A chat with GA's Nonprofits Account Director, Josie Weck, about our approach to helping nonprofit organizations fundraise effectively.
Josie joined GA in 2023, after several organizing and campaign management roles across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Michigan. She has been an incredible leader in growing our offerings to nonprofits, and we chatted recently about nonprofit fundraising, innovation, and more. Here’s our conversation:
Julia Murray: Hi Josie! Can you tell me a little about your experience in nonprofits before coming to Grassroots?
Josie Weck: Sure! While my background is mostly campaigns-based, I’ve been able to bring that experience to support our nonprofit clients here at Grassroots. I think, overall, what I bring to our nonprofit division is the ability to help people capitalize on the data and products that have already worked well for our campaign and electoral clients and translate that success to the nonprofits we’re fortunate enough to work with. Especially in an election year, when so many core issues are on the ballot, it's exciting that we’re not only supporting candidates but also collaborating with long-term partners and leaders in the nonprofit space.
Some issue areas that come to mind are conservation, reproductive justice and healthcare, and international humanitarian aid. We’re able to take what’s top of mind in an election year and convert it into long-term, sustainable giving in the nonprofit sector.
Beyond that, it’s also about expanding what's possible in the database — not only in terms of electoral efforts but also exploring new issue areas and ways to grow our reach.
JM: That's awesome. Can you expand a bit about how GA is able to help nonprofits?
JW: Of course! In terms of how we help nonprofits, we’re really able to support any lane of your development program, whether that’s reaching individual small-dollar donors or major donors. We have data that aligns with your organization’s mission and what motivates each specific group of donors.
Our main focus is in peer-to-peer texting, direct mail, and email, so we help reach donors in a multimodal way, meeting them where they’re most likely to engage.
One thing I find exciting about our data is that it’s not just tailored to the donor's interests in your mission — it’s also tailored to their preferred way of giving. So, if you want to grow your digital program, we’ll curate a list of people who enjoy giving over text or email. And for organizations using STAMP, we have many donors who are exclusively mail-based, which is especially valuable for nonprofits looking for a comprehensive approach.
JM: Why is it important to innovate in non-profit development?
JW: I think building on my last answer, I’d say that for nonprofits, especially the legacy organizations we work with, success over time can sometimes lead to the belief that they’ve captured all potential donors. But that’s not true. There are always new people to engage, and at Grassroots, we prioritize helping nonprofits reach donors they might not have thought of, using methods they might not have considered.
Often, we work with teams that have a strong major gifts program or grants focus but haven’t fully built out their individual donor programs. We help them capitalize on that opportunity and show what’s possible in the space. Besides the technology we have, we also have an incredible team of copywriters, which brings that human element of innovation. We work to make sure the message is right and to try new approaches to capture people’s attention in a, I’ll say, crazy time in the world.
JM: Do you have any advice for people who might work at a nonprofit and be very passionate about the mission, but are having trouble bringing newer technologies to their team?
JW: Sure, yeah, this is definitely a question that comes up often because nonprofits can sometimes lean on the success they’ve had to date.
If you’re trying to advocate for a new approach, the biggest thing I’d emphasize about Grassroots is that we’re also a mission-first organization, so we understand how to balance your core values with innovative technology. Whether it’s direct mail, texting, or email, we can help you maintain your voice and stay true to your goals while reaching new audiences.
If you’re passionate about your mission, one of the best ways to advance it is by bringing in more people who are excited about it and invested, financially or otherwise. And to find those people, sometimes you need to try something new, and we can be the place where you try that new thing.
JM: What are you looking ahead to for the end of 2024 for nonprofit development and then into 2025?
JW: What's always inspiring about this end-of-year period for nonprofits is that it’s a time when charitable giving in general goes up exponentially. People really seem to reflect on issue areas they haven’t been as engaged with or personally invested in throughout the year. Last year, it was inspiring to see how targeting and copy testing things that had average results earlier skyrocketed when they aligned with these key giving moments. There's a large segment of donors who are still waiting for their moment to give to other core issues and missions.
Looking to 2025, I'm especially excited about engaging people in the direct mail space and helping them build out sustainable mail programs. People come to us for our data and digital expertise, but we do mail too! There are some donors, even with all the digital options today, that you can still only reach through physical mail. And for nonprofits, especially those that are mission-driven, mail is the best way to share the full narrative of the organization.
Texts and emails are great, but the opportunity for a physical letter that can tell a long-form version of your journey and goals for the coming year still has unique value. I’m really looking forward to how these channels can intersect — reaching folks on digital, but also engaging them with mail, and vice versa. Some donors want to be reached across all channels, and the data learnings and successes we gain in one area can really inform the other.
JM: What motivates you personally to do this work?
JW: I think the thing that motivates me to work in nonprofits specifically is the chance to collaborate with people who are so passionate and true experts in these issue areas. While, as I mentioned earlier, these issues are also core to many of our candidates, it’s inspiring to bring people into the Grassroots fold who are dedicated to this work full-time. They’ve really expanded my own perspective on what’s possible, whether it was on-the-ground organizing efforts for the election, international aid, or different actions we can take to combat climate change. These nonprofits are the places where core ideas and solutions are being brought to the table.
It’s exciting to help uplift their work, especially as it intersects with Grassroots’ mission to help candidates get elected to office and make fundraising accessible to all, not just the ultra wealthy. Nonprofits and campaigns really complement each other, because nonprofit organizations often bring critical information that can help candidates be more effective when they’re hopefully in office this January!
Thanks, Josie!
Ready to chat with Josie and her team about your nonprofit fundraising goals? Learn more and reach out to the team ahead of Giving Tuesday and End-of-Year Giving to make sure you make the most of your fundraising potential.
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