75 Best Thought Leaders in Nonprofit Fundraising (2026)
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75 Best Thought Leaders in Nonprofit Fundraising (2026)

  • Jonno White
  • 5 days ago
  • 30 min read

Finding the right voices to follow in nonprofit fundraising can change everything. Not just what you know, but how you think about donors, culture, strategy, and the long-term sustainability of your organisation. The best thought leaders in nonprofit fundraising are not simply people with impressive titles. They are practitioners, authors, coaches, and sector reformers who have spent years working inside the messy reality of development work, and who continue to share what they have learned in ways that are genuinely useful to the rest of us.


Nonprofit fundraising in 2026 is navigating a particularly complex moment. Research from NonProfit PRO found that philanthropy reached $2.3 trillion worldwide in 2024, yet 33 percent of nonprofits were affected by government funding disruptions in early 2025. Donor participation rates are declining among wealthy households, millennials are rapidly becoming the most significant donor generation, and digital fundraising adoption remains uneven across the sector. The voices who help organisations make sense of this landscape, and who provide practical frameworks to act within it, are more important than ever.


This guide brings together 75 of the most influential thought leaders in fundraising for nonprofits in 2026. They span major gifts and capital campaigns, donor psychology and stewardship, community-centred approaches, board fundraising, digital and content-driven development, planned giving, and the equity-focused critique of traditional philanthropy. Some are globally recognised names. Others are practitioners whose LinkedIn presence, podcasts, and training programmes have made them indispensable to thousands of development professionals. All of them are actively shaping how the sector thinks and acts.


The list includes thought leaders based in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and beyond, because great fundraising thinking does not belong to one geography. You will find established authorities alongside emerging voices, diverse perspectives alongside foundational frameworks, and disruptors alongside practitioners of the fundamentals.


Whether you lead a small community nonprofit, direct development for a large NGO, or are building your own practice as a fundraising consultant, this directory will point you to the voices that matter most for your work right now. Read the books. Listen to the podcasts. Follow them on LinkedIn. Engage with their frameworks. The thought leaders who shape how you think about fundraising will shape the results your organisation achieves.


Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, bestselling author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold), and leadership consultant who works with nonprofits, schools, and corporates around the world. To bring Jonno in to facilitate your nonprofit leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org.


Two hands holding an open book with handwritten notes in warm library light, representing nonprofit fundraising thought leadership.

Why Thought Leadership in Nonprofit Fundraising Matters


Fundraising is simultaneously one of the most relationship-dependent and most technically demanding disciplines in the nonprofit sector. It requires understanding human psychology, donor motivation, organisational culture, communications strategy, data analysis, and leadership dynamics, often simultaneously and always under resource constraints that would make corporate counterparts wince. The thought leaders who have invested years developing frameworks, testing approaches, and sharing their learning have created an extraordinary body of knowledge that organisations can draw on.


BoardSource research shows that only 29 percent of nonprofits have a written succession plan, and leadership transitions are among the highest-risk moments for fundraising programmes. Burnout affects close to 90 percent of nonprofit leaders, and development staff turnover is among the most costly operational challenges organisations face. The thought leaders in this guide address these realities directly, not with platitudes but with practical tools.


The equity critique of traditional fundraising has also become impossible to ignore. Voices like Vu Le and Edgar Villanueva have challenged donor-centric models that, in their view, perpetuate the very inequities nonprofits exist to address. Community-centric fundraising has grown from a grassroots movement to a genuine intellectual framework with thousands of practitioners. Understanding this conversation, even if you do not fully adopt its prescriptions, makes you a more thoughtful and effective fundraiser.


The 75 thought leaders below are organised into categories reflecting the major domains of nonprofit fundraising practice. Within each category, the most internationally influential voices are listed first.


1. Major Gifts and Capital Campaigns


Major gifts and capital campaigns represent the highest-stakes, highest-reward work in nonprofit development. The thought leaders in this area have spent careers helping organisations identify, cultivate, and steward high-capacity donors, and structure campaigns that transform organisational trajectory.


1. Gail Perry, CFRE

Gail Perry is one of the most recognised authorities on major gifts and capital campaign fundraising globally. As founder of Fired Up Fundraising, Gail has spent more than three decades helping organisations raise hundreds of millions of dollars through major donor engagement, capital campaigns, and board fundraising. Her work emphasises donor-centred engagement, and her training programmes have equipped thousands of development professionals worldwide. She is an international keynote speaker, author, and consultant whose practical frameworks are widely adopted across the sector.


2. Jeff Schreifels

Jeff Schreifels is the principal owner of Veritus Group, an agency that partners with nonprofits to create, build, and manage mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving programmes. With more than 32 years in the sector, Jeff has worked with hundreds of nonprofits and helped raise more than $400 million in revenue. His writing and training consistently emphasise that fundraising works best when organisations create lasting partnerships with donors, treating the relationship as genuine rather than transactional.


3. James Misner

James Misner is a major gifts and capital campaign planning expert who consistently shares practical frameworks for prospect research and campaign structure. His LinkedIn content focuses on systematic approaches to fundraising, donor research methodologies, and the relationship-building fundamentals that drive transformative gifts. He is known for making complex campaign strategy accessible to development professionals at all stages of their careers.


4. Jennifer Filla

Jennifer Filla is the founder of Aspire Research Group and one of the leading voices in prospect research and major gift strategy. She helps nonprofits identify, qualify, and prioritise major gift prospects through research-informed processes that connect wealth data with genuine donor motivation. Her work bridges the technical and relational dimensions of major gift fundraising in ways that development teams find immediately applicable.


