Bonus Episode: Beaver Queens to Business Models
About This Episode
Join us for this bonus podcast, and an all-encompassing conversation with Heather Yandow and Meredith Emmet around fundraising roles and expectations, how to identify your organization's business model, and the importance of thank you notes!
About Meredith
Meredith Emmett is known for her interactive and creative ways of engaging people in meaningful conversation and thoughtful action. She inspires leaders to use their strengths and successes to create bold impact.
As founder of Third Space Studio, Meredith has worked with dozens of nonprofits in North Carolina and across the country. Meredith has over thirty years of experience as a leader in the nonprofit sector. Prior to co-founding Third Space Studio in 2001, Meredith served as executive director of three North Carolina-based nonprofits: the Institute for Southern Studies, NC Community Shares, and Public Allies of NC. Meredith has served on numerous local, state, and national nonprofit boards. She currently serves on the boards of Democracy NC and the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, the nonprofit focused on the creek in her backyard.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
What Business Are You In? from the NC Center for Nonprofits Common Ground newsletter
Key questions answered in this episode:
00:58 - What have you learned by wearing many different fundraising hats (as an Executive Director, donor, board member and more)?
2:50 - What are the challenges of having different people in different roles work together on fundraising?
4:41 - Do you have any examples of organizations that have a unique culture of fundraising?
10:00 - Our listeners are interested in fundraising events: can you tell us about Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association's Beaver Queen Pageant?
11:54 - What advice might you have for the pieces that need to be in place for a fundraising event to be successful?
14:30 - What is a business model? How do you define it?
17:55 - You have a framework for business models, could you share this with our audience so they can start to identify where their organization fits in?
21:15 - If someone isn't quite sure what their business model is, how can they go about figuring it out?
22:54 - What is your opinion about the importance and forms of thank you notes?
25:41 - How can folks get in touch with you?
26:00 - Any last wisdom or words of advice?