Using the Whole Whale Podcast

Nonprofit Sector Sees Positive Trends and AI Empowerment Amidst Challenges In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed the duo delve into the latest updates and insights impacting the nonprofit world. Nonprofit Wellness Index Sees Positive Shift The episode kicks off with an encouraging update on the Nonprofit Wellness Index, which has reported its best month since inception. This index, tracking metrics like donation activity, ad spend, and job sector churn, showed a significant rebound from previous months, with notable increases in nonprofit job postings on platforms like Glassdoor and a rise in ad spending on Facebook. While some of this growth might be seasonal, the data suggests a positive trend for the sector, potentially signaling a more stable period ahead. Google for Nonprofits Expands AI Capabilities A major highlight is Google's expansion of its Nonprofits Workspace, now offering AI credits to organizations in the program. This includes access to powerful tools like Google Sheets, Gemini Notebook, and other AI-driven resources, providing nonprofits with high-value, cost-effective solutions. George emphasizes the importance of leveraging these free resources before investing in third-party tools, likening their value to the underutilized Google Ad Grant. Legal and Governance Challenges with ESG The conversation shifts to the complex landscape of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) policies, spotlighting a lawsuit by Texas against corporations implementing ESG practices. This legal pushback, fueled by conservative think tanks, highlights the contentious nature of ESG in corporate governance. Despite criticisms of ESG's broad metrics, George underscores the inevitable market forces that will drive sustainable practices, regardless of political opposition. Gender Equity in Nonprofit Leadership The episode also touches on the Candid 2025 Nonprofit Compensation Report, revealing persistent gender disparities in nonprofit leadership. Despite efforts towards DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), women remain underrepresented in CEO roles at large organizations, prompting ongoing discussions about achieving true equity in the sector.

Navigating the Future of Nonprofits: AI, Analytics, and Philanthropy Shifts In this episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed the hosts dive into several key topics impacting the nonprofit sector. After a brief hiatus, the duo returns with insights from a compelling interview with Avinash Kaushik, a leading figure in the analytics world, known as the "godfather of Google Analytics." Key Highlights: Answer Engine Optimization (AEO): The conversation with Avinash emphasizes the transition from traditional SEO to AEO, where nonprofits must adapt to question-and-answer interactions driven by LLMs (Large Language Models). Avinash predicts a potential decline in nonprofit web traffic by 16% to 64% and paid search traffic by 5% to 30% as AI changes how audiences find information. The key takeaway is for nonprofits to focus on creating content with novelty, depth, and authenticity to stand out. Nonprofit Wellness Index: George and Nick introduce the Nonprofit Wellness Index, a metric tracking nonprofit sector health through digital ad spend, job listings, and volunteer opportunities. July's data indicated a slight downturn, which could suggest a seasonal trend or a broader economic slowdown. This index aims to offer insights into the sector's macro trends. Gates Foundation's Strategic Shift: The episode discusses the Gates Foundation's decision to end new grants to Arabella Advisors, a major player in progressive philanthropy. This move, potentially influenced by political pressures, reflects a broader trend of risk aversion in high-tier philanthropy, which could impact progressive causes. Feel-Good Spotlight: Health in the Hood, a nonprofit tackling food insecurity in Miami, is highlighted for its efforts in distributing 15,000 pounds of food monthly through urban gardens and large-scale distribution. This initiative addresses food deserts and supermarket redlining, providing essential nutrition to underserved communities. Insights and Recommendations: Nonprofits should leverage human creativity alongside AI tools, ensuring their content remains unique and engaging to maintain visibility and relevance in an AI-driven landscape. The Nonprofit Wellness Index serves as a valuable tool for organizations to track and respond to sector trends, helping them navigate economic fluctuations. Philanthropic organizations need to be aware of the political and economic environments influencing their strategies and partnerships.