5. Cindy Wagman

Cindy Wagman is the founder of The Good Partnership and a leader in the Fractional Fundraiser Movement, which helps smaller nonprofits access senior fundraising expertise without the cost of full-time hires. Based in Canada, Cindy works extensively with grassroots and community organisations, bringing major gift fundamentals to organisations that have historically had to manage without them.


2. Donor Psychology and Communications


How donors think, what motivates them to give, and how to communicate in ways that build genuine loyalty are perennial questions in nonprofit development. The thought leaders in this category have spent careers studying and applying insights from psychology, behavioural economics, and communications to improve fundraising results.


6. Tom Ahern

Tom Ahern is widely considered one of the foremost authorities on donor communications in North America. Author of six fundraising books including How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money, Tom has dedicated his career to helping nonprofits communicate in ways that resonate emotionally and drive response. His emphasis on donor-centric language, "you-focused" messaging, and readable, emotionally engaging copy has shaped the communications practice of thousands of development teams. His LinkedIn content includes practical auditing techniques organisations can implement immediately.


7. Cherian Koshy

Cherian Koshy is a nonprofit strategist and behavioural economics expert who shares practical frameworks for storytelling, donor psychology, and fundraising innovation. His work applies insights from behavioural science to the practical challenges of donor engagement, helping organisations understand why donors give and what decision-making processes actually drive philanthropic behaviour. His LinkedIn presence is among the most substantive in the sector.


8. Mary Cahalane

Mary Cahalane is a fundraising copywriter with a deep focus on donor loyalty and retention. Her writing helps organisations move from transaction-focused appeals to communications that treat donors as genuine partners in mission. Her blog Hands-On Fundraising and her LinkedIn content consistently explore the relational dimensions of donor communications, arguing that loyalty is built through consistent, authentic engagement rather than volume of asks.


9. Lisa Sargent

Lisa Sargent is a fundraising copywriter renowned for her work on donor retention and legacy giving communications. Her speciality is helping organisations find the right tone and narrative to sustain long-term donor relationships, particularly through thank-you letters, mid-level donor stewardship, and planned giving conversations. Her approach consistently prioritises the donor experience over organisational convenience.


10. Jeff Brooks

Jeff Brooks has spent decades as a respected voice in donor-focused fundraising and direct response copywriting. His blog Future Fundraising Now and his LinkedIn content examine what the research says about donor behaviour and how organisations can apply those findings in their communications. His emphasis on emotional storytelling, donor motivation, and the science of giving makes his work valuable for both new and experienced development professionals.


11. Vanessa Chase Lockshin

Vanessa Chase Lockshin is the founder of The Storytelling Nonprofit and a specialist in donor communications and narrative strategy. Her work helps nonprofits tell impact stories that genuinely move donors, moving organisations away from statistics-heavy reports toward the human-centred narratives that create emotional connection. Her training programmes and books are widely used across the sector.


3. Fundraising Culture and Mindset


One of the most significant shifts in nonprofit fundraising thinking over the past decade has been the recognition that fundraising culture, meaning how an organisation collectively thinks and feels about raising money, matters as much as any technical strategy. The thought leaders in this category have led that conversation.


12. Mallory Erickson

Mallory Erickson is the creator of the Power Partners Formula and one of the most widely followed voices in nonprofit fundraising mindset and leadership. Her work blends evidence-based coaching with fundraising strategy, helping development professionals and nonprofit executives address the fear, burnout, and limiting beliefs that undermine fundraising effectiveness. Her podcast What the Fundraising is consistently among the most downloaded in the nonprofit sector, and her coaching programmes have trained thousands of fundraisers globally.


13. Marc Pitman

Marc Pitman is often called the "Fundraising Coach" and is one of the most prolific and widely respected voices on the leadership dimensions of fundraising. He founded FundraisingCoach.com, which The Atlantic named one of five philanthropic blogs fundraisers need to read. His conviction that fundraising is fundamentally a leadership practice has shaped how many nonprofit leaders think about their role in development. He is a bestselling author and international speaker whose Concord Leadership Group works with organisations globally.


14. Kishshana Palmer

Kishshana Palmer left a corporate career to dedicate herself to helping nonprofit professionals grow in their leadership and fundraising effectiveness. Her energy, practical wisdom, and commitment to supporting leaders of colour in the sector have made her one of the most distinctive and beloved voices in nonprofit fundraising. Her podcast ManageMint Made Easy and her keynote speaking reach thousands of development professionals annually.


15. Sandy Rees

Sandy Rees helps small nonprofits build predictable, sustainable revenue through her Get Fully Funded platform. Her training programmes and coaching work focus on the practical fundamentals of fundraising culture, helping organisations where fundraising has felt intimidating or ineffective develop the confidence and skills to raise the money they need. Her approach is known for being accessible, encouraging, and genuinely results-oriented.


16. Rhea Wong

Rhea Wong is a nonprofit leadership and fundraising coach whose Nonprofit Lowdown podcast has become a go-to resource for executive directors and development professionals. Her direct, practical style and focus on the relational and leadership dimensions of fundraising have earned her a loyal following among nonprofit leaders navigating the challenges of building sustainable revenue programmes. She is particularly focused on helping executive directors become confident fundraisers.


