Harnessing Online Presence for International Nonprofit Fundraising Success with Morgan Gross

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Hey, lovely listeners!

Gear up for an exciting new episode of the Just Be Cause Podcast as we dive into a dynamic conversation with the incredible Morgan Gross, CEO of Fundraising Beyond Borders. Discover how Morgan transformed a passion for teaching and travel into a thriving nonprofit career, living in Zambia and championing global fundraising efforts. What does it take for international nonprofits to overcome the unique challenges of cross-border fundraising? And how can technology foster genuine connections with supporters around the world?

Join us as we explore the power of online presence, storytelling, and building meaningful relationships in the philanthropic landscape. From innovative peer-to-peer campaigns to overcoming registration hurdles, we'll reveal strategies that help international nonprofits succeed. How can your nonprofit harness these insights to elevate its impact globally?

Don't miss this inspiring and insightful episode packed with practical tips and engaging stories to boost your fundraising journey!

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Meet your fundraising expert

Thanks for listening to Just Be Cause Podcast! I'm Katherine Lacefield the founder and head consultant of Just Be Cause Consulting.

My goal is to partner with YOU nonprofits and philanthropic organizations to help you make a positive impact in your community.

With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, I help organizations optimize their operations with key knowledge in various domains, such as fundraising strategy, grantmaking research, communications, and development.

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Transcript

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I support international development just because a more equitable world uplifts us all. Welcome to the Just Because podcast. In a space in which the scarcity mindset has been normal for far too long, discover how we're helping nonprofits finally take back their power, find their true purpose, and even use mindfulness to manifest their dream solutions into reality. I'm your host, Catherine Lacefield, a lifetime nonprofit professional. Together, we'll master the tools needed to overcome limitations, rise in times of adversity, and understand the interconnectedness of all causes towards a more conscious philanthropy. Just because it's the right thing to do. After spending my entire life optimizing nonprofits, I've explored countless of the most powerful tools and apps available so that you can stop wasting your time on mundane tasks and start having an extraordinary impact on the communities that need you. Follow the link in the show notes to access our full list of nonprofit tools and apps for free. We've also included some discount codes in there to make it even more worth your while. Hi, everyone. And welcome to another episode of the Just Because podcast. And I'm very excited to have Morgan Cross as part of the episode today because we have been in contact for quite some time, and yet I feel like we have so many more things that we need to talk about. So for everyone who doesn't know her, Morgan Gross is the CEO and founder of Fundraising Beyond Borders. She's an international fundraising consultant and coach dedicated to empowering nonprofits to achieve their fundraising goals and expand their impact globally. So Morgan provides strategic services such as fractional fundraising, custom fundraising plans, and personalized 1 on 1 fundraising coaching, and we're gonna learn about how she got into international fundraising and that fact that she lives in Zambia, which I don't think I've ever met anyone that lives in Zambia before. So, Morgan, welcome to the show. Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here. Yes. So we've already I've already been on Morgan's podcast. We've already talked. I've already helped her out with one of her international summits, which was absolutely amazing. Got great feedback from it. So I'm really excited to learn more about the work you do and be able to share that with my listeners. So first of all, Morgan, let's get to know you a bit. Obviously, we just gave a little short bio, but I'd like to hear more about how you how you got into the nonprofit space and, of course, how you ended up in Zambia. So if we can maybe start there. Sure. Absolutely. So, you know, some oftentimes you hear people in the nonprofit world say, you know, I didn't even know what fundraising was going into college, university, trying to figure it out, and that was definitely me. I didn't even really understand that was a job that I could do. And so when I was in 2nd grade, I said I wanna become a 2nd grade teacher, and that's exactly what I did. So my background is actually in education. So I did my undergrad in elementary education and my master's in curriculum and development, and so loved loved the education world and still do, and was teaching 2nd grade and then also in 2014, cofounded a nonprofit back in the states in Missouri at the time around mental health and suicide prevention, and just loved the work I was doing there. So I was cofounded this nonprofit, and then it was also fundraising and found myself fundraising. And as I reflect, I was kind of always that