Nonprofits, your “10 blue links” era is over. In this episode, Avinash Kaushik (Human-Made Machine; Occam's Razor) breaks down Answer Engine Optimization—why LLMs now decide who gets seen, why third-party chatter outweighs your own site, and what to do about it. We get tactical: build AI-resistant content (genuine novelty + depth), go multimodal (text, video, audio), and stamp everything with real attribution so bots can't regurgitate you into sludge. We also cover measurement that isn't delusional—group your AEO referrals, expect fewer visits but higher intent, and stop worshiping last-click and vanity metrics. Avinash updates the 10/90 rule for the AI age (invest in people, plus “synthetic interns”), and torpedoes linear funnels in favor of See-Think-Do-Care anchored in intent. If you want a blunt, practical playbook for staying visible—and actually converting—when answers beat searches, this is it. About Avinash Avinash Kaushik is a leading voice in marketing analytics—the author of Web Analytics: An Hour a Day and Web Analytics 2.0, publisher of the Marketing Analytics Intersect newsletter, and longtime writer of the Occam's Razor blog. He leads strategy at Human Made Machine, advises Tapestry on brand strategy/marketing transformation, and previously served as Google's Digital Marketing Evangelist. Uniquely, he donates 100% of his book royalties and paid newsletter revenue to charity (civil rights, early childhood education, UN OCHA; previously Smile Train and Doctors Without Borders). He also co-founded Market Motive. Resource Links Avinash Kaushik — Occam's Razor (site/home) Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik Marketing Analytics Intersect (newsletter sign-up) Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik AEO series starter: “AI Age Marketing: Bye SEO, Hello AEO!” Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik See-Think-Do-Care (framework explainer) Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik Books: Web Analytics: An Hour a Day | Web Analytics 2.0 (author pages) Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik+1 Human Made Machine (creative pre-testing) — Home | About | Products humanmademachine.com+2humanmademachine.com+2 Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade) (company site) Tapestry Tools mentioned (AEO measurement): Trakkr (AI visibility / prompts / sentiment) Trakkr Evertune (AI Brand Index & monitoring) evertune.ai GA4 how-tos (for your AEO channel + attribution): Custom Channel Groups (create an “AEO” channel) Google Help Attribution Paths report (multi-touch view) Google Help Nonprofit vetting (Avinash's donation diligence): Charity Navigator (ratings) Charity Navigator Google for Nonprofits — Gemini & NotebookLM (AI access) Announcement / overview | Workspace AI for nonprofits blog.googleGoogle Help Example NGO Avinash supports: EMERGENCY (Italy) EMERGENCY Transcript Avinash Kaushik: [00:00:00] So traffic's gonna go down. So if you're a business, you're a nonprofit, how. Do you deal with the fact that you're gonna lose a lot of traffic that you get from a search engine? Today, when all of humanity moves to the answer Engine W world, only about two or 3% of the people are doing it. It's growing very rapidly. Um, and so the art of answer engine optimization is making sure that we are building for these LMS and not getting stuck with only solving for Google with the old SEO techniques. Some of them still work, but you need to learn a lot of new stuff because on average, organic traffic will drop between 16 to 64% negative and paid search traffic will drop between five to 30% negative. And that is a huge challenge. And the reason you should start with AEO now ​ George Weiner: [00:01:00] This week's guest, Avinash Kaushik is an absolute hero of mine because of his amazing, uh, work in the field of web analytics. And also, more importantly, I'd say education. Avinash Kaushik, , digital marketing evangelist at Google for Google Analytics. He spent 16 years there. He basically is. In the room where it happened, when the underlying ability to understand what's going on on our websites was was created. More importantly, I think for me, you know, he joined us on episode 45 back in 2016, and he still is, I believe, on the cutting edge of what's about to happen with AEO and the death of SEO. I wanna unpack that 'cause we kind of fly through terms [00:02:00] before we get into this podcast interview AEO. Answer engine optimization. It's this world of saying, alright, how do we create content that can't just be, , regurgitated by bots, , wholesale taken. And it's a big shift from SEO search engine optimization. This classic work of creating content for Google to give us 10 blue links for people to click on that behavior is changing. And when. We go through a period of change. I always wanna look at primary sources. The people that, , are likely to know the most and do the most. And he operates in the for-profit world. But make no mistake, he cares deeply about nonprofits. His expertise, , has frankly been tested, proven and reproven. So I pay attention when he says things like, SEO is going away, and AEO is here to stay. So I give you Avan Kashic. I'm beyond excited that he has come back. He was on our 45th episode and now we are well over our 450th episode. So, , who knows what'll happen next time we talk to him. [00:03:00] This week on the podcast, we have Avinash Kaushik. He is currently the chief strategy officer at Human Made Machine, but actually returning guest after many, many years, and I know him because he basically introduced me to Google Analytics, wrote the literal book on it, and also helped, by the way. No big deal. Literally birth Google Analytics for everyone. During his time at Google, I could spend the entire podcast talking about, uh, the amazing amounts that you have contributed to, uh, marketing and analytics. But I'd rather just real quick, uh, how are you doing and how would you describe your, uh, your role right now? Avinash Kaushik: Oh, thank you. So it's very excited to be back. Um, look forward to the discussion today. I do, I do several things concurrently, of course. I, I, I am an author and I write this weekly newsletter on marketing and analytics. Um, I am the Chief Strategy Officer at Human Made Machine, a company [00:04:00] that obsesses about helping brands win before they spend by doing creative pretesting. And then I also do, uh, uh, consulting at Tapestry, which owns Coach and Kate Spades. And my work focuses on brand strategy and marketing transformation globally. George Weiner: , Amazing. And of course, Occam's Razor. The, the, yes, the blog, which is incredible. I happen to be a, uh, a subscriber. You know, I often think of you in the nonprofit landscape, even though you operate, um, across many different brands, because personally, you also actually donate all of your proceeds from your books, from your blog, from your subscription. You are donating all of that, um, because that's just who you are and what you do. So I also look at you as like team nonprofit, though. Avinash Kaushik: You're very kind. No, no, I, I, yeah. All the proceeds from both of my books and now my newsletter, premium newsletter. It's about $200,000 a year, uh, donated to nonprofits, and a hundred [00:05:00] percent of the revenue is donated nonprofit, uh, nonprofits. And, and for me, it, it's been ai. Then I have to figure out. Which ones, and so I research nonprofits and I look up their cha charity navigators, and I follow up with the people and I check in on the works while, while don't work at a nonprofit, but as a customer of nonprofits, if you will. I, I keep sort of very close tabs on the amazing work that these charities do around the world. So feel very close to the people that you work with very closely. George Weiner: So recently I got an all caps subject line from you. Well, not from you talking about this new acronym that was coming to destroy the world, I think is what you, no, AEO. Can you help us understand what answer engine optimization is? Avinash Kaushik: Yes, of course. Of course. We all are very excited about ai. Obviously you, you, you would've to live in. Some backwaters not to be excited about it. And we know [00:06:00] that, um, at the very edge, lots of people are using large language models, chat, GPT, Claude, Gemini, et cetera, et cetera, in the world. And, and increasingly over the last year, what you have begun to notice is that instead of using a traditional search engine like Google or using the old Google interface with the 10 blue links, et cetera. People are beginning to use these lms. They just go to chat, GPT to get the answer that they want. And the one big difference in this, this behavior is I actually have on September 8th, I have a keynote here in New York and I have to be in Shanghai the next day. That is physically impossible because it, it just, the time it takes to travel. But that's my thing. So today, if I wanted to figure out what is the fastest way. On September 8th, I can leave New York and get to Shanghai. I would go to Google flights. I would put in the destinations. It will come back with a crap load of data. Then I poke and prod and sort and filter, and I have to figure out which flight is right for that. For this need I have. [00:07:00] So that is the old search engine world. I'm doing all the work, hunting and pecking, drilling down, visiting websites, et cetera, et cetera. Instead, actually what I did is I went to charge GBT 'cause I, I have a plus I, I'm a paying member of charge GBT and I said to charge GBTI have to do a keynote between four and five o'clock on September 8th in New York and I have to be in Shanghai as fast as I possibly can be After my keynote, can you find me the best flight? And I just typed in those two sentences. He came back and said, this Korean airline website flight is the best one for you. You will not get to your destination on time until, unless you take a private jet flight for $300,000. There is your best option. They're gonna get to Shanghai on, uh, September 10th at 10 o'clock in the morning if you follow these steps. And so what happened there? I didn't have to hunt and pack and dig and go to 15 websites to find the answer I wanted. The engine found the [00:08:00] answer I wanted at the end and did all the work for me that you are seeing from searching, clicking, clicking, clicking, clicking, clicking to just having somebody get you. The final answer is what I call the, the, the underlying change in consumer behavior that makes answer engine so exciting. Obviously, it creates a challenge for us because what happened between those two things, George is. I didn't have to visit many websites. So traffic is going down, obviously, and these interfaces at the moment don't have paid search links for now. They will come, they will come, but they don't at the moment. So traffic's gonna go down. So if you're a business, you're a nonprofit, how. Do you deal with the fact that you're gonna lose a lot of traffic that you get from a search engine? Today, when all of humanity moves to the answer Engine W world, only about two or 3% of the people are doing it. It's growing very rapidly. Um, and so the art of answer engine optimization [00:09:00] is making sure that we are building for these LMS and not getting stuck with only solving for Google with the old SEO techniques. Some of them still work, but you need to learn a lot of new stuff because on average, organic traffic will drop between 16 to 64% negative and paid search traffic will drop between five to 30% negative. And that is a huge challenge. And the reason you should start with AEO now George Weiner: that you know. Is a window large enough to drive a metaphorical data bus through? And I think talk to your data doctor results may vary. You are absolutely right. We have been seeing this with our nonprofit clients, with our own traffic that yes, basically staying even is the new growth. Yeah. But I want to sort of talk about the secondary implications of an AI that has ripped and gripped [00:10:00] my website's content. Then added whatever, whatever other flavors of my brand and information out there, and is then advising somebody or talking about my brand. Can you maybe unwrap that a little bit more? What are the secondary impacts of frankly, uh, an AI answering what is the best international aid organization I should donate to? Yes. As you just said, you do Avinash Kaushik: exactly. No, no, no. This such a, such a wonderful question. It gets to the crux. What used to influence Google, by the way, Google also has an answer engine called Gemini. So I just, when I say Google, I'm referring to the current Google that most people use with four paid links and 10 SEO links. So when I say Google, I'm referring to that one. But Google also has an answer engine. I, I don't want anybody saying Google does is not getting into the answer engine business. It is. So Google is very much influenced by content George that you create. I call it one P content, [00:11:00] first party content. Your website, your mobile app, your YouTube channel, your Facebook page, your, your, your, your, and it sprinkles on some amount of third party content. Some websites might have reviews about you like Yelp, some websites might have PR releases about you light some third party content. Between search engine and engines. Answer Engines seem to overvalue third party content. My for one p content, my website, my mobile app, my YouTube channel. My, my, my, everything actually is going down in influence while on Google it's pretty high. So as here you do SEO, you're, you're good, good ranking traffic. But these LLMs are using many, many, many, literally tens of thousands more sources. To understand who you are, who you are as a nonprofit, and it's [00:12:00] using everybody's videos, everybody's Reddit posts, everybody's Facebook things, and tens of thousands of more people who write blogs and all kinds of stuff in order to understand who you are as a nonprofit, what services you offer, how good you are, where you're falling short, all those negative reviews or positive reviews, it's all creepy influence. Has gone through the roof, P has come down, which is why it has become very, very important for us to build a new content strategy to figure out how we can influence these LMS about who we are. Because the scary thing is at this early stage in answer engines, someone else is telling the LLMs who you are instead of you. A more, and that's, it feels a little scary. It feels as scary as a as as a brand. It feels very scary as I'm a chief strategy officer, human made machine. It feels scary for HMM. It feels scary for coach. [00:13:00] It's scary for everybody, uh, which is why you really urgently need to get a handle on your content strategy. George Weiner: Yeah, I mean, what you just described, if it doesn't give you like anxiety, just stop right now. Just replay what we just did. And that is the second order effects. And you know, one of my concerns, you mentioned it early on, is that sort of traditional SEO, we've been playing the 10 Blue Link game for so long, and I'm worried that. Because of the changes right now, roughly what 20% of a, uh, search is AI overview, that number's not gonna go down. You're mentioning third party stuff. All of Instagram back to 2020, just quietly got tossed into the soup of your AI brand footprint, as we call it. Talk to me about. There's a nonprofit listening to this right now, and then probably if they're smart, other organizations, what is coming in the next year? They're sitting down to write the same style of, you know, [00:14:00] ai, SEO, optimized content, right? They have their content calendar. If you could have like that, I'm sitting, you're sitting in the room with them. What are you telling that classic content strategy team right now that's about to embark on 2026? Avinash Kaushik: Yes. So actually I, I published this newsletter just last night, and this is like the, the fourth in my AEO series, uh, newsletter, talks about how to create your content portfolio strategy. Because in the past we were like, we've got a product pages, you know, the equivalent of our, our product pages. We've got some, some, uh, charitable stories on our website and uh, so on and so forth. And that's good. That's basic. You need to do the basics. The interesting thing is you need to do so much more both on first party. So for example, one of the first things to appreciate is LMS or answer engines are far more influenced by multimodal content. So what does that mean? Text plus [00:15:00] video plus audio. Video and audio were also helpful in Google. And remember when I say Google, I'm referring to the old linky linking Google, not Gemini. But now video has ton more influence. So if you're creating a content strategy for next year, you should say many. Actually, lemme do one at a time. Text. You have to figure out more types of things. Authoritative Q and as. Very educational deep content around your charity's efforts. Lots of text. Third. Any seasonality, trends and patterns that happen in your charity that make a difference? I support a school in, in Nepal and, and during the winter they have very different kind of needs than they do during the summer. And so I bumped into this because I was searching about something seasonality related. This particular school for Tibetan children popped up in Nepal, and it's that content they wrote around winter and winter struggles and coats and all this stuff. I'm like. [00:16:00] It popped up in the answer engine and I'm like, okay. I research a bit more. They have good stories about it, and I'm supporting them q and a. Very, very important. Testimonials. Very, very important interviews. Very, very important. Super, super duper important with both the givers and the recipients, supporters of your nonprofit, but also the recipient recipients of very few nonprofits actually interview the people who support them. George Weiner: Like, why not like donors or be like, Hey, why did you support us? What was the, were the two things that moved you from Aware to care? Avinash Kaushik: Like for, for the i I Support Emergency, which is a Italian nonprofit like Ms. Frontiers and I would go on their website and speak a fiercely about why I absolutely love the work they do. Content, yeah. So first is text, then video. You gotta figure out how to use video a lot more. And most nonprofits are not agile in being able to use video. And the third [00:17:00] thing that I think will be a little bit of a struggle is to figure out how to use audio. 'cause audio also plays a very influential role. So for as you are planning your uh, uh, content calendar for the next year. Have the word multimodal. I'm sorry, it's profoundly unsexy, but put multimodal at the top, underneath it, say text, then say video, then audio, and start to fill those holes in. And if those people need ideas and example of how to use audio, they should just call you George. You are the king of podcasting and you can absolutely give them better advice than I could around how nonprofits could use audio. But the one big thing you have to think about is multimodality for next year George Weiner: that you know, is incredibly powerful. Underlying that, there's this nuance that I really want to make sure that we understand, which is the fact that the type of content is uniquely different. It's not like there's a hunger organization listening right now. It's not 10 facts about hunger during the winter. [00:18:00] Uh, days of being able to be an information resource that would then bring people in and then bring them down your, you know, your path. It's game over. If not now, soon. Absolutely. So how you are creating things that AI can't create and that's why you, according to whom, is what I like to think about. Like, you're gonna say something, you're gonna write something according to whom? Is it the CEO? Is it the stakeholder? Is it the donor? And if you can put a attribution there, suddenly the AI can't just lift and shift it. It has to take that as a block and be like, no, it was attributed here. This is the organization. Is that about right? Or like first, first party data, right? Avinash Kaushik: I'll, I'll add one more, one more. Uh, I'll give a proper definition. So, the fir i I made 11 recommendations last night in the newsletter. The very first one is focus on creating AI resistant content. So what, what does that mean? AI resistant means, uh, any one of us from nonprofits could [00:19:00] open chat, GPT type in a few queries and chat. GD PT can write our next nonprofit newsletter. It could write the next page for our donation. It could create the damn page for our donation, right? Remember, AI can create way more content than you can, but if you can use AI to create content, 67 million other nonprofits are doing the same thing. So what you have to do is figure out how to build AI resistant content, and my definition is very simple. George, what is AI resistance? It's content of genuine novelty. So to tie back to your recommendation, your CEO of a nonprofit that you just recommended, the attribution to George. Your CEO has a unique voice, a unique experience. The AI hasn't learned what makes your CEO your frontline staff solving problems. You are a person who went and gave a speech at the United Nations on behalf of your nonprofit. Whatever you are [00:20:00] doing is very special, and what you have to figure out is how to get out of the AI slop. You have to get out of all the things that AI can automatically type. Figure out if your content meets this very simple, standard, genuine novelty and depth 'cause it's the one thing AI isn't good at. That's how you rank higher. And not only will will it, will it rank you, but to make another point you made, George, it's gonna just lift, blanc it out there and attribute credit to you. Boom. But if you're not genuine, novelty and depth. Thousand other nonprofits are using AI to generate text and video. Could George Weiner: you just, could you just quit whatever you're doing and start a school instead? I seriously can't say it enough that your point about AI slop is terrifying me because I see it. We've built an AI tool and the subtle lesson here is that think about how quickly this AI was able to output that newsletter. Generic old school blog post and if this tool can do it, which [00:21:00] by the way is built on your local data set, we have the rag, which doesn't pause for a second and realize if this AI can make it, some other AI is going to be able to reproduce it. So how are you bringing the human back into this? And it's a style of writing and a style of strategic thinking that please just start a school and like help every single college kid leaving that just GPT their way through a degree. Didn't freaking get, Avinash Kaushik: so it's very, very important to make sure. Content is of genuine novelty and depth because it cannot be replicated by the ai. And by the way, this, by the way, George, it sounds really high, but honestly to, to use your point, if you're a CEO of a nonprofit, you are in it for something that speaks to you. You're in it. Because ai, I mean nonprofit is not your path to becoming the next Bill Gates, you're doing it because you just have this hair. Whoa, spoiler alert. No, I'm sorry. [00:22:00] Maybe, maybe that is. I, I didn't, I didn't mean any negative emotion there, but No, I love it. It's all, it's like a, it's like a sense of passion you are bringing. There's something that speaks to you. Just put that on paper, put that on video, put that on audio, because that is what makes you unique. And the collection of those stories of genuine depth and novelty will make your nonprofit unique and stand out when people are looking for answers. George Weiner: So I have to point to the next elephant in the room here, which is measurement. Yes. Yes. Right now, somebody is talking about human made machine. Someone's talking about whole whale. Someone's talking about your nonprofit having a discussion in an answer engine somewhere. Yes. And I have no idea. How do I go about understanding measurement in this new game? Avinash Kaushik: I have. I have two recommendations. For nonprofits, I would recommend a tool called Tracker ai, TRA, KKR [00:23:00] ai, and it has a free version, that's why I'm recommending it. Some of the many of these tools are paid tools, but with Tracker, do ai. It allows you to identify your website, URL, et cetera, et cetera, and it'll give you some really wonderful and fantastic, helpful report It. Tracker helps you understand prompt tracking, which is what are other people writing about you when they're seeking? You? Think of this, George, as your old webmaster tools. What keywords are people using to search? Except you can get the prompts that people are using to get a more robust understanding. It also monitors your brand's visibility. How often are you showing up and how often is your competitor showing up, et cetera, et cetera. And then he does that across multiple search engines. So you can say, oh, I'm actually pretty strong in OpenAI for some reason, and I'm not that strong in Gemini. Or, you know what, I have like the highest rating in cloud, but I don't have it in OpenAI. And this begins to help you understand where your current content strategy is working and where it is not [00:24:00] working. So that's your brand visibility. And the third thing that you get from Tracker is active sentiment tracking. This is the scary part because remember, you and I were both worried about what other people saying about us. So this, this are very helpful that we can go out and see what it is. What is the sentiment around our nonprofit that is coming across in, um, in these lms? So Tracker ai, it have a free and a paid version. So I would, I would recommend using it for these three purposes. If, if you have funding to invest in a tool. Then there's a tool called Ever Tool, E-V-E-R-T-U-N-E Ever. Tune is a paid tool. It's extremely sophisticated and robust, and they do brand monitoring, site audit, content strategy, consumer preference report, ai, brand index, just the. Step and breadth of metrics that they provide is quite extensive, but, but it is a paid tool. It does cost money. It's not actually crazy expensive, but uh, I know I have worked with them before, so full disclosure [00:25:00] and having evaluated lots of different tools, I have sort of settled on those two. If it's a enterprise type client I'm working with, then I'll use Evert Tune if I am working with a nonprofit or some of my personal stuff. I'll use Tracker AI because it's good enough for a person that is, uh, smaller in size and revenue, et cetera. So those two tools, so we have new metrics coming, uh, from these tools. They help us understand the kind of things we use webmaster tools for in the past. Then your other thing you will want to track very, very closely is using Google Analytics or some other tool on your website. You are able to currently track your, uh, organic traffic and if you're taking advantage of paid ads, uh, through a grant program on Google, which, uh, provides free paid search credits to nonprofits. Then you're tracking your page search traffic to continue to track that track trends, patterns over time. But now you will begin to see in your referrals report, in your referrals report, you're gonna begin to seeing open [00:26:00] ai. You're gonna begin to see these new answer engines. And while you don't know the keywords that are sending this traffic and so on and so forth, it is important to keep track of the traffic because of two important reasons. One, one, you want to know how to highly prioritize. AEO. That's one reason. But the other reason I found George is syn is so freaking hard to rank in an answer engine. When people do come to my websites from Answer engine, the businesses I work with that is very high intent person, they tend to be very, very valuable because they gave the answer engine a very complex question to answer the answers. Engine said you. The right answer for it. So when I show up, I'm ready to buy, I'm ready to donate. I'm ready to do the action that I was looking for. So the percent of people who are coming from answer engines to your nonprofit carry significantly higher intention, and coming from Google, who also carry [00:27:00] intent. But this man, you stood out in an answer engine, you're a gift from God. Person coming thinks you're very important and is likely to engage in some sort of business with you. So I, even if it's like a hundred people, I care a lot about those a hundred people, even if it's not 10,000 at the moment. Does that make sense George? George Weiner: It does, and I think, I'm glad you pointed to, you know, the, the good old Google Analytics. I'm like, it has to be a way, and I, I think. I gave maximum effort to this problem inside of Google Analytics, and I'm still frustrated that search console is not showing me, and it's just blending it all together into one big soup. But. I want you to poke a hole in this thinking or say yes or no. You can create an AI channel, an AEO channel cluster together, and we have a guide on that cluster together. All of those types of referral traffic, as you mentioned, right from there. I actually know thanks to CloudFlare, the ratios of the amount of scrapes versus the actual clicks sent [00:28:00] for roughly 20, 30% of. Traffic globally. So is it fair to say I could assume like a 2% clickthrough or a 1% clickthrough, or even worse in some cases based on that referral and then reverse engineer, basically divide those clicks by the clickthrough rate and essentially get a rough share of voice metric on that platform? Yeah. Avinash Kaushik: So, so for, um, kind of, kind of at the moment, the problem is that unlike Google giving us some decent amount of data through webmaster tools. None of these LLMs are giving us any data. As a business owner, none of them are giving us any data. So we're relying on third parties like Tracker. We're relying on third parties like Evert Tune. You understand? How often are we showing up so we could get a damn click through, right? Right. We don't quite have that for now. So the AI Brand Index in Evert Tune comes the closest. Giving you some information we could use in the, so your thinking is absolutely right. Your recommendation is ly, right? Even if you can just get the number of clicks, even if you're tracking them very [00:29:00] carefully, it's very important. Please do exactly what you said. Make the channel, it's really important. But don't, don't read too much into the click-through rate bits, because we're missing the. We're missing a very important piece of information. Now remember when Google first came out, we didn't have tons of data. Um, and that's okay. These LLMs Pro probably will realize over time if they get into the advertising business that it's nice to give data out to other people, and so we might get more data. Until then, we are relying on these third parties that are hacking these tools to find us some data. So we can use it to understand, uh, some of the things we readily understand about keywords and things today related to Google. So we, we sadly don't have as much visibility today as we would like to have. George Weiner: Yeah. We really don't. Alright. I have, have a segment that I just invented. Just for you called Avanade's War Corner. And in Avanade's War Corner, I noticed that you go to war on various concepts, which I love because it brings energy and attention to [00:30:00] frankly data and finding answers in there. So if you'll humor me in our war corner, I wanna to go through some, some classic, classic avan. Um, all right, so can you talk to me a little bit about vanity metrics, because I think they are in play. Every day. Avinash Kaushik: Absolutely. No, no, no. Across the board, I think in whatever we do. So, so actually I'll, I'll, I'll do three. You know, so there's vanity metrics, activity metrics and outcome metrics. So basically everything goes into these three buckets essentially. So vanity metrics are, are the ones that are very easy to find, but them moving up and down has nothing to do with the number of donations you're gonna get as a nonprofit. They're just there to ease our ego. So, for example. Let's say we are a nonprofit and we run some display ads, so measure the number of impressions that were delivered for our display ad. That's a vanity metric. It doesn't tell you anything. You could have billions of impressions. You could have 10 impressions, doesn't matter, but it is easily [00:31:00] available. The count is easily available, so we report it. Now, what matters? What matters are, did anybody engage with the ad? What were the percent of people who hovered on the ad? What were the number of people who clicked on the ad activity metrics? Activity metrics are a little more useful than vanity metrics, but what does it matter for you as a non nonprofit? The number of donations you received in the last 24 hours. That's an outcome metric. Vanity activity outcome. Focus on activity to diagnose how well our campaigns or efforts are doing in marketing. Focus on outcomes to understand if we're gonna stay in business or not. Sorry, dramatic. The vanity metrics. Chasing is just like good for ego. Number of likes is a very famous one. The number of followers on a social paia, a very famous one. Number of emails sent is another favorite one. There's like a whole host of vanity metrics that are very easy to get. I cannot emphasize this enough, but when you unpack and or do meta-analysis of [00:32:00] relationship between vanity metrics and outcomes, there's a relationship between them. So we always advise people that. Start by looking at activity metrics to help you understand the user's behavior, and then move to understanding outcome metrics because they are the reason you'll thrive. You will get more donations or you will figure out what are the things that drive more donations. Otherwise, what you end up doing is saying. If I post provocative stuff on Facebook, I get more likes. Is that what you really wanna be doing? But if your nonprofit says, get me more likes, pretty soon, there's like a naked person on Facebook that gets a lot of likes, but it's corrupting. Yeah. So I would go with cute George Weiner: cat, I would say, you know, you, you get the generic cute cat. But yeah, same idea. The Internet's built on cats Avinash Kaushik: and yes, so, so that's why I, I actively recommend people stay away from vanity metrics. George Weiner: Yeah. Next up in War Corner, the last click [00:33:00] fallacy, right? The overweighting of this last moment of purchase, or as you'd maybe say in the do column of the See, think, do care. Avinash Kaushik: Yes. George Weiner: Yes. Avinash Kaushik: So when the, when the, when we all started to get Google Analytics, we got Adobe Analytics web trends, remember them, we all wanted to know like what drove the conversion. Mm-hmm. I got this donation for a hundred dollars. I got a donation for a hundred thousand dollars. What drove the conversion. And so what lo logically people would just say is, oh, where did this person come from? And I say, oh, the person came from Google. Google drove this conversion. Yeah, his last click analysis just before the conversion. Where did the person come from? Let's give them credit. But the reality is it turns out that if you look at consumer behavior, you look at days to donation, visits to donation. Those are two metrics available in Google. It turns out that people visit multiple times before [00:34:00] they make a donation. They may have come through email, their interest might have been triggered through your email. Then they suddenly remembered, oh yeah, yeah, I wanted to go to the nonprofit and donate something. This is Google, you. And then Google helps them find you and they come through. Now, who do you give credit Email or the Google, right? And what if you came 5, 7, 8, 10 times? So the last click fallacy is that it doesn't allow you to see the full consumer journey. It gives credit to whoever was the last person who sent you this, who introduced this person to your website. And so very soon we move to looking at what we call MTI, Multi-Touch Attribution, which is a free solution built into Google. So you just go to your multichannel funnel reports and it will help you understand that. One, uh, 150 people came from email. Then they came from Google. Then there was a gap of nine days, and they came back from Facebook and then they [00:35:00] converted. And what is happening is you're beginning to understand the consumer journey. If you understand the consumer journey better, we can come with better marketing. Otherwise, you would've said, oh, close shop. We don't need as many marketing people. We'll just buy ads on Google. We'll just do SEO. We're done. Oh, now you realize there's a more complex behavior happening in the consumer. They need to solve for email. You solve for Google, you need to solve Facebook. In my hypothetical example, so I, I'm very actively recommend people look at the built-in free MTA reports inside the Google nalytics. Understand the path flow that is happening to drive donations and then undertake activities that are showing up more often in the path, and do fewer of those things that are showing up less in the path. George Weiner: Bring these up because they have been waiting on my mind in the land of AEO. And by the way, we're not done with war. The war corner segment. There's more war there's, but there's more, more than time. But with both of these metrics where AEO, if I'm putting these glasses back on, comes [00:36:00] into play, is. Look, we're saying goodbye to frankly, what was probably somewhat of a vanity metric with regard to organic traffic coming in on that 10 facts about cube cats. You know, like, was that really how we were like hanging our hat at night, being like. Job done. I think there's very much that in play. And then I'm a little concerned that we just told everyone to go create an AEO channel on their Google Analytics and they're gonna come in here. Avinash told me that those people are buyers. They're immediately gonna come and buy, and why aren't they converting? What is going on here? Can you actually maybe couch that last click with the AI channel inbound? Like should I expect that to be like 10 x the amount of conversions? Avinash Kaushik: All we can say is it's, it's going to be people with high intention. And so with the businesses that I'm working with, what we are finding is that the conversion rates are higher. Mm. This game is too early to establish any kind of sense of if anybody has standards for AEO, they're smoking crack. Like the [00:37:00] game is simply too early. So what we I'm noticing is that in some cases, if the average conversion rate is two point half percent, the AEO traffic is converting at three, three point half. In two or three cases, it's converting at six, seven and a half. But there is not enough stability in the data. All of this is new. There's not enough stability in the data to say, Hey, definitely you can expect it to be double or 10% more or 50% more. We, we have no idea this early stage of the game, but, but George, if we were doing this again in a year, year and a half, I think we'll have a lot more data and we'll be able to come up with some kind of standards for, for now, what's important to understand is, first thing is you're not gonna rank in an answer engine. You just won't. If you do rank in an answer engine, you fought really hard for it. The person decided, oh my God, I really like this. Just just think of the user behavior and say, this person is really high intent because somehow [00:38:00] you showed up and somehow they found you and came to you. Chances are they're caring. Very high intent. George Weiner: Yeah. They just left a conversation with a super intelligent like entity to come to your freaking 2001 website, HTML CSS rendered silliness. Avinash Kaushik: Whatever it is, it could be the iffiest thing in the world, but they, they found me and they came to you and they decided that in the answer engine, they like you as the answer the most. And, and it took that to get there. And so all, all, all is I'm finding in the data is that they carry higher intent and that that higher intent converts into higher conversion rates, higher donations, as to is it gonna be five 10 x higher? It's unclear at the moment, but remember, the other reason you should care about it is. Every single day. As more people move away from Google search engines to answer engines, you're losing a ton of traffic. If somebody new showing up, treat them with, respect them with love. Treat them with [00:39:00] care because they're very precious. Just lost a hundred. Check the landing George Weiner: pages. 'cause you may be surprised where your front door is when complexity is bringing them to you, and it's not where you spent all of your design effort on the homepage. Spoiler. That's exactly Avinash Kaushik: right. No. Exactly. In fact, uh, the doping deeper into your websites is becoming even more prevalent with answer engines. Mm-hmm. Um, uh, than it used to be with search engines. The search always tried to get you the, the top things. There's still a lot of diversity. Your homepage likely is still only 30% of your traffic. Everybody else is landing on other homepage or as you call them, landing pages. So it's really, really important to look beyond your homepage. I mean, it was true yesterday. It's even truer today. George Weiner: Yeah, my hunch and what I'm starting to see in our data is that it is also much higher on the assisted conversion like it is. Yes. Yes, it is. Like if you have come to us from there, we are going to be seeing you again. That's right. That's right. More likely than others. It over indexes consistently for us there. Avinash Kaushik: [00:40:00] Yes. Again, it ties back to the person has higher intent, so if they didn't convert in that lab first session, their higher intent is gonna bring them back to you. So you are absolutely right about the data that you're seeing. George Weiner: Um, alright. War corner, the 10 90 rule. Can you unpack this and then maybe apply it to somebody who thinks that their like AI strategy is done? 'cause they spend $20 or $200 a month on some tool and then like, call it a day. 'cause they did ai. Avinash Kaushik: Yes, yes. No, it's, it's good. I, I developed it in context of analytics. When I was at my, uh, job at Intuit, I used to, I was at Intuit, senior director for research and analytics. And one of the things I found is people would consistently spend lots of money on tools in that time, web analytics tools, research tools, et cetera. And, uh, so they're spending a contract of a few hundred thousand dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then they give it to a fresh graduate to find insights. [00:41:00] I was like, wait, wait, wait. So you took this $300,000 thing and gave it to somebody. You're paying $45,000 a year. Who is young in their career, young in their career, and expecting them to make you tons of money using this tool? It's not the tool, it's the human. And so that's why I developed the the 10 90 rule, which is that if you have a, if you have a hundred dollars to invest in making smarter decisions, invest $10 in the tool, $90 in the human. We all have access to so much data, so much complexity. The world is changing so fast that it is the human that is going to figure out how to make sense of these insights rather than the tool magically spewing and understanding your business enough to tell you exactly what to do. So that, that's sort of where the 10 90 rule came from. Now, sort of we are in this, in this, um, this is very good for nonprofits by the way. So we're in this era. Where On the 90 side? No. So the 10, look, don't spend insane money on tools that is just silly. So don't do that. Now the 90, let's talk about the [00:42:00] 90. Up until two years ago, I had to spell all of the 90 on what I now call organic humans. You George Weiner: glasses wearing humans, huh? Avinash Kaushik: The development of LLM means that every single nonprofit in the world has access to roughly a third year bachelor's degree student. Like a really smart intern. For free. For free. In fact, in some instances, for some nonprofits, let's say I I just reading about this nonprofit that is cleaning up plastics in the ocean for this particular nonprofit, they have access to a p HT level environmentalist using the latest Chad GP PT 4.5, like PhD level. So the little caveat I'm beginning to put in the 10 90 rule is on the 90. You give the 90 to the human and for free. Get the human, a very smart Bachelor's student by using LLMs in some instances. Get [00:43:00] for free a very smart TH using the LLMs. So the LLMs have now to be incorporated into your research, into your analysis, into building a next dashboard, into building a next website, into building your next mobile game into whatever the hell you're doing for free. You can get that so you have your organic human. Less the synthetic human for free. Both of those are in the 90 and, and for nonprofit, so, so in my work at at Coach and Kate Spade. I have access now to a couple of interns who do free work for me, well for 20 minor $20 a month because I have to pay for the plus version of G bt. So the intern costs $20 a month, but I have access to this syn synthetic human who can do a whole lot of work for me for $20 a month in my case, but it could also do it for free for you. Don't forget synthetic humans. You no longer have to rely only on the organic humans to do the 90 part. You would be stunned. Upload [00:44:00] your latest, actually take last year's worth of donations, where they came from and all this data from you. Have a spreadsheet lying around. Dump it into chat. GPT, I'll ask it to analyze it. Help you find where most donations came from, and visualize trends to present to board of directors. It will blow your mind how good it is at do it with Gemini. I'm not biased, I'm just seeing chat. GPD 'cause everybody knows it so much Better try it with mistrial a, a small LLM from France. So I, I wanna emphasize that what has changed over the last year is the ability for us to compliment our organic humans with these synthetic entities. Sometimes I say synthetic humans, but you get the point. George Weiner: Yeah. I think, you know, definitely dump that spreadsheet in. Pull out the PII real quick, just, you know, make me feel better as, you know, the, the person who's gonna be promoting this to everybody, but also, you know, sort of. With that. I want to make it clear too, that like actually inside of Gemini, like Google for nonprofits has opened up access to Gemini for free is not a per user, per whatever. You have that [00:45:00] you have notebook, LLM, and these. Are sitting in their backyards for free every day and it's like a user to lose it. 'cause you have a certain amount of intelligence tokens a day. Can you, I just like wanna climb like the tallest tree out here and just start yelling from a high building about this. Make the case of why a nonprofit should be leveraging this free like PhD student that is sitting with their hands underneath their butts, doing nothing for them right now. Avinash Kaushik: No, it is such a shame. By the way, I cannot add to your recommendation in using your Gemini Pro account if it's free, on top of, uh, all the benefits you can get. Gemini Pro also comes with restrictions around their ability to use your data. They won't, uh, their ability to put your data anywhere. Gemini free versus Gemini Pro is a very protected environment. Enterprise version. So more, more security, more privacy, et cetera. That's a great benefit. And by the way, as you said, George, they can get it for free. So, um, the, the, the, the posture you should adopt is what big companies are doing, [00:46:00] which is anytime there is a job to be done, the first question you, you should ask is, can I make the, can an AI do the job? You don't say, oh, let me send it to George. Let me email Simon, let me email Sarah. No, no, no. The first thing that should hit your head is. I do the job because most of the time for, again, remember, third year bachelor's degree, student type, type experience and intelligence, um, AI can do it better than any human. So your instincts to be, let me outsource that kind of work so I can free up George's cycles for the harder problems that the AI cannot solve. And by the way, you can do many things. For example, you got a grant and now Meta allows you to run X number of ads for free. Your first thing, single it. What kind of ad should I create? Go type in your nonprofit, tell it the kind of things you're doing. Tell it. Tell it the donations you want, tell it the size, donation, want. Let it create the first 10 ads for you for free. And then you pick the one you like. And even if you have an internal [00:47:00] designer who makes ads, they'll start with ideas rather than from scratch. It's just one small example. Or you wanna figure out. You know, my email program is stuck. I'm not getting yield rates for donations. The thing I want click the button that called that is called deep research or thinking in the LL. Click one of those two buttons and then say, I'm really struggling. I'm at wits end. I've tried all these things. Write all the detail. Write all the detail about what you've tried and now working. Can you please give me three new ideas that have worked for nonprofits who are working in water conservation? Hmm. This would've taken a human like a few days to do. You'll have an answer in under 90 seconds. I just give two simple use cases where we can use these synthetic entities to send us, do the work for us. So the default posture in nonprofits should be, look, we're resource scrapped anyway. Why not use a free bachelor's degree student, or in some case a free PhD student to do the job, or at least get us started on a job. So just spending 10 [00:48:00] hours on it. We only spend the last two hours. The entity entity does the first date, and that is super attractive. I use it every single day in, in one of my browsers. I have three traps open permanently. I've got Claude, I've got Mistrial, I've got Charge GPT. They are doing jobs for me all day long. Like all day long. They're working for me. $20 each. George Weiner: Yeah, it's an, it, it, it's truly, it's an embarrassment of riches, but also getting back to the, uh, the 10 90 is, it's still sitting there. If you haven't brought that capacity building to the person on how to prompt how to play that game of linguistic tennis with these tools, right. They're still just a hammer on a. Avinash Kaushik: That's exactly right. That's exactly right. Or, or in your case, you, you have access to Gemini for nonprofits. It's a fantastic tool. It's like a really nice card that could take you different places you insist on cycling everywhere. It's, it's okay cycle once in a while for health reasons. Otherwise, just take the car, it's free. George Weiner: Ha, you've [00:49:00] been so generous with your time. Uh, I do have one more quick war. If you, if you have, have a minute, uh, your war on funnels, and maybe this is not. Fully fair. And I am like, I hear you yelling at me every time I'm showing our marketing funnel. And I'm like, yeah, but I also have have a circle over here. Can you, can you unpack your war on funnels and maybe bring us through, see, think, do, care and in the land of ai? Avinash Kaushik: Yeah. Okay. So the marketing funnel is very old. It's been around for a very long time, and once I, I sort of started working at Google, access to lots more consumer research, lots more consumer behavior. Like 20 years ago, I began to understand that there's no such thing as funnel. So what does the funnel say? The funnel says there's a group of people running around the world, they're not aware of your brand. Find them, scream at them, spray and pray advertising at them, make them aware, and then somehow magically find the exact same people again and shut them down the fricking funnel and make them consider your product.[00:50:00] And now that they're considering, find them again, exactly the same people, and then shove them one more time. Move their purchase index and then drag them to your website. The thing is this linearity that there's no evidence in the universe that this linearity exists. For example, uh, I'm going on a, I like long bike rides, um, and I just got thirsty. I picked up the first brand. I could see a water. No awareness, no consideration, no purchase in debt. I just need water. A lot of people will buy your brand because you happen to be the cheapest. I don't give a crap about anything else, right? So, um, uh, uh, the other thing to understand is, uh, one of the brands I adore and have lots of is the brand. Patagonia. I love Patagonia. I, I don't use the word love for I think any other brand. I love Patagonia, right? For Patagonia. I'm always in the awareness stage because I always want these incredible stories that brand ambassadors tell about how they're helping the environment. [00:51:00] I have more Patagonia products than I should have. I'm already customer. I'm always open to new considerations of Patagonia products, new innovations they're bringing, and then once in a while, I'm always in need to buy a Patagonia product. I'm evaluating them. So this idea that the human is in one of these stages and your job is to shove them down, the funnel is just fatally flawed, no evidence for it. Instead, what you want to do is what is Ash's intent at the moment? He would like environmental stories about how we're improving planet earth. Patagonia will say, I wanna make him aware of my environmental stories, but if they only thought of marketing and selling, they wouldn't put me in the awareness because I'm already a customer who buys lots of stuff from already, right? Or sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm, I'm heading over to London next week. Um, I need a thing, jacket. So yeah, consideration show up even though I'm your customer. So this seating do care is a framework that [00:52:00] says, rather than shoving people down things that don't exist and wasting your money, your marketing should be able to discern any human's intent and then be able to respond with a piece of content. Sometimes that piece of content in an is an ad. Sometimes it's a webpage, sometimes it's an email. Sometimes it's a video. Sometimes it's a podcast. This idea of understanding intent is the bedrock on which seat do care is built about, and it creates fully customer-centric marketing. It is harder to do because intent is harder to infer, but if you wanna build a competitive advantage for yourself. Intent is the magic. George Weiner: Well, I think that's a, a great point to, to end on. And again, so generous with, uh, you know, all the work you do and also supporting nonprofits in the many ways that you do. And I'm, uh, always, always watching and seeing what I'm missing when, um, when a new, uh, AKA's Razor and Newsletter come out. So any final sign off [00:53:00] here on how do people find you? How do people help you? Let's hear it. Avinash Kaushik: You can just Google or answer Engine Me. It's, I'm not hard. I hard to find, but if you're a nonprofit, you can sign up for my newsletter, TMAI marketing analytics newsletter. Um, there's a free one and a paid one, so you can just sign up for the free one. It's a newsletter that comes out every five weeks. It's completely free, no strings or anything. And that way I'll be happy to share my stories around better marketing and analytics using the free newsletter for you so you can sign up for that. George Weiner: Brilliant. Well, thank you so much, Avan. And maybe, maybe we'll have to take you up on that offer to talk sometime next year and see, uh, if maybe we're, we're all just sort of, uh, hanging out with synthetic humans nonstop. Thank you so much. It was fun, George. [00:54:00]

