Hey Fundraiser!

If I Had to Build a Major Gift Program From Scratch, Here’s Exactly What I’d Do

If Mary walked into a nonprofit tomorrow and had one year to build a major gift program from scratch, what would she do first, what would she ignore, and where would she

How to Inspire Unrestricted Major Gifts and Build Donor Trust

Why do donors happily fund programs but hesitate to fund the people, systems, and infrastructure that make those programs possible? In this episode of Hey Fundraiser!, Ma

5 Questions I Get As a Major Gift Coach

How many times can you follow up with a donor before you become annoying? How do you actually know when it’s time to ask? What happens if you ask for too much? Do you nee

Fundraisers: It’s Time to Make an Ask for Yourself

What if the professional development line in your budget isn’t an expense, but one of the smartest revenue investments your organization can make? In this episode, Mary s

Why Your Best Fundraiser Is About to Quit (And How to Stop It)

Your best gift officer is going to get a recruiter's call this quarter. What happens next was decided by how you led this quarter. This week I'm sharing a sess

Red Flags: How to Spot the Wrong Fundraising Help Before You Pay For It

  Should you hire a fundraising coach or a consultant? Most fundraisers pay for the wrong one. In this episode, Mary breaks down the real difference: a consultant hands

Ask Better Questions. Raise More Money

What should you actually talk about at a Small Table? In this episode, Mary breaks down one of the biggest mistakes nonprofits make when they finally get the right donors

The Four-Hour Major Gift Program: What Busy Executive Directors Should Do and What They Can Ignore

Executive directors are pulled in a thousand directions, but major gifts still need focused attention. In this episode, Mary shares a practical strategy for leaders who h

How to Prep your CEO for a Major Gift Meeting

 CEOs play a crucial role in major gift fundraising, but not all of them are natural fundraisers. In this episode, we’ll discuss how to prepare and coach your CEO for maj

Special Episode: Mary answers YOUR Fundraising Questions

This is a different kind of episode, and it might be one of Mary's favorites yet! No theory, no framework from the top down. Just three real questions sent in by fun

I Just Taught My First Small Table Intensive. Here's What Happened

In this episode, I walk you through what we built together and answer the six questions that came up in the room, because I guarantee you're asking them too. Does th

Ask Once, Thank for 180 Days: The Year-End Strategy Nobody Talks About

Your year-end success is being decided right now. Not by your appeal letter, not by your Giving Tuesday plan, but by what you're doing with your top donors today. In

The Summer Move that Makes Your Year-End Easy

Most fundraisers treat summer like the slow season. That's the mistake. Summer is the single best relationship-building season of the year, and what you do with your

How One AFP Chapter Creatively Supported Its Members

Mary shares highlights from her keynote at the AFP Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties Summer Symposium, a full morning with 110 fundraisers built entirely around major gi

How to Activate Your Board for Major Gifts (Without Making Them Hate You)

Mary teaches the board fundraising framework from Small Table Big Philanthropy — the one that works because it doesn't ask board members to do anything that feels li

Summer Cultivation: Your Best Season for Major Gift Development

Mary makes the case for summer as the most strategic cultivation season of the year. She covers the summer small table strategy (the backyard dinner, the outdoor lunch, t

What to Say When Major Donors Say 'I Need to Think About It'

Mary teaches from What to Say and her 25+ years of major gift experience on the single most common response to a major gift ask. This episode breaks down the in-the-momen

Your Next Major Donor Is Already in Your Database

Mary teaches the 4 hidden major gift prospect profiles that live in almost every donor database — and the conversations that unlock them. She covers the 3-filter database

The Mid-Year Check-In: Are You Actually on Track?

Mary walks through the full mid-year major gift program evaluation. This episode is built on the Engineer step of her 4-step system: the phase where you get crystal clear

The Stewardship Multiplier: How Great Thank-Yous Build Bigger Next Gifts

Mary teaches the stewardship system from Small Table Big Philanthropy — the one that turns $1,000 donors into $10,000 donors and $10,000 donors into $100,000 donors. She