natural fundraiser. Just didn't know that, again, you could actually label it and it could be a career. So I was teaching 2nd grade, helping run this nonprofit, fundraising for this nonprofit, and I had a third passion for travel. And so was in 2016 just trying to figure out, are my set skills supposed to be inside this classroom environment, or should I figure something else out? And so decided to take the leap out to Livingston, Zambia in 2016 to work for a nonprofit. Was was supposed to be with them for 6 months, and I was designing curriculum for their gender equality program. So I had the education side, I was traveling, and then I was also fundraising. I wasn't really supposed to be as much fundraising, but, again, found myself fundraising for this nonprofit. Very long story short, they asked me to stay full time and was with this nonprofit that was spread all across East and Southern Africa. And I then moved down to Cape Town, South Africa for about, 2, two and a half years. And, like I said, traveled all across East and Southern Africa. But what was really unique about this nonprofit is they were connected to a for profit organization volunteer organization. So they had 700 plus volunteers come from quite literally all around the world. So there I was trying to figure out how do I engage these international volunteers as supporters, as donors, and a lot of that was through online fundraising, storytelling, peer to peer fundraising, launched several campaigns for this nonprofit and won several international marketing and campaign awards, And then people just kinda naturally started reaching out. What are you doing? How are you doing it differently? How are you finding this to be how are you being successful in this? And decided to go independent in really 202021 and launch my own business and supporting international nonprofits with their fundraising. So many questions. First of all, back it up. Why second grade of all grades? I loved my second grade teacher. She was the best teacher, and I her name is missus Shabey, and she was the best, warmest person to date. And I think just because I saw just her warm heart and the power the effect that she had on me, I wanted to give give back to others. So I think that's kind of where it came from. Yeah. Because it's very specific, and I feel, that just goes to show how much sometimes being in your power in the right place can really help inspire others. So I think even as a fundraiser because as you said, everyone kind of falls into fundraising. But when you're good at it, you can really inspire other people to actually also like fundraising. Because I feel in a lot of nonprofits, and this is international, I believe, the fundraising component is kind of, I always like to say, that necessary evil that no one wants to do. But then I personally love doing it. And as you seem to explain, like, you're great at it and you do it as well kind of more naturally. But if we're able to be those teachers to inspire other people of, like, well, why do we like doing it? So why does she like being a second grade teacher? I think it can really kind of train that next generation of, like, this is what I wanna do. Because as you said, most people don't think of it as a career. But if we started having that perspective and that impact at a much younger age, I feel like we can really start getting people to want to be fundraisers because they see the impact that it has. Anyway so I think that that is really something that I took back from from what you just told. But, of course, this whole travel as I'm I'm a nomadic person as well, so I think we can we we very much feel each other on that aspect. But, of course, as an American travelling and doing fundraising in another country, there there must be some differences into what makes international nonprofits the fundraising challenges. So, of course, that that is what I wanna dive in today for anyone listening who either has an international nonprofit from abroad, but I know your specialty is also people that are that have, let's say, a fiscal sponsor in the US, in Canada, maybe in Europe, but that are working internationally. So I really wanna dive into that and hear what is some of the unique or more unique challenges for an international nonprofit. Absolutely. So I'm gonna go back to when I first started fundraising for this nonprofit in 2016, 2017, and I remember the endless googling of being like, how is there nothing out there right now that's supporting international nonprofits? And I told myself, once I figure this out, I don't want anybody else to have to go through what I went through. And that's essentially why I started fundraising beyond borders is because I I picked up on all of these things and just got to work with some incredible people and incredible nonprofits and kinda figured out what what was working and what wasn't working. And so I don't want anybody to have to feel like that because there are some really great things that out there, tips and tricks to help international nonprofits succeed. And so where we first see a lot of international nonprofits, you know, tend to struggle or find differences when it comes to the international aspect versus the national aspect, The first the first part is obviously accepting donations. So if you are a international nonprofit I'm just gonna give a couple examples. So, you know, you might be I have a