Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones
Fundraising is Funny

Fundraising is Funny

Lynne Wester and T. Clay Buck

Every week you can join Lynne Wester and T. Clay Buck to share laughs (and cringe-worthy case studies) as we unpack the most ridiculous (and positively shocking) situations that happen within our sector. Because sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves in order to learn. Because here’s the thing. We believe in the power of generosity to change the world. And something tells us you do too. At the root of each of these stories is a serious ethical question, a system or structure or person that allowed it to happen, or an outdated practice just ready for disruption. Because c’mon... fundraising is funny.
bookmark
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Fundraising is Funny Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Fundraising is Funny episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Fundraising is Funny for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Fundraising is Funny episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Fundraising is Funny - Keeping Score: The Gingerale Episode
play

07/30/24 • 29 min

We spend a lot of time keeping score with our donors: retention rates, upgrades, downgrades, renewals—the list goes on. We categorize donors and expect certain behaviors without setting clear expectations. But at what cost? 👊 The punchline: Stop keeping score with your donors. Prioritize meaningful metrics and invest in sustainable relationships by shifting from transactional to transformational experiences.

Bingo Card

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

Season 2 of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” Click here to listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is an all-in-one fundraising software solution that helps you manage and track relationships with donors, raise money on and offline, and automate administrative tasks – all with a single nonprofit CRM. DonorPerfect has been serving the nonprofit community for over 30 years. Clients love them, board members trust them, and industry experts (like us!) recommend them. Right now, we recommend you check out their monthly giving success kit, a free guide to creating and growing your own recurring giving program.

Kindsight

Kindsight is the combination of iWave, UC Innovation, and NonprofitOS delivers what has never been possible before: Fundraising Intelligence that empowers nonprofit and advancement professionals to have the right conversation, with the right donor, at the right time—every time. This solution combines big data, AI, and automation to power modern fundraising.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

Wired Production Group

With more than 30 years of experience, Wired Production Group is the leading provider of full-service event solutions. They are award-winning event professionals who create unforgettable live, virtual, and hybrid experiences. They do more than just provide event and video production services - they create an experience that their clients will never forget. Their team stages creative projects across a broad range of markets and delivers a strategic process built to enhance, engage, and entertain your audience.

Givebutter

Taking a quick moment to share more about our sponsor: Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that’s empowering millions of changemakers like you to raise more, pay less, and give better.

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple tools, including donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, CRM, email marketing, text messaging, and more—all for free, thanks...

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - R&R

R&R

Fundraising is Funny

play

10/08/24 • 31 min

Sometimes you just need to let it all out! In this lighthearted rant and rage session, we discuss the highs, lows, and downright ridiculousness of fundraising life. Remember it's okay to vent, and we'll be here to listen every step of the way. 👊 Punchline: Fundraising is hard work. It's essential to take a step back, destress, and rethink our strategies.

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

Season 2 of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” Click here to listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is an all-in-one fundraising software solution that helps you manage and track relationships with donors, raise money on and offline, and automate administrative tasks – all with a single nonprofit CRM. DonorPerfect has been serving the nonprofit community for over 30 years. Clients love them, board members trust them, and industry experts (like us!) recommend them. Right now, we recommend you check out their monthly giving success kit, a free guide to creating and growing your own recurring giving program.

Kindsight

Kindsight is the combination of iWave, UC Innovation, and NonprofitOS delivers what has never been possible before: Fundraising Intelligence that empowers nonprofit and advancement professionals to have the right conversation, with the right donor, at the right time—every time. This solution combines big data, AI, and automation to power modern fundraising.

Wired Production Group

With more than 30 years of experience, Wired Production Group is the leading provider of full-service event solutions. They are award-winning event professionals who create unforgettable live, virtual, and hybrid experiences. They do more than just provide event and video production services - they create an experience that their clients will never forget. Their team stages creative projects across a broad range of markets and delivers a strategic process built to enhance, engage, and entertain your audience.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - How Do I Buy YOU A House?

How Do I Buy YOU A House?

Fundraising is Funny

play

03/12/24 • 26 min

Have you ever felt like you're on a secret mission, but the only secret is what you're actually supposed to be doing? Collaboration is challenging, and the key is effective communication—on all sides of the coin. 👊 Punchline: Clear communication isn't just kind, it's your lifeline in the workplace. Don't just nod and smile – ask questions, get expectations straight, and remember, a little bit of grace goes a long way.

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

Season 2 of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” Click here to listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is an all-in-one fundraising software solution that helps you manage and track relationships with donors, raise money on and offline, and automate administrative tasks – all with a single nonprofit CRM. DonorPerfect has been serving the nonprofit community for over 30 years. Clients love them, board members trust them, and industry experts (like us!) recommend them. Right now, we recommend you check out their monthly giving success kit, a free guide to creating and growing your own recurring giving program.

iWave

iWave is the leading provider of award-winning fundraising intelligence for nonprofits. With iWave’s powerful solutions, you’re not just getting incredible wealth screening and analytics that help you learn more about your donors with pinpoint accuracy, you can identify new donors through prospecting, find out more about your corporate and foundation donors, and gain tremendous insight into the most effective cultivation and engagement approaches – all powered by the industry’s largest philanthropic giving database. Visit iwave.com to learn more!

