Jo Sullivan

Jo Sullivan

So, I’m a fundraiser having a mid-life crisis.  And that’s perfectly fine with me. 

I am taking time to look around, lift my head and find REAL people who really want to change the world.  And people smart enough to do it.  Join me in this fun journey. I have no idea where we will end up – and that is the beauty of it. I’m nonprofit passionate, a hopeful world changer, and always ready to share what I know, learn what I don’t, admit when I can’t, and ask the hard questions.

While you’re looking around for other areas of inspiration, check out The Moth Project at themoth.org (the podcasts are AMAZING), TED talks (doesn’t matter which ones – find topics that interest you) and Volunteer Voices (again – love the podcast) written by volunteers from the Peace Corps. Don’t see the immediate connection to being a better fundraiser?  Just listen, you’ll hear the message …

Hump Day Hullaballoo: Sometimes It's Hell in the Hallway

This week, as I transition into my new position as interim executive director at Save the Chimps, we're talking about change — its inevitability; its power to invoke fear; and ultimately, our power to overcome that fear, ride out the transition and embrace any brave, new worlds that result from it.

Bad Dreams About Boards - A Re-Enactment (Hump Day Hullabaloo)

Board members are a crucial part of any nonprofit organization's success. When they "get it," it makes for a fabulous relationship with the development team that benefits the organization and, ultimately, its cause. But when they don't … well, it ain't pretty.

Hump Day Hullabaloo: Data Jeopardy

The costume department at FundRaising Success has gone all out to bring you today's installment. Jo, er ... Alex Trebek puts Integral's Jim Emlet and Kevin Moran through their paces with a quick bonus round of Data Jeopardy. No wonder the score is 0 - 0; no one seems to know how to answer in the form of a question!

Breaking Down the Silos: Organize Around Audiences, Not Departments

In some cases, the nonprofit sector is as siloed as any other industry. And it’s natural! If you hire a direct-response or media- and corporate-relations expert, by default that’s what she does. It takes a special charity, leader or advocate within the marketing teams to fight to connect the dots. But when you have a few successes under your belt, it can be magic.

Grab Your Partner!

Since my move from client to agency, I've become something of an unofficial therapist for folks looking for perspectives from "the other side." Here are a few of the questions I've been asked. Any of them sound familiar?