284. The Future of Philanthropy is Here: How to Adapt + Create a Thriving Culture of Innovation - Paul D’Alessandro

Paul D'Alessandro, Future of Fundraising, We Are For Good Podcast

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Overview

Meet Paul. After spending decades as a fundraiser, attorney, entrepreneur, and passionate trailblazer, Paul understood that today's nonprofit environment required innovation and new thinking. So, High Impact Nonprofit Advisors was born and continues to push the bounds on building cultures of innovation that not only deliver but anticipate the 21st-century donor's needs😎

💡Learn:

  • Key Innovations to Lean Into: A.I., Blockchain, Social Impact Investing - oh my!

  • Creating Cultures of Innovation

  • Paul's: The Dirty Little Secret of Nonprofit Compensation

  • New book, The Future of Fundraising, diving into how donors are dictating the terms of fundraising today
     

Today’s Guest

Paul D’Alessandro, Founder, High Impact Nonprofit Advisors

To innovate, you need to broaden and educate yourself.
— Paul D’Alessandro, Founder, High Impact Nonprofit Advisors

Episode Transcript

Download Full Episode Transcript Here

Episode highlights

  • Paul’s story and journey to where he is today (3:30)

  • The mindset that's happening with today's donors (5:00)

  • Paul’s book: The Future of Fundraising: How Philanthropy’s Future is Here with Donors Dictating the Terms (8:00)

  • Why nonprofits must innovate today (12:00)

  • The power of consolidations and mergers to deepen impact (15:00)

  • Leveraging artificial intelligence and other trending technologies to further our missions (16:00)

  • Compensation and pay within the nonprofit sector (25:00)

  • How nonprofits can tactically start to try some of these innovative strategies mentioned in the episode (31:00)

  • Today’s donors have a different mindset than ever before (35:00)

  • A powerful moment of philanthropy in Paul’s life (40:00)

  • Paul’s One Good Thing: Stick with it. (42:00)

powerful quotes

“Everybody's looking at past data to talk about what's happening in the future. But really, it's not really a good predictor of what happens in the future. I mean, if you just look at it, you would say, well, we're raising more and more money. Well, that's great. But there's also more and more charities, and people have more and more money.” -Paul

“What is the role of a fundraiser? And how can artificial intelligence make a difference?” -Paul

“Now we're seeing how do we attack these things globally, and so one nonprofit can't solve it. And there's plenty of money out in the world to do things. I mean, that's, that's really not the issue. We have the money, it's just that we have it's too many people out there trying to raise money for too many things that aren't consolidated.” -Paul

“If you don't have a business mindset, running a nonprofit now, and try and find a way to generate revenue, aside from asking people for money, then you got a big problem coming up in the future.” -Paul

“It's going to make nonprofits even more accountable on you know, with their metrics, sometimes we measure things inappropriately, and that becomes a guiding point for our behavior. And that for me, not necessarily means that that's the best nonprofit.” -Paul

“It's easy to count how much money you raise, it's really hard to count how much money you got left on the table, because you didn't invest in the right person.” -Paul

“To innovate, you need to broaden and educate yourself.” -Paul

“You have to look at the root of how these things started.” -Paul

“I've been able to get a broader understanding of what this world is all about, and how to build a bridge between those who don't have anything to those who have so much and are sad, you know? So I just say stick with it, but have a servant's heart with it. This isn't about you, it's about them.” -Paul

connect with Paul

Website / LinkedIn / Book

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Paul D'Alessandro, The Future of Fundraising, The We Are For Good Podcast

Julie Confer, Becky Endicott, Jonathan McCoy & Paul D’Alessandro

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Paul D'Alessandro, The Future of Fundraising, The We Are For Good Podcast
Paul D'Alessandro, The Future of Fundraising, The We Are For Good Podcast
Paul D'Alessandro, The Future of Fundraising, The We Are For Good Podcast
Paul D'Alessandro, The Future of Fundraising, The We Are For Good Podcast