We Are For Good Podcast, Ep. 651: The Art of Sustainable Fundraising + Building Resilient Nonprofits — Christina Martin Kenny

Original Air Date: October 13, 2025
Guests: Hosts Jon McCoy (A), Becky Endicott (B), Guest Christina Martin Kenny (C), founder of Guava Tree Strategies

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the concept of sustainable fundraising for nonprofits and the essential role of staff well-being and retention in building resilient organizations. Jon and Becky speak with Christina Martin Kenny—nonprofit veteran, thought leader, and founder of Guava Tree Strategies—about her journey, practical frameworks for sustainable fundraising, and why caring for the people driving nonprofit work is at the center of lasting impact.

Main Discussion Points and Insights

1. Christina’s Journey & Foundations of Social Impact

Timestamps: 03:16–08:55

• Christina draws inspiration from her family’s immigrant roots, particularly her grandfather Alfonso, a political prisoner in the Dominican Republic, whose fight for justice set her on a path to pursuing social impact and advocacy work.
• Early transformative experiences, including interning at Women for Women International in London, exposed her to every facet of nonprofit fundraising and operations.
• “My grandfather on my mom’s side was... imprisoned by the Dominican government because of his political leanings... He just had such a passion for freedom of speech, thought, and just doing good in the world.” —Christina (03:38)
• After facing burnout from unrealistic expectations in traditional nonprofit development roles, Christina founded Guava Tree Strategies, a name inspired by both her Cuban and Dominican heritage, symbolizing resilience.

2. Defining Sustainable Fundraising

Timestamps: 10:33–17:33

• Sustainable fundraising means thinking beyond the fiscal quarter or year, building diverse revenue streams without overwhelming the staff, and recognizing the actual sources of revenue.
• Challenging the misconception that diversification means securing every possible funding type; instead, it’s about meaningful diversification within available capacities.
• “You can get 100% of your funding from individuals, and that is a diverse revenue source—as long as one donor doesn’t represent a risk if they leave.” —Christina (11:56)
• Warns against unrealistic job descriptions for fundraisers, where one person is expected to manage grants, major gifts, events, stewardship, communications, and more—“Nobody can do all of those things.” (12:39)
• Emphasizes data-driven planning: organizations should invest time in understanding their revenue pie chart, focusing on what actually performs, and eliminating low-yield development activities.
• Calls out that fundraisers spend, on average, 55% of their time on non-revenue-generating tasks (though stewardship should not be included in this category), and that this drains capacity for actual fundraising success.

3. Practical Steps to Map the Path Forward

Timestamps: 19:59–25:52

• Christina’s approach as a consultant focuses first on a granular review of data: donor retention rates, average gift sizes, sources of income, and trends over years.
• “What is your average major gift? ...Your major gift might be a hundred dollars. That’s still a major gift.” —Christina (20:28)
• Organizations should break ambitious budget goals down into realistic, incremental targets, using data to justify these to boards and staff.
• Most nonprofits are unaware of their donor retention rates—“How do we not know this information? That is your key metric.” (23:10)
• Suggests that focusing on retention can yield dramatically better fundraising stability than chasing new donors alone.

4. Centering Retention—Both Donors and Staff

Timestamps: 25:52–36:46

• Retention is a “powerful unlock” for both sustainable funding and organizational health.
• Becky shares that re-centering fundraising around shared connection and belief (rather than just the gift amount) led to employee campaign retention rates of 70–80%, compared to an overall norm of 45%.
• Christina says, “If your donor retention rate is less than 20%, you need to think about who’s in house already, because you’re going to be back at this.” (23:47)
• Challenges the sector’s acceptance of “average” retention rates (around 40%) and urges aiming higher.