AI's Impact on Search Behavior and Direct Cash Assistance: Key Insights for Nonprofits In this week's episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed the hosts dive into the evolving landscape of digital search and the effectiveness of cash assistance programs. They explore how AI-generated summaries on search engines like Google are altering user behavior and the implications for nonprofit content strategies. They also discuss a recent study on cash assistance's impact on low-income families and children's development. Main Topics Discussed: AI's Influence on Search Behavior: A Pew Research Center survey reveals that AI summaries in search results significantly reduce click-through rates. Users are 50% less likely to click on links when AI summaries are present, and browsing sessions tend to end faster. AI summaries are more prevalent in long-tail search queries, especially those starting with question words like "who," "what," "when," "where," "why." The discussion highlights the need for nonprofits to adapt their content strategies, focusing on brand presence and conversion optimization as traditional traffic metrics evolve. Effectiveness of Cash Assistance Programs: A New York Times report on a four-year cash assistance pilot shows no measurable improvement in children's development among low-income families receiving $333 monthly. Researchers suggest factors like the pandemic and small payment size might have influenced results. The findings spark debate on direct cash assistance's effectiveness, with George emphasizing the need for comprehensive support systems beyond financial aid. AI for Nonprofits Book Release: George shares excitement about contributing to "AI for Nonprofits," a comprehensive guide featuring insights from 57 experts on leveraging AI across nonprofit operations, fundraising, and marketing.

