DNP Groundbreakers: Heather Thompson, Chief Development Officer @ Norwescap

05/20/21 • 57 min

Every year, Norwescap provides aid and assistance to 30,000 Northwest New Jersey families with a wide range of services customized to the unique needs of each beneficiary. Their areas of service include education, employment, financial capacity building, health & nutrition, house & energy services, and volunteerism & civic engagement.

Today, Dan welcomes Norwescap’s Chief Development Officer Heather Thompson to the show to discuss how Norwescap has helped empower families and individuals to thrive since 1965 as well as their remarkable and nimble pivot during the pandemic.

Topics discussed include:

How Norwescap promotes an investment mindset with their donors

Quantifying impact with societal ROI

Including beneficiaries operationally within the organization and fundraising efforts

Challenges of raising money from individuals when your organization receives government support

Norwescap's digital and programmatic transformation during the pandemic and lessons learned

And much more, including Heather's inspiring origin story in non-profit sector and how the theatre prepared her for life as a fundraiser

Show Notes:

https://norwescap.org/

https://norwescap.org/contact-us/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-thompson-she-her-70b5235/

Topics discussed include:

How Norwescap promotes an investment mindset with their donors

Quantifying impact with societal ROI

Including beneficiaries operationally within the organization and fundraising efforts

Challenges of raising money from individuals when your organization receives government support

Norwescap's digital and programmatic transformation during the pandemic and lessons learned

And much more, including Heather's inspiring origin story in non-profit sector and how the theatre prepared her for life as a fundraiser

Show Notes:

https://norwescap.org/

https://norwescap.org/contact-us/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-thompson-she-her-70b5235/

Previous Episode

DNP Groundbreakers: Jim Langley, President @ Langley Innovations

Jim Langley has helped revolutionize how major universities fundraise by building a program that prioritizes active listening, empathy, and responsiveness over brand and sales pitches. He has also become a thought leader on how non-profits can retain the effective aspects of donor centric fundraising while removing the problematic elements which have fueled the rise of the Community Centric Fundraising movement. In this timely discussion, Jim details the differences between donor centric fundraising practices which build deep and positive relationships with supporters and "egocentric" tactics that create problematic power structures between non-profits and their donors. The ongoing debate between the merits of donor centric and community centric fundraising is a healthy and robust one which at times has become contentious within the fundraising sector. This is a fascinating and enlightening conversation that attempts to forge a sensible middle ground which retains the best aspects of both practices and builds healthier non-profits. Show Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-langley-a629a214/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jim-langley-a629a214_donor-centric-doesnt-mean-catering-to-the-activity-6789170747014172672-vGy8 https://langleyinnovations.com/

Next Episode

DNP Deep Dive: Donor Psychology w/ Clay Buck

Clay Buck is a consultant and Founder at TCB Fundraising where he helps nonprofits maximize their potential with a human approach towards fundraising guided by donor psychology which he has become an outspoken advocate for. In this unique and practical conversation, Clay discusses his passion for understanding why donors give and why having insight into the psychology of donors is critical for an optimized fundraising program. Clay and Dan also break down some tactical applications for philanthropic psychology which can help improve your ROI. Additional topics covered include: “consistent but not consecutive” donors and how to reactivate them, donor motivations and identities, authenticity in fundraising, donor gratitude, first party survey data, how nonprofits can help rebuild communal ties, and much more. Clay also explains how his background in theatre helped him become a better fundraiser and his thoughts on how the nonprofit industry can better tell the story of its impact in order to attract new talent. This chat is a fun and valuable listen for any fundraiser who enjoys geeking out over why donors give or is looking for ideas on how to inspire them to give more often. Show Notes: @tclaybuck https://tcbfundraising.com/