client right now. They are their work is all in South Africa, but they accept donations in South Africa because they're South African registered. They're also registered in the UK, and they're also registered in the US. But we just had a peer to peer fundraiser from Germany and Sweden. So like they are literally, you know, very international when it comes to their donors. So how are you going to be able to accept donations on, a donor's behalf? And sometimes that, you know, registration comes in the way, so are where are you actually registered? So you need to look into what you're just saying, Catherine, is like a fiscal sponsorship. So oftentimes where that roadblock is is how can I legally accept donations in a country or, you know, how can my donor also get tax deductions on their donation? It's a big thing, especially, you know, for Americans and other countries involved. So, you know, that's the first thing that people you really need to look at as an international nonprofit is making sure that you're set up legally and, allowing donors from around the world to get their tax benefit. So first key is looking to fiscal sponsors, and that can be all around. It's not even just in America. You can be fiscally sponsored in so many different countries around the world. Mhmm. And as someone who very recently has kind of expanded my network into a lot of different countries in Africa, I don't necessarily have clients there, but just people that are reading my newsletter, listening to the podcast. And I always I'm the kind of person that'll be like, let's hop on a call. I'd love to hear how like, what are your challenges? And one of the biggest things was they couldn't register for a lot of the typically what we take for granted is these online donation platforms that will accept money for them. And those countries like, Nigeria, Uganda, that it's so difficult for them to even have an online donation form. They have to pass through another country because their countries cannot receive money. And then one of them was like, well, to donate to my organization, you have to make a donation through Western Union, and you had to give all of this inform and it was just so complicated. Yeah. And I have another client, not in Africa, in in Albania, where it's the same situation, where it was very difficult to receive money directly in Albania. So what she's trying to do now is actually register her nonprofit in Canada so that she can receive those international funds and then funnel them to the nonprofit. But it's just that extra step that other countries don't have to deal with puts so many barriers of entry for a lot of these nonprofits that are doing amazing work, but it's not as easy as setting up an online Zephy account or a donor box and and just easily starting to receive money. So Yep. Anyways, I find that's that's so much more challenging. Definitely. So I would say, first step, try to get registered outside if you're trying to get international donations through to your nonprofit, get fiscally registered in a different country. So, like, America or the UK or Canada, where it's a little bit easier to accept online donations because well, I know we'll talk about this a little bit more, and it's so important. As an international nonprofit, your online presence is absolutely key. So first step is to to get that fiscal sponsorship somewhere. And then second step, like you were just saying, is making sure that you have an online system where you'll be able to accept donations. System where you'll be able to accept donations. So you you're gonna wanna make sure that you have those that you're able to accept donations online. And there the great thing is we are seeing so, like, back again when I in 2016, when I was trying to fundraise online for such an international audience is we didn't have a lot of systems. We didn't have a lot of online tools. So the biggest thing with, in 2016 was Global Giving. It's still around. It's still a great opportunity. That's another one for fiscal sponsorship too. But now you have platforms like FundraiseUp, like Donorbox, just so many different things that can integrate into your website so you can have international payments. So I would say it's definitely opening up, and there are a lot of technology systems out there that make it a little bit easier than it was back back 10 years ago. Oh, a 100%. And I think what you said about the importance of of online presence is, of course, something that's useful, but one of the things that we had talked about when we first started exploring having a podcast together was also the fact that when you're doing international work, it's hard for some of your donors to actually see the impact of your work firsthand. And I have a client, for example, who she works in Rwanda. She's Rwandan. She helps children with congenital heart disease receive the surgeries they need to be able to to live. Yet, of course, we can imagine, but it's not the same because it's pictures in a country that we don't know. There's kind of like this physical distance. So for sure, I feel like that can be difficult, but then that goes to even more prove the impact of online presence Because if they're not seeing photos, they're not seeing videos. And, also, you have to, as an international organization, be really on top of creating content that will speak to your donors, which, of course, I think is still