In this week's episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed the focus is on the environmental impacts of AI data centers. This conversation is sparked by a New York Times article highlighting the plight of a family in Georgia affected by a nearby Meta data center. The discussion evolves into a broader debate on the ecological footprint of AI technologies and how nonprofits can navigate these concerns. Main Topics and Insights: AI Data Centers and Environmental Concerns: The episode delves into the environmental impact of AI data centers, which require significant water and energy resources. For instance, a new Amazon data center in Indiana demands 2.2 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power a million homes. The hosts discuss the story of Beverly and Jeff Morris, whose well water quality deteriorated following the construction of a Meta data center near their home, illustrating the localized environmental strain caused by such facilities. Debate on AI's Environmental Footprint: George and Nick engage in a debate, weighing the environmental costs against the technological advancements AI brings. George argues for a balanced view, noting that all technological innovations initially consume significant resources but become more efficient over time. Nick emphasizes the real and immediate impact on local communities, advocating for more responsible and sustainable practices by tech companies. Nonprofit Sector Considerations: The episode provides insights for nonprofits on communicating these complex issues to their audiences. It encourages a nuanced approach, recognizing the potential benefits of AI in enhancing operational efficiency and impact, while also advocating for sustainable practices in tech development. Additional Highlights: OpenAI's $50 Million Nonprofit Fund: The episode briefly touches on OpenAI's initiative to support community organizations, focusing on leveraging AI for education, economic opportunities, and community organizing. IRS Changes on Political Activity for Religious Institutions: A new IRS ruling allows religious 501(c)(3) organizations to endorse political candidates, raising concerns about potential loopholes in campaign finance laws.

Navigating AI and Nonprofit Challenges: Insights from Whole Whale In this episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed the focus is on the evolving landscape of AI and its implications for nonprofit organizations. With a special emphasis on the intersection of technology and nonprofit operations, this episode dives into the rising challenges and opportunities presented by AI. Skyrocketing Bot Traffic and Server Strain: Nonprofits, especially those with extensive digital resources, are experiencing increased server costs due to AI-driven bot traffic. This surge is attributed to AI companies aggressively crawling websites, leading to higher hosting expenses and potential performance issues for human users. Nonprofits like libraries, cultural institutions, and research organizations are particularly affected. Mitigating Bot Traffic: Strategies to manage this include analyzing server logs beyond standard analytics to identify non-human traffic and implementing regional and type-specific bot blocking. Tools like CloudFlare are introducing measures to help manage crawler access, including a pay-per-crawl system to offset costs. AI Avatars in Humanitarian Contexts: The episode discusses a controversial UN experiment using AI avatars to simulate refugees, sparking debates about empathy, representation, and the ethical use of AI in sensitive humanitarian contexts. The conversation highlights concerns about AI's role in potentially distancing aid efforts from the real experiences of affected individuals. Grok AI Model's Controversy: The episode touches on the recent issues with X AI's Grok model, which exhibited problematic behavior with minimal prompting, leading to its temporary deactivation. This incident underscores the importance of thorough testing and red-teaming to prevent AI tools from spreading harmful content.

In this conversation, George Weiner speaks with Ken Berger, the former CEO of Charity Navigator, about the evolution of nonprofit evaluation, the challenges of measuring overhead, and the importance of adapting to changing funding landscapes. They discuss the impact of effective altruism, the necessity of mergers in the nonprofit sector, and the role of storytelling and data in demonstrating outcomes. Ken shares valuable insights and advice for current and future nonprofit leaders, emphasizing the need for humility, collaboration, and strategic planning in navigating the complexities of the nonprofit world. takeaways The overhead debate has historically hurt nonprofits. Metrics for evaluating nonprofits are evolving beyond just overhead. Nonprofits must strategically manage their overhead to thrive. Advocacy and strategic planning are crucial in times of funding cuts. Mergers can be a viable solution for struggling nonprofits. Effective altruism has its limitations and assumptions. Measuring outcomes is a significant challenge for many nonprofits. Data can help bridge the gap between outputs and meaningful outcomes. Storytelling remains a powerful tool for nonprofits. Future nonprofit leaders must be humble and open to learning.

In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, George and Nick delve into the critical issue of donor data ownership within donation platforms. They reveal that for 25% of platforms, nonprofits cannot seamlessly migrate recurring donors, potentially severing relationships with monthly contributors. George emphasizes the importance of understanding donor payment tokens and the impact of being locked into platforms without data portability. The episode also touches on the philanthropic landscape, highlighting Warren Buffett's record $6 billion donation to various foundations and the ongoing influence of billionaire philanthropy. This brings into focus the necessity of smart, long-term philanthropic planning to avoid potential pitfalls of sudden funding withdrawals. Moreover, the conversation shifts to the legislative sphere, discussing the ramifications of the "big, beautiful bill" that threatens significant cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, impacting millions of Americans. The hosts underline the urgency for nonprofits to prepare for increased demand on their services and the potential closures of rural hospitals and food banks due to these cuts.

In this episode of the Whole Whale podcast, host George Weiner speaks with Sal Alpietro, Chief Community Officer at Fundraise Up, about a critical issue affecting nonprofits: the ownership and transfer of payment tokens for monthly donors. Sal shares alarming stories of nonprofits facing exorbitant fees and resistance when trying to move donor data between platforms. They discuss the importance of asking the right questions before signing contracts with donation platforms and the potential financial and operational risks of not doing so. Sal also shares advice on best practices and offers insights into recent developments at Fundraise Up. -- If your nonprofit does not own the payments portal account (IE Stripe, Braintree, Paypal) and it has monthly donors, then it may not actually “own” those donors. While standard donation platform contracts allow for donor contact information to be exported, they may not allow the Donor Payment Tokens that allow for ongoing monthly donations to be exported. This means your nonprofit would lose the ability to continue to charge monthly donations from donors that had opted-in to donate if you moved platforms. Donation platforms range from small to huge fees to export this data, while some block this ability all together. Here is a great LinkedIn explanation of this Here is information going back to 2018 from the Agitator calling out this monthly donor lockup issue.   “I have seen nonprofits literally in tears when they were told they needed to payup $30k to get permission to migrate their monthly donorbase built over years.”  Salvatore Salpietro, Chief Community Officer, Fundraise Up     Full article on the Monthly Donor lockup problem.

In this episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, hosts George and Nick explore the intricacies of recent mass mobilizations and the challenges facing nonprofits.  The podcast focuses on the recent "No Kings" protests, a massive mobilization across all 50 states with participation from an estimated 5 to 7 million people. Nick shares his firsthand experience at the New York protest, emphasizing the diverse and passionate turnout despite the rain. The event's success hinged on strategic digital organizing through platforms like Mobilize Us and support from major organizations such as the ACLU and Indivisible. A key takeaway is the power of peaceful protest and the impressive organization behind such large-scale events, including a comprehensive 17-page guide for rally hosts. The discussion transitions to the broader theme of attacks on civil society, both domestically and globally. An article from Lawfare highlights how authoritarian regimes worldwide, including those in Nicaragua, Turkey, Hungary, and Russia, are suppressing civil society under the guise of national security. This pattern is mirrored in the U.S., where political rhetoric is increasingly used to justify crackdowns on nonprofits and civil liberties.

This week on the Nonprofit Newsfeed by Whole Whale, George and Nick delve into the ramifications of the GOP's newly proposed tax bill and its potential impact on the nonprofit sector. As the bill progresses from the House to the Senate, nonprofits face several looming challenges. These include the "foundation tax bomb," which proposes a tiered excise tax on foundation assets that could drastically reduce grant-making capacities, and a disincentive for major donors, which might discourage wealthy contributions. Smaller nonprofits are particularly at risk due to a proposed 1% minimum giving threshold that could eliminate tax incentives for small businesses. This, coupled with increased taxes on nonprofit payrolls, paints a grim picture for nonprofit funding and operations. In a shift from fiscal policies, the episode also critiques the College Board for allegedly straying from its nonprofit mission. Originally aimed at democratizing college access, the College Board is now criticized for operating like a corporation, heavily lobbying to maintain its monopoly over standardized testing. This raises broader questions about mission drift in nonprofits. On a brighter note, the episode concludes with a feel-good story about the successful reintroduction of otters in New Mexico's Rio Grande, thanks to a partnership between the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and the nonprofit Amigos Bravos. This effort highlights the positive impact of public-nonprofit collaborations on local ecosystems.

In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed from Whole Whale, hosts Nick and George focus on significant shifts in nonprofit tech strategy and community recognition initiatives. Main Topics: Microsoft's Software Grant Changes: Microsoft announced the end of its decade-long grant program providing free Microsoft 365 business premium accounts and Office 365 E1 licenses to around 400,000 nonprofits. This change, effective for renewals on or after July 1, 2025, will require nonprofits to transition to paid licenses with only two months' notice. The financial impact is notable, especially for smaller organizations with minimal revenue, where the cost could represent 1-2% of their operating expenses. George and Nick discuss the broader implications, including the risks of dependency on single tech solutions and the potential stifling of open-source development. Whole Whale's Foundation Study: Whole Whale released its 2020-2024 foundation study, analyzing 1,600 US foundations with over $25 million in revenue. The study offers insights into grant distribution, advertising, and promotion expenses, highlighting sectors like arts, education, and legal aid as lower recipients of funding. The study is a valuable resource for nonprofits to understand funding landscapes and strategize accordingly. Legislative Updates: Recent developments in the GOP's "one big beautiful bill" indicate the removal of a controversial provision that threatened nonprofit tax-exempt statuses. This provision allowed for revocation without due process and had raised significant concerns within the nonprofit sector. Advocacy efforts from organizations like the ACLU and the Council for Nonprofits were instrumental in this outcome, though vigilance remains necessary as the bill progresses. United Way's Courage Project: The United Way launched a $5 million initiative to honor community heroes through grants of up to $50,000. Initial recipients include teachers who defended students against ICE agents and organizations supporting immigrants. This project underscores the importance of recognizing and supporting grassroots efforts that uphold community values and justice.

