622. Hold Fast: Building Donor Trust in Uncertain Times - Mike Duerksen

Meet Mike, CEO of BuildGood 🤝. He’s here to share a thoughtful, grounded approach to fundraising in uncertain times.

In this episode, we dig into why “Today’s growth comes from today’s donors” isn’t just a clever phrase—it’s a mindset shift. From the game-changing nine-word email to the fundraising flywheel and the power of donor celebration, Mike’s sharing practical strategies that can turn transactional giving into transformational relationships.

Mike shares how to identify multi-year supporters and use donor surveys to uncover major gift potential—reminding us that growth often comes from deepening existing relationships. With 55% of our community citing donor connection as their biggest challenge, his insight couldn’t be more timely.

Tune in for thoughtful insights and practical strategies to deepen donor relationships and fundraise with more intention. 🎧

Episode Highlights

• Navigating uncertainty in Nonprofit Leadership (02:23)
• The Importance of Donor Retention (03:40)
• Strategies for Engaging Existing Donors (05:04)
• Identifying and Prioritizing Donor Relationships (09:12)
• Effective Communication with Donors (12:25)
• Building Consistency in Donor Engagement (19:42)
• The Role of Reporting in Fundraising (23:28)
• Homework for Fundraisers (26:39)
• Mike’s One Good Thing: What is the most human thing you can do right now? (30:00)

Resources Mentioned

• Ringless Voicemails - https://www.slybroadcast.com/
• The Build Good Academy 

Episode Shownotes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/622

About our Sponsor Givebutter 💛

Nonprofits use Givebutter to bring together multiple categories of tools, including mobile-friendly donation forms, fundraising campaigns, events, auctions, email marketing, a built-in CRM, and so much more. Head to givebutter.com/weareforgood to sign up for your free account today and get started in minutes.

Thank you to our partners 🩵

Big gratitude to Givebutter, RKD Group, DonorDock, Feathr, Whiteboard and Sowen for their partnership in growing the Impact Uprising. If you’re searching for a new CRM, tech tool, brand partner, direct mail partner, or impact strategist— we’d love for you to start with our trusted recs. We’ve vetted them so you don’t have to. Head to weareforgood.com/recs to learn more.

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