5. Supporting and Retaining Fundraising Staff

Timestamps: 28:28–37:31

• Christina is candid about systemic burnout, stemming from overloaded job descriptions, underappreciation, and unrealistic timelines.
• “It's a recipe for burnout. ...You're hiring directors of development as the sole fundraiser... It’s why average fundraising turnover is 18 to 24 months. Some say as low as 16.” —Christina (30:49)
• She stresses that job descriptions should reflect only two true priorities for focus and to outsource or eliminate the rest; urges that even existing staff be asked what could be taken off their plate.
• Onboarding is vital and should include experiencing programs firsthand—“The first thing I want them doing after they've gotten their email login is seeing your programs... otherwise, how do you talk about it?” (31:59)
• Calls for a true “culture of philanthropy” owned by the full org, not just the fundraiser, so that weight is not unfairly borne by a single staffer.

6. Breaking Retention Myths & Realigning Expectations

Timestamps: 36:46–39:02

• Christina debunks the nonprofit norm of expecting fundraisers to “raise their salary” in the first year, calling it “the biggest misconception.”
• “You should not hire a fundraiser with a revenue goal for at least two years....If you hire a fundraiser and tell them, you don’t have a revenue goal for two years, we just need you to build relationships. They will raise money—probably more than if you’d given them a goal.” —Christina (37:31)
• Stresses that retaining staff is not about “keeping fundraisers,” but about building org structures that value people and set realistic goals.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Sustainable fundraising is the ability to think beyond this year. It’s knowing where your money is coming from, really getting granular....” —Christina (13:34)
• “If your donor retention, and I know an average donor retention rate among nonprofits is like 40%. Everybody thinks that’s the benchmark... but why wouldn’t we strive for 60 or 70%?” —Christina (24:05)
• “It's not about the giving, it’s about the belief.” —Becky (38:57)
• “We are not ATMs, we’re just not. ...My biggest misconception: you should not hire a fundraiser with a revenue goal for at least two years.” —Christina (37:31)
• “Ask them what they need...be willing to listen and provide that.” —Christina (44:39)

Story Highlight: Philanthropy at Its Core

Timestamps: 40:25–43:15

• Christina shares the story of a donor who’d given $5/month for eight years, inspired by her daughter’s journey through the organization’s program. Despite being on a fixed income herself, the donor explained the gift was a personal tribute to the opportunities her daughter and granddaughter received, gifts she wished she had had.
• “That is philanthropy. It’s not about the seven- or eight-figure gifts, it’s about people feeling so deeply tied to a mission that they’re giving personally significant gifts....That $5 was very personally significant to this woman.” —Christina (41:19)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Time | |-----------------------------------------------|-----------| | Introduction and Christina’s Story | 03:06–08:55| | What is Sustainable Fundraising? | 10:33–17:33| | Data-Driven Fundraising Tactics | 19:59–25:52| | Donor and Staff Retention Deep Dive | 28:28–36:46| | Retention Myths & Setting Realistic Expectations | 36:46–39:02| | Powerful Donor Story | 40:25–43:15| | Where to Connect & Free Resource | 43:46–44:31| | One Good Thing: Take Care of Your People | 44:39–44:53|

Practical Takeaways

• Know Your Data: Understand exactly where your revenue comes from. Prioritize efforts accordingly (“If 30% of your revenue comes from individuals, 30% of your time should be spent there.” —13:34)
• Retention Trumps Acquisition: Striving for higher donor retention rates can pay bigger and more sustainable dividends than constant acquisition.
• Right-Size Roles and Goals: Only expect staff to focus on two key priorities and give fundraisers time to build relationships before assigning aggressive revenue goals.
• Humanize Hiring and Onboarding: Bring new fundraisers into the mission experientially; this powers better storytelling and deeper commitment.
• Build Culture, Not Just Capacity: Organizational support for fundraising must be woven throughout, not siloed with the fundraiser.
• Ask—and Listen—to Your People: Checking in on staff needs and truly responding builds loyalty and staves off burnout.

Resources & Connect

• Christina’s Free 17-Page Hiring Workbook: [Available on guavatreestrategies.com]
• Connect with Christina Martin Kenny on LinkedIn

One Good Thing

“Take care of your people. Ask them what they need. ...And actually be willing to listen and hear it and provide that.”
—Christina Martin Kenny (44:39)

Summary prepared for nonprofit leaders, board members, fundraisers, and anyone seeking practical, empathetic approaches to build more resilient organizations.