Jonno White facilitates executive offsites and team workshops that help nonprofit leadership teams build the alignment and culture that makes sustainable fundraising possible. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to discuss your next leadership session.


4. Digital and Content-Driven Fundraising


The digital transformation of nonprofit fundraising has accelerated sharply over the past five years. The thought leaders in this category have been at the leading edge of understanding how digital channels, content strategy, and online community-building can extend fundraising reach and deepen donor relationships.


17. Julia Campbell

Julia Campbell is the founder of JC Social Marketing and one of the most widely followed experts in digital storytelling and social media strategy for nonprofits. Her books, including Storytelling in the Digital Age: A Guide for Nonprofits, and her Nonprofit Nation podcast have helped hundreds of thousands of nonprofit professionals use digital content more effectively. Her work consistently connects digital strategy to the relational fundamentals of donor engagement rather than treating technology as an end in itself.


18. Beth Kanter

Beth Kanter is an internationally recognised pioneer in digital transformation, co-author of The Networked Nonprofit, and a recipient of the NTEN Lifetime Achievement Award. Named one of the most influential women in technology by Fast Company, Beth has spent more than three decades helping nonprofits build digital capacity. Her more recent work on AI for nonprofits and staff wellbeing has kept her at the cutting edge of how digital change affects the entire sector workforce, not just the marketing team.


19. Jeremy Reis

Jeremy Reis is the president of Serving Orphans Worldwide and the author of Magnetic Nonprofit, The Post-Pandemic Nonprofit, and Raise More Money with Email. He posts daily insights about fundraising strategy, donor psychology, and digital marketing, drawing directly on his operational experience leading fundraising organisations. His content is consistently practical, data-informed, and applicable to organisations of all sizes.


20. Dana Snyder

Dana Snyder is the founder of Positive Equation, author of Monthly Giving Mastermind, and host of the Missions to Movements podcast. Her work focuses on helping nonprofits build sustainable monthly giving programmes using social media advertising and digital community-building. Dana is one of the most influential voices on recurring giving strategy in the sector, combining digital marketing expertise with a deep commitment to sustainable nonprofit revenue.


21. Kivi Leroux Miller

Kivi Leroux Miller founded the Nonprofit Marketing Guide and has spent years helping nonprofit communicators connect their content strategy to fundraising outcomes. Her training programmes and books focus on the intersection of storytelling, content planning, and donor engagement, helping communications and development teams work together more effectively to build the relationships that sustain organisations.


22. Derrick Feldmann

Derrick Feldmann is the researcher behind the Millennial Impact Project and one of the most rigorous thinkers on emerging donor trends in the nonprofit sector. His research into how younger generations engage with causes, give, and advocate has shaped how organisations think about generational fundraising strategy. His work helps nonprofits move beyond anecdotal assumptions about younger donors to evidence-based engagement approaches.


23. Andrew Olsen

Andrew Olsen is a direct response fundraising expert who focuses on multichannel campaigns, donor file health, and the science of fundraising response. His writing and LinkedIn content draw on decades of experience managing direct mail, digital, and integrated fundraising programmes for major nonprofits. He is known for applying data and testing discipline to fundraising decisions that many organisations make on instinct alone.


24. Mario Knobl

Mario Knobl has built a reputation for helping nonprofits turn LinkedIn itself into a fundraising engine, demonstrating how relationship-building on professional platforms can directly support development outcomes. His work is particularly relevant for organisations seeking to engage corporate donors, board prospects, and mid-level givers through digital relationship cultivation.


5. Donor Stewardship and Retention


Retaining donors is one of the most cost-effective things a nonprofit can do. Research consistently shows that acquiring a new donor costs five to ten times more than retaining an existing one, yet sector-wide donor retention rates have hovered around 40 to 45 percent for years. The thought leaders in this category have made stewardship and retention their central focus.


25. Claire Axelrad

Claire Axelrad runs Clairification, one of the most widely read fundraising blogs in the sector. Her background includes both legal expertise and decades of fundraising practice, giving her a distinctive ability to help organisations navigate the practical and strategic dimensions of donor stewardship. Her writing on donor-centred fundraising, mid-level giving, and the psychology of donor loyalty is consistently rigorous and immediately actionable.


26. Shanon Doolittle

Shanon Doolittle places donor appreciation at the centre of her fundraising philosophy, arguing that most organisations underinvest in gratitude and over-rely on the ask. Her practical frameworks for thank-you communications, stewardship touch points, and donor recognition help organisations build the loyalty that sustains long-term revenue. Her work is particularly valued by smaller organisations looking to compete through relationship quality rather than campaign volume.


27. Brieanna Quinn

Brieanna Quinn specialises in annual giving, donor stewardship, and retention strategy. Her LinkedIn content focuses on the systems and practices that help nonprofits reduce donor attrition and build upgrade pathways from annual to mid-level and major giving. Her practical approach to stewardship planning makes her work accessible to development teams with limited staff capacity.


28. T. Clay Buck

T. Clay Buck brings a data-driven lens to fundraising operations and a passionate commitment to ethical donor care. His work examines how organisations can use data responsibly to improve retention, build honest stewardship communications, and move away from manipulation-based fundraising toward relationships built on genuine transparency and respect.


6. Board Fundraising and Governance


Board members who understand and actively participate in fundraising are among the greatest multipliers available to nonprofit organisations. Building board fundraising culture, equipping board members with skills and confidence, and structuring governance to support development outcomes are the focus of the thought leaders in this category.


