The Business Behind Fundraising

About The Business Behind Fundraising

Welcome to the Business Behind Fundraising podcast where you'll discover how to raise the kind of money your big vision requires without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Learn how to stop blocking overall revenue growth and start attracting investment-level donors, with Sherry Quam Taylor.

Publisher

Sherry Quam Taylor

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Mar 2022

Latest episode

27 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

56 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Oct 2026

   Fully Funding Your Aggressive Strategic Plan: A Case Study with Jenny Dale at MAIA

   Nonprofit CEOs: what happens when your board approves an aggressive new strategic plan, and the budget to actually fund it doesn't exist yet? That was MAIA's starting point a year ago. MAIA is an international organization led by Indigenous women, focused on education and leadership opportunities for Indigenous girls and young women in Guatemala, with a nearly 90-person staff based entirely in Guatemala. Jenny Dale is MAIA's sole US-based development team member, and she didn't set out to become a fundraiser. The deep connection she felt to the mission pulled her into the role anyway. Over the past year, Jenny and her team shifted how they approach their top donors, built out intentional donor journeys instead of one-size-fits-all asks, and got comfortable asking for what MAIA actually needs rather than what felt safe. The result: MAIA closed their fiscal year having raised $2.7M, launched their first endowment with multi-six-figure gifts already secured, and are heading into an even more ambitious year, with their board fully bought in. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Why MAIA's team stopped asking "what can we raise" and started asking "what do we actually need," a shift that helped them close the year at $2.7M against a bigger, more honest target ✔️ Why there's rarely a one-size-fits-all approach with top donors, and how MAIA's donor communication tracker keeps every touchpoint intentional instead of generic ✔️ How reframing the ask as an invitation, not a transaction, helped MAIA secure multi-six-figure gifts to launch their endowment ✔️ Why building a global donor pipeline, from Guatemala to Europe, starts with relationships and introductions long before it shows up as revenue ✔️ How giving board members a concrete, specific ask ("who are the one or two people in your network who'd want to be part of this?") turned hesitant board members into confident connectors —————————————— Jenny Dale is U.S. Executive Country Director at MAIA, an organization led by Indigenous women that maximizes and amplifies the transformative power of women to create a society of equity and opportunity. MAIA works alongside Indigenous girls and young women in Guatemala through education and leadership opportunities so they can create transformational change in their lives, communities, and the world. Jenny leads fundraising and U.S. operations, working closely with donors, the board of directors, and MAIA's leadership team. She began her career as an immigrant rights organizer in Chicago, then spent nearly a decade in Guatemala working across education, gender equity, and nonprofit leadership. For over 15 years, the central thread running through her work has been building bridges between philanthropy and local leadership. Jenny lives in Chicago with her husband and two children. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Grinnell College. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-dale-b56a64106/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-dale-b56a64106/) Website: https://www.maiaimpact.org/ (https://www.maiaimpact.org/) ---- Welcome to the Business Behind Fundraising podcast, where you’ll discover how to raise the kind of money your big vision requires without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Learn how to stop blocking overall revenue growth and start attracting investment-level donors with Sherry Quam Taylor. Sherry Quam Taylor’s unique approach and success combine her background of scaling businesses with her decade-long experience advising nonprofit leadership teams. With out-of-the-box principles and a myth-busting methodology, proven results, and an ability to see solutions to revenue problems that others overlook, her clients regularly add 7-figures of revenue to their bottom line.

2. 