important in non international organizations, but I would say even more so. Do you agree? Yes. Absolutely. International nonprofits just have to work harder to build that donor trust and to build that donor transparency. So anytime I start working with a new client or any type of service that I'm providing for an international nonprofit, that is the first thing we look at. How are we building transparency and building donor trust within your organization? So obviously, like we just were saying your your online presence. So you have a strong online presence if you're wanting to find international donors or else they're not just, they're not gonna find you. Right? Your online presence is basically like your your storefront. Right? So if you aren't showing potential supporters, potential donors, how and where those donations are making an impact or building that donor trust, they're not gonna give. Right? So what are some ways that you can actually build that donor trust? So on your social media, show behind the scenes, send annual reports, send email newsletters, and like share one story, one really feel good story. But when it comes to behind the scenes, I think that's the best and strongest way to kind of move that needle of building building trust. Charity Water, which is a huge international nonprofit, They do transparency Tuesday on their social media, so go look it up. It's absolutely amazing, and they will go and show exactly where a dollar essentially going and how they're making an impact. And then they leave a question box open for the day, and anybody can ask questions about their donation or how their donation is actually going to make an impact, and then they go and answer it, which I think is amazing because it shows others how how their dollar is actually gonna make an impact. Because let's think about it. You know, there's if I look at a lot of my clients, so many of those donors and those supporters haven't actually been to that other country. Right? So if they're supporting a country in Tanzania, so many of them haven't been over there. So how are they going to know that their dollar is going to make a genuine sustainable impact? You have to work even harder to to show them. It's so funny that you bring up Charted Water because I was I was about to bring up the same example of I had Krista Sellsmiller on the episode episode 11 if anyone wants to listen to it. And we were talking about the role of technology in helping support that, and they actually were creating these virtual reality Yes. Stories, which is insane where people can actually, like, live almost through the situation and see the impact. And I thought that was absolutely brilliant because having everyone travel to whichever countries they're working on, first of all, it's not sustainable from an environmental perspective, and it's also not necessarily affordable for most people. But being able to see see firsthand almost that same impact through technology is, in my opinion, absolutely mind blowing. I love it. No. Their their VR is their virtual reality is amazing. And, you know, sometimes if you're a smaller or midsized nonprofit, they're like, okay. I don't have, you know, the tech or the capital to do a VR project. There's other ways. Just know that there's other ways to build that that donor trust, and it's just really clearly painting a picture through storytelling, through video, through photos. So that's another big foundational piece when working with clients is, hey, what does your photo bank look like, your video bank, and your story? So making sure, like, that's 2025 is is here and at the very beginning of the year is, like, this is a perfect time to start collecting stories and photos and videos so you can be really transparent and showcase those those beautiful stories that happened. A transparent and showcase those those beautiful stories that happened. A 100%. And I think as as people in fundraising, we know how impactful those stories and photos can be and that when you're fundraising, you need to have those as kind of, like, your ammunition to be able to constantly be sharing. And if you don't have those stories, people are just gonna say, well, why why would I donate to you? Like, there's another there's something that we talked about. There's, like, another aspect also of the power of online presence, and I know we had talked about Simon's experience online and actually wrote an article that will be published, that will be actually be published by the time this episode is launched around that. And so I'd like to dive into that story in particular because it's like a different aspect of building up an online presence. So could you tell us a bit about Simon and how he came into your life and the impact that that had? Sure. Absolutely. So Simon is based in Uganda, and he has done a brilliant and beautiful job of connecting with international supporters. And when I mean supporters, they are people of all different backgrounds, all different cultures, and support his organization in multiple different ways. It's not necessarily a transactional, relationship, but it in it's in all shapes and forms. So essentially, you know, he has built up these international relationships through the power of LinkedIn, And what he's done a beautiful job at is meaningful relationships, that one to one strong foundational relationships. And, I have also been