
333: Arc Before Ask: A Physician's Study of Sustainable Giving with Dr. Sanjay Bindra, MD
What would happen if a nonprofit stopped asking for an entire year? No GivingTuesday, no year-end push, no urgent emails. Dr. Sanjay Bindra, MD, a cardiac electrophysiologist and the co-founder and president of GOSUMEC Foundation USA, actually ran that experiment. In this episode, Sanjay shares what he learned from the GIVE Study, a year-long, real-time look at whether a small, volunteer-run nonprofit with no paid staff could build sustainable recurring giving through relationships. He walks through his GIVE framework (Gratitude, Impact, Voice and Engagement), why he sees the first gift as the entry point to a relationship rather than the win, and why he believes recurring giving is an identity shift, not a payment plan. Mallory and Sanjay also talk about the difference between the quick spark of a giver's high and the slower work of belonging, why small nonprofits have a built-in advantage when it comes to relationships, and what it means to work on the conditions around a donor instead of working on the donor. If you lead a small shop, or you're tired of starting over at zero every January, this conversation offers a different way to think about retention, and a lot more permission to build slowly. In this episode, you will learn how to: — See why fewer than 1 in 5 first-time donors give again, and treat the first gift as an open door instead of the finish line. — Think of recurring giving as an identity shift, not a payment plan, so your monthly giving invitations build belonging instead of pressure. — Use the GIVE framework to plan what you give your donors before you ask them for anything. — Make your small size an advantage, because you’re close enough to your community that donors can see the impact for themselves. — Build a strong identity around your cause, the way faith communities do, so the right people see themselves in your mission. — Replace year-end intensity with year-round consistency, so you aren’t starting over at zero every January. — Shape the conditions around your donors instead of pushing on the donors themselves. Support for this show is brought to you by Bay Business Group. Our friends at Bay Business Group really understand nonprofit accounting and financial management on so many levels. Focus on your mission while gaining complete clarity and confidence over your organization's finances. Partner with an employee-owned team built solely to support you, handling everything from bookkeeping and payroll to budgeting and fractional CFO guidance. Learn more at bay-biz.com/mallory. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.


















