Ways to Use Networking for Nonprofit Growth

Nonprofits, if I had to build a modern board in 2025, here’s what I’d do (and how LinkedIn would play a central role): 1. Don’t just recruit board members. Recruit digital connectors. If your board isn’t helping you expand your reach on LinkedIn, you’re leaving money (and momentum) on the table. Stop saying: “We need help with fundraising.” Start saying: “We’re building a digital-first board to open doors to new partners, funders, and allies.” Your next major donor might already be in your board member’s LinkedIn network. They just haven’t made the intro yet. 2. Give your board a LinkedIn playbook. Most board members want to help. They just don’t know how. So make it easy: • Provide a monthly post they can share • Ask them to tag 2–3 dream partners • Use Sales Navigator to identify warm intros through their connections Your board’s network is your fastest-growing asset. Start mining it. 3. Design board roles like a growth team, not a rubber stamp committee. Want your board to unlock real value? Treat them like co-founders: • Build 90-day sprints with specific KPIs (i.e. “Get 10 warm intros to CSR leaders”) • Match roles to strategic needs: capital, partnerships, policy, or tech • Replace “give/get” with “grow/guide/generate” Boards don’t scale nonprofits. Builders do. 4. Make LinkedIn your board’s secret weapon. Every board meeting should ask: “How many strategic intros have we generated this quarter?” “What corporate or philanthropic partner should we be nurturing next?” “Who in our networks needs to see our latest win?” Let your board activate their networks, not just attend meetings. 5. A good board gives. A great board multiplies. In 2025, board members shouldn’t just donate. They should: • Connect you to CSR teams • Vouch for your mission in private conversations • Share your content to audiences that matter Your board can 10x your visibility if you show them how. 6. Culture over comfort. The best boards don’t just agree, they build. They challenge your thinking. They bring fresh ideas. They push you to go bigger. In other words, they act like founding teams. This year, don’t just recruit board members. Empower digital champions. LinkedIn isn’t just a platform, it’s your nonprofit’s growth engine. Join us at our webinar this week and I’ll teach you how to do this effectively: https://lu.ma/apmlnmz4 With purpose and impact, Mario

Doubling Down Without Burning Bridges: How To Support Nonprofits in a Funding Crisis Nonprofits are in the middle of a storm: shrinking federal dollars, rising community needs, partners shutting down programs, and heightened demand for services. I've heard the term “double-down” at least 10x's this week from board members and funders. That's great.... but is it sustainable???  And what does that really mean? How can leaders do it without cutting support for other partners? The answer isn’t write bigger checks (alone). It’s rethinking how boards use all their assets: money, networks, skills, and influence. Here are 5 ways boards and funders can make the phrase “double-down” meaningful AND sustainable 1. Provide what nonprofits actually need: flexible, multi-year support. Restricted, one-year project grants keep nonprofits scrambling. Funders that authorize multi-year, general operating support give organizations stability, allowing them to invest in staff, vision, & systems. 2. Leverage networks, not just dollars. The most valuable thing many trustees bring is influence. Introductions to corporate partners, advocacy connections, and matching gift campaigns can multiply impact far more than any one grant. 3. Prioritize skills-based volunteering. Painting walls/ stuffing backpacks matter - but when boards channel employees’ professional skills into marketing, HR, finance, or IT support, they create lasting capacity for nonprofits. 4. Coordinate, don’t cannibalize. “Doubling-down” shouldn’t mean abandoning long-standing partners. Boards can coordinate with other funders through pooled funds or shared service hubs to strengthen ecosystems rather than force zero-sum choices. 5. Reduce friction. Easing reporting burdens and trusting nonprofits as experts frees leaders to focus on mission, not paperwork. A lighter, trust-based approach delivers more value to both sides. The real meaning of “doubling-down” is doubling down on relationships…. not just dollars. When boards strategize, communicate, and apply design thinking to use their full toolkit of influence, flexibility, and trust, they can help nonprofits weather today’s funding crisis while building stronger, more resilient communities.

