DickersonBakker, Raleigh, NC (2026)

10/15/2026

We believe serving the organizations that serve the most vulnerable requires more than good strategy. It requires showing up, getting close, and understanding the mission firsthand.

A recent trip to India brought that conviction to life.

DickersonBakker President, Andrew Olsen recounts meeting children who have endured unimaginable hardship but are continually filled with hope and of sitting with people isolated by leprosy, whose greatest need wasn't money or medicine, but love.

He witnessed a water filtration system that can provide a family with clean water for just $30. And met pastors and families whose faith and joy far outweighed the circumstances.

Every encounter reminds us of something important: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.

That perspective makes us better partners, sharper strategists, and more effective advisors.

We're proud to serve organizations doing this vital work around the world. And we believe that service means more than showing up for a strategy session. It means walking alongside our partners, learning from the people they serve, and co-laboring with them to make a lasting difference.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

👉 Read Andrew's full post here: https://hubs.li/Q04BgK--0

10/14/2026

Every nonprofit has one. Some have all 12. 👀

Meet the 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝘇𝗲𝗻: from 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘸 to 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘳, these all-too-familiar characters are a reminder that fundraising challenges aren't always about strategy, technology, or the latest trend.

Sometimes, they're about the people, habits, and workplace dynamics getting in the way of progress.

😂 You'll laugh. You'll cringe. You might even recognize a colleague or two (no names, please).

To get started, let's meet Chip Fairbanks III. 👀

You know the type. The board member’s nephew who lands the Director of Development job, doesn’t know a DAF from a typo, and somehow operates by a different set of rules.

But what do you do when Chip is on 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 team?

In his latest article, DickersonBakker President Andrew Olsen shares a real-life encounter with a “Chip” that nearly cost a nonprofit a successful, $2 million fundraising program—and offers a practical, 90-day roadmap for navigating the situation.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝗳. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Because the real test isn’t Chip. It’s leadership.

👉 Read the article to learn how to handle your own 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘐𝘐𝘐.
https://hubs.li/Q04B9gdY0

10/13/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲.

Can you answer these four questions?

👉 What’s the need?
👉 Why are you the right organization to meet it?
👉 Why now?
👉 What will donors make possible?

If your case doesn’t create urgency, inspire belief, and give donors a reason to act, you’re not ready to make the ask.

Join our upcoming webinar, 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, to learn how to sharpen your message, align your stakeholders, and turn uncertainty into momentum.

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹. 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁.

🎯 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁:https://hubs.li/Q04B4m3S0

10/09/2026

📚 𝗔 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗕𝗮𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺! We’re proud to celebrate Shawn Saunders, CFRE, M.A., and the launch of his new book, "The Pursuit of More: How Addiction to Christ Makes Us Fully Human".

Shawn brings a deeply personal perspective to a question we all need to ask: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁?

Drawing from his own experiences and years of walking alongside people facing addiction and other life-controlling struggles, Shawn explores what genuine freedom looks like through the lens of faith, grace, and restoration.

Through 12 practical “rhythms,” he challenges readers to look beyond behavior change toward becoming who God created them to be.

At DickersonBakker, we believe meaningful thought leadership starts with having something worth saying—and the courage to share it. Shawn has done exactly that.

👏 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗻! We’re proud to have you on our team and excited to see the impact of The Pursuit of More.

Grab your copy today: https://hubs.ly/Q04zNQjL0

10/09/2026

What if better fundraising starts with a better understanding of generosity?

Dr. Clark Dickerson has led 250+ capital campaigns over 40 years. Every one has been grounded in three principles:

🙏 God is the owner of all.
🤝 We’re stewards, not owners.
❤️ We’re blessed to bless others.

On the latest episode of the 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁, Andrew Olsen sits down with DickersonBakker co-founder Clark Dickerson to discuss his new book, 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.

They tackle the tough conversations around money, the role of prayer in giving, and why fundraisers should focus on 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Plus, Clark shares a powerful story of a donor whose unexpected change of heart transformed how his family gave for years to come.

