Planning a nonprofit event is more than menus and timelines. It is about designing an experience that moves people to give. In this episode, St. Jude’s ALSAC Senior Advisor and Events Planner, Molly Fitzpatrick Moore, shares practical ways to turn any budget into a mission-driven moment that donors remember. We dig into curated guest lists, experiential luxury without overspend, volunteer playbooks, AI for planners, and themes that connect to your story.

Listen in, take notes, then steal Molly’s templates and tactics for your next event.

What does it take to deliver four semi-truck loads of lifesaving medical supplies every week to clinics and hospitals around the world? Dr. Douglas Jackson shares how Project C.U.R.E. grew from a family garage effort to one of America’s most impactful global health nonprofits. We dig into volunteer-first leadership, Starbucks-style operations for quality control, donor transparency, and a data mindset that makes reporting easier for partners and staff.

Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Project C.U.R.E. and Dr. Douglas Jackson 02:45 The Family Story and the First Shipment 05:30 Measuring Lives Touched and Needs Assessments 08:48 Structure and Logistics: Why “Company-owned stores” 11:14 Volunteer Recruitment and Retention 16:23 Financial Management and Transparency 23:00 Fundraising Strategies and Local Ownership 32:01 Branding the Cure Programs: Cargo, Clinics, College, Kits 35:45 Donations, Partnerships, and In-kind Supply Chains 37:04 Humanitarian Work Without Burning Out 40:15 Storytelling That Sustains Donors and Teams 43:34 Measuring Outcomes When Records Are on Paper 46:24 Data Dashboards and Report-as-a-Service 50:15 Treating Donors and Volunteers as Customers 53:22 Business Skills in Nonprofit Leadership 56:14 Practical Advice Nonprofit Leaders Can Use Now

You’ll learn

• A warehouse and logistics model that scales without sacrificing quality
• How to center volunteers so retention becomes your advantage
• Why responsibility must come with authority when you delegate
• What real transparency looks like for fundraising and reserves
• How to brand multi-program work so donors understand the offer
• Practical ways to measure outcomes and deliver ready-to-use impact reports

Entrepreneur and creative leader Eli Rubel joins Carina Martin to share hard-won marketing lessons that nonprofits can use right away. After the 2021 downturn, Eli went from peak profit to a sudden $200K monthly loss, then rebuilt and now runs successful agencies focused on mission-driven work. This conversation is a practical tour of donor segmentation, message testing, smart use of AI, and storytelling that moves people to act.