How I get new individual donors (my entire 2026 strategy) People think to get new major donors, you need: - paid ads - huge brand - big marketing department - gala with celebrity co-chairs and host committee Here’s my 4-part method (ain't got none of that 👆) that’s helped me and my clients raise $66M and counting from individual donors. (Nothing wrong with any of that stuff, it’s just expensive, and time-consuming - and good for you if it works for you!) Part 1/4: Referrals ➡️ Ask current donors ➡️ Ask board members ➡️ Ask email subscribers to share the email with a friend I tack a referral ask onto every conversation that I think “goes well” If the donor is all in, then they are likely to intro us to someone else. Easy. Btw, this usually creates more work for me with all the new intros, so I don’t have as much pressure to have parts 2-4 work right away. Part 2/4: Zero-Cost Intimate Gatherings (hosted by donor, board member) What the nonprofit does: (Me) - Guide the host on the right “who” to invite - Advise the host on how to share from their heart What the donor or board member does: (Them) - Plans, executes, and pays for the whole thing - Invites their network to their home It’s personal. It’s intimate. More people /= better. We’re going for the RIGHT FIT people. I do this 4x a year. Bada-Bing Bada-Boom. New major donor pipeline. Part 3/4: LinkedIn: Organic Posts & Outbound Outreach I write about the nonprofit like it’s my job. - My first-hand experience blog-post style on a “vision trip” - Most compelling impact stats and “story of 1” with photos - Big picture thought leadership stuff I do this 2-3x a week. I connect with people who: 1. Look like the ideal donor profile 2. Mutual connections with my current donors and board members Ideal donor profile: (for example) - CEO or C-suite of mid-size company - Generous (volunteer history) - Cares about [issue or cause] If I need more donors, I’d send 50-100 connects a day. Part 4/4: Convert Raving Fans I look at all the people involved Who haven’t donated in the last 6-12 months ✅ Event attendees ✅ Volunteers ✅ Email subscribers who clicked ✅ Social media commenters and followers I reach out, gauge interest, and ask them to donate. I do this 1x a week. That’s it. This 4-part method is what I teach my clients with templates and coaching along the way. My clients use this method, and here are just some of the results: - Donor-hosted event raised $238,000 - the host is giving $50k - Got 20 meetings with new people connected to current supporters and interested in getting more involved (she did 100 outreach connects total) - $40k raised from donor executed, and paid for dinner with 6 new donors All this in just 6 months. These orgs are solo EDs with $1.1M and $1.3M annual budgets. Applications are open to my program CourageLab 2.0 that teaches this method. DM me "CL" and I'll share the details.

If I were starting a nonprofit today, here are 3 things I’d do to raise funds, build community, and set myself up for success. Had a coffee chat with a friend who recently started a nonprofit and has a full-time job. She wanted to know where to focus her energy to market it and raise funds, here’s what I told her... 💌 Your list is everything, build it from day one. Collect names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses from every volunteer, donor, and supporter. Even without a CRM, keep a clean spreadsheet and store it safely. Add notes about interactions, interests, and how they found you. Then, when you can, sign up for Intuit Mailchimp and start sending consistent updates → monthly or quarterly is fine. 💸 Start a monthly giving program asap. Give it a name and a few tiers. Encourage recurring gifts over one-time donations whenever possible → and use their testimonials to inspire more monthly supporters. I told her to check out Dana Snyder and the Monthly giving Summit for a roadmap. 💬 Show up on LinkedIn. People invest in people → tell your founder story. Don’t worry about managing every social channel or running ads. Just spend one year posting, commenting, and connecting with intention. Consistency is what builds credibility and community. Fundraising doesn’t start with money...it starts with trust, storytelling, and systems that let you build both over time! Friends, what MUST DO thing would you add to the list?

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀. For many nonprofit board members, the idea of “reaching out to their network” triggers discomfort. Not because they don’t believe in the mission - but because, to them: Outreach = Asking friends for money. But what most organizations need first from their board is not a donation request. It’s an introduction. ➡️ A quick conversation to share why they’re excited about the mission. ➡️ A pulse check to see if the contact might be interested in learning more. ➡️ And if there’s a spark, a warm handoff to the right staff person - major gifts, development, or corporate partnerships - to take it from there. Here’s how fundraisers can make this work: 🔹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸: Don’t say, “Can you ask your contact for a gift?” Instead: “Would you be willing to share what excites you about our mission and see if they'd like to meet our team?” 🔹𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: Share 1–2 sentences board members can use. Make it conversational, not canned. (“I’ve gotten involved with an organization doing incredible work in [area]. Thought it might be worth a quick intro if it sparks your interest.”) 🔹 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲: Emphasize that the goal is exploration, not solicitation. Let the development team guide the next steps, when appropriate. 🔹 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁: A simple intro can unlock significant support - not just financial, but connections, visibility, and community impact. At the end of the day, board members joined because they care. Helping them see that introductions are an extension of their passion - not a pitch - can put them at ease. What’s worked for you in encouraging board engagement in donor or partner outreach? #fundraising #nonprofits #nonprofitboards P.S. An exercise I just went through with one of my clients, after we identified potentially aligned businesses to reach out to, was to research the board of directors for each of those companies and compile a list of names and bios that the Executive Director could share with the nonprofit board simply to see if there were any connections.

Board member lament: “I don’t want to ask anyone for money.” Executive Director lament: “My board members don’t help with fundraising.” Sounds like a stalemate … but it doesn’t have to be. The good news? There are 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 of ways board members can support fundraising without ever asking someone to write a check. A few ideas: • 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞. Does your employer have a foundation or corporate giving program? If so, gather the details and share them with the ED. And if there’s a nomination process, put your nonprofit’s name in the mix. • 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬. Banks, insurance companies, and other vendors often have local giving or grant programs tied to the communities they serve. Not sure? Ask. Many of these businesses 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to support local nonprofits. • 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭. Inviting a colleague or friend is an easy way to introduce them to the mission, the people, and the impact. Relationships come first; support often follows. • 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞. Spot a grant opportunity on social media? Pass it along. I once worked with an organization that landed a $10,000 grant because a board president forwarded a tweet. A quick share led to real dollars. • 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝. Simply telling people about your experience and the organization’s impact matters. One organization I worked with received a significant gift after a board member shared their story, without ever asking for money. The donor was impressed by the commitment and authenticity. So, less lamenting. More doing.  𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠! 🚀💨🌟