🎧 Listen now to discover how a deeper understanding of generosity can transform the way we fundraise:
https://hubs.li/Q04zMSQZ0

📖 Get Clark’s book 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. Link in comments.

10/08/2026

Finding grant funding can feel overwhelming—especially when you don’t know where to start.

Heather Pubols, President at Media Associates International experienced that firsthand. As she began exploring new funding opportunities, she quickly realized just how technical the grant acquisition process can be.

That’s where DickersonBakker came alongside her organization.

Through our Grant Acquisition program, we provided expertise, guidance, and practical tools to help them build a stronger foundation for pursuing grants.

And the impact went beyond finding funding.

As Heather put it, the process helped her understand 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.

That’s the goal: not just helping nonprofits find grants, but helping them build the capacity and confidence to pursue sustainable funding.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸.

10/08/2026

What if we stopped treating donors like donors—and started treating 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿?

It takes more time. More resources. And a longer-term mindset.

But the payoff could be a stronger donor relationship today—and a donor who’s still with you 5, 10, or 20 years from now.

🎙️ Hear the full conversation on the Better Way Nonprofit Podcast.

𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁.

Listen now wherever you enjoy podcasts. YouTube link in comments.

10/07/2026

A campaign case for support is more than a document. It’s the story that gets people to believe in the future you’re trying to create.

Before you ask donors to fund a campaign, can you clearly answer:

👉 What’s the unique need?
👉 Why is your organization positioned to meet it?
👉 Why does it matter now?
👉 What will donors make possible?

And perhaps most importantly: Does your messaging give donors a reason to care?

Join us for our upcoming webinar, Building a Compelling Case for Support, where we’ll explore how successful campaigns communicate vision, urgency, and impact—and turn uncertainty and resistance into alignment.

Because a strong campaign doesn’t start with a dollar amount.

It starts with a compelling reason to give.

🎯 Save your spot and learn how to build a case that moves people to action.
https://hubs.li/Q04zxv6N0

10/07/2026

What happens when we measure the wrong things?

Recently, we brought nonprofit leaders together around the Better Way Table in Orlando ahead of the Missio Nexus Mission Leaders Conference.

Our question:
👉 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴?

We started with a simple exercise: name the three metrics your organization pays the most attention to.

Then came the harder question:
👉 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘇𝗲?

Because metrics aren’t neutral.

What we measure shapes what we prioritize. What we reward shapes how we behave. And those behaviors ultimately shape the donor experience.

If we measure primarily for short-term revenue, response rates, average gift, and ROI, we shouldn’t be surprised when our fundraising becomes increasingly transactional.

But if we want stronger retention, deeper relationships, greater lifetime value, and more connected donors, shouldn’t our scorecards encourage those outcomes?

That’s the kind of conversation the Better Way Table is designed to create.

No presentations. No panels. Just nonprofit leaders willing to challenge assumptions, share what they’re seeing, and ask better questions together.

Because 𝗔 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲® 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.

It’s something we’ll discover together.

And a special thank you to our sponsors 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 and 𝗪𝗲𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 for helping make the evening possible.

10/06/2026

Are we building AI to serve fundraisers—or replace them?

That’s one of the questions host Derric Bakker explored with Mallory Erickson and Trish Davis, CFRE on the latest episode of the Better Way Nonprofit Podcast.

We believe AI should make fundraisers better—not less human.

👉 Less busywork.
👉 Better insights.
👉 More personalized engagement.
👉 More time for donor relationships.

But there’s a bigger question:

What are we asking AI to optimize for?

Because if “success” = more revenue, then guilt works. Pressure works. Manipulation works.

But fundraising is about more than transactions.

Trust matters. Relationships matter. Connection matters.

So as AI gets smarter, let’s make sure we’re measuring—and optimizing for—the things that actually make fundraising better.

Money matters. But trust is the currency that makes generosity possible.

🎧 Listen to the latest episode of The Better Way Nonprofit Podcast.
https://hubs.li/Q04zlFSs0

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