore how to navigate the nonprofit industrial complex and embrace structures that foster diversity in nonprofit leadership and board accountability. Preventing Nonprofit Burnout: Tackle topics such as nonprofit burnout prevention and learn how to cultivate a healthy, anti-oppressive work culture that supports your team’s well-being. Nonprofit Storytelling: Understand how to measure your nonprofit’s effectiveness through nonprofit impact measurement strategies and leverage nonprofit storytelling to create compelling narratives that attract donors. 📣 Engaging Conversations and Real-World Advice In each episode, we bring you insights from experts in fundraising consulting, nonprofit grant writing, and capital campaign strategies. From interviews with fractional fundraisers and major gift officers to deep dives on fundraising tips and innovative fundraising ideas, we offer actionable advice that you can implement immediately to strengthen your organization’s impact. 💰 Learn How to Build a Sustainable Nonprofit Every nonprofit leader faces the challenge of achieving financial sustainability. Our episodes address critical fundraising strategies for nonprofit organizations, providing insights on volunteer management, capacity building, and nonprofit marketing strategy. Gain access to tools that help you execute successful fundraising campaigns and build a foundation for long-term growth. 🤝 Join the Movement for Systemic Change At The Small Nonprofit, we’re committed to transforming the nonprofit sector from the ground up. Our focus on systemic change and community-centric fundraising aligns with our mission to support nonprofits in creating equitable, sustainable communities. By addressing topics like values-based decision making and nonprofit transparency, we’re working to build a more ethical, inclusive sector. ❤️ Stay Connected Subscribe to Small Nonprofit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your preferred podcast platform. Don’t miss an episode as we explore everything from fundraising tips to nonprofit social media strategy, and learn how you can become a stronger advocate for your organization’s mission.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 13, 202626 min

Donor Stewardship Strategies for Small Nonprofits: 5 Low-Lift Ways to Keep Donors Coming Back

Send us Fan Mail Most stewardship advice assumes you have a team, a budget, and time to hand-deliver flowers to every donor. This episode is for fundraisers who have none of those. You'll learn five stewardship strategies that work for small teams and hear how a $100 donor became a $10,000 donor after receiving a short impact email every other month. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Caitlin McBride, a Certified Fundraising Executive, used these strategies as a one-person fundraising department to nearly double her individual giving campaign in two years. If stewardship keeps sliding to the bottom of your list, start here. Connect with Caitlin on LinkedIn Download our donor stewardship email templates Support the show

October 6, 202625 min

Volunteers Aren't Free Labour: Ethical Volunteer Stewardship for Executive Directors

Send us Fan Mail What does your annual report say about your volunteers? If it's a headcount, a total of hours, and a dollar figure for how much they "saved" you, Jessica Pang-Parks has some thoughts. Most EDs don't set out to treat volunteers as free labour. The systems we've inherited make it easy, especially when funding won't cover the staff you actually need. This week, Maria is joined by Jessica. They talk about where volunteer engagement goes wrong, and what it looks like when it's done right. Jessica Pang-Parks helps nonprofits create impact and inspire belonging through ethical volunteer engagement frameworks. Her work is grounded in Community-Centric Fundraising, and it starts from one idea: volunteers are whole people. If your organization works with volunteers and you suspect they deserve better stewardship than they're getting, this one's for you. Visit Jessica's website: https://www.learnwithjpp.com/ Support the show

September 29, 202624 min

Bold, Sustainable Leadership for Social Impact Leaders in a Time of Crisis

Send us Fan Mail Perfectionism doesn't feel like fear. It feels like caring. But underneath the reviewed-a-hundred-times email is usually one thing: fear. In this episode, Maria talks with leadership coach Tessa Bridge about why leaders mistake control for competence and what it actually takes to lead from a grounded place instead of a scared one. Tessa Bridge is the founder of Tessa Bridge Coaching and author of Do Your Part: Bold, Sustainable Leadership for Social Impact Leaders in a Time of Crisis. Connect with Tessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessabridgecoaching/ Visit her website: https://www.tessabridgecoaching.com/ Tessa is running a live book club on October 28, November 4, November 18, and December 2, based on her book, Do Your Part, with four sessions of peer discussion and group coaching. This offering is for high-achieving, deeply committed leaders looking for a way to lead that is both bold and sustainable. Register for the book club, and use code MARIA150: In-person event - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/do-your-part-book-club-in-person-tickets-1999790009752?aff=oddtdtcreator Virtual event - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/do-your-part-book-club-online-tickets-1999791915452?aff=oddtdtcreator Support the show

September 22, 202620 min

Great Donor Stewardship: The 4 Step Donor Retention System Your Small Nonprofit Needs

Send us Fan Mail Most nonprofits lose more than half their donors after that very first gift, and it's rarely because those donors stopped caring. In this episode, Maria breaks down a simple, repeatable framework for keeping donors engaged long after they hit "donate." She walks through the five stages every donor moves through, why skipping even one of them kills retention, and how to weave stats and stories together so your messaging actually sticks. Then she digs into the psychology behind giving decisions, from anchoring to loss aversion to social proof, including the real story behind a $400,000 donor who ended up giving a million. This is Part 2 of Maria Rio's workshop, "How to Get More Donors, Retain Your Base, and Deepen Their Connection." Connect with Maria on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/maria-rio-ethical-fundraising Listen to Part One: https://www.buzzsprout.com/208666/episodes/19724266 Support the show

