If you have been following the Fundraising Freedom Podcast, when I first started it I actually called it the Mary Valloni Show. And if you’ve been following for a while, you know that I follow the steps that I teach in my book, Fundraising Freedom. Those steps follow the acronym FREEDOM because what I want…Continue reading Episode 181 | What It Looks Like to Focus Your Vision

Today we’re talking about how to create a personal or an organizational budget that actually works for you coming into 2021. I know that budgeting is something that some people love, and other people hate – there’s a love-hate relationship with the budget. And for many of you, you’ve probably already gone through the budgeting…Continue reading Episode 180 | How to Create a Personal or Organizational Budget That Actually Works for 2021

Today, we are jumping into the topic of thankfulness. As we gear up for our Thanksgiving holiday this week, I wanted to be sure that we talked about how we can thank our donors. So, we’re going to talk about the top 20 ways to thank your donors in 2020. As you know, this is…Continue reading Episode 179 | The 20 Ways to Thank Your Donors in 2020

My guest today is Sarah, Olivieri. Sarah is the founder and the heart behind the company Pivot Ground. She’s a nonprofit business strategist, an author, and a former executive director. I think she’s going to bring just a huge wealth of information to you on how to pivot during this season.  Tell us a little…Continue reading Episode 178 | How to Pivot With Sarah Olivieri

Today we’re talking about the number one reason fundraisers fail. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not because we didn’t work hard enough. The number one reason fundraisers fail is from internal conflict. As you know, right now we are dealing with a pandemic, more than likely about to be hit with some economic challenges because…Continue reading Episode 177 | The #1 Reason Fundraisers Fail

We are talking about how to build a new relationship with money today. In the last couple of episodes, I have been really practical in my messaging. But today, I wanted to take a little bit of a different turn on our conversation and talk specifically about money itself. Now for those of you who…Continue reading Episode 176 | How to Build a New Relationship with Money

Today, we’re going digging into the year-end appeal and I’m sharing the three things you need to include in your letter. This is very specific for 2020. As you know, this year has been very unusual so that means that your year-end appeal needs a new and fresh update. Did you know that a quarter…Continue reading Episode 175 | 3 Things You Need to Include in Your 2020 Year-End Appeal

Today, we’re talking about how to end 2020 strong. And we’re really going to be talking about your 90-day plan. These last 90 days are going to end the year strong and allow you to really come into these final last months with some clarity, focus, and really give you some practical steps on how…Continue reading Episode 174 | How to End 2020 Strong (Your 90-Day Plan!)

Today we’re talking about the seven questions to ask yourself before that next big meeting. If you’ve been following the podcast for a while, you’ve been following the seven steps that I teach in my book, Fundraising Freedom.  On all the lessons that I’ve taught over these last 173 episodes, I hope that you’ve gotten…Continue reading Episode 173 | The 7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before that Next Big Meeting

I want to share with you today some common things that successful people do.  Number one, they don’t allow fear to cripple them.  Now think about people who are public speakers, they do not let the fear of public speaking stop them from accomplishing or stepping foot on stage. They don’t allow fear to cripple…Continue reading Episode 172 | The 10 Things Successful People Do To Accomplish Their Goals

Today we’re talking about virtual events, live events, all that good stuff with my guest, Wendi Freeman. Wendi is the founder and CEO of Be Bright Events. She has worked in the for-profit space, and she’s done a lot of work in the nonprofit space as well. Wendi has more than 15 years of experience;…Continue reading Episode 171 | Planning Virtual Events with Wendi Freeman

Today we’re talking about the three things you need to effectively grow and multiply your cause.  The reason why I wanted to talk on this topic is that multiplication is really what we’re all about, right? When we join or when we start up an organization, our goal here is to affect as many people…Continue reading Episode 170 | The 3 Things You Need to Effectively Grow and Multiply Your Cause

We’ve been talking a lot lately about a variety of different ways that you can raise funds and today, I wanted to bring a special guest on to talk specifically about working with philanthropists. Kris Putnam-Walkerly is a Global Philanthropy Advisor and she has more than 20 years of experience working with philanthropists.  Kris has…Continue reading Episode 169 | How to Communicate With Philanthropists with Kris Putnam-Walkerly