talking a lot with my clients planning for 2025 ahead. For some reason, in 2024, I just haven't seen as many of these one to one relationships being built. And I don't know if that's just specifically with my clients. It's just, like, sometimes they just think, like, oh, I sent out a monthly newsletter. My job is done. And it goes so on that, and Simon is such a true testament to how, you know, having these personal relationships, it's not quantity, but it's quality, and it's these meaningful relationships and how he's had gained all these, you know, amazing supporters over the years. And so he what he's done is basically reached out to people on LinkedIn like myself many years ago and just starts to ask questions and is curious. And he sees how can he support me and how can I support him? So he reached out, you know, many years ago asking what donation tool can he use for his online website. And I, at the time, there was nothing because he in Uganda, there was nothing we could do. But boy, did he research, and then he was connected to this person who then connected him to that and had made nothing at the time to do with being online, but he gained all this cool traction for his organization in other different shapes and form, but it's all really meaningful one to one relationships on LinkedIn. And so he, yeah, he was recently on our summit and he was there and just what it is is is going back to the basics of partnerships, relationships, and you can still build them online. It just takes a little bit more perseverance, curiosity. I think that's really important, and making sure at the end of the day, it's a partnership. So asking questions, being curious, like I was saying, and how can it not how can I not only help him, but he's also can, you know, help me along the way? And I think that is something that for people listening that are maybe not on LinkedIn yet or starting their journey, I just wanna share a personal experience around what, like, what to do versus what not to do. So I've had many people reaching out where they'll say, hello, something very basic. And then before you know it, they're already asking you to donate to their organization. And while I understand in a lot of these situations, there is an emergency, it's to feed children today. It's to I get a lot for animals because I'm known as an animal person. But at the end of the day, they have to understand that how many people reach out to other individuals to ask the same thing, it becomes to a point where we just automatically have to say no or else we're gonna be giving to absolutely everyone, and it it doesn't it's not sustainable. So Yeah. What I've told people to the ones that I have supported is because we got to know each other. I'll give 2 examples. One of them is in Uganda as well, Pius, who's in Comrades for Youth, who I actually helped support his his he did. He bite across the country to help spread climate change awareness, and I thought it was an absolutely beautiful project. But we have been talking and exchanging advice and learning from each other for, I don't know, a year or so. So I offered myself, like, hey. I know it's very difficult for you to accept money. Like, I'll do a GoFundMe for you, and I'll be able to transfer the money to you through Western Union because it'll be one transaction instead of however many we do in the fundraising campaign. But he's never asked me specifically to make a donation to his organization or at least he didn't for many, many years. And then it was more he wanted my support. But, of course, what did that end up being? I did end up making a donation because he took the time to understand what is it I could offer other than donations from a a learning perspective. And I'm sure, Morgan, the same thing comes to you of, like, yes, people could see you as, like, oh, she could make a donation to my organization. But the impact that you can have by giving them the advice, by them following you, by listening to your podcast, by participating in your summit, there's so much more that they can gain from that relationship that might eventually convert into a donation. Sure. But that that shouldn't always be the number one thing that we're seeking out from people when we're trying to build relationships on LinkedIn. It's about widening kind of our our perception of what is valuable to our organization. It's not always just a one time gift. Absolutely. And, yeah, that's exactly what Simon and I talk about often is support can look in all different shapes and sizes. So it can be volunteering. It can be providing advice. It could be networking. It could be sharing a post. It could be you know, the it's there's so many different things. So knowing too that when you're building those relationships, not always thinking that it's just going to be transactional based. Mhmm. So what else can they provide in in a different way? Yeah. And one of the things that I I also recommend even once again, this is across the board, international, national organizations. When you're trying to build a relationship with even if it is a potential funder, let's say a foundation or a corporation, engaging in their posts other than direct messages is also a great way of showing support because something that I really appreciate because it's it first of all, it boosts my post. Let's be completely transparent here. When people engage in your publications, it