Philanthropy Engagement Techniques

The legendary Ali Abdaal asked me to coach him on creating a high-value community membership. Here's what I told him: 1️⃣ Emphasize the initial experience The initial experience after a new member swipes their credit card is crucial for creating a positive perception. 2️⃣ Slow Growth is GOOD in community Slow growth actually helps with integrating and retaining community members because you can offer more personalized support. 3️⃣ The power of a No-Sell Selling Approach I like to take a no-sell selling approach because the power of honest testimonials and compelling case studies can do the selling for you. 4️⃣ Recurring revenue requires recurring value If you want recurring revenue from memberships, you need to offer recurring value that aligns with your members' incentives and expectations. If you stop providing new value, there's no reason to renew. 5️⃣ Invest in onboarding When someone buys something, their first question is, "Now what do I do to get the value out of this?" An effective onboarding experience addresses the 'now what' question by introducing members to the community through personalized interactions and training. 6️⃣ Niche communities are easier to sell Standing out is just as hard with communities as it is with content. The more specific you can be in what you promise to deliver in your membership, the easier it will be to get buy in. 7️⃣ Transformation is the key Transformation is a key value proposition in a community. But it's the connection and a sense of identity that makes people stick around. – If you liked this, follow me (Jay Clouse) for more! If you REALLY want to get good at membership building, listen to our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/ecTNgrxJ

9 Things Nobody Tells You About Running a Membership Program 👀 After running The Trusted Voice as membership program for 4+ years, here's what most 'gurus' won't tell you: 1. Messy action is better than perfect inaction. Members who dive in and start (even imperfectly) are more likely to stick around than those who wait for the 'right time.' 2. Your launch isn't the hardest part - keeping members engaged is. The real work starts after they join. 3. Not everyone will participate - and that's okay. Some of your most loyal members are silent observers. 4. Content perfection isn't the goal. Consistent, helpful content beats flashy production every time. 5. Tech hiccups happen. Having a simple "backup plan" saved me more times than I can count. 6. Your best ideas will come from member questions, not your content calendar. 7. Community magic happens when you step back. Let members support each other. 8. Membership pricing isn't just about value - it's about attracting the right people who'll contribute positively. 9. The "I'm not worthy" feeling never goes away. But seeing members succeed makes it all worth it. Running a membership changed my business model completely. It's less about one-off sales and more about sustainable growth.

Philanthropy can play a catalytic role in addressing complex global challenges – by enabling cross-sector collaboration, mobilising capital more effectively, and supporting the translation of ideas into #impact. The Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS) 2025 Insights Report – Catalysing Action for Impact – captures perspectives from leaders across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, drawn from the recent Summit convened by the Philanthropy Asia Alliance, with support from Temasek Trust and Temasek Foundation.   Centred on four focus areas – development and human capital, well-being and resilience, #sustainability and liveability, and ecosystem-building – the report explores how philanthropic capital can be deployed with greater flexibility, how promising solutions can be scaled beyond pilots, and how cross-sector #partnerships can drive more durable, systems-level outcomes.   The opportunity ahead lies in building alignment across sectors and geographies – to turn shared purpose into sustained, collective action. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gm3MGWyQ #TemasekTrust #PhilanthropyAsiaSummit #PAS2025  

Pro tip if you want to get ahead in life: build your relationships through shared, purpose-driven activities. I’ve found that some of the most powerful relationships in my career, ones that have led to real revenue and meaningful opportunities, didn’t come from a “networking mixer.” They came from volunteering, or from being shoulder-to-shoulder with others at a philanthropic event. The FIRST article I ever read when I invented my own pasta sauce ten years ago was in the Harvard Business Review (linkedin in bio) that showed that shared activities, whether it’s volunteering, serving on a nonprofit board, or even something as simple as playing a weekly sport, create deeper and more diverse connections than traditional networking ever could. It's called the Shared Activities Principle. They unite people from different backgrounds around a common purpose, rather than clustering like-minded peers in the same echo chamber. At our dinners, we would get people to work together to create the meal, essentially inventing a container for shared activities for strangers to meet, to serve others. HBR wrote that if more than 65% of your network is made up of people you introduced yourself to, your network is probably too homogenous to bring you new ideas or opportunities. Shared activities break that pattern. When you volunteer, you’re meeting other people who also have a giving mentality. They’re givers by nature. Which means when life or business gets tough, those are the people most likely to show up for you. That’s not something you often find in a transactional cocktail-hour exchange of business cards. So here’s my invitation: Instead of another “networking event,” try joining a fundraiser, a Habitat for Humanity build, or a nonprofit board meeting. Invest your time in something that matters. You’ll not only serve a cause you care about, you’ll build a network rooted in generosity, trust, and shared purpose. For the leaders reading this, try sponsoring a volunteer day for your team. An entire day where your team still gets paid, but gets paid to do good. Bonus points if you can get folks from different teams that normally don't talk, to volunteer together. That's when cross-functional creativity, innovation, and mentorship occurs. P.S. If anybody has any ideas for volunteering in NYC, my DM's are always open. Me, Andy Ellwood, and John Vatalaro love volunteering on Saturday's at a Food Pantry in nyc, but would love so many more opportunities, please!

