Next in Nonprofits

The New GiveMN 2018 Part II with Jake Blumberg

This second conversation on the new GiveMN features Jake Blumberg, Executive Director of GiveMN. Check out the first conversation with Brooke Thomson, though it is not required to learn from Part II. GiveMN has been a subject of past podcasts (for example in 2016 and 2017) as an important tool and sponsor of Give to the Max Day. GiveMN has announced a change in technology providers, returning to MightyCause (the former Razoo) after a change to Kimbia in prior years. The new GiveMN has a different layout and some new features, and a webinar is available to help administrators of these pages begin to understand the tool.

Jake joins host Steve Boland to talk about the decision for GiveMN to change technology partners, how mobile has become the first need in giving since the early days of GiveMN, the new peer support tools for year-round campaigns and much more!

The New GiveMN Part 1 with Brooke Thomson

GiveMN has been a subject of past podcasts (for example in 2016 and 2017) as an important tool and sponsor of Give to the Max Day. GiveMN has announced a change in technology providers, returning to MightyCause (the former Razoo) after a change to Kimbia in prior years. The new GiveMN has a different layout and some new features, and a webinar is available to help administrators of these pages begin to understand the tool.

Brooke Thomson is the Development and Communications Director at Annex Teen Clinic, whose mission is to "help young people take charge of their sexual health by providing confidential health services and education." Brooke is an experienced GiveMN user, and joins host Steve Boland to talk about the changes, the upcoming Give to the Max Day, and how these tools integrate into the bigger picture of nonprofit giving. This is "part 1" about the new GiveMN - the second conversation with Jake Blumberg is being scheduled and will be published soon!

Nonprofit cohorts and peer support

The 100th episode of Next in Nonprofits is a special conversation. Host Steve Boland welcomes five guests to the podcast, all fellow alumni from the Hamline University N5 Master of Nonprofit Management cohort. Michael Brink, Shannon Forney, Dan Keller, Derek Madsen, and Jason Viana joined the conversation.

Most of this group graduated in 2011, and have been sharing their professional and personal lives since starting school together in 2009. Many nonprofit professionals don't have access to a peer group with such deep learning connections, and this conversation talks about the advantages of getting honest feedback, seeking support from within and outside an industry group, and much more!

Digital and Print Communication with Christine Durand

Christine Durand is the Director of Advancement for the Minnesota Museum of American Art. Their mission is "to inspire people to discover themselves and their communities through American art." Christine works across communications, marketing and development to help bring people to the mission work of "The M."

Christine joins host Steve Boland to talk about the evolving role of print and digital communications in nonprofits, agreeing that there are important roles for digital communications, but also still for print and how the two media need to engage with each other for the best community engagement. The conversation includes mobile-first web design (and some talk of progressive web apps), using print in physical spaces, deprecating but not replacing print in others, the importance of print in fundraising, and so much more!

New Normal with Adene Sacks and Kate Wilkinson

Adene Sacks and Kate Wilkinson (along with Heather McLeod Grant) are co-authors of the report The New Normal: Capacity Building During a Time of Disruption. The report "takes a closer look at the impact of the 2016 U.S. election and its aftermath on the social sector. "

Adene and Kate join host Steve Boland to talk about capacity building (and defining external capacity in movements), the responsibility of philanthropy in our changed times, defining a process of change rather than a specific outcome, and much more! The conversation also mentions another Open/Impact report, The Giving Code, which was the topic of a previous Next in Nonprofits podcast interview.

Ample Earth with Harry McAlister

Ample Earth is a cloud-based video production service focused on social good organizations, including charities, social enterprise and cause-marketing organizations. They use a distributed team of professionals to create video messaging, and are transparent about their models and pricing in ways that invite nonprofits to learn more about using video to enhance their messaging.

Harry McAlister, co-founder of Ample Earth, joins host Steve Boland to discuss how Ample Earth works, the power of video messaging, the assumption that there is one perfect video length, and more.

WordPress and nonprofits with Jenna Christensen of Arcstone

Jenna Christensen is a digital strategist with ArcStone, "a full-service digital agency. Marketing, design, and technology professionals sharing a common vision of service, craftsmanship, evolution and happiness since 1997."

ArcStone has published some guidance on "Should you buy or build a custom WordPress theme?" The article provides some key questions, some ideas on potential costs, and opens a bigger conversation about using WordPress as a web publishing platform for nonprofits. Jenna joins host Steve Boland to talk about the issues many charities run into using WordPress as their web framework, using plug-ins in that environment, measuring success and planning for longevity in a dynamic world. ArcStone also has blogs available about the updating privacy policies for 2018, using Divi in Wordpress, and more.

Peer fundraising with Mike Stephenson of ALS Association

Mike Stephenson is the Marketing Director of the ALS Association of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. The chapter "operates under a shared mission. The MN/ND/SD Chapter focuses primarily on providing services to assist people with ALS and their families live with ALS. The National ALS Association focuses primarily on research and advocacy. "

The ALS Association made history with the Ice Bucket Challenge, which changed many charties' perspective on peer-based fundraising. Mike joins the podcast to talk about the impact of the Challenge, and how ALS Association and other charities are moving forward with peer-supported fundraising initiatives. Mike talks about the likelihood of catching lightning in a bottle a second time (spoiler - not great odds) and how to move forward with what individual donors are teaching us when we listen. Mike ends the conversation with the advice about working with individuals: "Stop pushing and start equipping."

2018 Tax Code and Charitable Giving with Russell James

Russell James is a professor at Texas Tech University, where he teaches charitable planning and behavioral economics.

Professor James produced a short YouTube presentation explaining the impact of the changes in the tax code, and how in some case the value of the charitable deduction has increased for filers, and in many cases the changes have no impact at all for the many filers who did not itemize under the old code or the new one. Read more at Planned Giving Design Center.

Russell joins host Steve Boland to first dispel the idea that the changes in tax code means the end of charitable giving, but to go on to talk about the how other changes - such as the loss of deduction for state taxes such as property taxes and state capital gains taxes - can impact the value of charitable giving of such things as appreciated stock.

Bennett's Hierarchy with Al Onkka

Al Onkka is a Principal at Aurora Consulting. Their mission is to "boost the ability of nonprofits to fulfill their missions through a carefully crafted mix of thoughtful evaluation, strategic planning and organizational leadership development."

Al recently shared a blog post about Bennett's Hierarchy, "a type of logic model tailored for programs that provide information or education." The tool brings a unique focus on KASA - Knowledge, Attitude, Skills and Aspirations - as measurable components of change in evaluating the work for charities in community. Al talks about evaluation in the charitable sector, methods nonprofits use to change based on evaluation outcomes, and more.