does make them be able to be more visible to others. And so there is kind of like you're giving back to this person who is giving free advice on LinkedIn, for example. So it'll also make me remember your name more. I have 2,000 plus connections, like, as much as I would love to. I don't remember every single one of them. But if someone is engaging with me on a regular basis, they are sharing their opinion, not just like great post. You know what I mean? Like, actually asking a thoughtful question so that in the comments we end up having a discussion, you will become so much more memorable. And that person, if ever you end up applying, like, oh, yeah. Like, that name rings a bell. Oh, yeah. They're always publishing on our LinkedIn, but they have really great thoughts. You're definitely gonna be winning points there. So when when for just to summarize kind of what we've talked about. So first of all, as an international organization, seek out fiscal sponsorship. Number 2, find a platform that will allow you to receive international donations and always make sure that they you can actually receive it in your country as well. And then as we've just been talking about, building up this online presence by, 1, collecting the stories, building up this database of what photos do you have, this library of stories, but also starting to build those one on run relationships without seeing it as transactional. Did I summarize it a bit? Does that sound good? That's perfect. Yep. That's absolutely perfect. And I think too, like, on the back end when it comes to your online presence too is the stewardship. So making sure you're using online for stewardship too. So post donation, again, you're gonna have to work a little bit harder to build those relationships because you can't just go grab a coffee with a donor, or sometimes you can't pick up the phone. So being kind of unique and creative in those ways that you are engaging with your donors online. And one of my you talk about you it was great just talking about, you know, LinkedIn and sending them a message or engaging on their posts. One of my favorite things to do is literally going on you're great at this, actually, Catherine, is going on to Instagram or LinkedIn and sending a donor a voice note or sending them a video and saying this made me think of you today or this was this, was achieved today because of your donation. Whatever it is, it doesn't have to be, like, this formal structured process. But, you know, being being unique and creative, using using online tools for donor stewardship is always really important too. I love that idea that you just said about that spontaneity, I feel, also makes it feel so much more special. For example, think about gifts when you receive gifts. Of course, it's great to receive gifts at Christmas and at your birthday. But when you get a surprise, like, oh, I was at the store and I thought of you when I saw this and I had to get it for you, it's almost more authentic than when there's, like, a formal like, my husband always says, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day because I love you every day, and I don't wanna have to have a numb like, a day to celebrate our love. Like, he feels it feels forced and fake. If I want to buy you flowers, I'll buy you flowers on any other day. So if we if we put that in the stewardship context, if it's just, like, this official, like, structure while it is useful, sometimes those, like, hey, I thought of you or, like, I saw this real, and it could even be something more funny that doesn't necessarily have to do with your work of, like, Like, I really thought of you. Like, one of my clients also works in South Africa, Saving Penguins, the Cruchan Foundation. Every time I see a pic anything of a penguin, I was I'll traveling a book of a penguin. I'll take a photo. I'll send it to her and be like, thinking of you. And it just makes this so much more authentic exchange and relationship of now we're friends. We're not just donor organization. We've become friends through those kinds of random interactions that I think everyone can emulate to really build strong relationships with their donors, with their volunteers, and with their other general supporters as well. Agree. Completely agree. Before you're gonna send out your next email, pause and be like, would you send this to your best friend today, and what would they think of it? Because or would this to your grandmother? Would you send this to your mother? Whoever it might be, think of that one person because that is one person at the end of the computer screen or wherever wherever it's gonna be. So just continue to think about that because I think, you know, oftentimes, again, it's this transactional structured thing, and we forget that it's a human at the at the other end. So, yeah, stepping back and and thinking about that is is is great. I feel like we can have a whole other episode just on stewardship strategies, so we have to, unfortunately, put the pause in the story of it. Reina and I, let's do this. But what I wanna talk about is for anyone out there who's kind of starting the nonprofit journey or is at the beginning the startup phase, is there anything that you would suggest? Of course, we talk about the fiscal sponsorship is great. But, like, is there anything maybe on the more easier level or because the fiscal sponsorship, while it's not