The Difference: Nonprofit Fundraising in a For-Profit World
Sep 21, 2026 · 27 min · 8 segments
Send us Fan Mail Is over-polishing your fundraising videos actually hurting your impact? On this episode of *The Difference*, host Jay Werth talks…
Jay WerthHost
What is the most frustrating thing that you have to deal with when you're working with a client? What are those points of conflict collaboration that work or don't work?
So the most frustrating with working with a new client, I'll start with kind of more mundane or more anecdotal or more funny ones.
Some of them will be, you know, like, how big is your crew? How many tripods? How many lights? You know, like...
Questions around generators and thinking that our projects are going to last for a year or so.
Most of the projects that I film from a documentary point of view for streaming platforms, we can do in less than 14 days.
Obviously, our smaller events, we can do that in six to eight hours doing good research ahead of time.
It's just kind of like a large objection to overcome because if people think they're going to have to dedicate a year to helping me tell their story, there's a lot of no's before we get there.
Truly annoying would be people thinking that stories are marketing fluff.
So they think that stories are something like a new jargon from marketers.
But when you explain to them that the private world builds moats around their brands with a narrative, it has to be genuine.
I think nonprofits can be more effective at it because they're mission-driven more often.
Well, so a good arc, I'm not going to be evasive with the question, but I'm going to take it one step further back.
The framework that I think that makes for the biggest impact before you get into the arc is the gap between what the public thinks about what it is that you do or the industry that you're in And what it is that you actually accomplish.
That larger gap between public perception and what the reality is, the bigger impact we're going to have when we tell that story.
Because humans are very open to changing our opinions through stories, less so through data.
And if you think about the largest opinion that you had 10 years ago, 20 years ago that you've changed on, whether that be homelessness or drug addiction or incarceration or marijuana or gay rights, whatever thing that you've changed your opinion on, more than likely it's a story of somebody you've met.
What is the most frustrating thing that you have to deal with when you're working with a client? What are those points of conflict collaboration that work or don't work?
So the most frustrating with working with a new client, I'll start with kind of more mundane or more anecdotal or more funny ones.
Some of them will be, you know, like, how big is your crew? How many tripods? How many lights? You know, like...
Questions around generators and thinking that our projects are going to last for a year or so.
Most of the projects that I film from a documentary point of view for streaming platforms, we can do in less than 14 days.
Obviously, our smaller events, we can do that in six to eight hours doing good research ahead of time.
It's just kind of like a large objection to overcome because if people think they're going to have to dedicate a year to helping me tell their story, there's a lot of no's before we get there.
Truly annoying would be people thinking that stories are marketing fluff.
So they think that stories are something like a new jargon from marketers.
But when you explain to them that the private world builds moats around their brands with a narrative, it has to be genuine.
I think nonprofits can be more effective at it because they're mission-driven more often.
Well, so a good arc, I'm not going to be evasive with the question, but I'm going to take it one step further back.
The framework that I think that makes for the biggest impact before you get into the arc is the gap between what the public thinks about what it is that you do or the industry that you're in And what it is that you actually accomplish.
That larger gap between public perception and what the reality is, the bigger impact we're going to have when we tell that story.
Because humans are very open to changing our opinions through stories, less so through data.
And if you think about the largest opinion that you had 10 years ago, 20 years ago that you've changed on, whether that be homelessness or drug addiction or incarceration or marijuana or gay rights, whatever thing that you've changed your opinion on, more than likely it's a story of somebody you've met.
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