Missions to Movements
Missions to Movements
Dana Snyder
Missions to Movements is the nonprofit marketing and fundraising podcast that helps you grow recurring donors, scale monthly giving programs, and build digital campaigns that convert. Hosted by Dana Snyder—speaker, strategist, and founder of Positive Equation—this show is packed with actionable nonprofit growth strategies, social media tips, and fundraising best practices. Each week, you’ll hear how organizations are increasing donor retention, building thought leadership, and using digital fundraising to drive real impact. If you want to learn how to attract monthly donors, master nonprofit marketing, and transform your mission into a movement, this podcast is for you. 
From Months to DAYS: How AI Is Helping Children International Scale to 275,000 Kids with Tim Bachta
Way too much of our human capacity is spent on tasks that DON’T require human empathy. That’s how Tim Bachta from Children International is thinking about growth as his team works to expand from 220,000 to 275,000 children served. Tim shares how his team is using Microsoft Copilot to eliminate the manual work that’s been slowing them down (like letter translation processes that once took months, to systems running in DAYS!) so their staff can focus on building relationships and supporting fam...
Jul 8
26 min
From Spikes to Steady: World Central Kitchen's Monthly Giving Rebrand + What the Data Says About Recurring Giving Right Now
What does the latest recurring giving data actually tell us? In this special State of Recurring Giving episode, three leaders from CharityEngine, GivingTuesday Data Commons, and World Central Kitchen are joining me to unpack the latest recurring giving benchmarks AND one of the most compelling monthly giving case studies of the year. Together, we're exploring the trends shaping recurring giving today, why monthly donors generate nearly 3x the annual value of one-time donors, and how World Cen...
Jul 1
57 min
What 1,000 Donors Are Telling You: Key Takeaways from 2026 Giving Signals Report by Bloomerang
Did you know 92% of donors say giving is part of who they are? And that 94% say they're MORE motivated to give when they know exactly where their money will go? Today I'm doing one of my favorite things – diving into the data and research from Bloomerang's 2026 Giving Signals Report, and sharing the major opportunity gaps every nonprofit should be paying attention to. Generosity isn't disappearing, but it's becoming much more intentional! This episode is packed with several high-impact change...
Jun 24
33 min
From Certification to Skills: Preparing Nonprofits for the AI Economy with Naria Santa Lucia
With AI adoption exploding, what does that actually mean for how you grow your team, your donors, and your impact? Naria Santa Lucia brought SO much energy and joy to her MC role at the Microsoft Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit, that I had to sit down with her to hear how nonprofit leaders can build practical pathways for using AI in their day-to-day work and cut through the hype. Naria also brings a perspective every nonprofit needs to hear: take the big swing, stay true to your mission, and...
Jun 17
26 min
How Shared Data and AI Are Transforming ALS Research with Clare Durrett and Terri Thompson
Most AI conversations are loaded with productivity hacks, but it’s also accelerating scientific discovery in ways most people aren’t even thinking about. In this live conversation from the Microsoft Global Nonprofit Leaders Summit, I’m talking to Clare Durrett from Answer ALS and Terri Thompson from OnPoint Scientific about how they’re helping cut ALS research timelines by 65%! With a shared platform called Neuromine, researchers now have access to clinical data, genetics, bio samples, ...
Jun 10
23 min
Leading AI Adoption From the Top with World Vision Germany's CEO Christoph Hilligen
This is the first time in 18 years that Christoph Hilligen sees a possibility to radically change the way NGOs operate. As the CEO of World Vision Germany, he’s already using AI to launch emergency appeals in HOURS and build personalized donor journeys. One of the most fascinating examples? His team uses predictive models to flag which donors may be at risk of canceling, so they can step in earlier and build stronger relationships. AI is definitely no longer optional, and the nonprofits who m...
Jun 3
21 min
Predictive Fundraising, Donor Identity, and the Nonprofit of 2030: Inside GiveCon with Bloomerang CMO Ann Fellman
Right off the heels of GiveCon, the data is IN. Bloomerang just released their 2026 Giving Signals report, and there's one stat that stopped me in my tracks: donors prefer specific impact language over vague appeals by an 88 point margin! Ann Fellman, CMO of Bloomerang, is joining me fresh off the GiveCon stage to break down what the data is telling us about donor behavior and why your $25/month donor might actually be worth $3,200+ in lifetime value. Ann also reveals two major product launch...
May 27
31 min
The Inclusive AI Economy: How Nonprofits Win with Microsoft Elevate's Justin Spelhaug
What happens when 1.3 billion people adopt AI in just 39 months… and most nonprofits are still trying to figure out where to even start? While nearly 90% of nonprofits are already using AI, only 6-7% are seeing meaningful returns, which is why I HAD to sit down with Justin Spelhaug, President of Microsoft Elevate, to talk about why that gap exists, and how nonprofits have a once-in-a-generation chance to shape a more inclusive AI economy. We also talk about generating personalized donor thank...
May 20
25 min
Belief Precedes Growth: Building a Recurring-First Culture with Dave Raley and Dana Snyder
Monthly Giving Awareness Week feels like the perfect time to bring back repeat guest Dave Raley, especially after he just launched The Center for Sustainable Giving, a new initiative helping nonprofits rethink how they approach recurring generosity. The subscription economy is fundamentally changing donor expectations, which is why we’re exploring topics like “10x thinking”, generosity as a learned habit, the future of sustainable philanthropy, and why recurring giving programs deserve far mo...
May 13
37 min
From Voice to Velocity: Visibility Through Thought Leadership with Dion Dawson (MGS Main Stage Session)
Dion Dawson took the Monthly Giving Summit Main Stage in February and it was mic drop after mic drop. Over the last five years, his work at Dion’s Chicago Dream has generated more than $17.8 MILLION dollars in impact feeding families, building systems, and creating jobs. And he didn’t get there by being perfect or cracking a universal code. Dion shares how to build visibility through thought leadership, the importance of knowing where to invest your time, and why showing up over and ove...
May 6
38 min
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