Your nonprofit's best major donor prospect isn't sitting out there waiting for your to find them. They're sitting in your database being treated like a $100 donor. As federal funding becomes increasingly uncertain, most organizations are frantically searching for new major donors. Meanwhile, their databases are filled with loyal supporters who could give significantly more. Your most promising major gift prospects share these patterns: Consistent giving over 5+ years Small but steady gifts signal deep commitment to your mission. These donors believe in your work enough to make it part of their annual giving, regardless of economic conditions. Multiple types of support Look for donors who give monthly AND respond to year-end appeals. Or those who make special gifts for specific projects. This variety shows they're paying attention and care about different aspects of your work. Engagement beyond money Volunteers who give. Event attendees who donate. Board committee members making small gifts. These combinations often indicate capacity hidden by habit rather than limited resources. Last year I dove deep into 25 nonprofit databases. Every single one had 50+ donors giving under $500 annually who could make 6-figure gifts. The opportunity isn't finding new donors (even thought right now you should still be trying to find new donors!). It's serving your current donors better. Pull your donor list today. Look for these patterns. You might discover your next major donor has been supporting you all along--and are actually waiting for your to support them in the right ways.

Nonprofit Executive Directors -- you've got to help your Board help you. Even the most high-functioning, engaged Board can't intuit your needs or help you in a vacuum. Some ideas to try: 💡 In your monthly operational updates, include a specific ask of specific committees, the whole board, and/or specific board members (one that is in line with their duties and responsibilities, of course). 💡Ask individual Board members where their sweet spot is when it comes to networking and fundraising -- maybe it's tabling at events, writing thank you cards, taking donors out for coffee, or even cold calling-on local potential brand sponsors -- and then give them the tools they need to succeed (training, donor pitch decks, social media toolkits, email templates, etc.) 💡When you encounter a major challenge, don't just try to muscle through it on your own -- tell the Board how they can help. Asking for help is part of strong leadership. And in the midst of all the 💩 coming out of the White House right now, a team effort is more important than ever. 💡Be open and transparent in your 1:1s with the Board Chair -- create a thought partnership with them. Hire a coach for joint coaching if this relationship needs strengthening or reinvigorating. 💡Be very clear and honest about what needs more budgetary investment, where you may have to go significantly over budget on expenses, etc. -- they cannot properly fulfill their duties or support you if you're always trying to paint a rosy picture to "keep them happy". 💡Aim to have a 1:1 with each Board member twice per year. Getting to know them (and they you) will better help you harness each other's strengths and interests and shore up each other's blind spots. 💡Thank your Board members regularly and authentically for their time and efforts, and tell them what is working and what have been the effects of their work. This will strengthen your relationship with them and help them better understand (and strategize on their own) where to invest their time and $$$.

I spent an entire afternoon analysing a medical founder's membership site. I saw massive untapped potential: Lauren Castle, PharmD, built something remarkable: • First-ever association for functional medicine pharmacists • 10,693 LinkedIn followers • Partnerships with major organizations like IFM and A4M • 19 pharmacists just joined her $2,997 Summer Bootcamp She even has a compelling sales page for her membership program. But there's a critical gap in her funnel. The Problem: Pharmacists discover FMPhA through Google. They land on her site. They see the membership options. They read the sales page. But if they're not ready to invest $297-$2,997 today? They leave without giving their email. And she loses them forever. The Missing Piece: She has no nurture sequence for the "not ready yet" crowd. No way to warm them up. No trust-building touchpoints. No value demonstration before the ask. With membership businesses, this is deadly. Because here's what most people don't understand about Educational Email Courses: They're the perfect nurture tool for membership funnels. They demonstrate value before asking for payment. They build trust over multiple days. They qualify serious pharmacists from tire-kickers. They create natural urgency through dripped content. The Fix: Create a 5-Day EEC: "The Functional Pharmacy Freedom Blueprint: 5 Days to Discover How Pharmacists Are Breaking Free From Retail Chains, Earning $150K+ Doing What They Love, And Actually Healing Patients (Without Another Degree)" Day 1: Why pharmacists feel trapped in "pill mill" jobs Day 2: The functional pharmacy blueprint (200+ member successes) Day 3: How Kymberly recouped her investment in 1 month Day 4: Which certifications actually matter (save thousands) Day 5: Your 90-day launch roadmap Then Day 6-8: Warm invitation to join the membership. Why This Works: Her sales page converts ready-to-buy visitors. But what about the other 90%? Industry data shows: Standard website opt-in: <10% Educational Email Course opt-in: 30%+ That's 20+ more pharmacists per 100 visitors she could nurture. The Results She's Already Getting: Jen: "Propelled me to a place I never expected" Her students are getting life-changing results. But only 19 pharmacists per cohort get to experience this. Meanwhile, thousands visit her site and leave. Not because they don't want transformation. But because they need nurturing first. An Educational Email Course bridges that gap. It takes visitors from "I'm curious about functional medicine" to "I'm ready to join FMPhA and transform my career." The best part? She already has everything she needs: • 30+ hours of training content • 200+ member success stories • Proven bootcamp curriculum • Compelling sales page It just needs repackaging as a nurture sequence. What do you think Lauren? Your sales page is strong. Your program delivers results. But are you capturing the 90% who need warming up first?