   25 Aug 2026

   The Martignetti 3-Step, 1-Week Planned Giving Launch with Tony Martignetti

   Tony Martignetti joins Sherry Quam Taylor to discuss his upcoming book, Planned Giving Accelerated, and the transformative potential of planned giving for small to mid-sized nonprofits. Tony’s book (that features a contribution from Sherry herself!) aims to empower smaller organizations, making planned giving accessible and straightforward. Tony believes that planned giving can be a powerful way to secure the future of your organization, Tony emphasizing that planned giving is ultimately about life and sustainability. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Planned Giving is not a conversation about death. It’s an opportunity to preserve the life and longevity of your work in your community ✔️ Identify Your Top Prospects. Focus on your loyal, long-standing donors who have shown commitment over the years ✔️ Engage in Conversations. Shift the narrative from reactive fundraising to proactive relationship building, making the planned giving conversation feel more natural ✔️ Cultivate and Solicit. Base your asks on the foundation of trust you’ve built with your top prospects —————————————— Tony Martignetti is the evangelist for Planned Giving. In September, he publishes his book, Planned Giving Accelerated, to help small- and mid-size nonprofits launch, by making Planned Giving fundraising easy, accessible and affordable. The book waitlist is at PlannedGivingAccelerated.com (http://PlannedGivingAccelerated.com). He started as a front-line Planned Giving fundraiser in 1997 and kicked off his consulting in 2003. Tony is a lawyer, but he doesn't talk like one. Instead, he weaves in his stand-up comedy and improv past, to bring Planned Giving within reach for small- and mid-size nonprofits. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignetti/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonymartignetti/) Website: PlannedGivingAccelerated.com (http://PlannedGivingAccelerated.com) ---- Welcome to the Business Behind Fundraising podcast, where you’ll discover how to raise the kind of money your big vision requires without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Learn how to stop blocking overall revenue growth and start attracting investment-level donors with Sherry Quam Taylor. Sherry Quam Taylor’s unique approach and success combine her background of scaling businesses with her decade-long experience advising nonprofit leadership teams. With out-of-the-box principles and a myth-busting methodology, proven results, and an ability to see solutions to revenue problems that others overlook, her clients regularly add 7-figures of revenue to their bottom line. If you need a true partner to show you how to fully finance your entire mission, both programs, AND overhead, year after year… You’re in the right place! #nonprofits (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/nonprofits) #podcast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast)

3. 

   23 Jun 2026

   Reducing Dependency on Events & Government Dollars: A Case Study with Kim Zoeller at Ray Graham Association

   Kim Zoeller has dedicated over 30 years of work to the Ray Graham Association, empowering people with disabilities to reach, grow, and achieve in their everyday lives. An organization with the scope of the RGA requires a large amount of funding from different sources. To help position their organization better, Kim saw a need to emphasize relational fundraising. Sherry and Kim discuss this shift in fundraising strategy that gave donors the opportunity to look under the hood and truly understand where their dollars were making a difference. Kim shares success stories on how they evolved their fundraising using Sherry's methodology, even getting the most out of a recent golf outing! What You Will Discover: ✔️ Fundraising efforts have to evolve and grow just like any other area in your organization ✔️ Trying something new can be daunting, but the results make the challenge worth it ✔️ Donors want to know more about your mission and financials than you may expect ✔️ Events can be repositioned to put a greater focus on relationship-building —————————————— Kim Zoeller is President and CEO of Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities, a leading nonprofit organization serving more than 2,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across residential, employment, recreation, family support, life skills, and pooled trust services. With more than 30 years of experience in the disability services field, she is recognized for her leadership in advancing person-centered supports, organizational growth, community-based services, and systems change that improve quality of life for people with disabilities and their families. She oversees a $34 million organization and a workforce of more than 300 employees, with responsibility for strategy, operations, fundraising, advocacy, and long-term sustainability. In addition to her executive leadership, Kim has contributed to the field through consulting, accreditation support, board leadership, and public policy engagement at both the state and national levels. She has held leadership roles with organizations including The Arc of Illinois, the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, ANCOR's Board of Representatives, and the Illinois Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities. Kim is a frequent presenter on person-centered practices, leadership, and innovative service models, and she brings a deep commitment to building inclusive communities where people with disabilities can live full and meaningful lives. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-zoeller-9807ba5/ Website: https://www.raygraham.org/ ---- Welcome to the Business Behind Fundraising podcast, where you'll discover how to raise the kind of money your big vision requires without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Learn how to stop blocking overall revenue growth and start attracting investment-level donors with Sherry Quam Taylor. Sherry Quam Taylor's unique approach and success combine her background of scaling businesses with her decade-long experience advising nonprofit leadership teams. With out-of-the-box principles and a myth-busting methodology, proven results, and an ability to see solutions to revenue problems that others overlook, her clients regularly add 7-figures of revenue to their bottom line. If you need a true partner to show you how to fully finance your entire mission, both programs, AND overhead, year after year… You're in the right place! #nonprofits #podcast (https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast)

Who has been a guest on The Business Behind Fundraising

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Lauren M Scott
• Carina Santa Maria
• Janelle Miller Moravek
• Julia Patrick
• Aba Taylor

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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