Most nonprofit founders and leaders think DIYing their fundraising is the responsible choice. It feels like smart budgeting and being resourceful, but it quietly costs the organization more than any support ever would.

In this episode, I share why free fundraising advice, AI-generated campaigns, and trial-and-error in front of donors aren't savings; they're expenses that never appear on a budget line. I walk through what DIY fundraising actually costs in time, momentum, donor relationships, and delayed campaigns, and share stories from clients like Mary who went from raising just $3,000 in her year-end to multi-five-figures with one change. You’ll hear about Sophia and Jamie who canceled a gala and raised $20,000 in one simple online campaign, and why investing in a proven system is the fastest path to your first $250K, $500K, and beyond in unrestricted individual donations.

Topics:

• Why DIY fundraising costs more than it saves: in time, donor relationships, and revenue never raised
• The "we can't afford support" loop and why it keeps organizations stuck at the same funding level year after year
• Why AI is making it easier to produce more mediocre fundraising, not better fundraising
• Mary's story: from a $3K year-end campaign to $12K after joining The SPRINT Method™
• Why my clients canceled a gala, raised $20K in weeks, with less work, less overhead, and a lot more fun
• What investing in a fundraising system actually gives you: accountability, community, expert feedback, and a repeatable process

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits like yours. Book your demo here. Read The 2026 Giving Signals Report here.

Enrollment is open now, and you can save $500 during this launch, get the Year-End Bonus Bundle, and ticket to our live fall planning workshop.

Go to splendidcourses.com/sprint and join us.

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

Dina Besic started Maxwell's Toy Box because her two-year-old son Max wanted a train table in his oncology playroom. Three years later, while working a demanding full-time corporate job, raising two kids, and navigating Max's cancer treatment, she built an organization that has supported over 5,000 children, donated $9,100 directly to families, delivered 8,500 toys, and created 4,064 joy packages for children receiving chemotherapy… and she doubled her fundraising year over year with the support of The SPRINT Method™.

In this episode, Dina shares how she got out of her own way, moved from begging friends and family to running peer-to-peer campaigns and securing corporate sponsorships, and shifted her donors from giving physical toys to unrestricted cash donations. We also talk about the identity shift that changed everything, and what she would tell the version of herself who was terrified to ask.

Topics:

• How 108 donated toys grew into an organization serving thousands of children and families
• Moving supporters from donating physical toys to giving dollars the organization can put to work
• How peer-to-peer fundraising opened the door to corporate sponsorships and new donor acquisition
• Getting out of draft mode when you’re the founder, fundraiser, marketer, and decision-maker
• What doubling fundraising looks like when you have a full-time job, two kids, and a nonprofit to run

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits like yours. Book your demo here. Read The 2026 Giving Signals Report here.

Enrollment is open now, and you can save $500 during this launch, get the Year-End Bonus Bundle, and ticket to our live fall planning workshop.

Go to splendidcourses.com/sprint and join us.

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links

Most nonprofit leaders don't have a strategy problem. They have a complexity problem.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the 5 signs your fundraising campaign has gotten too complicated to actually launch, and what to do instead. From planning that never ends, to waiting for the perfect story, to campaigns so exhausting that nobody wants to do them again, these are the patterns I see most often in small and solo-led organizations (and every single one of them is fixable!). If your campaigns feel like a production, if your board needs to approve every subject line, or if the last fundraiser left your team too tired to run another one, this episode will show you exactly what's getting in the way and how to get out of your own way before year-end arrives.

Topics:

• Why planning can quietly replace actual fundraising
• What happens when you build the graphics before the message is clear
• How too many opinions weaken the campaign
• Why waiting for the perfect story keeps you stuck
• The sign that your campaign is too exhausting to repeat

For a full list of links and resources mentioned in this episode, click here.

Bloomerang is the complete donor, volunteer, and fundraising management solution that helps thousands of nonprofits like yours. Book your demo here. Read The 2026 Giving Signals Report here.

Enrollment is open now, and you can save $500 during this launch, get the Year-End Bonus Bundle, and ticket to our live fall planning workshop.

Go to splendidcourses.com/sprint and join us.

Resources:

• Easy Emails For Impact™: The $5K+ Fundraising Campaign System
• Purpose & Profit Club® Fundraising + Marketing Accelerator
• The SPRINT Method™: Your shortcut to 10K fundraisers
• Instagram, LinkedIn, website , weekly newsletter
• [FREE] The Brave Fundraiser’s Guide: Stop getting ignored. Start raising more.
  
  May contain affiliate links