What the Fundraising – Episode 280: Intentional Leadership in Fundraising with Floyd Jones

Podcast: What the Fundraising
Host: Mallory Erickson
Guest: Floyd Jones
Date: January 27, 2026
Duration: ~50 minutes

Episode Overview

This episode explores the concept of intentional leadership within nonprofit fundraising, emphasizing self-awareness, slowing down for alignment, and resisting pressure from outdated systems. Mallory and Floyd share vulnerable, actionable insights on how nonprofit leaders can disrupt conventional thinking, prioritize values-driven approaches, and foster deeper, more sustainable community relationships in their organizations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rejecting Outdated, Stressful Systems

• Pressure to Return to the “Hamster Wheel” in January:
  Nonprofit leaders often feel immediate stress after year-end fundraising, pressured by artificial timelines and relentless cycles.

  • Floyd: “I used to always be stressed out being like, one year finished... and then you gotta get on the hamster wheel again. I was like, this don't seem right.” (02:51)

• Questioning Western Concepts of Time:
  Our organizations structure around man-made timelines (fiscal years, reporting cycles) rather than honoring natural rhythms or reflective seasons.

  • Floyd: “We are so constricted with these manmade concepts of time and these western philosophies around time... and we wonder why we're always stressed out. Because we're operating in systems that weren't designed to support us.” (03:35)

2. Operating at Your Own “Pace and Grace”

• Tuning Inward, Not Upward or Outward:
  Leaders should find their own “frequency” or rhythm, tuning in to themselves and their communities rather than comparing or chasing arbitrary growth.
  • Floyd: “Allow yourself to get to the right channel so you can hear the right frequency and you can operate in your proper pace.” (05:00)
• Notable Quote:
  • “There is a grace for your pace.” – Floyd Jones (03:27)

3. Rethinking Growth as the Goal

• Growth as Outcome, Not Mandate:
  The sector's obsession with constant growth mirrors capitalist models, which don’t always serve mission-driven work.
  • “More is not a goal. More is an outcome. Growth is supposed to be a natural outcome… But what if this year isn't supposed to be about growth? What if this year is about abiding? What if this year is about… sustaining?” – Floyd Jones (05:24)
• Virtue Signaling & Questioning Obligated Goals:
  Nonprofit leaders must ask whether routine growth targets are actually aligned with their mission or simply inherited from outside pressure.
  • Mallory: “Why is growth the goal every single year? Because capitalism tells you.” (06:51)

4. Alignment over Activity

• The Practice of Reflection and Ongoing Listening:
  Effective leadership means constantly listening—to oneself, staff, and community—and adjusting course rather than getting attached to specific tactics or legacy programs.
  • “Alignment determines your assignment. Do the work getting aligned.” – Floyd Jones (08:27)
• Transformation vs. Transaction:
  Programs, fundraising, and operations should make space for transformation, not just transactions or repetition.
  • Floyd shares the story of Back Black investing in storytelling for Black-led organizations, emphasizing adaptability and holding the mission with “hands wide open.” (10:00–12:30)

5. Dealing with Uncertainty & Nervous System Regulation

• Finding Certainty Amid Change:
  Leaders can ground themselves by focusing on what is truly certain (self, breath, heartbeat) amidst sector volatility.
  • Floyd: “If your heart is beating, that is certain. You’re alive. You’re here. You survived all the other beats up until this point.” (13:55)
• Grounding Techniques and Self-Regulation:
  • “All this research around how the sound of birds chirping is like nervous system regulating... you are here, you are safe. This is the moment.” – Mallory (15:05)

6. Boundaries, Distraction, and the Intention Economy

• Life is “Disparate by Design”:
  The world profits from our distraction and disconnection; creating intentional personal and organizational boundaries is an act of leadership.
  • Floyd: “You have to create boundaries with yourself, for yourself... whose voices and who has access to me.” (16:30)
• Reject Guilt-Based Fundraising:
  The sector should avoid urgency-based, dysregulating marketing tactics that encourage “guilt-donations”; instead, pursue joy-filled giving and authentic relationships.
  • “Everything is energy. So every dollar that gets invested into you, you want joy-filled dollars.” – Floyd Jones, (19:34)