super, super complicated as a concept, still will take time. So is there any, like, maybe 3 to 5 things that you would suggest for people to get the ball rolling of how to build up these networks, how to build up these relationships, and how to build up their nonprofit's visibility? Yeah. Absolutely. So first thing, and it's so key, make a plan. And I know that goes for any nonprofit, but make a plan. And, you know, I one of our services we offer is custom fundraising plans, and that's where we sit down and assess, Okay. What is working? What's not working? And you as a nonprofit can do that. And when you go to make a plan and kind of a strategy for the year ahead, make sure that it's attainable. Oftentimes, there are so many different cool fundraising ideas or things that you can do out there, or you say, oh, this really successful like, Charity Water is doing a Giving Tuesday actually, I don't think they did one this year, but is doing a Giving Tuesday campaign. I must be doing the same thing. It's like, no. What is good for your team, your team's strengths, for your organization, for your supporters? So focusing in and narrowing down 3 fundraising activities where you're gonna see the needle move the furthest. And so I would really hone in on that and be really kind of almost strict with yourselves in the upcoming year of sticking to that plan, and I guarantee you're gonna see that needle move because you're investing in activities that are focused on your accustomed to your nonprofit. And so that so that would be my first thing. And within those three activities, I would highly if you're focusing on international nonprofits, international no donors, is looking on into your, digital presence, your online presence, and that being a couple campaigns. So whether that is and Catherine and I both love peer to peer campaigns. We're both obsessed with peer to peer, and so that is a huge strategy for international non nonprofit. So if you are saying I need new donors, peer to peer is the perfect activity to find new donors. And then doing, yeah, an online campaign. So making sure then, again, you have an email marketing list. So look into if you don't have an email marketing list, look into some tools. Mailchimp can be a good place to start constant contact. There's some great tools out there, and start building up your email list so you can start having your online campaigns, to reach a global presence. So I would kinda start there. So sit down, make a plan, make sure it's attainable, look at 3 fundraising activities, and, peer to peer campaigns are are one of my favorites to always include in a, fundraising or fundraising plan. And for those who maybe aren't as aware of what peer to peer and why we we're such big fans of it is, for me, peer to peer is a great way of of, like you said, acquiring new donors, but also building stronger relationships with maybe your existing donors. So Yes. I'll give an example with the Rwandan organization I was mentioning earlier where they had, of course, their existing donors, but they kind of still had a very small pool of potential donors. So what they did is that each board member, each of their big volunteers, and, of course, people like myself who was supporting them, we reached out to our networks to fundraise for them. What I had done with my stepson is we were selling this homemade exfoliant that we made. So it was like we chose our own type of little fundraising activity to do, but that got new people to donate to the organization that made that instead of myself just making, here's my, let's say, $50 donation, we were able to make 5 times bigger donations. We made$250 because we reached out to art networks. And that what people don't understand is that you're gonna be widening the pool of potential prospects and, also, ideally, not with the selling of exfoliants, that did not work, but with online donations, you're collecting those donor new donors' information to be able to hopefully steward them into becoming supporters on their own of your organization. So building that pool and it kind of touches into that email is of in the beginning, your goal, in my opinion, is to have as many new people that are gonna know who you are and gaining that visibility. But that plan of focusing is gonna be very important or else you're gonna be spread too thin everywhere, and you're not gonna be able to have the impact that you want. And I think that is one thing that I've had many of my clients do is that they're, like, doing a golf tournament in June, and they're doing this event in April. And so they're just constantly stressing running around, and they lost touch with building their relationships, stewarding their donors. And they realize that I'm like, but how much are you actually making from these events? And when we looked at it, the return on investment was just just not there. So Yep. It so thinking about that strategy is super important, which really gut dives into the next question about your service offer. I'd love to hear about what is your service offer, who's your ideal client, and how do you support them best? Yeah. Absolutely. So Fundraising Beyond Borders, we support international nonprofits wanting to change lives change lives globally, and that is through we do fractional fundraising, custom fundraising plans, coaching, and then we are now launching a online membership program where we are