September 15, 202623 min

The ED Burnout Crisis: New Data and How to Protect Yourself

Send us Fan Mail Nearly half of nonprofit Executive Directors are reporting burnout as a serious concern, and that number is climbing fast. In this episode, we dig into the Center for Effective Philanthropy's 2026 report and unpack what's actually driving the crisis: rising service demand, shrinking budgets, and boards and staff who often can't be the safe space EDs need. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria is joined by Caitlin McBride, a Certified Fundraising Executive with close to 15 years in the sector, to talk honestly about burnout and what small nonprofit leaders can actually do about it, starting today. Connect with Caitlin on LinkedIn Read the Center for Effective Philanthropy, 2026 report Support the show

September 8, 202624 min

Family Foundations & Private Philanthropy: Why Spend-Down Foundations Are Different

Send us Fan Mail Most nonprofits ask foundations for what they think a funder is comfortable giving, not what the mission actually needs to succeed. That gap is costing the sector real impact. This episode pulls back the curtain on how private philanthropy really operates: why 95% of foundation assets sit invested with zero connection to mission, why "private" family foundations are actually funded with public money, and why the polite, small ask has become the norm even when it guarantees failure. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria sits down with Glenn Galaich, CEO of the Stupski Foundation and author of Control: Why Big Giving Falls Short , to talk about what happens when a foundation commits to spending down its entire endowment instead of sitting on it. Connect with Glenn on LinkedIn Visit their website Support the show

September 1, 202635 min

Fundraising Strategy for Small Nonprofits: Building Acquisition and Retention Systems

Send us Fan Mail Throwing spaghetti at the wall can't fix broken fundraising systems. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria Rio, a fundraising expert with over 15 years of experience, shares what it actually takes to turn acquisition and retention into a repeatable system instead of a scramble. You'll learn how to move donors through each stage of the funnel, from total stranger to lifelong supporter, and why retention deserves more of your attention. This episode is Part 1 of Maria's live workshop, "How to Get More Donors, Retain Your Base, and Deepen Their Connection," recorded for a cohort of nonprofit leaders. Connect with Maria on LinkedIn Watch The Golden Circle by Simon Sinek (TED Talk) Support the show

August 25, 202622 min

Nonprofit Collaboration Tips For Growing a Small Nonprofit

Send us Fan Mail Small nonprofits are constantly told to do more with less. More fundraising, more reporting, more services, same tiny team. This episode flips that pressure on its head. Instead of asking "how do we do more ourselves," our guest makes the case for asking "who could we build this with together?" You'll hear real examples of what collaboration actually looks like on the ground, from a food bank that partnered with mental health organizations to a youth coalition that hit real growing pains. We break down why duplicated efforts hold small nonprofits back and how the right partnerships create capacity instead of just more work. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, Maria sits down with Daniel Francavilla, a marketing strategist and capacity-building consultant who works with nonprofits through The Good Growth Company, Daniel Does, and Clarity Content. Daniel has spent years helping nonprofits and social purpose organizations tell their stories and build the kind of partnerships that expand reach. Nonprofit leaders will walk away with a clearer sense of what collaboration can look like beyond the usual program partnership and why capacity-sharing might be the missing piece in their strategy. Visit Daniel's website: https://www.thegoodgrowth.company/ Learn more about the Together for Impact Summit, coming this November 5th: https://www.thegoodgrowth.company/summit Support the show

August 18, 202620 min

First-Time EDs: The Messes, the Fear, and What Actually Helps

Send us Fan Mail Most leaders don't talk about what actually happens the day you walk into an ED role. They talk about the vision and the strategy, not the fact that your admin manager just quit, the reserves are empty, and you're going to have to let people go before you've even found the bathroom. This episode is about that first year as an ED, unfiltered . On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, I sit down with Lenny Sweeney, Executive Director at SHORE Centre and a fundraiser of nearly 20 years across community services, gender-based violence, disability, and reproductive justice work. If you're a first-time ED, considering becoming one, or currently in the middle of a challenge, this episode will make you feel a lot less alone. Connect with Lenny Sweeny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lenny-sweeney-cfre-a8309b11/ Learn more about SHORE Centre (Sexual Health Options, Resources and Education): https://www.shorecentre.ca/ Support the show

August 11, 202624 min

Donors Can't Find You. Here's How to Fix That.

Send us Fan Mail Search engines were never built with equity in mind. The organizations that show up first are the ones with money for ads, not necessarily the ones doing the most impactful work. For small and grassroots nonprofits, that means decades of good work can go unseen by the donors, program officers, and advisors who'd want to support it if they only knew it existed. It's clear the playing field was uneven long before AI entered the picture. But AI is also changing who gets found, and not always in the direction people assume. On this week's episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, host Maria Rio sits down with Brandolon Barnett, Chief Innovation and Philanthropy Officer at Giving Compass, to unpack why small nonprofits struggle to be discovered and what it actually takes for donors to find you in a AI-first digital landscape. Nonprofit leaders will walk away understanding why "just post more on social media" isn't the fix it used to be and what steps they can take instead without needing a tech team or a big budget. Connect with Brandolon on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandolon/ Visit their website: https://givingcompass.org/ or https://gg.givingcompass.org/ Learn more about how donors and funders find you in the age of AI: Free self-paced course here Support the show