My guest today is Ben Starling III.  Ben is a former director of philanthropy, has worked on huge projects like the Museum of the Bible and Scripps Research Institute. He’s from Palm Beach, Florida, and he runs a business called Southern Philanthropy. Southern Philanthropy offers custom-tailored fundraising services for profit, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists. Tell…Continue reading Episode 168 | Major Gift Fundraising with Ben Starling III

In the past few months, we have been talking about how to navigate this new “normal” as we walk through the season of a pandemic. Over the course of these last several months, you’ve had to make a shift. You’ve had to start looking at different ways of running your fundraising efforts. And so today,…Continue reading Episode 167 | The Industries That Are Booming During COVID-19 and What That Means for Your Cause

Today I’m joined by Philippa Fabbri, director of communications, fundraising, and school design at the Elsen Academy in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape South Africa.  What do you enjoy about fundraising? I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about fundraising but I’m passionate about showing the longevity of my school and making sure that we outlast any crisis…Continue reading Episode 166 | Making the Move from Live to Virtual Events With Philippa Fabbri

Today I’m talking about moving to online fundraising. How do we still build relationships and still communicate and engage donors in the online space? First of all, I just want to share a few statistics with you. Only 3% of charities rated their board and executive leadership as being digitally savvy. This means that we…Continue reading Episode 165 | What You Need to Do to Shift Your Fundraising Online

This episode airs the week of my 40th birthday and I’m pretty excited about it!  I’m looking forward to the next decade and letting my thirties live in the past like they are supposed to.  Today I want to take you on a walk down memory lane and share a little about what has happened…Continue reading Episode 164 | The Single Most Important Thing I Learned in My Thirties

Today we are talking about the eight words that might explain why you’re stuck.  As we’ve been talking about over the last several episodes, we’ve been dealing with a pandemic and trying to navigate not being in our offices and adjusting to working from home.  Now, some of you may have already been working from…Continue reading Episode 163 | 8 Words That May Explain Why You’re Stuck

Today, I am joined by special guest Evan Cox.  Evan works for Joyce Meyer Ministries and has a background in nonprofit work with the St. Louis Dream Center, Hand of Hope, and many others.  He’s also an incredible copywriter.  I’ve invited him onto today’s show to share his insight on fundraising and the work he’s…Continue reading Episode 162 | Fundraising with Evan Cox

I am a huge fan of you raising a ridiculous amount of money and changing the world.  I know that’s what you’re focused on and why you’re here listening to this show but I want you to realize one thing.  If you’re awesome at fundraising and awesome at helping other people, there’s a good chance…Continue reading Episode 161 | The 6 Basic Needs to Live Your Best Life

If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I’m big into goal setting.  I think this is why I love fundraising so much because it’s all about goal setting and can be very rewarding when you reach them.  So today I want to talk to you about how I set goals. Every time…Continue reading Episode 160 | The Fool-Proof Process to Achieving Any Goal

I am joined today by Marissa Nehlsen, CEO of a 7-figure business, public speaker, coach, philanthropist, and an all-around incredible person.  Like me, she is originally from North Dakota which makes my heart happy!  What advice would you give to someone who is stuck in the financial mindset? I love this question and here’s my…Continue reading Episode 159 | How to Create a Rich Nonprofit with Marissa Nehlsen, Part 2

I am joined today by Marissa Nehlsen, CEO of a 7-figure business, public speaker, coach, philanthropist, and an all-around incredible person.  Like me, she is originally from North Dakota which makes my heart happy!  Tell us why the world needs us rich. The world needs us rich in all areas and my team and I…Continue reading Episode 158 | How to Create a Rich Nonprofit with Marissa Nehlsen, Part 1

Today I want to talk about the basics of fundraising. During this season where we are in the midst of a lot of uncertainty, I understand that people are being sensitive when it comes to asking for money.  I want to take a step back and talk about why people say yes in the first…Continue reading Episode 157 | What You Need to Know to Get Someone to Say Yes