Givebutter

Taking a quick moment to share more about our sponsor: Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that’s empowering millions of changemakers like you to raise more, pay less, and give better.

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple tools, including donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, CRM, email marketing, text messaging, and more—all for free, thanks to their 100% transparent tip-or-fee model.

As the #1 rated nonprofit software company on G2 across multiple categories including donor management and auctions, Givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion changemakers.

If you're a nonprofit, school, team, or any kind of group looking to raise money, sign up for your free Givebutter account to get started in minutes. Head to givebutter.com to claim your free account today.

Wired Production Group

With more than 30 years of experience, Wired Production Group is the leading provider of full-service event solutions. They are award-winning event professionals who create unforgettable live, virtual, and hybrid experiences. They do more than just provide event and video production services - they create an experience that their clients will never fo...

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - Who Do We Know Who Knows Oprah?
play

06/04/24 • 26 min

Who are the most generous people in the world? Spoiler: It isn't the uber wealthy! It's time to shift from chasing money to chasing humanity. 👊Punchline: Our missions are a promise to our communities. How dare we not involve them in our work. Stop chasing billionaires and start focusing your efforts on the people who are already engaged with your organization.

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

Season 2 of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” Click here to listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron.

DonorPerfect

DonorPerfect is an all-in-one fundraising software solution that helps you manage and track relationships with donors, raise money on and offline, and automate administrative tasks – all with a single nonprofit CRM. DonorPerfect has been serving the nonprofit community for over 30 years. Clients love them, board members trust them, and industry experts (like us!) recommend them. Right now, we recommend you check out their monthly giving success kit, a free guide to creating and growing your own recurring giving program.

Kindsight

Kindsight is the combination of iWave, UC Innovation, and NonprofitOS delivers what has never been possible before: Fundraising Intelligence that empowers nonprofit and advancement professionals to have the right conversation, with the right donor, at the right time—every time. This solution combines big data, AI, and automation to power modern fundraising.

Givebutter

Taking a quick moment to share more about our sponsor: Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that’s empowering millions of changemakers like you to raise more, pay less, and give better.

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple tools, including donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, CRM, email marketing, text messaging, and more—all for free, thanks to their 100% transparent tip-or-fee model.

As the #1 rated nonprofit software company on G2 across multiple categories including donor management and auctions, Givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion changemakers.

If you're a nonprofit, school, team, or any kind of group looking to raise money, sign up for your free Givebutter account to get started in minutes. Head to givebutter.com to claim your free account today.

Wired Production Group

With more than 30 years of experience, Wired Production Group is the leading provider of full-service event solutions. They are award-winning event professionals who create unforgettable live, virtual, and hybrid experiences. They do more than just provide event and video production services - they create an experience that their clients will never forget. Their team stages creative projects across a broad range of markets and delivers a strategic process built to enhance, engage, and entertain your audience.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

You know your stuff. You've studied, you've failed, you've tested and followed good advice. Let's talk (and laugh) about when we've had our work overworked by non-fundraising experts.

🤣📚 Get ready to dive into the funny and often frustrating world of nonprofit fundraising, with a focus on case statements and communications! Join us as we discuss the challenges, pitfalls, and amusing stories of miscommunication within the nonprofit sector. 🌐💬

From board members who think they're fundraising experts to the perils of working with public relations firms that don't understand fundraising, we cover the good, the bad, and the hilarious in our quest to make fundraising a more enjoyable and successful endeavor. 🙌💡

👊Punchline: remember, you are the expert. Stand your ground and don't forget that emotion rules the day when it comes to fundraising.

Resources Mentioned:

AFP Research Report: First Collaborative, Comprehensive Survey of the Fundraising Profession Shows Urgent Need for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access in the Workplace

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/funny.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

iWave

iWave is the leading provider of award-winning fundraising intelligence for nonprofits. With iWave’s powerful solutions, you’re not just getting incredible wealth screening and analytics that help you learn more about your donors with pinpoint accuracy, you can identify new donors through prospecting, find out more about your corporate and foundation donors, and gain tremendous insight into the most effective cultivation and engagement approaches – all powered by the industry’s largest philanthropic giving database. Visit iwave.com to learn more!

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - Why must our events be labeled "special?" 🪩
play

05/16/23 • 16 min

"Low Hanging Fruit?" 🤨 Let's face it, our sector's words are weird. And littered with bizarre acronyms. And after awhile, we kinda get used to them until a newbie enters the picture and says, "ummm, please define." Those who are generous are the best of us, and some of our jargon gets in the way of us remembering that

👊Punchline: Do we think about the way we talk about donors?

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/funny.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

Givebutter

Taking a quick moment to share more about our sponsor: Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that’s empowering millions of changemakers like you to raise more, pay less, and give better.

