105: Unsiloed: How Marketing & Fundraising Teams and Tools Must Intertwine to Grow Your Nonprofit

What would it be like if nonprofit teams got past the labels and stigmas? Traded in silos for collaboration? This episode of What the Fundraising features a panel of 13 marketing and fundraising experts who are here to discuss how cross-departmental integration advances overall organizational goals by building both brand and donor relationships. They are sharing personal perspectives and busting false assumptions that hinder our best efforts – and desired outcomes for the causes we serve.

You’ll be taking notes throughout this rapid-fire discussion about the “3 Rs” – Revenue, Reputation and Relationships – that define our nonprofit strategies. Inside and out! When we recognize that these pillars are pivotal to strategic development and communications alike, we start to imagine the power of working together. If you’ve got cross-discipline talents to offer, you’re that unicorn we all want. Marketing that inspires contributions? Check! Fundraising that embodies your brand story? Check! As our panelists share their experiences and biases, we start to see consensus emerge around one key action point: Nonprofits as a whole thrive when teams – especially marketing and fundraising teams – form partnerships and work synergistically, based on mutual respect. “When we’re talking about organizations living their values … then everybody wins – the marketing, the fundraising, the CEO,” says Shereese Floyd, Founder of Witness My Life. “Everyone is happy when truly living from the inside-out.”


(02:02) Mallory introduces the panel’s topic of focus.

(02:49) Marketing, brand and communication

(04:26) Nonprofit Campaigns. 

(05:36) About the overlapping and complementary nature of marketing and fundraising

(07:07) How new digital tools are merging functions and expanding the traditional separation between fundraising and marketing job descriptions. 

(08:17) Defining the tactics to promote how people feel about an organization or mission 

(08:52) Considering when, whether and how fundraising calls to action fit into overall marketing campaigns

(12:09) The role of donor retention

(15:02) Why social media platforms offer a broad base with some very specific points of access through which to touch and build individual donor relationships.

(21:11) About designating marketing as a dedicated development resource. 

(22:51) Types of communication that are solely about marketing

(27:10) Metrics for assessing a digital fundraising campaign

(29:05) Fundraising communications are actually a lot less about money than many nonprofits might think

(31:56) Why it’s paramount that organizations communicate to donors 

(34:23) Why silo-ing functions impacts donor engagement, access and ultimately outcomes.

(36:59) How to measure ROI 

(39:30) All about donor retention and the “slow” nature of the investment

(44:43) Why fundraising that is integrated serves overall nonprofit brand and mission

(47:01) Can marketing and fundraising both be de-stigmatized as functions and labels?

(48:05) Revenue, Reputation and Relationships



Get all the resources from today’s episode here. 
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Many thanks to our sponsor, Feathr for making this episode possible. Our friends at Feather help nonprofits like yours level up their digital campaigns every day through their nonprofit marketing platform. Don’t rely on magic this year. Check out Feathr to streamline your digital marketing campaigns and exceed your goals. Learn more and get started today at Feathr.co.

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