Soraya Alexander - Unlocking the World's Generosity

Soraya Alexander is the Chief Operating Officer of GoFundMe and as the President of Classy, a GoFundMe subsidiary. Through her work, Alexander supports thousands of nonprofits and hundreds of thousands of people to unlock the world's generosity. GoFundMe is on a mission to help people help each other. Through innovative technology, Classy helps nonprofits raise more so they can do more good in the world. Together, the two organizations help billions of dollars per year get raised for social and environmental good.  In this interview, we discuss the challenges charities face in engaging their supporters, generational shifts in donor expectations, effective fundraising techniques, community building, and the psychological barriers to making donation requests. Soraya shares how GoFundMe and Classy are tackling these challenges and how we, as people who care about charities, can take a more active role in supporting them.   On a final note, I'm happy to share that Charity Miles is developing a partnership with Classy and GoFundMe to help bring some of these ideas to life, and to better help our members support the charities they love. We're grateful for the opportunity to make an impact with Classy and GoFundMe. And we're grateful to Soraya for sharing so much with us in this interview. #EveryMileMatters! --- Here are some time stamps: 04:29 The Power of Individual Donors 08:21 Generational Shifts in Philanthropy 10:19 Engaging Donors Beyond Donations 13:12 Building Community and Connection 14:09 Innovations in Fundraising Technology 21:43 Charity as a Way of Life 24:49 Community Support and Long-Term Stewardship 25:05 Connecting Immediate and Structural Change 26:09 The Power of Donor Engagement 28:02 Building True Community vs. Marketing Segments 32:29 Empowering Supporters and Relinquishing Control 34:15 Successful Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Tips 36:57 The Psychology of Asking for Donations 41:13 The Importance of Consistency in Fundraising 45:04 Call to Action for Nonprofit Supporters 47:00 Conclusion