29. Joan Garry

Joan Garry is one of the most recognised voices on nonprofit leadership and board-executive director dynamics. Her Nonprofits Are Messy podcast and her coaching programmes for nonprofit executives and boards have helped thousands of leaders navigate the relationship challenges that so often undermine fundraising effectiveness. Her framework for board-staff partnership is foundational reading for any nonprofit leader building a fundraising culture from the top.


30. Kirsten Bullock

Kirsten Bullock specialises in board fundraising and development, helping boards move from passive observers to active fundraising participants. Her training programmes equip board members with the confidence, language, and practical tools they need to make meaningful contributions to development outcomes. Her work addresses the fear and reluctance that prevent many boards from embracing their fundraising responsibility.


31. Simone Joyaux

Simone Joyaux is an experienced nonprofit consultant who has specialised in board development, strategic planning, and governance for more than three decades. Her work has helped organisations across a wide range of sizes and sectors build boards that are genuinely engaged with mission, governance, and the fundraising culture required to sustain impact.


32. Alice Korngold

Alice Korngold is a board development and ESG strategist whose work connects nonprofit governance excellence with corporate leadership development. Her perspective on how boards function as strategic assets, not just compliance structures, offers nonprofit leaders a framework for building the kind of board that actively supports fundraising strategy.


7. Equity-Centred and Community-Centric Fundraising


One of the most important intellectual developments in nonprofit fundraising over the past decade has been the growing challenge to donor-centric models that, critics argue, perpetuate the very inequities nonprofits exist to address. The community-centric fundraising movement, and the broader equity critique of traditional philanthropy, have generated some of the most provocative and important thinking in the sector.


33. Vu Le

Vu Le is the creator of Nonprofit AF, a blog that brings a candid, humorous, and structurally rigorous perspective to nonprofit sector culture. His 2015 writings on the limitations of donor-centrism catalysed what became the community-centric fundraising movement, and his ongoing critique of funder culture, board dynamics, and sector norms has made him one of the most influential voices challenging the status quo in nonprofit practice. His perspective is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand where fundraising thinking is heading, regardless of whether you adopt his prescriptions wholesale.


34. Edgar Villanueva

Edgar Villanueva is the author of Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance and founder of the Decolonizing Wealth Project. His analysis of how philanthropic systems replicate colonial power dynamics has shaped conversations at foundations, nonprofits, and fundraising training programmes globally. His work challenges organisations to examine not just how they raise money but whose interests their fundraising structures ultimately serve.


35. Dan Pallotta

Dan Pallotta is the author of Uncharitable and the creator of one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, challenging the conventional wisdom that nonprofits should minimise overhead and limit investment in fundraising and infrastructure. His argument that the way society thinks about charity is fundamentally flawed, and that this limits the sector capacity to address major problems, has influenced funders, donors, and nonprofit leaders worldwide.


36. Kristal Frazier

Kristal Frazier is an advocate for faith-based giving and equity-centred fundraising, bringing perspectives that are often underrepresented in mainstream fundraising conversations. Her work addresses the intersection of faith, community, and philanthropy, helping organisations in faith contexts think more intentionally about donor engagement and sustainable development culture.


8. Annual Giving and Recurring Revenue


Annual fund management, direct mail, digital giving programmes, and recurring revenue development are the operational backbone of most nonprofit fundraising programmes. The thought leaders in this category have built deep expertise in the systems, messaging, and data practices that make annual giving programmes function effectively.


37. Mike Duerksen

Mike Duerksen focuses on direct mail, multichannel fundraising campaigns, and campaign testing strategies. His work helps organisations apply rigorous testing discipline to their annual giving programmes, moving beyond gut instinct to evidence-based decisions about copy, format, timing, and segmentation. His approach is particularly valuable for organisations managing significant direct response programmes.


38. Brady Josephson

Brady Josephson works at NextAfter, a fundraising research lab and consultancy that conducts original testing on digital fundraising practice. His research-driven approach to online fundraising optimisation helps organisations understand what actually works in digital donor acquisition and retention, rather than what the conventional wisdom suggests should work. His LinkedIn content regularly shares findings from NextAfter research.


39. Jim Shapiro

Jim Shapiro is the co-founder of The Better Fundraising Company and offers actionable insights on major donor strategy, direct response fundraising, and story-driven appeals. His work helps organisations understand the relationship between their case for support and their direct response results, connecting the narrative work of development to the operational outcomes of annual giving.


40. Andrew Olsen

Already featured in the digital fundraising section, Andrew Olsen deserves specific mention for his annual fund expertise. His direct response background gives him unusually practical insight into the mechanical operations of annual giving, including segmentation, file hygiene, channel integration, and the metrics that actually predict long-term donor value.


9. Planned Giving and Legacy Fundraising


Planned giving, bequest fundraising, and legacy programme development represent some of the highest-value and longest-horizon work in nonprofit development. The thought leaders in this area help organisations build the donor relationships and programme infrastructure that yield transformative gifts over time.


41. Lisa Sargent

Already highlighted for her communications expertise, Lisa Sargent deserves additional recognition for her specific work on legacy giving communications. Her understanding of how to approach conversations about bequest intentions, how to steward legacy society members, and how to acknowledge planned gifts in ways that honour the donor experience is among the most nuanced in the sector.


42. Katelyn Baughan

Katelyn Baughan is an email and digital fundraising strategist who has developed specific expertise in using digital channels to introduce and cultivate planned giving conversations. Her work on building legacy society communications through email and content helps organisations extend planned giving conversations beyond the traditional in-person model.