$208B in data reveals how science philanthropy is distributed in the U.S. and key insights for scientists and funders: Using IRS tax data, a research study identified 69,675 non-profits involved in funding or performing scientific research, which together gave and received nearly 1 million grants totaling $208 billion. Key insights: ▫️ Scale: Philanthropy now contributes up to $30B/year to science, on par with major federal agencies. ▫️ Concentration: Just 200 organizations (0.3%) are responsible for two-thirds of all philanthropic dollars going to science. Moreover, funders with a primary focus on science account for 93% of all science philanthropy. ▫️ Geographic preference: 49% of philanthropic funds go to the donor's state. Even large non-profits with global reach show strong local bias.  ▫️ Network predictability: Funders tend to share recipients, forming tightly knit funding ecosystems. ▫️ Stability: Once a funder supports a recipient, the relationship is likely to persist over time. For >7-year funding relationships, there is nearly a 90% likelihood of continuing in the next year. ▫️ Visibility: Only 42 out of thousands of philanthropic funders are directly cited in the scientific papers they help enable, potentially leading to systematic undervaluation of private funding's scientific impact. Top givers by total amount given in 2010-2019: 1. Gates Foundation 2. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 3. Corporation for Public Broadcasting 4. American Heart Association 5. Lilly Endowment 6. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation 7. American Cancer Society 8. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 9. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation 10. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation What do you think of these findings? Does any of them surprise you? ___ Graphic below shows the network of funders (octagons) and their top recipients (circles). Nodes are colored by region with purple being the Northeast, blue being the Midwest, green being the West, brown being the Southwest, and orange being the South. 

A small Zoom moment that taught me something big about cultural competency in grantmaking. Do you know that thumbs-up reaction in Zoom meetings? In Ghanaian culture, the way Zoom animates it with the thumb moving up and down repeatedly is actually a serious insult. Every time I accidentally click it in meetings, I cringe internally. This tiny tech example illustrates a bigger challenge for funders: What feels ‘normal’ or ‘positive’ in your culture might not translate. When foundations make grants across cultural lines, cultural competency isn’t optional. It means: ✅ Having culturally diverse staff who can spot blind spots ✅ Recognizing that your ‘standard’ processes might create barriers ✅ Understanding that community problems have a cultural context ✅ Accepting that effective solutions often come from within communities, not imposed from outside The stakes matter. If you’re putting your resources, capital, and reputation behind solving problems, understanding the people experiencing those problems isn’t just nice to have: it’s essential for impact.

Nonprofits, if I had to build a high-impact donor pipeline today, this is what I would do: 1. Stop spending hours on endless cold emails. Start leveraging LinkedIn intentionally. Imagine this: You spend just 10 minutes a day engaging on LinkedIn, commenting on relevant posts, sharing quick updates, and responding to messages. Sounds simple, right? That small, consistent effort can make your nonprofit way more visible to corporate partners. Instead of: • Drafting long pitch emails that go unread. Try: • Leaving a thoughtful comment on a donor’s recent post. • Sharing a quick win from your nonprofit. • Tagging partners when celebrating a milestone. 2. Be strategic, not sporadic. Consistency builds credibility. Ten minutes a day adds up, not just in activity but in perception. Corporate donors notice the nonprofits that consistently share insights, updates, and impact stories. Instead of: • Dumping content once a month. Try: • Setting a daily routine: • 3 minutes engaging with existing partners. • 4 minutes commenting on posts relevant to your cause. • 3 minutes sharing a quick story or insight. 3. Make your profile a donor magnet. If your LinkedIn page looks neglected or outdated, donors might assume the same about your organization. Use those 10 minutes to keep your profile fresh: • Update your headline to reflect your mission. • Post a short update on a recent success. • Share an upcoming event or partnership. 4. Data-driven posts make an impression. Corporate donors love numbers. Use your quick daily check-in to share bite-sized data points: • “In the past month, we’ve served 500 meals to families in need.” • “Our community engagement grew by 30% this quarter.” 5. Connect with purpose. LinkedIn isn’t just for broadcasting, it’s for building relationships. Ten minutes a day, spent intentionally, can mean the difference between being noticed and being ignored. • Tag a partner to thank them for their support. • Highlight a corporate sponsor’s community initiative. • Join conversations on topics your donors care about. Consistent LinkedIn habits can make your donor pipeline thrive. Want to learn how to build a LinkedIn presence that attracts corporate partners? Comment “Pipeline” and I’ll be happy to provide you a free resource on our approach! With purpose and impact, Mario