{"podcast":{"title":"What the Fundraising","slug":"what-the-fundraising-4083661","podcast_index_feed_id":4083661,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/what-the-fundraising","website_url":"https://malloryerickson.com/Podcast/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/da8b9e20-daa4-11eb-bb81-87d9ee1fa7bb/image/What_the_Fundraising_-_podcast_artwork.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Mallory Erickson","episode_count":312,"summary":"What the Fundraising is the podcast for impact leaders and change-makers who are tired of doing things the old school way and are looking for best practices to raise money, run their organization, and think about the nonprofit sector in a whole new way. Every Tuesday for 40-60 min, your host, Mallory Erickson, will be having real and raw conversations with some of the best personal and professional development experts, many of whom are outside the nonprofit sector. These are bestselling authors, world-renowned researchers, and TEDx experts, most of whom have never spoken to a non-profit audience before. They have come ready to share expertise, lessons, and stories that will fundamentally change the way you show up as a leader and fundraiser. There are so many valuable lessons nonprofit leaders are missing because they are outside of their typical orbit, but no more. Mallory is bringing them in and helping to apply her guest's expertise to disrupt the nonprofit sector once and for all. So if you are ready to learn how to upgrade your fundraising strategy, leadership skills, energy, habits, and mindset to bring in more funding and actually have some fun doing it, then this is the ri…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-16T22:17:44.649319+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-fundraising-4083661"},"episode":{"title":"299: What Most Fundraisers Are Doing Wrong Today with Meredith Johnston","slug":"299-what-most-fundraisers-are-doing-wrong-today-with-meredith-johnston","published_at":"2026-05-12T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-fundraising-4083661/299-what-most-fundraisers-are-doing-wrong-today-with-meredith-johnston","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-fundraising-4083661","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ICAAL8069944877.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ICAAL8069944877.mp3","summary":"This conversation explores why modern fundraising still struggles with outdated systems despite living in a technology-driven world. It raises important questions about how fundraisers are expected to manage hundreds of donor relationships while spending hours on administrative tasks rather than building meaningful connections. The discussion challenges traditional fundraising methods and reveals how technology, automation, and better workflows can completely transform donor engagement and fundraising success. Meet Meredith Johnston, who serves as the Vice President of Development at Family Health Centers of San Diego (FHCSD). Since 1970, FHCSD has been dedicated to delivering compassionate, affordable, and high-quality health care and supportive services to all individuals, with a strong focus on uninsured, low-income, and medically underserved communities. Today, FHCSD is recognized as one of the 10 largest federally qualified health centers in the United States, operating more than 90 locations throughout San Diego County. Each year, the organization serves over 227,000 patients, including 91% who are low-income and 29% who are uninsured. Throughout the conversation, Meredith shares practical insights from her career journey, explaining how fundraising has evolved and why organizations must adapt to changing expectations. Her experience gives credibility to the discussion around leadership, donor management, and operational efficiency. Meredith discusses the importance of using technology to support fundraisers rather than overwhelm them with manual tasks. She explains the value of tracking donor behavior, improving data quality, and focusing on active relationship-building. The conversation also addresses perfectionism, anxiety, and the fear of making mistakes, enc…","meta_description":"This conversation explores why modern fundraising still struggles with outdated systems despite living in a technology-driven world. It raises important q…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2017,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-the-fundraising-4083661/episodes/299-what-most-fundraisers-are-doing-wrong-today-with-meredith-johnston/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-the-fundraising-4083661/299-what-most-fundraisers-are-doing-wrong-today-with-meredith-johnston.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}