10. Nonprofit Consulting and Capacity Building


Beyond individual thought leaders who share knowledge publicly, there are consultants and consulting firms whose work with hundreds of organisations has produced genuine intellectual contributions to how the sector thinks about fundraising. The individuals and organisations in this category have shaped fundraising practice through direct client work as well as through publishing and speaking.


43. Jonno White, Consult Clarity

Jonno White is a Brisbane-based leadership consultant, keynote speaker, and Certified Working Genius Facilitator who works with nonprofits, schools, and corporate teams around the world through Consult Clarity (trading as Clarity Group Global). As bestselling author of Step Up or Step Out (10,000+ copies sold globally) and host of The Leadership Conversations Podcast (230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries), Jonno brings a distinctive lens to nonprofit team performance. His work with nonprofit leadership teams addresses the team health, communication, and culture dimensions that directly shape fundraising effectiveness, helping organisations build the internal alignment that makes sustainable fundraising possible. He is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and his DISC workshops help nonprofit teams understand the communication differences that so often undermine donor engagement efforts. At the ASBA 2025 National Conference, Jonno achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his keynote and workshops. International travel is often far more affordable than organisations expect.

To book Jonno White to facilitate your nonprofit leadership team, email jonno@consultclarity.org or visit consultclarity.org.


44. Aly Sterling

Aly Sterling leads Aly Sterling Philanthropy, a consultancy focused on helping nonprofits build stronger fundraising programmes through strategic planning, board development, and campaign consulting. Her approach emphasises the connection between organisational health and fundraising effectiveness, arguing that development programmes struggle when the underlying leadership and governance foundations are weak.


45. Dolph Goldenburg

Dolph Goldenburg is a consultant and author focused on nonprofit strategy, succession, and operational health. His work addresses the organisational conditions that enable fundraising programmes to thrive, including executive transitions, board renewal, and the cultural factors that either accelerate or undermine development outcomes.


46. Brooke Richie-Babbage

Brooke Richie-Babbage is the CEO of Bending Arc, a consulting firm focused on helping nonprofits build the resilient organisational infrastructure that enables sustainable fundraising growth. Her work addresses the systems, people, and culture dimensions of nonprofit capacity, recognising that fundraising results ultimately reflect organisational health.


11. Philanthropy, Strategy, and Big-Picture Thinking


Some of the most valuable voices in nonprofit fundraising are those who zoom out, examining the sector from a systemic perspective and asking the hard questions about where philanthropy is heading, how power flows through the giving system, and what a more effective and equitable philanthropic future might look like.


47. Phil Buchanan

Phil Buchanan is the president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP) and one of the most rigorous researchers on funder and grantee dynamics in the sector. His work examines what high-performing philanthropic relationships look like from both sides of the funding relationship, and his data-driven perspective on how foundations can better support nonprofits makes him essential reading for development directors navigating complex funder relationships.


48. Allison Fine

Allison Fine is a futurist and author who has been writing about the intersection of technology, AI, and philanthropy for more than two decades. Her work, including co-authoring The Networked Nonprofit with Beth Kanter, examines how digital networks and artificial intelligence are reshaping what is possible in nonprofit fundraising and community building. She is one of the most analytically clear voices on the AI transformation of the sector.


49. Woodrow Rosenbaum

Woodrow Rosenbaum serves as Chief Data Officer at GivingTuesday and shares global giving data trends, real-time donor behaviour insights, and strategies for measuring generosity at scale. His access to the largest dataset on giving behaviour in the sector makes him one of the most data-informed voices on what is actually happening in philanthropy, as opposed to what practitioners believe is happening.


50. Marc Gunther

Marc Gunther is a journalist and analyst covering philanthropy and impact accountability. His critical examination of nonprofit effectiveness, philanthropic strategy, and the honest assessment of impact claims provides a counterweight to the promotional narratives that dominate much sector communication. His work helps fundraisers and nonprofit leaders think more rigorously about what they can honestly claim about their work.


51. Denver Frederick

Denver Frederick is the host of The Business of Giving, a podcast that bridges philanthropy and leadership. His interviews with philanthropic leaders, nonprofit executives, and sector innovators provide a consistent window into how the most effective organisations in the sector think about strategy, impact, and sustainability. His perspective connects nonprofit fundraising to the broader landscape of social change.


12. Podcast Hosts and Content Builders


Podcasts have become one of the most important knowledge-sharing platforms in the nonprofit sector. The hosts and producers in this category have built large, loyal audiences by consistently delivering practical and insightful content for development professionals and nonprofit leaders.


52. Tony Martignetti

Tony Martignetti is the host of Nonprofit Radio, one of the longest-running and most consistently valuable podcasts in the nonprofit sector. His weekly interviews cover fundraising strategy, communications, technology, and leadership with a depth and consistency that has made Nonprofit Radio a standard resource for development professionals across the sector.


53. Becky Endicott

Becky Endicott is the co-founder and Chief Storyteller of We Are For Good, whose podcast has grown into one of the most vibrant and optimistic spaces for nonprofit fundraising conversation. Her focus on storytelling, community, and the joy of doing good work in the sector has attracted a loyal audience of development professionals who value both practical content and genuine encouragement.


54. Jon McCoy

Jon McCoy is the co-founder of We Are For Good and co-host of one of the fastest-growing nonprofit podcasts in the sector. His partnership with Becky Endicott has built a community of practice around the We Are For Good platform that extends well beyond the podcast itself, into events, resources, and peer learning networks.


