.png)
Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions
Welcome to Small Nonprofit, the podcast designed for leaders, fundraisers, and advocates in the nonprofit sector who want to create real change. We provide small nonprofit organizations with strategies to enhance their fundraising campaigns, improve nonprofit governance, and implement ethical fundraising practices that resonate with today’s values-driven donors.
Hosted by an experienced nonprofit consultant, Maria Rio, this show delves into the unique challenges of nonprofit fundraising and community-centric fundraising, providing tools for donor engagement and major gifts fundraising.
👤 Who Should Listen?
This podcast is perfect for anyone involved in a small nonprofit seeking practical advice on fundraising strategy, nonprofit leadership, and board accountability. Whether you're looking for innovative fundraising ideas for nonprofit organizations or trying to create an impact measurement framework that demonstrates your organization’s value, Small Nonprofit is here to guide you.
🎤 Core Topics We Cover
Community-Centric Fundraising: Learn how ethical fundraising practices can strengthen donor relationships, enhance donor engagement, and align your organization with values-based major giving principles. We’ll help you shift from a donor-centric model to one that prioritizes the community.
Systemic Change and Governance: From participatory budgeting to nonprofit board of directors best practices, we explore how to navigate the nonprofit industrial complex and embrace structures that foster diversity in nonprofit leadership and board accountability.
Preventing Nonprofit Burnout: Tackle topics such as nonprofit burnout prevention and learn how to cultivate a healthy, anti-oppressive work culture that supports your team’s well-being.
Nonprofit Storytelling: Understand how to measure your nonprofit’s effectiveness through nonprofit impact measurement strategies and leverage nonprofit storytelling to create compelling narratives that attract donors.
📣 Engaging Conversations and Real-World Advice
In each episode, we bring you insights from experts in fundraising consulting, nonprofit grant writing, and capital campaign strategies. From interviews with fractional fundraisers and major gift officers to deep dives on fundraising tips and innovative fundraising ideas, we offer actionable advice that you can implement immediately to strengthen your organization’s impact.
💰 Learn How to Build a Sustainable Nonprofit
Every nonprofit leader faces the challenge of achieving financial sustainability. Our episodes address critical fundraising strategies for nonprofit organizations, providing insights on volunteer management, capacity building, and nonprofit marketing strategy. Gain access to tools that help you execute successful fundraising campaigns and build a foundation for long-term growth.
🤝 Join the Movement for Systemic Change
At The Small Nonprofit, we’re committed to transforming the nonprofit sector from the ground up. Our focus on systemic change and community-centric fundraising aligns with our mission to support nonprofits in creating equitable, sustainable communities. By addressing topics like values-based decision making and nonprofit transparency, we’re working to build a more ethical, inclusive sector.
❤️ Stay Connected
Subscribe to Small Nonprofit on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or your preferred podcast platform. Don’t miss an episode as we explore everything from fundraising tips to nonprofit social media strategy, and learn how you can become a stronger advocate for your organization’s mission.
Small Nonprofit: Fundraising Tips, Leadership Strategies, and Community-Centric Solutions
Grant Writing: Getting to YES! with DeaRonda Harrison
If you’re tired of chasing dead-end applications or hearing “we don’t accept unsolicited proposals,” this episode is for you. We dig into how to build a smarter pipeline by prioritizing funders that welcome new grantees. Then we tackle the myth of “hard-to-fund” programs (arts, advocacy, civic education, etc.) and show you how reframing your work to match donor priorities can unlock dollars without changing your programming.
On this week’s episode of The Small Nonprofit Podcast, grant expert DeaRonda Harrison shares practical ways small and mid-sized nonprofits can sharpen their prospecting and reposition “tough” programs, especially in shifting political climates. You’ll learn how to identify real opportunities, speak to funder focus areas, and package your outcomes in ways that resonate.
The Highlights
- Prospect where the odds are real: Use research tools to identify funders who funded new grantees last year and build your pipeline around them instead of chasing closed doors.
- Positioning beats “hard-to-fund”: No program is inherently unfundable; reframe outcomes to align with funder interests.
- Mindset shift for momentum: Swap “our program is hard to fund” for “we haven’t matched the right funder-message fit, yet.”
- Save time, increase wins: Stop spending time on “no unsolicited proposals” and redirect to open, new-grantee-friendly funders.
Actionable Tips for Nonprofits
- Start your list with “new grantees” filters: Find 20–30 funders who added new organizations last year; prioritize by alignment and deadlines.
- Write a 1-paragraph positioning brief: For each program, list the community problem, your outcome, and 1–2 crosswalks to current funder priorities (e.g., “street outreach → community building”).
- Qualify fast: If a funder is closed to unsolicited proposals and has no pathway to connect, park them for later and move on.
- Collect proof points: Gather quotes, stories, or early indicators (surveys, sign-ups, attendance) that validate your reframed outcomes.
Resources and Links
- Connect with our host, Maria Rio
- Connect with our guest, DeaRonda Harrison
- DeaRonda’s website
- Support our show. We are fully self-funded!
- Watch this episode on YouTube
- Need help with your fundraising?
- Connect with the show: Watch the episode on YouTube; follow Maria Rio on LinkedIn for more conversations and resources. Or support our show. We are fully self-funded!
- Book a Discovery Call with Further Together: Need help with your fundraising? See if our values-aligned fundraisers are a fit for your organization.