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The donor pyramid is collapsing. Individual giving is shrinking. And yet, total philanthropic revenue is still growing—just from fewer and fewer people.

In this episode, we sit down with Anton Lipkanou, President of Delve Deeper, to unpack what’s really happening beneath the surface of donor data, and how fundraisers can respond.

Together we explore:

• Why donor files are aging faster than time itself
• How the “Eiffel Tower” of giving reveals a dangerous imbalance
• What “Jobs to Be Done” means for understanding donor motivation
• How to listen to donors through data, not just surveys
• The new role of AI in personalizing donor journeys at scale

You’ll leave this episode with practical ideas to start listening like a major gifts officer — even when you’re talking to tens of thousands of donors.

Quotes:

“Donors are hiring your organization to do a job for them. It’s not about you — it’s what they can do through you.” — Anton Lipkanou

“If giving is a story of self, then our job as fundraisers is to listen for the story donors are trying to tell.” — Mike Duerksen

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⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com

🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/

🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode: https://buildgood.com/category/podcast/

❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1

Thanks for listening!

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#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing

Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?

BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.

You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.

➡️For more information, go here: www.buildgood.com

Send us a text

Giving Tuesday isn’t just one day on the calendar— it’s a chance to build a core pillar of a larger year-end campaign.

In this episode, we sit down with Rapinder Dhinsa from Make-A-Wish Canada to learn how she turned Giving Tuesday into a powerful, multi-year growth engine.

Rapinder shares how her team built a campaign that got stronger every year — layering in new channels, integrating matched gifts, and weaving Giving Tuesday into the broader year-end strategy to maximize results.
You’ll hear how they aligned email, social, direct mail, and paid ads to create a unified donor experience, plus the lessons they learned about timing, storytelling, and making every donor feel like an important part of the team.

If you want to make your Giving Tuesday campaign more than a one-day event — and turn it into a launchpad for your whole year-end fundraising — you won’t want to miss this conversation.

—

⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com

🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/

🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode: https://buildgood.com/category/podcast/

❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1

Thanks for listening!

----

#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing

Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?

BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.

You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.

➡️For more information, go here: www.buildgood.com

Send us a text

Imagine building a huge organization on the back of “$5.38 buys a meal for a neighbour experiencing homelessness”, when a meal is just the doorway, not the destination.

It’s a situation many nonprofits find themselves in. Their programming has changed and evolved, but their core value proposition and fundraising offers haven’t—because they are tried, trued, tested and proven.

In today’s episode, The Mustard Seed’s Philip Calvert sits down with Mike to pull back the curtain on what happens when an inner city ministry grows into a multi-city, $73m engine for life change—housing, mental health supports, job training and more—while many donors still picture soup lines at Christmas.

With 38,000 active donors and a strong brand, Phil and his team are facing a choice: keep raising money on meals… or reframe the offer around real outcomes. Last year alone, 1,300 people graduated from their shelter to affordable housing—effectively exiting homelessness. That’s the story. Now how do you scale it?

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why meal-based offers work—and when they start to trap your brand.
  
  
• How to test new impact messages (like shelter-to-housing “graduations”) without tanking revenue.
  
  
• Ways to align fundraising, programs, and ops so donors fund what actually drives change.
  
  
• A simple 3-step path to review metrics, pilot new offers, and roll out a refreshed public story.

—

⛰️ Don’t miss out on the next BuildGood Summit! Sign up to be the first to know about the dates, location and super early bird discounted tickets at www.buildgoodsummit.com

🤔 What else would you like to know about improving your fundraising and becoming an effective nonprofit marketer? Connect with Mike Duerksen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeduerksen/

🔔 Follow the Build Good Fundraising Podcast on your favourite podcast app—and never miss a new episode: https://buildgood.com/category/podcast/

❤️ And if you haven't yet, subscribe to our Youtube channel for more fundraising videos and actionable strategies that will help you grow your revenue and impact: https://www.youtube.com/@buildgood?sub_confirmation=1

Thanks for listening!

----

#Fundraising #Nonprofit #Philanthropy #Marketing

Interested in working with a fundraising agency to grow your nonprofit?

BuildGood is a fundraising agency that helps nonprofits raise more money from individual donors. Let our team of experts create your fundraising appeals, emails and newsletters for you, and reclaim the time to do the thing only YOU can do: build genuine, human, personal relationships with your donors.

You’ll add proven expertise to your team. You’ll benefit from tested and proven strategies that will make you more money. And you’ll have peace of mind that you’re putting your best foot forward with your fundraising.

➡️For more information, go here: www.buildgood.com