13. Emerging and Specialist Voices


The richness of the nonprofit fundraising thought leadership landscape comes not just from its established voices but from the practitioners, researchers, and community builders who bring specific expertise, diverse perspectives, and fresh frameworks to ongoing conversations. The thought leaders in this category deserve wider audiences.


55. Haley Cooper, CFRE

Haley Cooper is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and founder of The Savvy Fundraiser. Her work helps development professionals build the confidence, strategy, and practical skills to raise more money for the causes they care about. Her coaching approach is both technically grounded and genuinely encouraging, making her a valued voice for fundraisers at all career stages.


56. Sara Hoshooley, CFRE

Sara Hoshooley is the founder of Charity Shift and a Certified Fund Raising Executive based in Canada. Her work focuses on helping nonprofits build ethical, sustainable fundraising programmes that genuinely serve their communities. Her perspective as a Canadian practitioner adds geographic diversity to a conversation that is sometimes dominated by US voices.


57. Mariah Monique

Mariah Monique is the founder of The Sponsorship Catalyst, specialising in corporate sponsorship fundraising for nonprofits. Her work fills an important gap in the thought leadership landscape, helping organisations develop corporate partnership strategies that go beyond transactional sponsorships toward genuine strategic relationships that serve both parties.


58. Meena Das

Meena Das is the CEO of NamasteData.org and a specialist in data equity and ethical data practice for nonprofits. Her work addresses how organisations collect, use, and report data in ways that either reinforce or challenge existing inequities. As fundraising analytics become increasingly central to development strategy, her perspective on ethical data practice becomes increasingly important.


59. Tania Bhattacharyya

Tania Bhattacharyya is the founder of Lumos Marketing and a specialist in thought leadership and content strategy for nonprofit leaders. Her work helps nonprofit executives build the personal brand and content presence that amplifies their fundraising effectiveness, connecting the dots between thought leadership, relationship cultivation, and development outcomes.


60. Rachel Bearbower

Rachel Bearbower is the CEO of Nonprofit Automation Agency, helping nonprofits build the systems and processes that free up staff time for the relationship work that drives fundraising results. Her focus on operational efficiency through automation addresses one of the most persistent constraints on development effectiveness in resource-limited organisations.


61. Sabrina Walker-Hernandez

Sabrina Walker-Hernandez is a certified consultant, coach, and bestselling author who focuses on helping nonprofit leaders, particularly leaders of colour, build their organisations and fundraising programmes with confidence. Her coaching practice addresses the unique challenges facing executive directors who are navigating both organisational development and fundraising leadership simultaneously.


62. Natalia Sanyal

Natalia Sanyal is a conversion copywriter for human-first brands who brings an ethical marketing lens to nonprofit communications. Her work rejects manipulative fundraising tactics and advocates for copy that maintains donor dignity while also driving response. Her perspective is a valuable counterpoint to direct response traditions that sometimes prioritise short-term results over long-term donor relationships.


63. Veronica LaFemina

Veronica LaFemina is the founder and CEO of LaFemina and Co, a consultancy focused on helping nonprofits build their fundraising and communications capacity. Her work emphasises the connection between strong internal culture and effective external fundraising, recognising that the stories organisations tell publicly reflect the values they live internally.


64. Valerie Leonard

Valerie Leonard focuses on community engagement and capacity building, particularly for grassroots and community-led organisations. Her work addresses the specific fundraising challenges facing smaller, community-centred nonprofits and offers frameworks that are grounded in the realities of organisations working with limited resources.


65. Katie Appold

Katie Appold is the executive director of Do More Good, a branding and communications consultancy for nonprofits. Her work on nonprofit brand strategy and communications effectiveness connects directly to fundraising outcomes, recognising that how organisations present themselves to donors shapes how those donors think about giving.


66. Amy DeVita

Amy DeVita curates and leads at TopNonprofits, a platform that surfaces and celebrates effective nonprofit practice. Her curatorial work has made her a connector in the sector, pointing development professionals toward the resources, organisations, and voices that are doing the most interesting and effective work.


67. John Kenyon

John Kenyon is a veteran in nonprofit digital strategy and training whose work has helped organisations build the digital infrastructure to support modern fundraising programmes. His long view on how technology adoption has changed nonprofit communications and fundraising makes him a valuable historical perspective on where the sector has been and where it is heading.


68. Phil Buchanan

Already featured in the big-picture section, Phil Buchanan also deserves mention here for his specific research on what makes fundraising relationships between funders and nonprofits function effectively. His data on funder behaviour and nonprofit experience of grantmaking is uniquely valuable for development directors navigating complex institutional funding relationships.


69. Martice Sutton

Martice Sutton is the founder and executive director of Girls Going Global, and a speaker and consultant focused on the intersection of nonprofit leadership, youth development, and fundraising. Her practitioner perspective, rooted in running an organisation rather than advising from the outside, gives her insights a grounded quality that resonates with executive directors managing real operational constraints.


70. Neetal Parekh

Neetal Parekh is the founder of Innov8Social and a voice that bridges social entrepreneurship and nonprofit fundraising. Her work examines how nonprofit organisations can learn from social enterprise approaches to revenue diversification and sustainability, offering perspectives that help development professionals think beyond traditional philanthropic models.