Understanding Microsoft Nonprofit Licensing Changes: Survival Guide and Solutions In this episode, Joshua Pesky, the Chief Product Officer at RoundTable, discusses with George the partial termination of Microsoft's grants program around Office 365 licenses. The discussion covers the impact on nonprofits, the timeline for changes, and possible solutions for affected organizations. Joshua explains the importance of checking license statuses through the admin portal and suggests alternatives like using web applications, Google Suites, or open-source software to mitigate costs. The episode also delves into the broader implications of tech expenses in the nonprofit sector and offers practical advice for managing these upcoming changes. 00:00 Introduction and Overview 00:02 Microsoft's Licensing Changes Explained 01:19 Impact on Organizations 02:37 Timeline and Deadlines 03:09 Options and Solutions 05:37 Navigating the Admin Portal 09:03 Financial Implications 09:50 Nonprofit Sector Challenges 11:17 Security and Obfuscation 12:10 Practical Advice and Final Thoughts 17:18 Survival Guide and Final Remarks

Gates Foundation's Bold Plan and Legislative Challenges for Nonprofits In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, George and Nick dive into significant developments affecting the nonprofit sector. The discussion kicks off with Bill Gates' groundbreaking announcement regarding the Gates Foundation, the largest American foundation by asset volume. Gates revealed plans to dissolve the foundation by December 2045, aiming to spend down its entire endowment of over $200 billion. The foundation will focus on three key goals: reducing preventable maternal and childhood deaths, eradicating deadly infectious diseases, and alleviating poverty. This decision is driven by cuts in U.S. foreign aid and the pressing need for immediate action in health and human development. Gates' approach reflects a shift in philanthropy, emphasizing immediate impact over legacy preservation, reminiscent of Mackenzie Scott's philanthropic strategy. This move is seen as both radical and necessary, aligning with the current urgency in addressing global challenges. The episode also covers legislative developments that could impact nonprofits. A provision in the House budget bill, dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill," could grant the executive branch broad powers to revoke 501(c)(3) status from nonprofits without due process. This echoes past legislative attempts and raises concerns about potential executive overreach, particularly targeting organizations involved in immigration, gender rights, and other contentious areas. Additionally, the bill proposes taxing investment income from large endowments, affecting major foundations and universities. While intended to address equity issues, critics argue it could harm philanthropic efforts by redirecting funds away from charitable work.

Social Imprints CEO Jeff Scheinbein warns of an impending June "cliff" for the promotional products industry as Chinese tariffs threaten to disrupt the $25 billion swag market. As a workforce development company where 85% of employees face employment barriers, Social Imprints exemplifies the American social enterprise success story now at risk from trade policies. Scheinbein explains that contrary to political narratives, manufacturing can't simply shift to the US overnight - the infrastructure doesn't exist and would take decades to develop, putting nonprofits and businesses alike in jeopardy when current inventory runs out. For nonprofits, who "live and die by the bag" at conferences, this disruption threatens a crucial donor engagement strategy. Scheinbein highlights why promotional products offer exceptional ROI: they create a sense of belonging and tribal identity while providing affordable advertising compared to traditional media campaigns. As he explains, outfitting 10,000 people with branded shirts costs just $7-9 per item - turning supporters into walking billboards for your cause at a fraction of what conventional advertising would cost. Beyond economic concerns, Scheinbein shares that successful promotional products like tote bags (with Trader Joe's boat totes being the single most popular promotional item in the US) and hats deliver the highest visibility, while eco-friendly and socially responsible items represent growing industry trends that align perfectly with nonprofit values.

Nonprofit Technology Conference Insights: Navigating Change and Building Community Resilience In this special episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, Whole Whale's Nick hosts colleagues Axel and Kathleen as they share experiences and insights from the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), hosted by NTEN. This premier event for nonprofit technology professionals highlighted the sector's adaptability and resilience in the face of rapid technological and political changes. Main Topics and Guests: NTC Overview: Kathleen introduces NTC as a key event for nonprofit technology, emphasizing its role in networking and understanding sector challenges. Key Takeaways: Axel discusses NTC's focus on adapting to current events, including political and budgetary changes, and the strategic use of technology like AI to enhance nonprofit operations. Critical Insights: Adapting to Change: Both speakers noted the conference's emphasis on addressing immediate challenges facing nonprofits, such as economic and political shifts impacting funding and operations. AI and Technology Integration: The conference underscored AI's growing role in nonprofit strategies, from fundraising to narrative building. Sessions explored how AI tools can be tailored to nonprofit needs, highlighting both opportunities and ethical considerations. Community and Resilience: The speakers emphasized the importance of community and collaboration among nonprofits to build resilience and adapt to ongoing challenges. The conference provided a platform for open dialogue and strategic planning. Reflections and Calls to Action: Building Resilience Together: Kathleen and Axel stress the need for nonprofits to engage in community-driven efforts to navigate uncertainty, urging professionals to attend such events to foster collaboration and innovation. Embracing Technological Tools: The discussion encourages nonprofits to leverage technology strategically, ensuring it aligns with their mission and community needs.

Nonprofit News Podcast Recap: The Threat to 501(c)(3) Status and Social Media Strategies In this week's episode of Nonprofit News Feed, hosts George and Nick delve into critical topics affecting the nonprofit sector. The discussion kicks off with an exploration of the potential repercussions for nonprofits if they lose their 501(c)(3) status—a concern highlighted by recent political maneuvers and threats to organizations like Harvard and Wikipedia. They discuss the dire consequences of such a status loss, including becoming taxable entities, losing tax-deductible donation incentives, and facing new tax obligations. The conversation shifts to the concerning control of social media narratives by influential figures, specifically Elon Musk's manipulation of Twitter's algorithm (now X). The hosts unpack how this affects nonprofits' strategies on social platforms, emphasizing the need for organizations to reconsider their engagement and content strategies in light of these changes. Additionally, the episode addresses the alarming $400 million funding cut from AmeriCorps, impacting over a thousand organizations and thousands of volunteers. This move threatens the vital volunteer infrastructure supporting disaster relief and community projects across the nation. In a lighter segment, the hosts highlight a successful nonprofit initiative that rescued over 6,000 pounds of food from an NFL draft event, redistributing it to local shelters—a testament to the impact of food recovery programs. Key Takeaways: The potential loss of 501(c)(3) status could devastate nonprofits, affecting their financial viability and operational capabilities. Nonprofits must navigate social media platforms carefully, especially under the influence of unpredictable leadership like Elon Musk. Significant cuts to AmeriCorps funding underscore the precarious state of volunteer-driven initiatives. Positive initiatives in food recovery demonstrate the sector's ability to address food insecurity creatively.

Revolutionizing Nonprofit Fundraising with AI: An Interview with PosterChild.ai CEO Leandrew Robinson In this episode, we delve into the innovative world of nonprofit fundraising with Leandrew Robinson, the CEO and founder of PosterChild.ai. Discover how their peer-to-peer fundraising strategy helped their first customer achieve a 350% increase in individual giving year over year. Leandrew shares his journey from e-commerce to social impact, the importance of authentic storytelling, and how AI can streamline nonprofit operations. Learn about the transformative power of AI in creating and curating content, and get insights into the future of nonprofit fundraising. Whether you're a nonprofit leader or curious about the intersection of AI and social good, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways. 00:00 Introduction to Poster Child's Success 00:45 Meet Lean Andrew Robinson 01:14 The Journey to Poster Child 01:37 The Concept of Crowdsource Storytelling 02:24 From E-commerce to Nonprofits 03:37 The Role of AI in Nonprofit Storytelling 03:49 Challenges in Nonprofit Storytelling 04:46 AI's Impact on Authentic Storytelling 07:30 Future of AI in Nonprofit Fundraising 10:58 Balancing Features and Focus in Startups 15:30 Adoption and Evolution of AI Tools 21:01 Early Adoption and Future Pitfalls 21:58 The Early Stages of AI Integration 24:23 Transitioning from E-commerce to Nonprofit 25:41 Challenges in the Nonprofit Sector 28:44 Effective Fundraising Strategies 34:47 The Importance of Serendipity and Networking 36:35 Rapid Fire Questions 40:36 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

The Corporate Capture of Carbon Footprints: A Nonprofit Perspective In the latest episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed, hosted by George and Nick from Whole Whale, the discussion takes a thought-provoking turn towards the concept of "corporate capture" and the real origins of the term "carbon footprint." This episode delves into how corporations, particularly British Petroleum (BP), have strategically shifted the focus of environmental responsibility onto consumers. George Weiner reveals that the term "carbon footprint" was not coined by environmental activists but was part of a $200 million PR campaign by BP in the early 2000s. This revelation highlights the concept of "guilt washing," a tactic that deflects systemic environmental issues onto individuals, thus masking the broader corporate responsibility for climate change. Key Insights and Reflections: Corporate Influence on Environmental Narratives: The episode uncovers how major corporations have historically influenced environmental discussions to avoid regulatory scrutiny, using terms like "carbon footprint" to redirect blame. The Role of Individual vs. Systemic Change: George emphasizes the importance of understanding the systemic causes of environmental degradation, suggesting that while individual actions matter, they are not the sole solution. Pope Francis' Environmental Advocacy: The episode also pays tribute to the late Pope Francis, recognizing his significant contributions to environmental advocacy. Additional Stories: Revival of the Ice Bucket Challenge: The Ice Bucket Challenge has made a comeback, this time raising awareness for mental health issues through the #SpeakYourMind campaign by University of South Carolina students. Generational Shifts in Charitable Giving: A recent Associated Press poll reveals a potential "generosity crisis" with younger Americans giving less to charity, raising questions about cultural shifts in philanthropy.

In this week's episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed by Whole Whale, George and Nick dive into an engaging discussion packed with insights for nonprofit enthusiasts.  AI in Fundraising: The conversation shifts to an intriguing experiment reported by TechCrunch, where Sage Future, backed by Open Philanthropy, tasked AI models with fundraising for charity. These AI agents, with human oversight, raised $270 for Helen Keller International by engaging in tasks like setting up social media accounts and creating promotional content. While AI's role in automating communication is acknowledged, the hosts caution against over-reliance due to potential brand risks, especially for sensitive issues. Environmental Advocacy: The episode touches on the historical narrative of leaded gasoline and its eventual phase-out in 2021, highlighting the critical role of governmental oversight in protecting public health. The hosts use this story to emphasize the importance of maintaining robust environmental regulations. USDA Grant Freeze Impact: A pressing issue discussed is the USDA's grant freeze, which has left nonprofits like Pasa Sustainable Agriculture in financial turmoil. With $3 million in unpaid reimbursements, the organization had to furlough most of its staff, underscoring the dire consequences of such funding disruptions on local communities and farms. Community-Driven Violence Prevention: The Circle of Brotherhood's innovative efforts in Miami's Liberty City are celebrated for their community-based approach to violence prevention. By providing unarmed, de-escalative security services, the organization works alongside local youth centers to foster a safer environment, demonstrating the power of community engagement over traditional security methods.

In this episode, George interviews Allison Fine, President of Every.org, about their innovative donation platform for nonprofits. Fine discusses Every.org's unique value proposition, including no transaction or setup fees, acceptance of various payment methods including cryptocurrency, and a focus on meaningful donor engagement. The conversation also covers the challenges of maintaining a zero-fee model, Every.org's growth spurred by partnerships with notable philanthropists, and their use of AI to enhance storytelling and donor relations. The episode highlights Every.org's significant impact, having raised over $110 million for over 7,000 organizations, and their recent success with fiscal sponsorships. Fine offers valuable insights into relational fundraising and the benefits of using Every.org's platform to simplify and maximize fundraising efforts. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:49 Elevator Pitch for Every.org 01:39 Challenges and Solutions in Nonprofit Fundraising 03:17 Focus on Nonprofit Experience and Technology 05:58 Data Integration and CRM Challenges 09:37 The Importance of Relational Fundraising 17:14 Future Plans and Exciting Developments 19:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Navigating Nonprofit Challenges: Political Pressures, Greenwashing, and AI Innovations In the latest episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed by Whole Whale, hosts George and Nick delve into pressing issues affecting the nonprofit sector, from political pressures to environmental challenges and technological advancements. Key Topics and Insights: Political Attacks on Nonprofits: The episode highlights the increasing political pressures faced by nonprofits, particularly those involved in contentious issues like immigration. A recent New York Times story is cited, where Judge James Boasberg's daughter, involved with a nonprofit, faced online harassment due to her work. The hosts emphasize how nonprofits are becoming targets in broader political battles, drawing parallels to the Red Scare era's tactics of guilt by association. The Reality of Plastic Recycling: George Weiner discusses the misleading narrative around plastic recycling in the U.S., pointing out that less than 9% of plastic is actually recycled. He traces the history back to industry-funded campaigns that shifted responsibility onto consumers, labeling it as "greenwashing." This segment calls for nonprofits to focus on root causes rather than downstream solutions. AI in Nonprofit Management: The episode explores how AI is being integrated into nonprofit operations, particularly with Ministry Brands' adoption of AI for automating tasks in faith-based organizations. The discussion highlights the potential of AI to enhance efficiency while also considering the challenges it poses to traditional practices. Feel-Good Story: On a lighter note, the hosts share a story about a New Jersey nonprofit that created a miniature indoor town for children with disabilities. This initiative aims to teach kids about daily life in an accessible and engaging way.

In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed by Whole Whale, hosts George and Nick delve into the financial turmoil facing Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind the beloved children's program, Sesame Street. The organization is grappling with the expiration of its HBO contract, which previously served as a significant revenue stream. This development coincides with broader challenges, including potential funding cuts to PBS and NPR and the impact of reduced U.S. foreign assistance on Sesame Workshop's humanitarian programs.

Main News Stories Greenpeace Lawsuit Energy Transfer (owners of Dakota Access Pipeline) is suing Greenpeace for $300 million in damages The lawsuit claims Greenpeace orchestrated protests near Standing Rock, which Greenpeace denies Potential damages could reach $800 million with punitive damages, potentially bankrupting Greenpeace USA Greenpeace maintains they only supported an indigenous-led movement (involving over 300 tribal nations) The hosts discuss concerns about this establishing a dangerous precedent for protest liability and potentially chilling environmental activism The case is being heard in a conservative jurisdiction less favorable to activists Nonprofit Consultant Survey Results Fourth annual survey by Nonprofit.ist and Nonprofit Times provides industry benchmarks Average consultant rate: $151.19/hour (median: $126) Highest rates: consultants specializing in AI technology, fundraising, and coaching Higher education correlated with higher rates Urban consultants earn significantly more than rural ones New consultants with significant nonprofit experience tend to charge less despite deep knowledge USDA Cancels Local Food Programs USDA cut two major local food programs worth over $1 billion in funding: $660 million for Local Food for Schools initiative $420 million for Local Food Purchase Assistant program Cuts affect schools and food banks Impacts include increased food costs amid inflation and undermining community food systems

In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, George and Nick discuss recent challenges facing the nonprofit sector under the Trump administration. They examine two major concerns: changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program potentially excluding certain nonprofit employees, and federal agencies removing progressive terminology from government websites. The hosts share insights from a Center for Effective Philanthropy report indicating 90% of nonprofit leaders anticipate negative impacts from the current political climate, with funding uncertainty as their top concern. Despite these challenges, they find a silver lining in the sector's evident importance and highlight a feel-good story about Project 150, a Las Vegas nonprofit helping disadvantaged teens attend prom through their annual "prom closet" initiative.  

