Most nonprofit burnout isn’t a motivation problem — it’s a focus problem.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, hosted by Tom Kelly, we break down how the 80/20 rule applies directly to fundraising growth, donor retention, and nonprofit strategy.

You’ll discover why a small percentage of donors drive most of your revenue, why a handful of messages create most of your engagement, and why focusing on high-impact activities leads to sustainable growth without exhausting your team. If you’re overwhelmed, juggling campaigns, events, emails, and still feeling stuck, this episode will help you simplify, prioritize, and scale smarter.

Because fundraising success isn’t about doing more — it’s about protecting the 20% that actually moves the mission forward.

Most nonprofits are proud of their big annual fundraiser. The gala. The walk. The tournament. The auction night. It feels productive. It brings in revenue. It’s tradition.

But what if that once-a-year event is quietly limiting your growth?

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down why depending on one major fundraiser creates compressed revenue, shallow donor relationships, and team burnout. Big events often create the illusion of progress without building long-term momentum.

You’ll learn:

• Why events concentrate risk instead of building stability

• How feast-or-famine fundraising keeps nonprofits stuck

• The difference between event donors and mission donors

• How to turn your event into a long-term relationship engine

• Three simple actions to make your next fundraiser smarter, not bigger

Events aren’t the problem. The way you use them is.

If you want predictable revenue, stronger donor retention, and less burnout, this episode will shift how you think about fundraising strategy.

Are you tired of hearing, “I’m not a fundraiser”?

In this episode, Tom Kelly sits down with nonprofit strategist Esther Saehyun Lee to reframe what fundraising really means. Esther helps executive directors, board members, and staff see that fundraising isn’t just about the ask—it’s about connection, trust, and sharing your mission in meaningful ways.

They dive into:

• Why so many nonprofit leaders feel like fundraising isn’t their job
• The lightbulb moment when people realize they already are fundraisers
• How small and medium nonprofits can engage their teams and boards to share the fundraising load
• Simple, high-impact donor stewardship practices you can implement today
• The power of authentic storytelling and avoiding extractive narratives

Free Gifts for Listeners

1. Sweet Treat Quiz for Nonprofit Leaders – Take a fun, silly quiz to find out what sweet treat you need and what it says about your leadership archetype. Take the quiz here https://opinionstage.com/page/d95ef3db-f580-4a72-9b57-265e34ad6cc5
2. Limited Troubleshooting Calls – Esther is offering 4 private 30-minute troubleshooting calls to help you tackle your nonprofit’s fundraising challenges. To secure one of the 4 spots, email her directly at esther@elevatephilanthropyconsulting.com

If you want to reimagine fundraising, engage your team, and strengthen your nonprofit’s impact, this episode is packed with actionable insights and encouragement to get started.

Want to chat with Esther directly? Find her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/esther-saehyun-lee/

For more info on Esther, visit her website: https://www.elevatephilanthropyconsulting.com/

and for more additional resources from her here: https://candid.org/blogs/hidden-labor-behind-nonprofits-authentic-storytelling/

Most nonprofit campaigns fail to retain donors not because of lack of offers, timing, or frequency — but because the relationship feels disconnected.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down the quiet pattern behind campaigns that actually keep donors coming back: Recognition, Reinforcement, Re-entry.

You’ll learn:

• Why high-retention campaigns feel like relationships, not transactions
• How to make donors feel seen before you ever ask
• Why reinforcement builds pride and loyalty
• How re-entry invites without pressure or guilt
• How AI helps maintain continuity and scale donor engagement

Hear a real example of a nonprofit stuck at 41% retention. They rebuilt their campaigns around this simple pattern — same donors, same budget — and retention jumped to 62% in a year.

This episode shows how high-retention campaigns continue a donor’s story instead of restarting it with every email. Calm, confident, human, and repeatable — that’s the pattern.