71. David King

David King serves as director at the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving, bringing a research and theological perspective to questions about the motivations for generosity and the role of faith communities in philanthropy. His work is particularly valuable for development professionals in faith-based organisations or those seeking to engage faith communities as donors.


72. Anne Ackerson

Anne Ackerson is a nonprofit governance and leadership development expert whose work addresses how board structures and board culture affect fundraising effectiveness. Her perspective on governance as a fundraising enabler, rather than simply a compliance requirement, offers boards and executives a framework for using governance as a strategic asset.


73. Mitch Stein

Mitch Stein is a nonprofit technology leader and advisor who shares insights on digital innovation, giving trends, and impact measurement. His technology-informed perspective helps development professionals understand how the tools available to fundraisers are changing the possibilities for donor engagement, data use, and programme management.


74. Tara Roth

Tara Roth is the president of the Goldhirsh Foundation and a former COO of GOOD who led the Pepsi Refresh Project, one of the largest corporate-nonprofit giving programmes in history. Her experience on both sides of the philanthropic relationship, as a funder and as a nonprofit operator, gives her a distinctive perspective on how effective fundraising relationships are built and sustained.


75. Kevin Barenblat

Kevin Barenblat is the co-founder of Fast Forward, which accelerates technology nonprofits using the tools of tech startup investment. His work sits at the intersection of venture capital methodology and nonprofit fundraising, helping technology-focused nonprofits build the revenue models and donor relationships that support sustainable impact at scale.


Common Mistakes Nonprofit Leaders Make When Seeking Fundraising Guidance


Following a large number of thought leaders without depth. Many development professionals collect thought leadership content the way others collect books: acquiring more than they read. The most effective approach is to identify three to five voices whose frameworks resonate deeply and engage with their work thoroughly, reading the books, listening to the full episodes, and attempting to implement the ideas before moving on.


Treating digital content as a substitute for relational fundraising. Social media content from thought leaders often presents compelling ideas in compressed form. The ideas that seem obvious in a 300-word LinkedIn post frequently require months of disciplined implementation to actually work. Be realistic about the gap between insight and execution.


Choosing thought leaders based on follower count rather than content quality. Some of the most practically valuable voices in this list have modest social media followings compared to their intellectual contribution. Follower counts reflect marketing investment and platform timing as much as they reflect genuine expertise.


Ignoring equity-centred perspectives because they feel challenging. The community-centric fundraising conversation, and the broader equity critique of traditional philanthropy, can feel uncomfortable for organisations built on donor-centric models. But the thought leaders driving this conversation are raising genuinely important questions about whose interests fundraising structures serve and whether traditional approaches are limiting organisational effectiveness, not just challenging orthodoxy for its own sake.


Applying frameworks designed for large organisations to small ones without adaptation. Many of the most prominent thought leaders in this guide work primarily with large, well-resourced nonprofits. Their frameworks are often valuable but need translation for organisations with one or two development staff, limited databases, and boards that have never led a capital campaign. Voices like Sandy Rees and Cindy Wagman are specifically valuable for smaller organisations because their frameworks are designed for the constraints those organisations actually face.


Neglecting the leadership and culture dimensions of fundraising. Development programmes do not exist in isolation from the organisations that house them. Board dysfunction, executive director burnout, and poor team communication undermine fundraising outcomes regardless of how sophisticated the strategy is. Jonno White works with nonprofit leadership teams specifically on the team health and communication dimensions that make sustainable fundraising possible. International travel is often far more affordable than organisations expect. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to discuss your team.


Building Your Nonprofit Fundraising Thought Leadership Practice


Start with the domain most relevant to your current challenge. If your organisation is struggling with major gift cultivation, prioritise the voices in that section. If you are building board fundraising culture, focus there first. Attempting to absorb all 75 perspectives at once will dilute your attention without delivering practical results.


Follow each thought leader on LinkedIn before committing to their books or courses. LinkedIn activity gives you a reliable indicator of how current their thinking is and whether their communication style resonates with how you process information. The thought leaders who engage actively in comments sections, who respond to questions, and who share the work of others are often the most intellectually generous and practically useful.


Invest in at least one book per quarter from the leaders in this guide. The depth of engagement matters far more than the volume of content consumed. Books force thinking in ways that social media posts cannot, and the frameworks that change how organisations fundraise typically require sustained engagement rather than surface-level exposure.


Bring the team into the conversation. Sharing a podcast episode in a team meeting, discussing a blog post in a development committee session, or booking a speaker for your next staff day extends the value of thought leadership beyond individual development staff to the broader team culture. The most effective fundraising organisations are those where fundraising is understood and embraced across the leadership, not delegated entirely to development staff.


Consider facilitated team development as a complement to individual thought leadership consumption. Reading and listening are valuable, but they rarely produce the kinds of behavioural change that come from facilitated team experiences. Jonno White facilitates workshops, executive offsites, and keynote sessions that help nonprofit leadership teams apply frameworks to their specific situations. To bring Jonno to your team, email jonno@consultclarity.org.


For more on the leadership foundations that make fundraising culture possible, read my post on the 17 Top Leadership Consultants for Nonprofits at consultclarity.org, or explore the 50 Best Thought Leaders on Leadership in Nonprofits at consultclarity.org.


Frequently Asked Questions


Who are the best thought leaders in nonprofit fundraising?