In this episode, we focus on declining nonprofit website traffic due to AI search tools. Key points include: Nonprofit website traffic is declining as AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI overviews reduce the need for users to visit original content sources. Major content creators like HubSpot have lost up to 80% of their traffic due to these changes. We recommend: Adjusting traffic expectations (considering "break-even" the new growth) Focusing on conversion rate optimization Creating original research and data that AI can't replicate Using Google Search Console to identify which content triggers AI results Additional stories covered: A discussion about nonprofit mergers based on Idealist.org's merger with VolunteerMatch.org USAID funding cuts affecting humanitarian aid organizations and their life-saving programs A success story about a Massachusetts movie theater saved by converting to a nonprofit model

Ami Dar, founder of Idealist.org, joins George for an insightful conversation on the groundbreaking merger between Idealist and VolunteerMatch.org—a rare consolidation poised to reshape nonprofit and volunteer engagement globally. Ami shares candid insights into why nonprofit mergers rarely happen, systemic challenges in nonprofit funding, and how this merger creates a single hub for millions seeking jobs, volunteer opportunities, and meaningful community involvement. He also discusses underutilized tech opportunities, Idealist's exciting new "Idealist Days" initiative, and why he's optimistic about nonprofits providing purpose in an AI-driven future. Big questions covered in this conversation: Why did Idealist.org and VolunteerMatch.org decide to merge, and what unique value does this merger bring to nonprofits and volunteers? Why are mergers so rare in the nonprofit sector, and what factors (like ego and financial security) prevent more organizations from consolidating? How are systemic funding issues impacting nonprofit efficiency and accountability, and what changes are needed to improve nonprofit outcomes? What trends are shaping volunteerism today, and how can nonprofits better harness the desire for community engagement and purpose-driven work? How can nonprofits leverage emerging technology and AI, and what role can the nonprofit sector play in providing meaningful human purpose in an increasingly automated world?

Nonprofit NewsFeed Podcast: Trump Administration Impact & Philanthropy's Response Episode Summary In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed Podcast, host Nick Azulay is joined by Whole Whale COO and President Megan Anhalt to discuss the new Trump administration's impact on the social impact sector and philanthropy. The conversation covers the federal funding freeze affecting numerous nonprofit organizations, particularly highlighting the stop work order affecting unaccompanied minors in immigration proceedings and the devastating fallout from USAID funding cuts. As organizations struggle to fill these gaps, they examine the critical role philanthropy must play during this crisis. The hosts then do a deep dive into the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's (CZI) recent decision to end its social advocacy funding, including work on immigration reform and racial equity, and end its DEI efforts—a move that came shortly after Meta (formerly Facebook) made similar cuts. They analyze this as a case study of how even the most well-resourced philanthropic entities are yielding to political pressure.

In this episode, hosts George Weiner (Chief Whaler at Whole Whale) and Nick Azulay (Digital Strategy Manager) discuss several notable stories in the nonprofit sector. They begin with an analysis of Super Bowl social impact advertisements, breaking down the effectiveness and cost implications of nonprofit messaging during the big game. They highlight that the $8 million cost for a 30-second spot equals roughly 275 years of the average nonprofit's annual advertising budget. The conversation then shifts to concerning policy changes affecting the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), discussing the Justice Department's funding threats and their impact on LGBTQ+ youth services. On a more positive note, they cover the launch of ROOST (Robust Open Online Safety Tools), a new nonprofit consortium backed by major tech companies to develop safety tools for startups.

Dissolution of USAID and Its Global Impact on Humanitarian Aid In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News, George Weiner and Nick Azulay from Whole Whale dive into the troubling developments surrounding the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As the largest international development humanitarian donor, USAID's dissolution and potential absorption into the State Department is raising alarms across the nonprofit sector. The agency, responsible for 40% of global humanitarian funding, has seen mass layoffs and program freezes, affecting thousands of employees and contractors. The ripple effects are profound, with NGOs and international partners facing severe funding gaps. USAID's substantial contributions to the United Nations and its affiliates, such as UNICEF and the World Food Program, underscore the stakes involved. Despite criticisms of USAID's top-down approach, the abrupt halting of its operations is likened to pulling the rug from under life support systems globally. The discussion highlights the need for transparency and the catastrophic potential of cutting off essential aid without proper transition plans. Key Insights: USAID's role as a major funder of global humanitarian efforts is irreplaceable, making its dissolution a potential "philanthropic disaster." The agency accounts for a mere 1% of the U.S. federal budget but is heavily audited, contrary to some criticisms. The sudden program halts could irreversibly damage initiatives combating diseases, famine, and crises worldwide. Calls to Action: Nonprofits and stakeholders must advocate for transparency and continuity in humanitarian aid. Consider the broader implications of policy changes on global aid structures. Follow-Up: The episode also touches on the National Council on Nonprofits' legal victory against a U.S. executive order affecting funding, demonstrating the power of collective action. A Canadian postal strike serves as a case study for nonprofits on the importance of diversifying fundraising strategies. Closing Thought: The episode underscores the interconnectedness of global aid systems and the need for strategic planning and advocacy to navigate political changes that threaten humanitarian efforts.

Nonprofit News Feed: Navigating Policy Shifts and New Opportunities This week on Whole Whale's Nonprofit News Feed, hosts George Weiner and Nick Azulay delve into the tumultuous changes impacting the nonprofit sector under the current U.S. administration. The episode kicks off with a discussion on the federal funding freeze and two executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and immigration policies. These orders have created a climate of fear and self-censorship among nonprofits, universities, and foundations, particularly those with assets over $500 million. The hosts emphasize the importance of adapting language on websites and communications to continue the essential work of social justice and diversity without drawing federal scrutiny. The conversation shifts to the potential consequences of rescinding protections for undocumented individuals in schools and churches, highlighting the chilling effect on immigrant communities and the nonprofits that support them. Despite these challenges, the hosts express admiration for nonprofit associations like the Council of Nonprofits, which are actively filing lawsuits to protect federal funding and advocating for the sector. In a lighter segment, the podcast explores the rise of a new AI player, DeepSeek, a Chinese startup offering open-source AI models that rival American counterparts at a fraction of the cost. George discusses the implications for the nonprofit sector, emphasizing the importance of understanding the biases and privacy concerns associated with using such models. The episode concludes with uplifting news about a partnership between Harvard and the nonprofit Westbridge, aimed at connecting high-achieving, low-income students to top colleges with full financial aid. This initiative is seen as a positive step towards maintaining diversity in higher education following recent Supreme Court decisions. Listeners are encouraged to engage with nonprofit associations and explore innovative solutions to continue their impactful work amidst policy changes. The episode wraps up with a feel-good story about the Southern Nevada Off Road Recovery (SNORR) nonprofit, which provides vital search and rescue services, and a classic dad joke to lighten the mood.

In this episode of Nonprofit Newsfeed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler at Whole Whale - a marketing and analytics agency for nonprofits, is joined by Leo Quintero, VP of Learning and Innovation. Together, they delve into the rare and exciting news of a merger between Volunteer Match and Idealist.org, two titans in the nonprofit sector. This merger promises to consolidate resources and enhance the ability to connect individuals with volunteer opportunities and nonprofit jobs across the globe. Main Highlights: Volunteer Match and Idealist.org Merger: This rare merger in the nonprofit sector aims to combine forces to better serve nonprofits and volunteers. With Volunteer Match's expertise in connecting nonprofits with volunteers and Idealist's broad reach in nonprofit jobs and internships, the merger is set to be a game-changer in the sector. The merger will maintain both platforms' existing functionalities while working toward greater integration by 2025. Implications for HR and Volunteers: Leo highlights the potential benefits for HR departments and nonprofits, suggesting that the merger will enhance the quality and reach of volunteer recruitment. The integration of platforms may lead to a richer pool of talent and volunteers, benefiting nonprofits in need of diverse skill sets. Compliance and Campaign Finance: A significant portion of the episode discusses the $300,000 fine levied on the New Georgia Project for campaign finance violations. This segment underscores the importance of compliance in nonprofit operations, especially when involved in lobbying and advocacy. Google Advertising Challenges for Nonprofits: The episode addresses recent changes in Google's advertising policies that allow other entities to use nonprofit brand terms in search ads, potentially driving up costs. George advises nonprofits to leverage Google Ad Grants effectively to maintain visibility without overspending. Community Engagement on MLK Day: The episode closes with a feel-good story about Vermont nonprofits honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day through community service and engagement, highlighting the power of community-driven initiatives.

In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed by Whole Whale, hosts George Weiner and Nick Azulay delve into critical topics affecting the nonprofit sector, focusing on the response to the LA wildfires, the politicization of fundraising platforms, and innovative governance in nonprofit organizations. LA Wildfires and Nonprofit Mobilization The episode opens with a detailed discussion on the LA wildfires, where thousands of firefighters are battling blazes across 45 square miles, affecting 88,000 residents under evacuation orders. Local nonprofits like K Town for All and Covenant House have stepped up, creating supply chains and providing shelter for those displaced. Airbnb.org also announced emergency housing for over 25,000 people, highlighting the critical role of nonprofit and corporate collaboration in crisis response. George emphasizes the importance of nonprofits having a pre-established networked response plan for such disasters. He urges organizations to prepare coordinated fundraising strategies to capitalize on moments of compassion, ensuring sustained support for long-term recovery efforts. Politicization of Fundraising Platforms The conversation shifts to the controversy surrounding the use of ActBlue in fundraising for wildfire relief, highlighting how political narratives can complicate nonprofit efforts. Critics accused fundraiser organizers of profiting off the fires due to ActBlue's association with progressive causes. George and Nick stress the importance of nonprofits being aware of the political implications of their chosen platforms and maintaining transparency to avoid misinterpretation and backlash. Innovative Governance: The Ocean as a Board Member In a unique twist on nonprofit governance, the Scottish Association for Marine Science has named the ocean as a trustee on its board. This move aligns with legal innovations granting personhood to natural entities, aiming to incorporate environmental interests directly into decision-making. George envisions the potential of AI representing non-human stakeholders, offering a futuristic approach to stakeholder inclusion in governance. Mastodon's Nonprofit Restructuring The episode also covers Mastodon's restructuring to form a new nonprofit organization in Europe, differentiating itself from CEO-controlled networks. This shift towards decentralized control aims to enhance transparency and align with public benefit objectives, setting a precedent for social media platforms. Feel-Good Story: Greening Urban Spaces Concluding on a positive note, the hosts highlight the efforts of Denver-based nonprofit The Park People, which provides affordable trees to low-canopy areas, addressing environmental and socio-economic disparities. This initiative underscores the multifaceted benefits of urban greening, from reducing heat to improving community well-being. Final Thoughts The episode underscores the dynamic challenges and innovations within the nonprofit sector, from crisis response and fundraising complexities to pioneering governance models that prioritize environmental stewardship. Nonprofit leaders are encouraged to prepare for crises, consider the broader implications of their operational choices, and embrace innovative governance practices.

Navigating the Nonprofit Landscape in 2025: Tech Challenges and Opportunities In this episode of Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist, dive into the evolving tech landscape and its implications for nonprofits in 2025. As they welcome the new year, the duo highlights key tech stories that could significantly impact the nonprofit sector, focusing on the influence of tech CEOs on political narratives and the role of AI in shaping information dissemination. Key Topics Discussed: Tech Giants and Political Influence: Tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook are actively engaging with the upcoming administration, potentially aligning more with conservative policies. This shift may affect content moderation and misinformation on platforms, which historically frustrates progressive nonprofits. AI as a Knowledge Source: George emphasizes the growing importance of AI in information retrieval, urging nonprofits to adapt their content strategies to remain visible in AI-driven search environments. This shift could redefine how nonprofits convey truth and engage with the public. Platform Changes and Nonprofit Strategy: With Meta's shift to a community note-style fact-checking system, concerns rise over misinformation, especially in global contexts where Facebook's platform safety is underfunded. Nonprofits in health and immigration sectors are advised to monitor these developments closely. The TikTok Ban Debate: As the Supreme Court deliberates on TikTok's future in the U.S., nonprofits are encouraged to diversify their platforms and back up content in anticipation of potential bans. Spotlight on AccessNow: Featured in TechCrunch, AccessNow offers critical digital protection services to human rights defenders, showcasing the vital role nonprofits play in safeguarding digital rights. Humanizing Homelessness: A ProPublica story highlights the personal losses experienced during homeless sweeps, underscoring the need for empathetic policy discussions. Community Support in Winter: In Central Texas, the nonprofit Home is distributing emergency kits and offering shelter rides to support the homeless during extreme cold, exemplifying the sector's resilience and community focus. Closing Thoughts: As nonprofits navigate these tech and policy shifts, staying informed and adaptable is crucial. The episode underscores the importance of strategic planning and community engagement in addressing both challenges and opportunities in the nonprofit sector.

Exploring the Impact of a Four-Day Workweek on Nonprofits In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed by Whole Whale, George Weiner and Nick Azulay dive into the potential effects of a four-day workweek on the nonprofit sector. As digital strategists and nonprofit enthusiasts, they explore how this shift, gaining traction in places like Tokyo and parts of Europe, could influence volunteer availability and nonprofit operations. Nick highlights the growing trend towards shorter workweeks, noting that it could alleviate burnout among nonprofit staff, often overworked and underpaid. This change might also lead to an increase in volunteer hours, as people could have more free time to contribute to causes they care about. George adds that advances in AI and digital tools could streamline volunteer coordination, making it easier for nonprofits to manage their resources efficiently. The discussion also touches on the broader implications of a shorter workweek, such as a shift in how productivity is measured—focusing on outcomes rather than hours. This shift could open up new opportunities for nonprofits to fill the "purpose gap," engaging more people in meaningful work beyond traditional employment metrics like GDP. Legislative Update: Nonprofits Face Potential Threats The episode also covers the reintroduction of HR 9495 in the Senate, a bill that could allow the U.S. Treasury to strip nonprofits of their tax-exempt status if deemed to support terrorism. The hosts express concern over the lack of due process in this legislation, which could expose nonprofits to abuse and harassment. With Congress's session ending soon, the bill's fate remains uncertain, but advocacy efforts continue to highlight its potential dangers. Challenges in Nonprofit Funding Transparency Another topic discussed is the financial struggles of OpenSecrets, a nonprofit dedicated to government transparency and tracking money in politics. Recent layoffs at OpenSecrets reflect a broader trend of dwindling support for transparency-focused organizations, posing a risk to public understanding of political finance. Mackenzie Scott's Continued Philanthropic Impact Ending on a positive note, the hosts celebrate Mackenzie Scott's recent $65 million donation to Enterprise Community Partners, an affordable housing nonprofit. This gift underscores Scott's ongoing commitment to addressing critical societal issues through substantial philanthropic efforts.