7. Community-Led Growth & The Power of Partnerships

• Donors as Partners, not Piggy Banks:
  See everyone in the ecosystem as a partner with unique roles, not just sources of revenue.
  • “People are your partners, they're not your piggy banks. See them as a partner. Every partner has a role to play.” – Floyd (26:24)
• Go Deeper, Not Just Bigger:
  Scaling fast is less important than meaningful engagement and stewardship, even if that means slower growth.
  • “You can name your largest donor, but can you name your longest donor? Your most consistent donor?” – Floyd (32:02)

8. The Ego Work of Leadership

• Validation Beyond Metrics:
  True leadership aligns self-worth with values, not external growth metrics. This inner work is key to healthy, sustainable leadership.
  • “The reason you are comfortable going deep and slower is because your validation is not just from growth.” – Mallory (33:35)

9. Curiosity and Conversation as Tools for Change

• Curiosity Over Compliance:
  Rather than just defaulting to proposed strategies (“sell more chocolate!”), leaders should respond with curiosity—opening up dialogue to understand intentions, motivation, and real goals, thus creating space for better solutions.
  • “Curiosity is this magic potion… because it allows everybody to get more regulated in a moment, and it creates that pause.” – Mallory (44:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the cyclical nature of nonprofit life:
  “I used to always be stressed out being like, one year finished... take your little two days off and then come back, and then you gotta get on the hamster wheel again. I was like, this don't seem right.”
  – Floyd Jones (02:51)
• On more not always being the answer:
  “More is not a goal. More is an outcome.”
  – Floyd Jones (05:24)
• On joy-filled giving:
  “You want Joy filled dollars… Because those dollars are generative.”
  – Floyd Jones (19:47)
• On partnership:
  “People are your partners, they're not your piggy banks… If you only see a person for how much they give, you will never see the potential of that giver.”
  – Floyd Jones (26:24, 27:08)
• On leadership self-care:
  “Going deep is a gift. It's such a gift. But so many of our organizations are stuck in this phase of never being able to scale because they never allow themselves to scale.”
  – Floyd Jones (32:02)
• On the inner journey of leadership:
  “My heart is like a garden… You have to tend to the soil of your heart.”
  – Floyd Jones (34:16)
• On boundaries and intentionality:
  “You might not be the CEO of your organization, but you are the CEO of your life 100%.”
  – Floyd Jones (41:07)
• On ego work and self-leadership:
  “Let me choose to be different. Let me always operate in my values… I wanted to create an environment that people didn’t have to heal from.”
  – Floyd Jones (43:00)

Practical Takeaways & New Habits

Floyd’s 2026 Intentions and Self-Care Practices:
(47:36–50:17)

• Sacred mornings: Prayer, journaling, affirmations, gratitudes, workouts
• Mindful task prioritization (“What is important? What is urgent?”)
• Saying "no" more often to distractions
• Technology boundaries before bedtime
• Investing in personal self-care (sauna, massages)
• Staying anchored in values and self-alignment

Important Timestamps

• 02:51 – Wrestling the January fundraising “hamster wheel”
• 03:35 – The trap of Western time structures in nonprofit work
• 05:00–06:59 – Growth as outcome rather than forced mandate
• 08:27–10:00 – Alignment, listening, and transformation in change work
• 13:55 – Coping with uncertainty through self-grounding
• 16:30–17:34 – Boundaries and self-regulation as leadership
• 19:34–20:13 – Rejecting guilt-based fundraising and focusing on joy-filled gifts
• 26:24–27:08 – Donors as partners, not just ATM machines
• 33:35–34:45 – The ego work of leading with alignment and self-validation
• 44:50 – Using curiosity to approach new ideas and change conversations
• 47:36–50:17 – Floyd’s personal habits for intentional leadership in 2026

Tone and Atmosphere

The episode features a warm, candid, and hopeful conversation with practical, real-world wisdom—balancing hard truths with optimism and laughter. Floyd and Mallory’s rapport is friendly and open, inviting listeners to reflect deeply while finding encouragement to disrupt the sector for the better.

For actionable resources and further reading:
Visit MalloryErickson.com/Podcast for episode transcripts, highlights, and tools.