Real Talk for Real Fundraisers

BIG NEWS! Our podcast is evolving. Welcome to Real Talk for Real Fundraisers. 

Non-profit work is not easy. It takes heart. It takes courage. And most days, it takes everything you’ve got. 

Today, more than ever before, it’s important to have a community where you can tell the truth about what this work really demands, without judgment.

A space where you can exhale, be reminded that you’re not alone, and gather the tools ...

We all have a desire to connect with others, but we’re often afraid to bring our whole, real, and complete self to our work, which often becomes a liability over time. A lack of authenticity in fundraisers has real, revenue-related consequences for the non-profit. 

But how do you foster authentic professional relationships, and not just deep, personal bonds? How do you balance building trust with someone while still achieving you...

How was the end of 2024? Did you make it through OK? A lot of fundraisers we work with enter January exhausted from the busy year-end season, which is often filled with last-minute donor meetings, calls, and holiday events. It can be a stressful time.  

While we highly recommend taking time to rest and recover, there are also important strategies you need to focus on during this month to continue to build strong relationships wit...

With about a week remaining in the year, most fundraisers feel like they've exhausted their to-do list. They’ve worked their plan, made their last calls, and written their thank-you cards. What happens to their donors now is mostly out of their hands. 

While that may be true, there are still a few achievable strategies to adopt in your plan so that you can make the most of this final stretch before the new year and secure a few r...

Relational fundraising isn’t just a buzzword, it’s part of the Veritus mission. Whether you’re in mid-level, major gifts, or planned giving, being relationship-focused means that you are prioritizing the long-term relationship with the donor over just getting the money.  

Ideally, everyone at your organization should see the donor as a vital partner in your work. 

It’s been our goal at Veritus to insert this model within the no...

At Veritus, we’re all about relational fundraising, but too often, we hear about non-profit leaders making random budget cuts that negatively impact this tried-and-true approach. 

 We know that leaders are under a lot financial pressure at their organizations. Tough decisions have to be made when times and budgets are tight. But it’s important for decision-makers to understand how these cuts can impact relational fundraising, and w...

In the non-profit sector, if you aren’t willing to advance into management, there is very little opportunity to grow as a fundraiser, take on new responsibilities, and increase your salary.  

This is a frustrating reality, because not everyone is right for management.  

Leadership requires a different skillset and specific perspective, one that’s interested in finding success and delivering results through others. It’s not as si...

More and more, fundraisers are being overworked and underpaid. They’re frequently pulled in different directions and asked to accomplish tasks that don’t fall under their domain – all without a solid support structure. It’s caused many to leave the sector entirely.  

There is so much important work to do in our world and we need to take care of our people in order to solve these big problems. That means implementing mindful, self-...

It’s not easy to let go of certain donors, but there comes a time in every fundraising cycle when you’ll need to transition a donor relationship to someone else.  

Whether the donor is moving from mid-level to a major gifts portfolio, or from a higher level of giving back into mid-level or direct response, transitioning them to another colleague is one of the best things you can do for your program, organization, and the donor! B...

How many times has your organization pulled you into something that doesn’t directly relate to your job? This kind of scenario is all too common in the non-profit sector, and the results of it are usually negative: fundraisers lose their focus, have less impact, and solicit less giving. 

What if fundraising leaders and management stopped distracting their mid-level and major gift officers with unnecessary organizational tasks,...

With summer vacations wrapping up and back-to-school season in full swing, it’s time to start taking a close look at your fundraising plans for the fall and year-end. 

Are you feeling prepared for the busy months ahead? We know how valuable this time of year is in your fundraising cycle, which is why it’s so important to focus on creating a strong strategic plan for your donors.

In this episode, Jeff Schreifels is joined by D...

It’s the most intimidating part of fundraising: asking someone for a gift.  

But that’s not the only thing that fundraisers need to ask for. You’re also requesting meetings, inviting donors to attend events, and asking them to share the personal drivers behind their giving.  

So, whatever you’re asking for – how do you do it in a way that honors the donor as a partner in your mission? 

We developed our Permission-Bas...

Did you know that Veritus Group is an international consulting agency, with offices in the UK & Europe (in addition to our US & Canada team)? We often get questions about how The Veritus Way works in different cultural settings, so we wanted to spend some time sharing about our work with international clients and highlighting what’s been working well for them. 

In this episode, Jeff is joined by Sara Di Lullo, Director of...

Veritus Group was incredibly honored to be the Presenting Sponsor for the AADO Conference in 2024. 

AADO (African American Development Officers Network) is a network of more than 3,500 fundraising professionals of color. Their annual conference is the premier event for fundraising, development, and operations professionals of color, and their allies.  

During the conference, our team sat down with several AADO leaders and confe...

Over the past two decades, our team at Veritus has analyzed hundreds of different non-profits’ data files, and we see the same trends over and over again. While overall revenue may go up year-over-year, many donors give less over time (or go away altogether). But organizations are often unaware this is happening because the loss is covered up by gifts from new donors.  

So, what can you do about this? The first thing to do is start...

As a fundraiser, you play two roles in any donor meeting. First, you’re there to be a partner to your donor, which means you’re seeking to learn more about their passions so you can help to match those with your organization’s programs.  

And your second role is to act as a facilitator so that everyone is on the same page about the purpose of the meeting and leaves feeling like their time was well-used. This is a real skill that ...

Building a partnership between mid-level and direct response is crucial to your organization’s success. Yet many organizations are missing out on opportunities to align these groups in a way that will strengthen the donor pipeline.  

For this episode, we invited special guests Becca Burgess, VP of Client Services at Moore, and Kara Ansotegui, Senior Director of Leadership Annual Giving at the American Cancer Society, to join us f...

Many non-profit leaders rely on metrics because it’s easier than sitting down with their frontline fundraisers each week and helping them stay focused and accountable to their strategic plan. But when your fundraising performance metrics are not aligned with building meaningful relationships with your donors, it can cause a whole host of problems. 

What are the metrics that really matter in fundraising, and how can managers be...

Many fundraisers aren’t starting their caseloads from scratch – they’re inheriting a donor caseload that was previously managed by someone else. Whether you’re a new hire, or you’re moving into a new role within the same organization and taking on a new caseload, this transition can be complicated.  

How do you introduce yourself to these donors who already know your organization, but not you?  

In this episode, Matt Gill...