In today’s episode, I’m sharing with you the 3-part process I use to help charities raise more money.  These last couple of months have been a bit crazy and the last several episodes I’ve talked a lot about this pandemic and how to walk through this season.  But I want you to know that the…Continue reading Episode 156 | The 3-Part Process I Use to Help Charities Raise More Money

I’m joined today with Casey Hill, Head of Growth at Bonjoro.  Bonjoro is a personalized video messaging app with the mission of empowering every organization to build real and lasting relationships with its customers, donors, or community, no matter where they live or work. Casey is a published contributor with Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., and many…Continue reading Episode 155 | Why Every Nonprofit Needs to Use Video with Casey Hill

In today’s episode, we are talking about the free resource every charity needs to reboot and start again.  We are in a season where we do need to reboot because we’ve never been here before.  If we look at anything that’s happened in our past, recessions, depressions, etc. we can look to them and see…Continue reading Episode 154 | The Free Resource Every Charity Needs to Reboot and Start Again

Today I want to talk through how we can take back some control and turn things around for our causes so that when we come out of this pandemic, we are stronger than ever.  I want to share a few ideas with you as you’re walking through this season.  First, it’s all about perspective.  There…Continue reading Episode 153 | How I Raised $500,000 in New Money in a Recession

Dr. Jonathan Roe has been a non-profit coach and trainer in AZ for more than a decade and is the Founder and CEO of Venture 1:9. Venture 1:9 guides non-profits to a place of courage, health, sustainability and impact, through free training, coaching and granting. After graduating college in Boston, Jonathan spent 17 years in church…Continue reading Episode 152 | Advice for Startup Nonprofits with Jonathan Roe

In the United States alone, we’ve gone through 15 recessions in the last 91 years.  Many people talk about the Great Depression that started in 1929, which played a huge role in the way we live today.  That generation still hides money under their mattresses and in different parts of the house because they couldn’t…Continue reading Episode 151 | How to Thrive During Unprecedented Times

This podcast began in 2017 right after I’d written my book, Fundraising Freedom.  It was a huge undertaking, I used all of 2016 to write the book.  I pretty much locked myself inside for one year – surrounded myself with authors – and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.  One of the topics…Continue reading Episode 150 | How to Adjust During This New Season

Today I’m talking with Danielle Holly, CEO of Common Impact, which focuses on connecting corporations and companies with nonprofit organizations.  The core mission behind Common Impact is to tap into the superpowers that each of us has as individuals and to channel them for social good.  The primary way we do that is by working…Continue reading Episode 149 | Common Impact with Danielle Holly

In light of COVID-19, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about fundraising during this time. Do I continue on?  Do I push pause?  Do I cancel my event? My number one piece of advice I want to give you is do NOT stop your fundraising.  Don’t allow this to stale or stagnate or freeze…Continue reading Episode 148 | How to Fundraise During a Pandemic

On Saturday, I was running around doing my typical weekend errands and since we’ve been having spring-like weather, I decided to start looking for pots to plant herbs in and wound up at Ikea.  I found what I was looking for and as I was loading up the back up of my car, I heard…Continue reading Episode 147 | Three Lessons Learned from the Homeless

If you are new to the nonprofit space, I know this may sound crazy.  Just like some people don’t work out in for-profit businesses, the same happens in nonprofits too.  This is a topic that comes up fairly frequently and it’s a hard conversation to have, which is why I want to make sure you…Continue reading Episode 146 | How to Gracefully Fire a Volunteer

Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach, and public speaker.  Martin is a professional fundraiser who’s raised a staggering 500 million dollars in his career that has spanned more than two decades.  Two years ago, he was named the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the St. Louis Regional Chapter.  Why…Continue reading Episode 145 | Five Minutes for Fundraising with Martin Leifeld

In the last few weeks I’ve been doing a lot of traveling, not just for work but also with friends and family.  It was great spending time with my family and to remind me of what’s important – it’s healthy to shut down for a while and regroup.  Time away allows me to clear out…Continue reading Episode 144 | Are You Playing the Short or the Long Game?