Most lapsed donors don’t need another campaign, another offer, or more urgency. They don’t need to be convinced. They need to feel something again.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly explains why donors lapse in the first place — not because they stopped caring, but because the emotional connection faded — and how one carefully written story can reopen that connection without guilt, pressure, or pretending nothing happened.

Tom introduces a simple reactivation framework — Memory, Meaning, Momentum — that helps nonprofits reconnect lapsed donors by reminding them why they first cared, showing how their past support mattered, and offering a warm, pressure-free invitation back into the story.

You’ll learn:

• Why “we miss you” emails quietly fail
• How guilt shuts donors down instead of bringing them back
• Why stories outperform urgency for donor reactivation
• The 3-part structure behind effective lapsed donor emails
• How AI helps nonprofits personalize reconnection at scale

You’ll also hear a real example of a nonprofit that sent one story-based email to lapsed donors — no donate button, no countdown — and saw replies, reconnections, and reactivated giving simply because donors felt remembered, not chased.

Most nonprofits believe their biggest growth problem is a lack of donors. More names. More leads. Bigger lists. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most nonprofits don’t have a donor problem — they have a conversation problem.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly flips the traditional growth mindset on its head and shows why the fastest way to raise more money isn’t finding new donors, but having better conversations with the ones you already have.

Tom breaks down why donors actually leave, how broadcast-style fundraising quietly destroys relationships, and why asking better questions does more for retention than any campaign ever will.

You’ll learn:

Why donors don’t leave because you ask too much — they leave because you talk too little

The difference between broadcasting and real donor conversations

How listening, reflecting, and guiding replace persuasion and pressure

A simple four-email conversation sequence that outperforms most campaigns

How AI helps nonprofits scale real conversations without losing the human touch

You’ll also hear a real example of a nonprofit that stopped chasing list growth and sent one simple email asking donors why they originally connected. The result? More replies, deeper relationships, and a dramatic increase in repeat giving — without adding new donors.

The message that doubled one nonprofit’s repeat donors wasn’t long, clever, or emotional poetry. It wasn’t a campaign or a big strategy shift. It was one short follow-up, sent at the right moment, with the right tone, asking the right thing.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down why most nonprofits lose donors not because donors stopped caring, but because the conversation stopped. Most organizations think follow-up means asking again. Real follow-up is something different entirely — it’s continuing a conversation that most nonprofits never actually start.

You’ll learn:

• Why traditional follow-up fails and silently kills donor retention
• The exact follow-up message that doubled repeat donors (and why it worked)
• How timing, tone, and curiosity outperform pressure and urgency
• Why asking for perspective builds more loyalty than asking for money
• How to automate this process using AI without losing the human touch

Tom walks through a real example where a nonprofit sent a simple follow-up question three to five days after a donation. No links. No buttons. No ask. Just curiosity. The result? Donors replied, shared their motivations, felt seen — and stayed.

Making donors give more isn’t about manipulation, pressure, or guilt — it’s about understanding how humans actually make decisions. Most nonprofits get it backwards: they lead with numbers, budgets, and statistics, and then wonder why giving stalls.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly explains how to use psychology ethically so donors want to give more because it aligns with who they already are. No guilt. No pressure. Just human behavior.

You’ll learn seven principles that drive giving:

1. Identity drives giving. People give to express who they believe they are, not just to support a mission.
2. Anchors shape decisions. Frame giving amounts so donors know what’s normal.
3. Specific impact beats vague need. Concrete, visual moments inspire action.
4. Momentum matters. Small steps create generosity.
5. Timing beats persuasion. Ask right after a win, story, or thank-you.
6. Fewer choices = more action. Clear, simple giving options remove hesitation.
7. Belonging multiplies generosity. Language and inclusivity make donors feel part of something bigger.

Real results: One nonprofit didn’t change its ask amounts, just applied these psychological principles. Average gift doubled in six months. Same donors. Same cause. Better understanding of people.