[NPFX Ep. 74] Authentic, Ethical, and Effective Messaging — From Theory to Practice (Bridge Conference Q&A with Sadé Dozan and Josh Gryniewicz)
Donors today — especially younger generations — are demanding greater transparency and efficacy from the nonprofits they support. To meet these needs, your nonprofit's narrative strategy must evolve beyond traditional fundraising messaging. In today's episode, host Russ Phaneuf and guests Sadé Dozan and Josh Gryniewicz follow-up their recent Bridge Conference presentation with a special Q&A designed to help you apply narrative strategy to real world challenges. Tune in as they workshop specific examples for nonprofits, big and small. Listen here:
Episode highlights include:
- Why nonprofits should rethink traditional storytelling models, especially when engaging next gen donors
- How to build narrative power at the local level, even within national organizations
- Ways to turn national messaging into compelling local stories for donors
- How to cultivate a "story garden" and use it to influence organizational narratives
- Strategies for retaining older donors during a shift to social justice messaging
- The importance of segmenting and testing messages to retain and grow your donor base
- How tone and voice will help you stand out in a crowded nonprofit space
- How to craft authentic stories and prevent stories from being performative or exploitative
- Engaging millennial donors with participatory, transparent storytelling
- How to use strategic storytelling with rapid response fundraising
Special Offer: Free 30-minute consultation for NPFX listeners
Additional Resources
- IPM's free Nonprofit Resource Library
- Bridge Conference 2025 presentation slides
- [NPFX] How to Find Authentic Voices That Inspire Action
- [NPFX] Flipping the Script: Using Narrative Strategy to Improve Messaging and Prevent Donor Attrition
- [NPFX] When Your Nonprofit's Case for Support Just Isn't Working
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Guests
Sadé Dozan is the Vice President of Advancement at Borealis Philanthropy, where she leads efforts to mobilize transformative resources for grassroots movements at the heart of building a more just and inclusive democracy. She views philanthropy as a vehicle for community-led change — where investments not only meet urgent needs but also amplify narrative power and long-term infrastructure for liberation. With two decades in nonprofit leadership, Sadé has designed and scaled initiatives across housing, care, disability justice, education, health equity, and criminal justice reform. Sadé is a trusted advisor and board member to key movement and philanthropic organizations. She is also the founder of Melanate., an equity incubation project designed to shift philanthropic ecosystems and reimagine fundraising as a practice rooted in equity and care.
Josh Gryniewicz is the founder and Chief Narrative Strategist at Odd Duck, a storytelling-for-social-change creative consultancy focused on impact-driven organizations. Josh is the co-author of the award-winning national bestseller, Interrupting Violence. For over a decade, he has worked in nonprofit communication. In 2018, he founded Odd Duck to combine his passions for storytelling and social change. The agency’s Navigating Misinformation for Community Health framework has been shared with over a thousand community health organizations. Odd Duck has worked with nearly a hundred change-making organizations and advised hundreds more, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the White House.
Hosts
Russ Phaneuf, a co-founder of IPM Advancement, has a background in higher education development, with positions at the University of Hartford, Northern Arizona University, and Thunderbird School of Global Management. As IPM's managing director & chief strategist, Russ serves as lead fundraising strategist, award-winning content creator, and program analyst specializing in applied system dynamics.
Rich Frazier has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 35 years. In his roles as senior consultant with IPM Advancement and founder of VisionConnect LLC, Rich offers extensive understanding and knowledge in capital campaigns, fund development, strategic planning, and board of directors development.