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What the Fundraising

What the Fundraising

Written by: Mallory Erickson
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 What the Fundraising is the podcast for impact leaders and change-makers who are tired of doing things the old school way and are looking for best practices to raise money, run their organization, and think about the nonprofit sector in a whole new way. Every Tuesday for 40-60 min, your host, Mallory Erickson, will be having real and raw conversations with some of the best personal and professional development experts, many of whom are outside the nonprofit sector. These are bestselling authors, world-renowned researchers, and TEDx experts, most of whom have never spoken to a non-profit audience before. They have come ready to share expertise, lessons, and stories that will fundamentally change the way you show up as a leader and fundraiser. There are so many valuable lessons nonprofit leaders are missing because they are outside of their typical orbit, but no more. Mallory is bringing them in and helping to apply her guest's expertise to disrupt the nonprofit sector once and for all. So if you are ready to learn how to upgrade your fundraising strategy, leadership skills, energy, habits, and mindset to bring in more funding and actually have some fun doing it, then this is the right podcast for you. If you’re wanting to implement ideas you heard, visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for the top tips and tools, full transcripts, quotes, videos, and additional resources from each episode.Mallory Erickson Coaching Economics Management Management & Leadership Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • 282: Building Trust & Breaking Myths: Humanizing Housing Insecurity with Joseph Bradford III

    282: Building Trust & Breaking Myths: Humanizing Housing Insecurity with Joseph Bradford III
    Feb 10 2026
    Surrounded by myths that prevent real solutions, homelessness and housing insecurity are often misunderstood in the public eye. Requiring more than short-term fixes, it demands empathy, trust, and systemic thinking. In this conversation, Mallory is joined by Joseph Bradford lll to explore how nonprofit leaders balance urgent needs with long-term solutions, build trust within communities, and guide teams to act effectively while keeping people at the center. Join them and gain insight on the value of lived experience in shaping leadership, personal stories behind statistics, and practical steps for people to see beyond misconceptions and create lasting change. Joseph Bradford lll is the founder at B.A.R.E, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that provides mentorship, independent living assistance, and wellness services to individuals and families. Having experienced homelessness firsthand by circumstances that were out of his control, Joseph built the foundation of B.A.R.E. after meeting and befriending a homeless person. He has spent over a decade feeding, housing, and advocating for people in need, building trust and systemic solutions across Los Angeles. Through his organization, Joseph proves how lived experience, compassion, and visionary leadership can create meaningful change and humanize populations often misunderstood and overlooked. In this episode, you will be able to: Understand and challenge the common misconceptions about homeless people. Learn how trust and empathy can drive meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector. Gain insights into balancing urgent needs with long-term, systemic solutions. Learn ways that can model compassion and shape understanding for the next generation. Find out how consistency creates long-term impact in communities. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Support for this show is brought to you by Practivated. Practivated delivers AI-powered donor conversation simulations that let fundraisers practice in a private, judgment‑free space—building confidence, refining messaging, and improving outcomes before the real conversation even begins. Developed by fundraising experts with real‑time coaching at its core, it’s the smart way to walk into every donor interaction calm, prepared, and ready to connect. Learn more at practivated.com. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.
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    28 mins
  • 281: Smarter Email Strategies for Fundraising with Ashley Budd

    281: Smarter Email Strategies for Fundraising with Ashley Budd
    Feb 3 2026
    This episode features a fascinating conversation with Ashley Budd, Senior Marketing Director at Cornell University and the author of Mailed It. She has spent over a decade leading digital innovation in advancement, helping organizations connect authentically with audiences and raise funds for meaningful causes. Ashley shares her career journey from enrollment services to fundraising and explains how her work in digital marketing, mainly email marketing, became a key part of her success. She also talks about her first book on email marketing and her experience consulting and speaking with nonprofits and universities. A significant focus of the discussion is how digital marketing supports modern fundraising. Ashley explains why email remains powerful despite crowded inboxes, and how understanding human behavior and proven patterns leads to better results. She introduces a custom GPT tool she co-created to teach people how to write effective emails, emphasizing learning skills rather than depending on AI forever. The conversation also explores the balance between using AI tools and maintaining a human touch. Ashley highlights the importance of authenticity, consistency, and trust, introducing her "trust triangle" model of authenticity, empathy, and logic. She also discusses handling ghosting, managing unengaged audiences, adapting campaigns to changing conditions, and communicating during crises. In this episode, you will be able to: Understand how email marketing drives modern fundraising success. Discover the evolving partnership between humans and AI in communication. Learn how to write effective emails using proven behavioral patterns. Recognize the limits of AI tools and the need for human judgment. Apply authenticity, empathy, and logic to build audience trust. Balance quality and quantity in email communication. Handle unresponsive audiences with clarity and respect. Adapt campaigns to changing digital behavior and expectations. Respond confidently to crises while maintaining community trust. Access practical tools and resources to improve email performance. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Support for this show is brought to you by Practivated. Practivated delivers AI-powered donor conversation simulations that let fundraisers practice in a private, judgment‑free space—building confidence, refining messaging, and improving outcomes before the real conversation even begins. Developed by fundraising experts with real‑time coaching at its core, it’s the smart way to walk into every donor interaction calm, prepared, and ready to connect. Learn more at practivated.com. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.
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    46 mins
  • 280: Intentional Leadership in Fundraising with Floyd Jones

    280: Intentional Leadership in Fundraising with Floyd Jones
    Jan 27 2026
    Growth isn’t about doing more or filling checklists; it’s about doing what matters within your capacity and rhythm. In fundraising, true impact comes with honoring long-term engagement over quick monetary wins, creating space for transformation, and holding firmly to mission and values while adapting methods. When distraction, uncertainty, and external pressure are inevitable, leaders have to ground themselves, set boundaries, and act with purpose to cultivate clarity, resilience, and meaningful connections. Every action sends ripples, and you have to be mindful of what impact yours will create. Joining us today is Floyd Jones, a speaker and coach who helps organizations to build sustainable communities that drive lasting impact. Believing that strong communities are the heart of any impactful mission, he collaborates with organizations and leaders to turn followers into dedicated supporters by centering on a community-first approach throughout his career. His specialization is on providing strategies to help leaders grow their reach, build deeper connections, and inspire consistent support. Floyd joined Mallory in this episode to discuss sustainable fundraising and leadership, where mission, values, and relationships guide growth and adaptability. In this episode, you will be able to: - Discover ways to align your fundraising strategies and leadership with mission and values. - Recognize the difference between transactional and relational donor engagement. - Apply grounding and self-regulation techniques in uncertain times as a leader. - Understand the effect of intentional actions that ripple through teams, communities, and the broader sector. - Understand how people-pleasing can distract you from mission-driven decision-making. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Support for this show is brought to you by Practivated. Practivated delivers AI-powered donor conversation simulations that let fundraisers practice in a private, judgment‑free space—building confidence, refining messaging, and improving outcomes before the real conversation even begins. Developed by fundraising experts with real‑time coaching at its core, it’s the smart way to walk into every donor interaction calm, prepared, and ready to connect. Learn more at practivated.com. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point
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    53 mins
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