The most consistently influential voices in nonprofit fundraising include Gail Perry for major gifts, Tom Ahern for donor communications, Mallory Erickson for fundraising mindset, Julia Campbell for digital strategy, Vu Le for equity-centred approaches, Marc Pitman for fundraising leadership, and Jeff Schreifels for mid-level and major gifts management. The best voices for your organisation depend on your most pressing development challenges.


What is community-centric fundraising and who pioneered it?

Community-centric fundraising (CCF) is a model grounded in equity and social justice that prioritises the community over individual organisations and donors. It was catalysed by Vu Le through his blog Nonprofit AF starting in 2015. The 10 Principles of Community-Centric Fundraising emerged from subsequent conversations among fundraisers of colour, many of whom were frustrated with donor-centric models they felt perpetuated inequity.


Can I hire someone to help build our nonprofit fundraising culture?

Yes. Leadership consultants and facilitators who specialise in nonprofit team dynamics can help your organisation build the internal culture that makes sustainable fundraising possible. Jonno White, Certified Working Genius Facilitator and bestselling author of Step Up or Step Out, works with nonprofit leadership teams on the team health and communication foundations that directly affect fundraising outcomes. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to discuss your organisation.


What podcasts should nonprofit fundraising professionals follow?

The most consistently valuable nonprofit fundraising podcasts include Nonprofit Radio with Tony Martignetti, What the Fundraising with Mallory Erickson, We Are For Good with Becky Endicott and Jon McCoy, Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell, Nonprofit Lowdown with Rhea Wong, and The Business of Giving with Denver Frederick. Each covers different dimensions of fundraising practice and nonprofit leadership.


How do small nonprofits find fundraising thought leadership relevant to their size?

Sandy Rees at Get Fully Funded, Cindy Wagman and the Fractional Fundraiser Movement, and Marc Pitman all provide content specifically designed for the constraints of smaller organisations. Community-centric fundraising voices also tend to be particularly relevant for grassroots and community-based nonprofits. Seek out practitioners whose client base includes organisations similar to yours in scale and mission.


What is the difference between a fundraising thought leader and a fundraising consultant?

Thought leaders shape how the sector thinks through books, podcasts, research, and public writing. Fundraising consultants provide direct advisory services to specific organisations. Many of the people in this guide are both: they share ideas publicly while also working directly with clients. When seeking practical support for your organisation, look for consultants who are also active thought contributors to the field, as their client work tends to reflect current thinking.


How do I evaluate whether a fundraising thought leader is trustworthy?

Look for specificity over generality in their claims, willingness to acknowledge what does not work alongside what does, transparency about their own experience and credentials, and evidence that their frameworks have produced measurable results for real organisations. Be cautious of voices who only share success stories, make promises about guaranteed outcomes, or present complex problems as having simple solutions.


Final Thoughts


The 75 thought leaders in this guide represent an extraordinary collective resource for nonprofit fundraising professionals and leaders. They span every dimension of development practice, from the technical operations of annual giving to the philosophical foundations of equitable philanthropy. Across all their differences, the most effective voices share a commitment to honest, rigorous engagement with what actually works, and a generosity in sharing what they have learned.


The most important thing you can do with this guide is act on it. Identify two or three voices you have not yet engaged with deeply. Read one of their books. Listen to a full episode. Follow them on LinkedIn and engage with their content genuinely. The thought leaders who change how you fundraise are the ones you engage with seriously, not the ones you follow passively.


If the leadership and team culture dimensions of your fundraising programme need attention, Jonno White works with nonprofit leadership teams on the Working Genius, DISC, and StrengthsFinder frameworks that help teams understand how to work together more effectively. His book Step Up or Step Out is also directly relevant for nonprofit leaders navigating the difficult conversations that development work inevitably generates. You can find it on Amazon at amazon.com.au.


To bring Jonno White to your nonprofit for a keynote, workshop, or leadership team offsite, email jonno@consultclarity.org. International travel is often far more affordable than organisations expect.


For more resources on nonprofit leadership and team effectiveness, explore the 50 Best Thought Leaders on Leadership in Nonprofits and the 17 Top Leadership Consultants for Nonprofits at consultclarity.org.


About the Author


Jonno White is a Certified Working Genius Facilitator, bestselling author, and leadership consultant who has worked with schools, corporates, and nonprofits across the UK, India, Australia, Canada, Mongolia, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, USA, Finland, Namibia, and more. His book Step Up or Step Out has sold over 10,000 copies globally, and his podcast The Leadership Conversations has featured 230+ episodes reaching listeners in 150+ countries. Jonno founded The 7 Questions Movement with 6,000+ participating leaders and achieved a 93.75% satisfaction rating for his Working Genius masterclass at the ASBA 2025 National Conference. Based in Brisbane, Australia, Jonno works globally and regularly travels for speaking and facilitation engagements. Organisations consistently find that international travel is far more affordable than expected.


To book Jonno for your next keynote, workshop, or facilitation session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.


Next Read: 50 Best Thought Leaders on Leadership in Nonprofits


If you found this guide to fundraising thought leaders valuable, the natural next step is to explore the broader landscape of nonprofit leadership thinking. Nonprofit leadership is one of the most demanding forms of leadership on the planet. You are managing a board, running programmes, keeping funders satisfied, developing staff, and doing it all with fewer resources than your corporate peers could imagine. The decisions you make affect real people in real communities, often with very little margin for error.


That is why the voices you listen to matter. The thought leaders who shape how you think about your role, your team, your board, and your mission can make the difference between a leadership team that is stuck in survival mode and one that is genuinely thriving.


 
 
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