Seeding Social Good

What happens when traditional advocacy doesn't cut it anymore? In a raw and timely conversation, I sat down with Courtney Bugler, CEO of ZERO Prostate Cancer, to talk about the shift from “little a” advocacy to “Big A” activism—and what it means for nonprofit leaders navigating fear, risk, and rising misinformation. Courtney doesn't flinch when the stakes are high. She names what's broken, leads with values, and challenges the rest of us to get louder. Her message? Chaos is the point. So, we better show up loud enough to break through it. 

In this episode, we dive into the evolving landscape of peer-to-peer fundraising and ask some provocative questions: Should we still organize fundraising efforts around traditional formats like walks, runs, and rides? Why do those formats often make sense to nonprofit staff but fall flat with volunteers? We'll unpack the behavioral trends of different generations, explore whether DIY fundraising is the real solution, and ask the question no one seems to be asking: Why aren't we talking more about gaming and streaming? Joining us for this conversation are three fundraising powerhouses: Aimee Simpson, Chief Development Officer at the Immune Deficiency Foundation; Michael Wasserman, CEO and Co-Founder of Tiltify; and Katrina VanHuss, Founder of Turnkey For Good.

Katrina VanHuss, CEO Turnkey, interviews two CEOs who have successfully merged nonprofits to great advantage to their respective missions. Colon Cancer Alliance CEO Michael Sapienza successfully merged two nonprofits. John Lehr, CEO Parkinson Foundation, has merged nonprofits twice with success. These CEOs talk about the path, the pain, the purpose and the product of those mergers.Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

In this episode, I break down the four critical actions every nonprofit leader must take in the face of mounting challenges: double down on major gifts while building community, merge for greater impact, find your people, and prioritize self-care. But why these steps?  I dive into the psychology behind it, exploring how the Just World Hypothesis fuels neoliberal policies that deepen inequality, erode social safety nets, and reshape the nonprofit landscape. Discover how cognitive biases, political ideologies, and shifting donor behaviors are changing the game—and what you can do to navigate this new reality.Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Psychologist Dr. Otis Fulton and Turnkey Founder Katrina VanHuss discuss (as if they were on their on back porch...they're married) how recognition works at the psychological level. Part 2Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Psychologist Dr. Otis Fulton and Turnkey Founder Katrina VanHuss discuss (as if they were on their on back porch...they're married) how recognition works at the psychological level. Part 1Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

The boundaries between livestream fundraising and traditional peer-to-peer fundraising are disappearing. Our donors and fundraisers are iterating faster than we are, erasing the difference between these two departments as influencers become content creators who are team captains. This "horseshoe dynamic" requires a restructuring of the revenue department. Not doing so means losing constituents and income.  Michael Wasserman, founder of Tiltify, and Katrina VanHuss, founder of Turnkey For Good, discuss these changes in both technical and organizational terms. Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Facebook ceased processing donations in Ireland in 2023. Adrian O'Flynn, Founder of GYSS in Ireland, had to contend with this situation that we in the US now fear. How his firm and its social good clients managed this turn, and when, will surprise and delight you. Turnkey For Good Founder, Katrina VanHuss, and O'Flynn take an in-depth look at Facebook's twists and turns and how someone in your shoes can manage them successfully. Sands Walk 100k In September Campaign: https://fundraising.sands.org.uk/event/walk-100k-in-september Facebook & Website Fundraising: https://www.turnkeyforgood.com/s/FB-decline-in-UK.jpg Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Most of us are afraid that the very noisy political environment could hurt our fundraising results. Dr. Otis Fulton, VP Psychological Strategy,  and Katrina VanHuss, Founder of Turnkey For Good, join Shanna Birky, VP Customer Experience at Classy, to discuss the intersection of political noise and social good fundraising and how it might impact your fundraising. They'll also hit communications strategies for post-election, and how to prepare for either outcome.Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go. 

Raising money with events has been getting harder. Acquisition got harder. Retention got lower. Event leaders are losing their jobs. Why? Turns out we were systematizing the wrong thing. We should have been systematizing the building of communities. Communities sometimes hold events. Events rarely hold communities. We had it backwards and our results prove it. Join us to gain a full understanding of the psychological difference between a community and an event, and the likely outcomes of each. Learn why identity is an important part of community building, and why events don't use identity nearly as well, impacting event financial results and lifetime donor/fundraiser value. Robin Paterson with Cystic Fibrosis joins Kate and Otis to tell you how it works in real life. Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Michael Wasserman, Founder and CEO of Tiltify, explains why addressing the tools of social influencers in the specific and incorrect terms of “livestream/gaming” is limiting to results. He recommends and demonstrates repositioning those tools to enable people who manage social influencers to succeed and support ALL areas of fundraising. Katrina suggests quitting your job and jumping to the next one because your organization may never get over seeing you as that “gaming fundraiser.” Dr. Otis Fulton explains how content creators can help you build your nonprofit community.  In short, it was fun. Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

Attorney and popular podcaster Wayne Zell, CEO & Managing Member of Zell Law Firm, interviews Dr. Otis Fulton, Social Psychologist and Turnkey For Good VP of Psychological Strategy, about social fundraising and the underlying psychology on the Blueprint for Wealth Podcast.Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

AI is all over the news lately, causing CEOs and organizations to assume they know everything they need to know about AI. Assumption is dangerous.    We don't want to be left behind. We are eager for our organizations to use AI quickly, often with little accountability from stakeholders to question or press pause. We may be putting our missions at risk as a result. Combined with a lack of direction and little to no structured training, use of AI could be high risk.    What to do? We've never been here before. Our guests help us explore how we can identify and address the risks, while still enjoying the benefits of AI.    With guests:    - Nathan Chappell, Senior VP of DonorSearch and Co-Founder of Fundraising AI, and author of "The Generosity Crisis"   - Darren Winter, AI Ethics Expert and a PhD Candidate in AI Ethics  Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go!

