When Becky Carlino walked in as the first-ever VP of Development at Volunteers of America of Massachusetts, the donor base had collapsed from roughly 2,000 active donors to fewer than 100. The reason? The organization had stopped talking to them.

Becky has spent 25+ years doing the relational work that makes fundraising actually work, including leading two successful capital campaigns at VOA Ohio & Indiana. Now she's rebuilding from ground zero, and her blueprint starts with one word: love. 🩵

In this episode, you'll hear:

What happens when a nonprofit stops asking and communicating consistently, and the first moves Becky made to bring lapsed donors back
How to tell client stories with dignity by taking your organization out of the spotlight and putting the donor shoulder to shoulder with the people you serve
Why the "pounding the desk" test beats the old advice to distrust fundraising copy you love

You'll walk away with a back-to-basics playbook for rebuilding donor relationships, one newsletter, one story, and one $5 gift at a time.

Episode Highlights:

(4:28) Becky's origin story: national parks, history, and a historical society
(6:13) Why Volunteers of America is "in the love business"
(9:04) Ground zero: from 2,000 donors to under 100
(11:47) The first six months of rebuilding
(13:57) What builds a great fundraising program
(15:12) Centering love in donor storytelling
(18:31) Removing the agency from the story
(24:17) Trust your expertise: the one good thing

Episode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/750

//

Join the We Are For Good Community—completely free.
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this working session, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com

Say hi 👋
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube / Twitter

750. From 2,000 Donors to Under 100: How to Rebuild a Fundraising Program from Scratch - Becky Carlino

We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

750. From 2,000 Donors to Under 100: How to Rebuild a Fundraising Program from Scratch - Becky Carlino