teaching international nonprofits how to find and retain those donors online. So just like what we're talking about today, so many people, regardless of where they are in the world, how do I find donors? So if you're based in South Africa or in Asia or Europe, but they want to have a presence in America or the UK or wherever it might be, where they're going to find them is online. So that is where we are going to be teaching international nonprofits how to set up their online presence successfully. So we'll go you go through a foundational course as well as, monthly videos and handouts teaching them exactly how to succeed in in those areas. And I'm guessing, of course, I'll put all of the links to all of these resources in the show notes, but is this gonna be, it from what I understand, I remember we were planning this out. It's launching today, I believe. Yes. That is what we were we planned to do. So for anyone who wants to sign up, like, how does it work? They join this membership community. Is it, like, a monthly call? Is it on, like, their own pace? Is there cohorts? Yep. Great question. They can sign up. So we have for the first 40 people signing up, we have a founding member price. So that is at $39 a month. Past the, first 40 members, it will then increase to $79 a month. With that, you get a monthly video session. So first, you go through a foundational course. So that is just to make sure you are set set up successfully. So do you have a website? Do you have an online donation page? Do you have an email marketing tool? So you go through a course, and if you already have it, that's great. You can kinda speed along that a little bit quicker. And then every month, you will be given access to a video training with a handout and, resource to actually go and implement what I'm teaching. And then as well as a monthly q and a session and accountability emails. So that's a little bit of what you get. And for anyone listening, these kinds of resources, what I think the membership community is great, especially those calls, is you're gonna have other organizations that are maybe living the same problems as you are, but also problems that you hadn't even thought of. Like, oh, that's true. I'm also living that situation. So there's that peer to peer learning, which is another thing we love about peer to peer, right, where you're also learning from the other organizations there, and that's where I feel the value added of working in a community and having a membership is is that you're learning about things before they even become an issue in your own nonprofit. So you're really able to almost project and predict things before they happen by learning from your other members. And for me, that is where the biggest value is in these kinds of memberships. Absolutely. And the coolest thing is we're a global community, so you get to meet people from all around the world. And like you're saying, you're gonna have a lot of similarities, but you're also gonna learn from from others. So it it's a it's a really fun opportunity just to connect. Yeah. Super exciting for anyone listening. Like I mentioned earlier, all of these resources that we talked about are gonna be in the show notes below. So if it's today and it's the launch day, like, hurry up to get on it to those first 40 people. Morgan, before we close, is there anything that you like, one piece of advice, the thing that you feel really helps the most of your clients moving forward, or any final words that you'd like to share before we we end the episode today? Yeah. And we talked about it at the very beginning, and it's just the biggest thing is continuing to build transparency and building donor trust, and that's pre, during, and post. Right? So Mhmm. Just continuing to look at how are you building that that trust within your, with with your supporters. It's just so key with international nonprofits. It's getting harder and harder, especially if you're looking at American supporters, but it's it's really a lot of places. Why do I want to why does a donor want to invest their dollar abroad? So we just have to continue to build that trust, be transparent, build that communication, and, story tell and showcase those beautiful stories. You all have such beautiful stories of impact, So make sure you're sharing them, breaking it down, being really descriptive on it. But, I'm here also, like Catherine, I love, love connecting. So pop me a message, pop me, I'm on LinkedIn, Instagram, pretty active. You can find me, Morgan, at Fundraising Beyond Borders, and would love to connect and happy to answer any questions along the way. Amazing, Morgan. I know, as always, we could have hours of conversation around these things. But for anyone who wants to look to connect, obviously, like Morgan said, find us both on LinkedIn. We're very friendly people in the sense that we love, and we're, I think, fundraising nerds. So don't hesitate to reach out. And I hope you loved this episode as much as I did, and don't hesitate if you have any questions to reach out to either of us. So thanks again, Morgan, for being on the show, and we very look forward to seeing how this membership community grows. Thanks, Catherine. Thanks for tuning in to the Just Because podcast. Are you enjoying the content we're creating? We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. 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