Navigating New Social Media Frontiers and Celebrating Giving Tuesday Success In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed by Whole Whale, hosts George Weiner and Nick Azulay delve into the evolving landscape of social media for nonprofits and celebrate a major milestone in charitable giving. The discussion kicks off with an analysis of BlueSky, a burgeoning social media platform touted as a polite alternative to Twitter. Originally a Twitter project, BlueSky has gained traction with approximately 21 million active users. However, George and Nick caution nonprofits about a significant vulnerability in BlueSky's API, which allows extensive data access that could pose risks to brand identity and security in the context of AI data usage. Key insights include the importance of treating all social media posts as public and the need for nonprofits to establish clear social media guidelines and conduct AI risk audits to safeguard their brand reputation. The hosts emphasize that while BlueSky offers a promising platform, nonprofits should remain vigilant about data privacy and the potential implications of AI-driven content analysis. Shifting gears, the episode celebrates Giving Tuesday's impressive achievement, with donations reaching $3.6 billion, closely matching Whole Whale's prediction. This success signals a hopeful trend for increased investment in the nonprofit sector, driven by economic tailwinds and potential shifts in public funding. The episode wraps up with a feel-good story from Metro Detroit, where high school students raised over $146,000 for a children's charity through a creative public speaking program. This initiative highlights the impact of youth-led philanthropy and community engagement. Key Takeaways: Explore new social media platforms like BlueSky cautiously, ensuring data privacy and brand protection. Celebrate the continued growth of Giving Tuesday as a key moment in the nonprofit calendar. Encourage youth involvement in charitable activities to foster future nonprofit leaders. Reflection: As the nonprofit sector navigates new digital landscapes and celebrates philanthropic successes, it remains crucial to balance innovation with vigilance, ensuring that missions align with evolving opportunities and challenges.

Giving Tuesday and Nonprofit Challenges In this week's episode of the Nonprofit NewsFeed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Senior Digital Strategy Manager at Whole Whale, dive into the aftermath of Giving Tuesday and the ongoing debate about OpenAI's nonprofit origins. Main Topics: Giving Tuesday Predictions and Economic Context: The team discusses their prediction for Giving Tuesday donations, hoping to surpass $3.5 billion, a hopeful 11% increase from 2023's $3.1 billion. Despite the lack of immediate data, they highlight positive economic indicators like cooled inflation, high consumer confidence, and strong stock market performance as promising signs for nonprofit fundraising. Elon Musk vs. OpenAI: A Legal Battle Over Nonprofit Integrity: Elon Musk has filed an injunction against OpenAI, challenging its transition from a nonprofit to a for-profit model, which he claims violates its original mission. The conversation touches on the broader implications for tech companies exploiting nonprofit status and the ethical considerations of such transitions. Cautionary Tales in Fundraising: Cleveland's Balloon Fest Disaster: The episode revisits the 1986 Balloon Fest by United Way of Greater Cleveland, a well-intentioned fundraiser that turned disastrous, emphasizing the importance of aligning fundraising efforts with an organization's mission and relevance rather than spectacle. Critical Insights: Economic Indicators: The current economic climate, with rising consumer spending and a robust stock market, suggests potential growth in charitable giving despite previous stagnation. Nonprofit Integrity: The legal scrutiny of OpenAI's nonprofit-to-profit transition raises questions about the ethics of leveraging nonprofit status for financial gain. Fundraising Strategy: The Cleveland Balloon Fest serves as a reminder to prioritize meaningful engagement over attention-grabbing stunts in fundraising efforts. Calls to Action: Nonprofits should assess their fundraising strategies to ensure alignment with their mission and relevance to their audience. Stakeholders in the nonprofit sector need to remain vigilant about the ethical implications of organizational transitions and funding models. Closing Thought: The episode concludes with a reflection on the importance of authenticity and integrity in the nonprofit sector, especially in times of economic uncertainty and rapid technological evolution. As the landscape of philanthropy continues to shift, organizations must adapt while staying true to their core values and mission.

Navigating Nonprofit Growth Amidst Political Shifts: Insights from Whole Whale In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler at Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Senior Strategy Manager, dive into the evolving landscape of the nonprofit sector. They discuss how historical trends might mirror the potential growth and challenges nonprofits face in light of political shifts and economic changes. Key Topics and Insights: Historical Context and Future Predictions: George Weiner draws parallels between the nonprofit boom of the 1980s and the anticipated growth in the 2020s, driven by government restructuring, workforce transformation through AI, and a significant wealth transfer. The conversation highlights the importance of nonprofits adapting to potential reductions in government social services and leveraging increased funding opportunities. Legislative Concerns: A critical discussion centers around the controversial bill HR 9495, which could allow the Department of Treasury to unilaterally revoke nonprofit status by labeling organizations as terrorist-supporting. This has sparked widespread opposition from major nonprofit coalitions due to concerns over executive overreach and lack of due process. Volunteerism Rebound: Encouraging news from AmeriCorps reveals a significant rebound in formal volunteering rates post-pandemic, with 75.7 million Americans participating in 2023, contributing nearly 5 billion hours of service. Philanthropic Movements: Mackenzie Scott's recent donation of Amazon shares signals another major round of charitable giving, emphasizing the importance of nonprofits telling compelling stories to attract such transformative funding. Community Impact and Seasonal Giving: The episode closes with a heartwarming story from Valley Santa in Pennsylvania, which is gearing up to provide Christmas gifts to thousands of children in need, showcasing the spirit of giving during the holiday season. Call to Action: Nonprofits are encouraged to prepare for upcoming changes by strengthening their storytelling, engaging with digital tools, and actively participating in advocacy efforts against potentially harmful legislation. Reflection: This episode underscores the resilience and adaptability required of nonprofits in navigating political and economic landscapes. It highlights the potential for growth and the critical role of strategic planning and community engagement in sustaining impact.

Host George engages with Dr. Tiffany Slater, founder and CEO of HR TailorMade, to delve into the complexities of human resources within nonprofit organizations. As nonprofits grow, they often encounter HR challenges that can impede their mission-driven work. Dr. Slater's company serves as a fractional HR department, providing tailored solutions to nonprofits across the United States. Key Insights: Growth and HR Challenges: As organizations expand, they face critical HR inflection points, often every three to five employees. Each new hire brings unique personalities and needs, complicating internal dynamics. Dr. Slater emphasizes the importance of intentional onboarding to integrate new team members effectively and ensure they understand their roles and the organizational culture. Onboarding and Retention: Effective onboarding is crucial for employee retention. Dr. Slater advises creating a structured onboarding plan, including a 30, 60, 90-day framework, to equip new hires with the necessary tools and knowledge. This process not only helps employees succeed but also fosters long-term commitment to the organization. Managing Difficult Conversations: One of the toughest HR challenges is addressing performance issues when employees do not recognize their shortcomings. Dr. Slater stresses the importance of clear communication and documentation to manage expectations and guide performance improvements. Litigious Challenges: The conversation touches on the inevitability of lawsuits, emphasizing the need for meticulous documentation of HR processes and interactions to protect the organization legally. Performance Documentation: Regular performance reviews and documentation are essential. Providing feedback helps employees grow and aligns their efforts with organizational goals. It also serves as a critical tool in managing underperformance and potential terminations.

Nonprofit Sector Faces Legislative and Financial Challenges Amid Innovative Solutions In this episode of Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist, delve into pressing issues and inspiring initiatives in the nonprofit sector. They begin with the failed U.S. House bill H.R. 9495, which sought to give the Treasury Department unilateral power to revoke nonprofits' 501(c)3 status if deemed to support terrorism. Although the bill was defeated, the discussion highlights concerns over due process and the potential for abuse, emphasizing the need for vigilance in protecting nonprofit rights. Next, the duo explores a Los Angeles Times story about nonprofits facing financial strains due to the city's mansion tax. Two organizations, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and Los Angeles Jewish Health, incurred significant taxes despite their missions aligning with affordable housing goals. This situation underscores the complexities of nonprofit tax laws and the need for legislative reform to prevent financial burdens that hinder mission-driven work. Shifting focus to solutions, the hosts discuss Bloomberg's report on Acumen's ambitious $1.5 billion investment in agricultural technology startups across developing nations. This initiative aims to enhance climate resilience and improve yields for small-scale farmers, marking a significant shift from traditional aid models to sustainable, systems-based approaches. Finally, a feel-good story from CBS News highlights "Adventures in Training with a Purpose," a nonprofit offering wellness services to veterans and first responders. Founded by former Pittsburgh Steelers player John Kalb, this organization provides comprehensive support to improve mental and physical health, celebrating its impact with a fundraising event featuring Steelers legends. Critical Insights: The defeat of H.R. 9495 demonstrates the power of civil society in protecting nonprofit rights, but ongoing vigilance is necessary. Legislative gaps, like those seen in the LA mansion tax, can impose unintended financial burdens on nonprofits, highlighting the need for reform. Acumen's investment exemplifies a strategic shift towards sustainable development in agriculture, addressing significant funding gaps in climate resilience. Call to Action: Nonprofit professionals and advocates are encouraged to stay informed about legislative developments and support initiatives that drive systemic change. Engaging in policy discussions and advocating for reform can help protect and empower the sector. Closing Thought: As challenges persist, the nonprofit sector's resilience and innovation continue to shine. By fostering collaboration and leveraging strategic investments, the sector can navigate obstacles and create lasting impact.

Leveraging Holidays for Nonprofit Fundraising: Insights and Strategies In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist, delve into innovative fundraising strategies for nonprofits, focusing on leveraging holidays to boost donations. As the holiday season approaches, they highlight the potential of using cultural events like Halloween and upcoming festivities such as Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday to engage donors and drive fundraising efforts. They cite examples like Trick or Treat for UNICEF and initiatives by organizations such as Operation Shoebox and Ronald McDonald House, which have successfully intertwined fundraising with holiday traditions. Key Insights: Holiday Fundraising Success: Historical campaigns like Trick or Treat for UNICEF have raised over $100 million by tapping into holiday traditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of aligning nonprofit activities with cultural events. Strategic Planning: Nonprofits are encouraged to plan ahead using resources like Whole Whale's Causewriter AI to brainstorm and develop campaigns that integrate seamlessly with various holidays, making it easier to ride existing cultural waves rather than creating new ones. Navigating Rising Costs Amid Revenue Declines The episode also addresses the financial challenges nonprofits face due to rising benefit costs. George shares insights from an analysis of 33,000 organizations, revealing a 12.7% annual increase in employee benefit expenses, posing significant financial strain as revenue streams decline. This discussion highlights the urgent need for strategic financial planning and potential policy interventions to alleviate cost pressures on nonprofits. Blood Donation System: A Nonprofit Model An interview with Kurt Bailey, CEO of Bloodworks Northwest, offers a deep dive into the nonprofit-led blood supply system in the U.S. Bailey explains how the decentralized model, reliant on voluntary donations, provides essential flexibility and redundancy. The conversation underscores the critical role of nonprofits in maintaining a stable blood supply and the unique challenges they face in targeting younger donors. Feel-Good Initiatives and Creative Fundraising Ideas The podcast wraps up with feel-good stories like a Halloween costume 5K event supporting justice nonprofits and creative ideas for engaging communities in fundraising activities. They emphasize the importance of tapping into existing cultural moments, such as marathons and community events, to enhance nonprofit visibility and support. Reflective Thought: As nonprofits navigate financial challenges and look for innovative fundraising strategies, leveraging cultural events and holidays presents a powerful opportunity to connect with donors and communities. By aligning their missions with existing traditions, nonprofits can amplify their impact and ensure sustainability in uncertain times.

Exploring 'Extractive Empathy' and the Dynamics of Nonprofit Fundraising In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, hosts George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist at Whole Whale, dive into the intricacies of nonprofit news with a focus on the concept of "extractive empathy." The episode begins with a discussion on the palpable anticipation in the social impact space surrounding upcoming elections, which could influence strategic planning and decision-making. A key highlight of the episode is the introduction of "extractive empathy," a term coined by Whole Whale to describe the use of emotionally charged personal narratives to drive donations on crowdfunding platforms. This approach, while effective in generating immediate financial support, often overlooks long-term community needs and sustainable solutions. The conversation references a study showing that individuals with higher incomes raise more funds due to expansive social networks, emphasizing the imbalance in crowdfunding dynamics. The hosts critique this approach by pointing out how platforms like GoFundMe prioritize individual stories over systemic change, which can exacerbate inequities. They suggest strategies to mitigate these issues, such as implementing an "overflow" system where excess funds beyond a set goal are directed to designated charities. In the latter part of the episode, George and Nick discuss a new report on U.S. charitable giving trends, highlighting an increase in donations from both individuals and institutions. However, they note that a small percentage of donors account for a significant portion of total donations, underscoring the growing influence of high-net-worth individuals in philanthropy. The episode wraps up with a feel-good story about an Austin-based nonprofit providing free English lessons to Afghan refugee women, showcasing grassroots efforts to support displaced communities. Despite the heavy topics, the hosts inject humor and encourage listeners to engage with these critical discussions. Key Takeaways: "Extractive empathy" highlights the challenges of relying on emotional narratives for fundraising, which can divert attention from systemic solutions. The increasing role of wealthy donors in philanthropy necessitates tailored strategies to engage high-net-worth individuals effectively. Grassroots initiatives, like language classes for refugees, play a vital role in community support and integration. Reflective Thought: As the nonprofit sector navigates these complex dynamics, it's crucial to balance immediate fundraising needs with long-term, equitable solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms.

In this week's episode of the Nonprofit Newsfeed by Whole Whale, hosts George Weiner, Chief Whaler, and Nick Azulay, Senior Digital Strategy Manager, delve into significant developments affecting the nonprofit sector. They kick off with an enticing offer from Whole Whale University, providing a substantial discount on their end-of-year course bundle, aimed at empowering nonprofit professionals with essential digital insights and strategies. WordPress vs. WP Engine: A Tech Showdown The episode's main story unpacks the escalating tension between WordPress and WP Engine, a hosting service provider. The conflict, rooted in trademark disputes and accusations of unfair profit-making, has led to public legal threats and internal turmoil within WordPress. With WordPress powering over 43% of global websites, including many in the nonprofit sector, this drama has significant implications. George and Nick discuss how these tensions might affect nonprofits, especially those using WP Engine, and emphasize the importance of understanding the tech landscape that supports nonprofit operations. Veblen Giving: A New Perspective on Philanthropy George introduces the concept of "Veblen Giving," a term he coined to describe donations made primarily for social prestige. This type of giving is becoming more prevalent as fewer individuals account for the majority of charitable donations. The hosts discuss the implications of this trend, highlighting the need for nonprofits to tailor their communication strategies to engage high-net-worth donors effectively. George's innovative approach to redefining philanthropy in the context of AI and SEO strategies is also explored, illustrating how nonprofits can adapt to the evolving digital landscape. Addressing Homelessness: Contrasting Approaches The episode also covers contrasting strategies to tackle homelessness in San Francisco. The city's aggressive homeless encampment sweeps, part of a broader revitalization plan, have faced criticism for lacking long-term solutions. In contrast, the nonprofit GLIDE advocates for a more compassionate approach, focusing on relationship-building and sustainable transitions to permanent housing. This segment highlights the critical role of nonprofits in addressing complex social issues through innovative and empathetic strategies. Feel-Good Story: Broadway's Philanthropic Impact Closing on a positive note, the hosts celebrate the philanthropic efforts of Broadway, particularly the musical "Hell's Kitchen," which has donated over $1 million to Alicia Keys' Keep a Child Alive organization. This gesture continues Broadway's long-standing tradition of charitable giving, as exemplified by the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS initiative, which has raised over $300 million since 1988.

