Do you really need to be on every social media platform to grow your nonprofit? In this episode of the Million Dollar Nonprofit Podcast, Tom Kelly sits down with LinkedIn fundraising expert Michelle Benson to break down why LinkedIn consistently outperforms other platforms when it comes to high-value donors, corporate partners, and trust fund decision-makers.

Michelle explains why cold emails, coffee requests, and trustee address books are becoming less effective and how nonprofits can instead position themselves to be found by funders who are already looking to give. Drawing on her experience as both a former fundraiser and trust fund director, Michelle shares how decision-makers actually use LinkedIn, why mindset matters on each platform, and how nonprofits can build an intentional digital presence that leads to real conversations and partnerships.

You’ll learn what nonprofits should have in place before funders reach out, why quality engagement matters more than likes, how commenting can be just as powerful as posting, and how to use LinkedIn without burning out or posting every day. Michelle Benson teaches nonprofits how to use LinkedIn to fundraise without cold calls or chasing the wrong donors.

With 47,000 followers, over 5 million impressions, and more than 100,000 likes and comments each year, she has built a fully inbound fundraising pipeline and helped thousands of nonprofits across 32 countries do the same.

If you want to reach companies, trust funds, and major donors more effectively, this episode will change how you think about LinkedIn and nonprofit fundraising. To work with Michelle, she offers year-round team training (direct message her on LinkedIn for details), as well as 4-week online LinkedIn training cohorts for fundraisers, CEOs, comms staff, and consultants running in January, May, and September 2026.

You can follow Michelle on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-benson-creates-digital-pipelines/

and learn more at https://www.cultureofphilanthropy.co/

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Have you ever looked at a large nonprofit’s website, emails, or campaigns and wondered how they manage to look so polished, professional, and organized? The truth is, it’s not about having a massive budget — it’s about having the right systems.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly breaks down how small nonprofits can use AI to operate, communicate, and present themselves like million-dollar organizations — without hiring more staff or burning out their team. This isn’t about pretending to be bigger than you are. It’s about building smart systems that create credibility, consistency, and trust.

Tom introduces a simple three-part framework: Brand. Build. Broadcast. You’ll learn how AI can instantly upgrade your branding, create automated donor and volunteer systems that run in the background, and multiply your content so you show up everywhere without exhausting your team.

You’ll hear real examples of small nonprofits using AI to improve donor perception, increase recurring giving, streamline operations, and raise more money — all by replacing chaos with structure. If your nonprofit is doing meaningful work but struggling to look as professional as larger organizations, this episode will show you how AI levels the playing field.

What would happen if every donor who supported your nonprofit felt like they had a personal assistant dedicated just to them? Someone who remembered their birthday, their giving history, their interests, and their impact. Someone who responded warmly and accurately, every single time. Now imagine it happening automatically — without adding more to your workload.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shows nonprofit leaders how to use ChatGPT as a donor relations assistant — an AI teammate that keeps donors engaged, valued, and connected. Using the framework Remember. Respond. Reinforce., you’ll learn how to:

Remember: Use AI to track every donor’s history, preferences, and giving habits so you never miss a detail. Build donor profiles and communication rules that allow AI to act as the memory engine behind deeper relationships.

Respond: Draft warm, personalized replies instantly for emails, DMs, or texts. AI helps your team respond quickly while keeping tone, gratitude, and mission alignment consistent.

Reinforce: Maintain ongoing stewardship through automated check-ins, anniversary messages, personalized impact updates, event follow-ups, and upgrade invitations — all tailored to each donor’s journey.

You’ll hear a real example from a food bank in Ohio that created an AI donor assistant named “Harper.” Response time dropped from three days to thirty minutes, and donor retention jumped 18% in a single quarter. Donors said: “You always remember me.” “I feel connected.” “I’ve never been thanked this consistently.”

The episode includes plug-and-play prompts to help you: write warm donor follow-ups, personalize impact updates, send anniversary or birthday notes, and invite donors to upgrade or re-engage.