As I look back on my nearly 40 years of life, I can tell you how many different major things just didn’t go my way.  When I think back to those things and what I actually wanted, I am completely grateful and thankful that things did NOT go my way.  But I know when we’re…Continue reading Episode 143 | What to Do When Things Don’t Go Your Way

The last couple of episodes we’ve been talking about the new year and goal planning.  Today I want to go over the difference between stretch and SMART goals and how you can incorporate them into the work you do.  Most of you have probably heard of stretch and SMART goals but may not know how…Continue reading Episode 142 | What’s Better…Stretch or SMART Goals?

As we talk about goal planning in the new year, it is easy to fall into one-upping ourselves and wanting bigger, better, more.  When is enough, enough?  My answer is, never.  Our vision should be so big that it’s something we probably won’t accomplish in our lifetimes.  Of course, there will be goals on your…Continue reading Episode 141 | When is Enough…Enough?

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling pretty excited about the upcoming year.  We are moving into a new decade, I’m celebrating a big birthday this year, the big 4-0.  It’s hard to believe.  As you are planning out your 2020, I want to share with you some ideas on how I plan and…Continue reading Episode 140 | Goal Planning for 2020

On today’s show, I am talking with Brent Silkey.  Brent and his wife serve college students in St. Paul, Minnesota through the ministry of Chi Alpha and they started a program called 30 for Freedom.  The idea is 30 for Freedom exists to end sex trafficking in our lifetime.  We engage college students in biblical…Continue reading Episode 139 | How to Raise Funds on Social Media with Brent Silkey

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who was feeling so defeated because she was in a group of business leaders and felt she was letting down the group and her business coach because she wasn’t living up to their expectations.  I had to remind her that she is not a for…Continue reading Episode 138 | Why Business Advice Doesn’t Work for Nonprofits

On today’s show I am featuring an episode from a new podcast I am co-hosting with my friend, Joel Kessel.  The Nonprofit Executive Podcast is for growth-minded executives who are looking to take their nonprofits to the next level through strategic planning and fundraising.  On this podcast, Joel discusses his steps to create a successful…Continue reading Episode 137 | Nonprofit Executive Podcast

On today’s episode, I’m joined by my friend and client, Dan Hurrelbrink.  Dan is the director of Barnabas Ministries and is coming to us from Romania.  Dan realized that what he was doing to raise money wasn’t working and he needed to make the necessary changes to be able to meet his fundraising goals. Barnabas…Continue reading Episode 135 | How to Manage a Board 7000 Miles Away with Dan Hurrelbrink

My guest today is April Jurgensen, who is the co-founder of The Boaz Project and one of my Fundraising Freedom Academy students.  April just recently won an author academy award for her book, The Orphan’s Abba.  April and her husband inspire and equip leaders around the world to care for orphans in their own communities. …Continue reading Episode 134 | How Founder, April Jurgensen, Raised $200,000 in 7 Months

These last few weeks have been quite the whirlwind for me.  I went out of town for 10 days that kicked off with a workshop I did with my friend Joel for nonprofit executives, then to the Igniting Souls author conference, and concluded with taking on a brand new client. What is gratitude?  It’s a…Continue reading Episode 133 | How Gratitude Changes Everything

Today we are talking with Danny Ozment, founder and producer at Emerald City Productions.  Danny was on a path to becoming a conductor when his daughter’s birth necessitated flexibility and a major change in priorities.  Danny spent the first seven years in his new business focusing on a cappella given his 20-year music career as…Continue reading Episode 132 | Should You Start a Podcast with Danny Ozment

On today’s show, we are joined by my guest, Meredith Noble.  Meredith is the lead instructor and founder of SenecaWorks project management consulting firm and learngrantwriting.org.  Their mission is to empower natural change-makers in making our communities vibrant, sustainable, and healthy. Can you demystify grant writing for us? Grant writing is not free money; it’s…Continue reading Episode 131 | Grant Writing with Meredith Noble

This time of year, the weather starts to get chilly, the leaves begin to turn, and we start thinking about the upcoming holidays.  People enjoy spending time together in this season and it’s a great time to invite folks into your home for an intimate fundraiser.  You don’t have to put on huge fundraising events…Continue reading Episode 130 | The 6 Key Components of a Successful Home Fundraiser