751. Why 20% Fewer People Are Giving (And What Nonprofit Leaders Can Do About It) - Allison Fine, Every.org
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About This Episode
20% fewer people give to a cause today than they did in 2000. Only 19% of donors give a second time. And just 14% of nonprofits can accept the assets where most wealth actually sits.
Allison Fine, president of Every.org and four-time author on technology and social change, calls it the generosity gap. In this special episode, she joins Jon and guest co-host Joan Garry, founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, to talk about how nonprofits close it.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Why 97% of wealth sits in non-cash assets like stock, crypto, and DAFs, and what it costs you when donors can't give them easily
The leaky bucket: why only 19% of donors give again, and what happens when you put that number in the middle of the board table
Why the best move for a burned-out nonprofit might be to cut half its programs
How a $200 donor at GLAAD turned into a multimillion-dollar legacy gift
You'll walk away with a clear case for doing less, asking less, and building deeper relationships with the everyday donors who keep you standing. 🩵
Episode Highlights:
(2:48) Joan's new handbook for nonprofit board members
(6:18) Allison's story: from Sleepy Hollow town council to Every.org
(9:49) The generosity gap: 97% of wealth vs. 14% of nonprofits
(11:49) Burnout, boards, and the case for doing less
(19:17) Friction is the kryptonite to generosity
(22:15) The leaky bucket: why only 19% of donors give again
(27:26) The $200 donor who left GLAAD millions
(29:54) One good thing
Meet Allison: The Tech Pioneer Taking the Friction Out of Generosity
Allison Fine is president of Every.org, a nonprofit built for nonprofits that lets donors give any asset, cash or non-cash, without the friction. Under her leadership, Every.org has grown 10x in three years. A four-time author whose books (including two with Beth Kanter) have shaped how the sector thinks about technology and networks, Allison also writes for the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Before any of it, she was elected to her hometown council in Sleepy Hollow, New York, at age 22, where she oversaw the police and fire departments.
Guest co-host Joan Garry is the founder of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab, which has served more than 25,000 board and staff leaders of small and mid-sized nonprofits, and co-host of the Nonprofits Are Messy podcast. She is the former executive director of GLAAD.
Powerful Quotes
"Friction is the kryptonite to generosity." - Allison
"Stay small, do less, do it well." - Allison
"Put everything you do on the table. Take half of it off. You won't even notice the difference in your outcomes." - Allison
"Unless and until we go at this from a deeply relational point of view instead of that transactional point of view, organizations are going to be in a lot of trouble." - Allison
"It doesn't have anything to do with money. It has to do with impact." - Joan
"People equals power." - Joan
"If they ask for something and it's not ridiculous, then that means they want to know more. So tell them more." - Joan
"If you are not surrounded by people who have been in it with you, problem solving together, then all you are is lonely." - Joan
"The starting point for this work is the assumption that people are good, kind, and generous." - Allison
"Step away from the computer and go touch the work." - Joan
Resources Mentioned
Every.org: nonprofit giving platform that lets donors give cash, stock, crypto, DAF, and other assets with no friction for the nonprofit
Nonprofit Leadership Lab: Joan Garry's online membership community for nonprofit board and staff leaders
Nonprofits Are Messy podcast: hosted by Joan Garry and Glennda Testone
Joan Garry's new nonprofit board handbook: 125-page guide to what it means to serve on a nonprofit board
Allison Fine and Beth Kanter's books, including The Smart Nonprofit, source of the "dividend of time" concept
The Chronicle of Philanthropy: where Allison writes regularly
Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP): source for sector donor retention data
Netting Miracles: youth-founded pickleball tournament series raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Love It, Loathe It: Joan's weekly reflection exercise for leaders feeling depleted
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this episode, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com