Navigating Nonprofit Cybersecurity and Global Funding Challenges In this episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist, delve into pressing nonprofit sector issues, with a focus on cybersecurity threats and global funding challenges. They also highlight a significant philanthropic initiative by Melinda French Gates. Key Topics and Insights: Cybersecurity Threats to Nonprofits: George and Nick discuss a sophisticated phishing attempt targeting Whole Whale, emphasizing the growing threat of AI-enabled social engineering scams. They caution nonprofits to enhance cybersecurity awareness and train staff to recognize suspicious activities. The conversation includes insights from Joshua Pesky of Roundtable Technology, highlighting the need for vigilance against phishing scams, particularly those exploiting power dynamics and urgency. Melinda French Gates' Philanthropic Initiative: Melinda French Gates has pledged an additional $250 million to support women's health globally through the "Action for Women's Health" grant competition. This initiative, managed by Lever for Change, aims to provide unrestricted funding to at least 100 nonprofits, signaling a shift towards more open and transparent philanthropic processes. Global Humanitarian Funding Gaps: The New Humanitarian reports on record-wide funding gaps in the global humanitarian sector, with UN appeals only 45% funded in 2023. The discussion highlights the strain on resources due to prolonged crises and the challenges faced by local aid organizations in securing funding. George and Nick draw parallels between global and local nonprofit sectors, noting similar challenges in transparency, efficiency, and funding. Voter Participation Initiatives in Alabama: The episode concludes on a positive note with the "Defend the Ballot" initiative in Alabama, aimed at increasing voter participation amid restrictive state laws. The effort seeks to address low voter turnout and empower citizens to exercise their voting rights. Call to Action: Nonprofits are encouraged to prioritize cybersecurity training and awareness to safeguard against evolving threats. Additionally, organizations should explore opportunities for funding through open calls like Melinda French Gates' initiative and remain informed about global and local funding trends. Reflection: The episode underscores the importance of adaptability and resilience in the nonprofit sector, particularly in the face of cybersecurity risks and funding challenges. By fostering a culture of vigilance and leveraging innovative funding opportunities, nonprofits can continue to make a significant impact.

A Close Call with Cybercrime: Anatomy of a Modern RFP Scam For agencies, opportunities can come knocking at any moment. For George, the founder of a successful agency, that knock came in the form of an enticing email from what appeared to be Banana Republic. The message dangled a lucrative contract, promising a monthly budget that would make any agency salivate. It seemed too good to be true – and as George would soon discover, it was. At first glance, the scam was impressively crafted. A LinkedIn profile for the supposed Banana Republic representative lent an air of legitimacy. The email contained links to the actual Banana Republic website, further disarming suspicion. But it was the Dropbox link that truly showcased the scammers' cunning. Hidden among genuine Banana Republic marketing materials was an innocuous-looking executable file – the true payload of this elaborate ruse. Intrigued but cautious, George decided to pull on this thread, engaging in a back-and-forth with the “representative.” As the conversation progressed, red flags began to appear. The contact's name changed multiple times, from Sarah Gomez to Sarah Lopez, and finally to Ella Brown. The LinkedIn profile URL didn't match the supposed sender's name. These inconsistencies piqued George's suspicions, prompting him to dig deeper. Seeking expert insight, George reached out to Joshua Peskay, a cybersecurity specialist. Joshua's analysis revealed the true nature of the threat: the executable file was malware, likely a sophisticated keylogger designed to steal sensitive information and transmit it to the attackers via Telegram. The implications were chilling. Had George or someone on his team fallen for the scam and run the file, the consequences could have been dire. From ransomware attacks to data exfiltration and extortion, the potential damage to the agency and its clients was immense. As Joshua explained, this scam represented a new breed of cyber threat, one supercharged by advancements in AI and language models. Gone are the days when broken English or obvious grammatical errors would give away a scammer. Today's cybercriminals can craft persuasive, contextually appropriate messages in any language, making their lures harder to spot. The incident served as a wake-up call, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity practices: Scrutinize unsolicited offers, especially those that seem too good to be true. Verify email domains and LinkedIn profiles for inconsistencies. Be extremely cautious when downloading files, particularly executables. Implement strong endpoint detection and response (EDR) software. Use least-privilege access principles for daily computer use. Conduct regular tabletop exercises to prepare for potential incidents.

Nonprofit Ad Spend Trends and Disaster Relief Efforts: Key Insights from This Week's Nonprofit News In this week's episode of the Nonprofit News Feed, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Digital Strategist, delve into Whole Whale's newly released 2024 nonprofit advertising study. This original research, in partnership with Cause IQ, analyzes advertising trends among 7,000 nonprofit organizations, comparing data from 2022-2023 with pre-pandemic data from 2018-2019. Key findings indicate a 12% increase in nonprofit ad investments, with an additional $21.3 million spent on advertising, and a 13% rise in average ad spend per organization from $26,000 to $29,000. Despite this increase, nonprofits have managed to reduce fundraising expenses by 5%, indicating a shift towards advertising as a larger portion of the fundraising budget. George and Nick emphasize the importance of strategic ad spending, especially for smaller nonprofits with tighter budgets. They encourage nonprofits to explore boosting social media posts and applying for the Google Ad Grant to enhance their reach. The full report and database are available for free on Whole Whale's website, offering valuable insights and benchmarks across various nonprofit sectors. The episode also highlights the critical role of local nonprofits in disaster relief, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which severely impacted the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and North Carolina. Organizations like Beloved Asheville have pivoted their operations to focus on disaster recovery, demonstrating the agility and responsiveness of nonprofits in times of crisis. With Hurricane Milton approaching, George stresses the need for proactive fundraising and messaging to maximize support. Additionally, the podcast discusses a survey revealing that nonprofit workers continue to feel exhausted and overwhelmed, citing staffing shortages and budget constraints as ongoing challenges. George notes that these issues have been persistent in the sector and cautions against relying solely on AI as a solution. Another significant topic is the "Silver Tsunami," referring to the aging U.S. population and the increasing demand for services catering to older adults. George urges nonprofits to incorporate strategies for supporting the 65+ demographic into their long-term plans, highlighting opportunities in healthcare, digital literacy, and community engagement. Finally, the episode concludes with a heartwarming story about a nonprofit providing service dogs to veterans at no cost, showcasing the profound impact of such initiatives on individuals' lives.

In this episode, George Weiner, Chief Whaler of Whole Whale, and Nick Azulay, Senior Digital Strategist at Whole Whale, delve into the intricate transition of OpenAI from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity, exploring the broader implications for the nonprofit sector. They discuss the benefits and challenges of leveraging a nonprofit model to attract diverse funding sources and investor interest, as exemplified by OpenAI's journey, which led to a staggering valuation of $150 billion. Key Insights: Nonprofit Model Advantages: The hosts outline how the nonprofit model can be strategically used to secure tax benefits, attract donor-advised funds (DAFs), and foster social impact credibility. This approach allows organizations to focus on research and development without immediate profit pressures. OpenAI's Transition: OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity highlights both opportunities and ethical considerations. The conversation touches on the complexities of establishing fair market valuations and the potential for strategic misuse of nonprofit status to benefit for-profit ventures. Lessons for Nonprofit Leaders: The episode underscores the importance of understanding the nonprofit model's potential loopholes and the ethical responsibilities of leaders in navigating these transitions. It also raises awareness of how these practices might divert funds from traditional nonprofits dedicated to empathy-first, people-to-people work. Exciting Developments in the Nonprofit Sector: Guaranteed Income for Artists: The episode celebrates a new initiative in Minnesota that provides $500 monthly payments to artists, promoting creativity and security. This "Universal Purpose Income" model aims to support artists' contributions to society amid the challenges posed by generative AI. AI for Social Good: Robin Hood Foundation's AI Poverty Challenge is highlighted, showcasing innovative uses of AI to address social issues. Finalists include projects improving student literacy, housing justice, and education for incarcerated individuals, demonstrating AI's potential to drive meaningful change. Reflection and Call to Action: The discussion encourages nonprofit professionals to critically assess the use of nonprofit models in the tech sector, advocating for ethical practices that prioritize genuine social impact over financial gain. As AI continues to reshape the landscape, nonprofits are urged to explore innovative applications that align with their missions while ensuring accountability and transparency. For those inspired by these insights, consider how your organization might leverage technology ethically to enhance its mission. Engage with the evolving conversation on AI and nonprofits, and share your experiences with Whole Whale to contribute to the sector's growth and integrity.

Digital Agency Whole Whale Announces Official 2024 GivingTuesday Predictions Digital agency Whole Whale, the publishers of this podcast, have announced their annual GivingTuesday generosity predictions. Based on Whole Whale analysis that incorporates an adjusted linear regression, trends in Google Search terms around “Giving Tuesday,” and national giving trends, we predict that $3.5 Billion will be raised on Giving Tuesday 2024. This will be a 11% or ~$470 million increase over 2023's record-breaking $3.1B. This year is less predictable due to a number of factors that we see impacting this macro-giving. Some of the negative indicators that we think could slow giving: National US election pulling attention and funds leading up to the day. Inflation concerns with rising rates cooling the economy. A hangover from reduced giving in 2023 continues to depress giving this year.   Some of the positive indicators that may help Giving Tuesday results: Low unemployment traditionally maps to increased giving. Consumer spending is increasing YoY. What Happened in 2023? “$3.12 Billion was raised on Giving Tuesday 2023, with a 10% decline in participation, sadly missing our expectations of $3.45B” – George Weiner, Whole Whale   The GivingTuesday Data Commons estimated on Nov 30th that giving in the United States alone on November 28th (Giving Tuesday) totaled $3.1 billion, a modest increase of 0.6% from 2022.    The GivingTuesday Data Commons has excellent resources on quarterly fundraising data from the nonprofit sector. Reports like the GivingTuesday GivingPulse report can be beneficial to nonprofits trying to analyze trends throughout the year.

Main Topics: Twilio's 2024 State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report Independent Sector's push for quarterly economic data on nonprofits Fearless Fund's racial discrimination lawsuit settlement Voting rights restoration for felons in Arkansas KEY PROMOTION: NONPROFIT CONSULTING SURVEY Key Insights: Twilio's 2024 State of Nonprofit Digital Engagement Report: Digital Adoption: Nonprofits are increasingly leveraging digital technologies, including AI, to enhance engagement and operational efficiency. AI Usage: 90% of surveyed nonprofits use AI in various capacities, with 70% prioritizing personalized communications in 2024. Sector-Specific Uses: AI is being used to analyze data, improve service personalization, and streamline communications across nonprofit healthcare, education, and public sectors. Independent Sector's Call to Action: Economic Data Gap: The government only releases nonprofit sector economic data every five years, which is insufficient for understanding the sector's health. Advocacy Efforts: Independent Sector is pushing for quarterly economic data to better reflect the nonprofit sector's impact, which represents about 10% of the American workforce. Fearless Fund Lawsuit Settlement: Legal Challenge: Fearless Fund faced a racial discrimination lawsuit for its grant program targeting Black female entrepreneurs. Settlement Outcome: The specific grant program ended, but the settlement does not restrict other charitable activities by the organization. Broader Implications: This case highlights potential legal challenges for foundations focusing on racial equity, especially in the wake of recent Supreme Court decisions. Restoration of Voting Rights for Felons: Arkansas Initiative: The Ouachita Foothills Youth Media and Arts and Literacy Collective is helping felons restore their voting rights. Importance of Civic Reintegration: This program emphasizes the importance of reintegrating formerly incarcerated individuals into the civic process, which is crucial for a healthy democracy. Quotes and Statistics: "90% of surveyed nonprofits are leveraging AI in one or more use cases." (Twilio Report) "Less than 0.5% of venture capital funding goes to businesses led by women of color." (George Weiner) "The nonprofit sector represents roughly 10% of the American workforce." (Independent Sector) Closing Thought: The nonprofit sector is rapidly evolving with the adoption of digital technologies and AI, but it faces significant challenges, from legal battles over racial equity to the need for better economic data. These developments highlight the sector's resilience and adaptability, underscoring the importance of continued advocacy and innovation.

Nonprofit News Roundup: Internet Archive's Legal Battle, AmeriCorps Grants, and Addressing Child Malnutrition Hosted by George Weiner and Nick Azulay of Whole Whale Key Topics Covered: Internet Archive's Legal Challenges: Discussion: The critical role of the Internet Archive in preserving web history and its recent legal challenges concerning copyright infringement. Key Insight: The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against the Internet Archive in a case involving book digitization, raising concerns about the future of digital preservation.   AmeriCorps Grant Competition: Announcement: AmeriCorps has opened applications for the 2025 State and National Grants Competition. Eligibility: Open to nonprofits, colleges, local governments, and other organizations. Focus Areas: Civic bridge building, climate resiliency, and youth mental health. Deadline: January 23, 2025, at 5 PM Child Malnutrition and Mortality: Source: Our World in Data. Statistic: Nearly half of all child deaths worldwide are linked to malnutrition. Progress: Child deaths due to malnutrition have decreased from 6.6 million in the 1990s to 2.4 million today. Insight: Malnutrition exacerbates other health vulnerabilities, making it a critical area for intervention. Feel-Good Story: Nonprofit Highlight: Face the Fight. Mission: Provides skincare routines and mental health support for cancer patients. Impact: Helps patients feel better about their appearance, potentially improving health outcomes and boosting confidence. Reflective Thought: The Internet Archive's legal struggles highlight the delicate balance between copyright protection and the preservation of digital history. As nonprofits, understanding these dynamics is crucial for safeguarding our collective digital heritage. Call to Action: AmeriCorps Applicants: If your organization aligns with the focus areas, consider applying for the grant competition. Support: Visit https://911day.org/ to participate in a day of service and remembrance. Closing Reflection: Every nonprofit, regardless of size or scope, contributes to a larger narrative of service and impact. Whether it's preserving digital history, supporting community service, or addressing global health issues, each effort underscores the power of collective action.