In a rare experience as the interrogatee and not the interrogator, Katrina VanHuss is interviewed by old friend and legal expert Wayne Zell, Managing Member and CEO of Zell Law, on his Blueprint for Wealth Podcast. In a wide-ranging interview, Wayne and Katrina discuss topics as varied as: Brand – nonprofit versus for-profit, what's the same and what's the difference? The success of the Pan Mass Challenge under CEO Jarrett Collins A comparison of volunteer-led versus staff-led initiatives CEO Paula Schneider's re-engineering of the Susan G. Komen organization Early Race For The Cure versus early Relay For Life The female experience of the double bind and how it impacts work life Why grocery stores are not like nonprofits What happened to make Katrina quit selling water bottles and tee shirts Insufficient justification and why it matters The impact of the social validation feedback loop How al-Qaeda works    Yes, Wayne Zell is THAT good of an interviewer, keeping Katrina on the rails and focused for an entire podcast. He is the master, and not just at preserving wealth for his clients through Zell Law.Need somewhere to get immediate help from experienced peers, without judgment? Here you go.

The design of a nonprofit event has a profound impact on participants. It influences how much they donate or raise, and, most importantly, if they return the following year. In this episode, Blue Sea Foundation CEO, Brian Carney, describes how his organization designed Canada's largest fundraising event, Coldest Night of the Year. Lessons learned by Brian and his team regarding things like swag and creating community make up the secret sauce behind the event's success. 

A veteran of board management and strategy, Anne Marie Forbes helps to identify, name, and address the most prevalent foibles of dysfunctional boards. We help you see the ways to reach a better place, and even show you some tools that can assist. Whether you are a board member, an Executive Director or CEO, or a staff person responsible for preparing for board meetings, this will be helpful.  Discussion points:  Bad recruitment—How to stop doing that.  Bad onboarding—Helping board members understand their job.  Connection to the strategic plan—Helping board members see and understand the connection.  Board meeting preparation by staff—Prepping for the meeting without shutting down all other work and avoiding demoralizing staff when their work is not even read by the board members.  Board meeting preparation by board members—Helping board members show up prepared.  If you want to see the full demo of Zeck software, you can watch the webinar here: https://www.turnkeyforgood.com/webinars/boards-five-fixes-to-get-to-great 

Events were once called “walk-a-thons,” then “peer-to-peer,” and now are considered to be “social fundraising.” What's unique about this way of getting small-dollar donors engaged? Join us as we talk to industry veteran Randi Corey (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, JDRF, and others) about the relationship of social fundraising revenue to a nonprofit's total revenue. 

In this episode Katrina interviews the CEO of the Pan Mass Challenge, Jarrett Collins, who became CEO 17 days before the interview. It's hard to call him a newbie however, as he served as both president and chief operating officer prior to taking the role. The Pan Mass Challenge is one of a small set of organizations that funnel monies directly to another entity, in this case the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Given that, focus is entirely on fundraising, which Jarrett and team do well having raised $72 million in 2023 through careful stewardship of long-time riders and volunteers.

Giving and taking advice is hard. Gestalt Language Protocol is a way to communicate that both conveys information and builds strong positive relationships. In this episode, we dig into the psychology behind why Gestalt is such a powerful tool. What is it people really want when they ask for advice? The answer may surprise you...

The deputy director of development for GLSEN was desperate to protect me, him, and everyone else. From who? Far right extremists.

You've been in those conversations with someone at work who just rubs you the wrong way. No matter what they say, it's hard for you to agree with them.  Or you've been the one that someone just won't listen to. You tell them the answer, but it feels like they don't want to hear it.  Join Katrina VanHuss, Founder Turnkey For Good, and Kate Barnette, VP Client Engagement Turnkey For Good in this podcast as they give the gift of Gestalt Language Protocol, which will: Explain the psychology behind the bad feelings that get in the way of work Teach you how to avoid having information exchange happen that way. Using these techniques, you'll come away with a better exchange of information—and better relationships.

In this episode, Katrina has a Jerry McGuire moment. She covers how a person's identity is strengthened by community embedment through the self-validation feedback loop, how social good organizations currently invest heavily in nonproductive activities, and how you—yes, you—will save the world from societal fracture. 

Successfully navigating a difficult conversation is as important a skill as keyboarding. It is your route to moving your ideas and your mission forward. So, why do important conversations so often go off the rails?  During important conversations, your bodily responses get involved. Facts fade away and the goal changes from moving the mission forward to “winning” the conversation.  But we have choices. In these moments, we can be disciplined and use methods proven to advance the mission and protect relationships, or we can crash and burn but “win” our short-term point. 

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) uncovered a crazy truth recently: if we don't focus on revenue, the revenue shows up. If we focus on providing constituents with connection and service INSIDE our revenue products, revenue shows up. If we focus on the top of the funnel, the bottom of the funnel takes care of itself. Hear how PBTF transformed a Facebook Challenge Group into a community hub. 

Our pipeline is emptying. The small donor is in decline. Katrina moderates the conversation between Nathan Chappell (author of The Generosity Crisis), Jill Davis (now at PanCan and loaded for bear from other experience), Maria Clark (Chief Evangelist at GoodUnited and "has-seen-under-a-lot-of-blankets" at large nonprofits), and Otis Fulton, PhD (social psychologist who will help us understand what the heck the humans are doing!).