EP 82: Building Diversified Donor Portfolios with Audrey Cooper

In this episode of The Responsive Lab, Carly and Scott sit down with Audrey Cooper, Associate Director of Philanthropy at Evidence Action. Audrey brings 10 years of nonprofit development experience across social services and international development, and has helped Evidence Action scale from its 2013 founding to raising over $60 million annually. You'll hear about:Why donor portfolio concentration becomes dangerous and what the moment of recognition usually looks likeHow to make strategic first moves when diversifying revenue streams without spreading your team too thinBuilding the case for unrestricted giving in ways that build trust rather than create donor hesitationEvidence Action's four-category framework for deploying unrestricted donor investmentsWhy data and story are mutually reinforcing rather than competing approaches to donor communicationThe power of "fundraising sprints" to focus on just a few priorities and follow them through completelyHow boldness in sharing impact creates collaborative donor relationships that feel more like partnershipsLinks from the episode:* Connect with Audrey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/audreymcooper/* Learn more about Evidence Action: https://www.evidenceaction.org/Looking for technology that helps you build deeper donor relationships with less work from your team? Learn more at virtuous.org.