The Fundraising Coach -- Fundraising Tips, Tools, and Tactics for Nonprofits -- by Tom Iselin

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Learn tactics and strategies you need to become an expert at raising money and building a high-performance fundraising program. There are Interviews with industry experts, as well as dozens of practical tactics you can apply immediately to raise more money, improve your program's effectiveness, and inspire you about the art of fundraising.

Tom Iselin


    • Dec 6, 2018 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 6m AVG DURATION
    • 17 EPISODES


    Latest episodes from The Fundraising Coach -- Fundraising Tips, Tools, and Tactics for Nonprofits -- by Tom Iselin

    Build great content and increase response rates 10-fold!

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2018 9:25


    What good are your appeal letters if no one reads them? In this podcast, learn what makes create content and how to increase the response rates of the appeals you send out -- especially your yearend holiday appeals.

    Episode 13 - Podcast Host, Erin Brinker Interviews Tom Iselin

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2018 13:05


    12 minutes. Listen Podcast host Erin Brinker interviews Tom on her show called: On The Brink! KCAA 102.3 FM, 106.5 FM, and 1050 AM in the Inland Empire-East LA. Tom provide straight-talk answers to a handful of Erin's poignant questions about things like nonprofit overhead, wasteful spending, marketing, and more.

    Episode 12 - Raise More Money . . . Invest in Goosebumps!

    Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2018 5:31


    Face it. You are competing for funds in a fiercely competitive environment with limited resources. Many large universities and institutional nonprofits have hundreds of people raising money for them and operate multimillion dollar marketing budgets. It's you (David) verses Goliath. How do you compete? One of the simplest things you can do is to invest in marketing. Most small to medium-sized nonprofits have little to no marketing budgets because they (often board members) view marketing as an expense instead of an investment. This 5min podcast will show you 1 simple secret you can use to ensure you're marketing materials are first class, but can cost you little to nothing.

    Episode 11 - Swap Your Pronouns to Raise More Money!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2018 0:29


    Stop using "I", "Me", and "We" when asking for money. This short podcast shows you how to quickly change how you position your asks so the focus is on connecting the donor -- and the donor's gift -- on the needs you fill . . . not the needs you have!

    Episode 10 - The Best Fundraising Tactic Ever - Vegas Style

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2018 5:35


    There are many ways to raise money - grants, galas, email, letters, and phone calls . . . but the most effective way is asking for money in a face-to-face setting. In fact, this podcast will show why it's the most effective tactic over all others. 

    Episode 09 - 5 Ways to Wow Donors When Thanking Them!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2018 6:59


    Competition for donors is tough. The problem is that most nonprofit are focused on acquiring donors when they should be thinking about how to retain them. In this podcast, learn how to create loyal and generous fans by thanking donors in ways that stand out and separate you from the competition. 

    Episode 08 - Last-Minute Holiday Fundraising Tips

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2017 8:00


    Learn 3 of my favorite ways to raise money from donors during the month of December. Time is running out -- do what works!!

    Episode 07 - The Importance of Creating a Board Member Engagement Form

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2017 4:34


    This is a brief podcast on how to create an engagement form that your board members can fill out when they join your board, or annually, to get board members more engaged in the work of your organization, based on their gifts and skills -- and interests! A free template is made available by writing Tom at tomiselin@gmail.com. 

    Episode 06 - Create a Fundraising Profile of Your Board

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 26, 2017 9:29


    Engage more members in your fundraising efforts by urging them do what THEY want to do, not what you want them to do!

    Episode 05 - How to Raise More Money by Not Asking for it!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2016 4:32


    The best way to raise money from donors when you first meet them is NOT to ask them for money. Rather, make a non-monetary ask, first -- a "connection" ask. Ask them to volunteer, observe your programming, provide advice, watch a performance, or attend a "friend-raising" event.    This podcast addresses this common problem and provides suggestions on ways you can raising more money by taking a softer, more patient approach. Enjoy!

    Episode 04 - The 5 Tragedies of Forcing People to Ask for Money!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 29, 2016 3:32


    There are many positive things you can do to engage board members and volunteers to support the fundraising efforts of your organization. However, some organizations require their board members to raise money. The problem? Forcing people to ask for money often results in tragedy. Learn why!

    Episode 03 - Small Donors, Big Opportunities

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2016 5:10


    Sometimes your smallest donors hold the largest promise of major gifts, but you'll never know unless you reach out to them!

    Episode 02 - The Give or Get Policy - Tom's Rant

    Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2016 5:51


    Does your board have a "Give or Get" policy? Should they? This podcast, or shall I say rant, discusses the downside of having such a policy and why it's more effective - and practical - to establish a "Give and HELP Get" policy. If you do, your board will be much happier, and you'll probably raise more money from them and your donors.

    Episode 01 - The Super 6 - Fundraising Tactics That Attract Donors

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2016 10:31


    This podcast covers 6 fundraising principles will help you understand what attracts donors to nonprofits. These principles are important to learn because knowing what attracts donors to nonprofits will help raise more money and develop more loyal and generous donors.

    Prelaunch Episode 1

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2015 5:18


    In this brief podcast, learn why it's important to think about how much time you're spending on grant writing compared with other types of fundraising tactics such as face-to-face fundraising. Tom shares his "Grant From Hell" story, which will get you thinking about the efficiency and effectiveness of your fundraising efforts.

    Episode 0b: About Tom and his brush with death

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2015 7:34


    In the 1980's, I had it all -- then almost lost it all in a blink of an eye. Listen to this podcast and learn about the transformational experience I had that turned a self-centered stock options trader into a selfless social entrepreneur that's passionate about helping leaders like you build high-performance nonprofits. 

    Episode 0a: Overview of the Show (60 sec)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2015 1:10


    Welcome to The Fundraising Coach. My name is Tom Iselin and I started this podcast because I know how insanely difficult and competitive fundraising can be.  I'm not some professor spouting fundraising theory; I have founded and have helped build some of the nation's most notable nonprofits in their sectors from the ground up . . . and I've raised millions to fund them. I've been in the fundraising trenches just like you. I know what's like to be short on staff and resources, and I know what's like to work with disengaged board members. The Fundraising Coach will teach you the same tactics and strategies I've shared with thousands of non­profits to help them raise hundreds of millions of dollars. You'll learn everything you need to become an expert at raising money and building a high-performance, winning fundraising program. I'll be interviewing industry experts, and I'll have specific “tactical” shows from my playbook that will help you raise more money than you ever thought possible. So tune in . . . and RAISE MORE MONEY!

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