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple tools, including donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, CRM, email marketing, text messaging, and more—all for free, thanks to their 100% transparent tip-or-fee model.

As the #1 rated nonprofit software company on G2 across multiple categories including donor management and auctions, Givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion changemakers.

If you're a nonprofit, school, team, or any kind of group looking to raise money, sign up for your free Givebutter account to get started in minutes. Head to givebutter.com to claim your free account today.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - Goodbye philanthropy, Hello generosity 🎉
play

04/11/23 • 27 min

The battle lines have been drawn and its generosity vs philanthropy🥊 Anybody can be generous, and honoring however a person wants to give truly honors the love of humankind. Do we value generosity or philanthropy more at our organizations?

👊Punchline: Generosity is bigger than a financial gift. Once we see beyond that which we can gift, our mission and its footprint compound exponentially. PS: money follows!

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/funny.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

iWave

iWave is the leading provider of award-winning fundraising intelligence for nonprofits. With iWave’s powerful solutions, you’re not just getting incredible wealth screening and analytics that help you learn more about your donors with pinpoint accuracy, you can identify new donors through prospecting, find out more about your corporate and foundation donors, and gain tremendous insight into the most effective cultivation and engagement approaches – all powered by the industry’s largest philanthropic giving database. Visit iwave.com to learn more!

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - Card With(out) Benefits 🪪

Card With(out) Benefits 🪪

Fundraising is Funny

play

07/25/23 • 22 min

A feeling of belonging is important, but if we don't see ourselves, how do we belong?

👊 Punchline: You can create false belonging all you want to with membership cards, lapel pins, and tote bags, but it’s about creating a feeling of belonging.

Resources Mentioned:

Jen Chang and Dr. Adrian Sargeant at the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/funny.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

Keela

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by Keela. Keela is the complete software solution for nonprofits looking to grow revenue, centralize and manage data, accurately track performance and deepen donor engagement. Learn more at www.keela.co

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - Silent but Deadly 🤫

Silent but Deadly 🤫

Fundraising is Funny

play

06/20/23 • 26 min

We've seen a lot of hilarious things in our careers and on thing's certain - auctions never cease to amaze! From the countless hours of staff time consumed to the most random auction items, we've just gotta laugh.

👊 Punchline: How much time (and stuff) is wasted when we aren't intentional in our fundraising efforts? Evaluate what you're doing and be mindful of the message we're sending.

Connect with Fundraising is Funny

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook

Connect with Lynne + DRG Group

Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Connect with Clay + TCB Fundraising

Website | LinkedIn

Our Amazing Sponsors

Bloomerang

This season of Fundraising is Funny is brought to you by our friends at Bloomerang. Bloomerang offers donor management and online fundraising software that helps small to medium nonprofits, like First Tee of Greater Akron, a nonprofit that empowers kids and teens through the game of golf.

After just one year with Bloomerang they doubled their unique donors, improved donor stewardship, and raised more funds. Executive Director Josh Smith described their experience, “We love Bloomerang. It saves time. It’s helped us raise more funds.” To listen to the full interview with First Tee of Greater Akron visit bloomerang.com/funny.

MSP Cultivate

This episode is brought to you by MSP Cultivate. New challenges arrive on your desk every day. New trends in communications are popping up faster than you can follow them, and technology affects everything you do. Our friends at MSP Cultivate help you find the right strategy and execution to help you accomplish your most fundamental goal: engaging and connecting with your donors. Learn more at www.mspcultivate.com.

Givebutter

Taking a quick moment to share more about our sponsor: Givebutter, the all-in-one nonprofit fundraising platform that’s empowering millions of changemakers like you to raise more, pay less, and give better.

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple tools, including donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, CRM, email marketing, text messaging, and more—all for free, thanks to their 100% transparent tip-or-fee model.

As the #1 rated nonprofit software company on G2 across multiple categories including donor management and auctions, Givebutter is on a mission to power the next billion changemakers.

If you're a nonprofit, school, team, or any kind of group looking to raise money, sign up for your free Givebutter account to get started in minutes. Head to givebutter.com to claim your free account today.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode
Fundraising is Funny - It's Impossible to Be a Fundraiser
play

02/20/24 • 2 min

We're gearing up for Season 2 of Fundraising is Funny—but before we laugh together, we're getting brutally honest about the absurd challenges we face every day in the nonprofit industry. Inspired by the iconic Barbie monologue, Lynne and Clay share why it's literally impossible to be a fundraiser.

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more best episodes

Toggle view more icon

FAQ

How many episodes does Fundraising is Funny have?

Fundraising is Funny currently has 41 episodes available.

What topics does Fundraising is Funny cover?

The podcast is about Non-Profit, Podcasts and Business.

What is the most popular episode on Fundraising is Funny?

The episode title 'Here's your sign...to question culture 🚩' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Fundraising is Funny?

The average episode length on Fundraising is Funny is 25 minutes.

How often are episodes of Fundraising is Funny released?

Episodes of Fundraising is Funny are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of Fundraising is Funny?

The first episode of Fundraising is Funny was released on Mar 13, 2023.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments