What Political Campaigns Know That Nonprofits Don't

Mike Nellis has raised over $1 billion for progressive campaigns and causes. As the founder of Authentic and former Senior Advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris, he's seen what work — and what doesn't — in digital fundraising. In this conversation, we explore what nonprofits can learn from campaign strategy, the dangers of volume-driven marketing, and why authenticity might be the only sustainable advantage left.Notable Quotes"The biggest thing that moves the needle is volume. It matters a lot more how many times you're posting than the quality of the content." — Mike Nellis [6:25]"Running an ethical and effective fundraising program that's rooted in storytelling can raise you a lot more money than the churn and burn stuff. If you build it over time, you raise more money." — Mike Nellis [5:46]"I can't stop Donald Trump from being the tyrant that he is. But a lot of times people ignore their physical and mental health, ignore their family, ignore their community when they could strengthen all those relationships. You want to make the world a better place? You start bottom up." — Mike Nellis [30:57]Timestamps:[00:00] Introduction[02:12] Political vs. nonprofit fundraising: What's different?[05:02] Building meaningful relationships over churn and burn[06:25] Volume matters more than quality in the attention economy[09:06] The culture problem: Why nonprofits move too slowly[10:38] Bulk buy acquisition: An ethical dilemma with no solution[11:15] Is there a breaking point coming for digital culture?[13:59] The impersonation problem and bad faith actors[14:49] Why the digital cliff won't come[16:44] Building a million-person audience with a team of one[17:21] Joe Rogan's content ecosystem and the clip economy[18:34] "I'm the same asshole in every room": On authenticity[20:22] The Russian nesting doll theory of content[21:57] Mid-roll: About Cosmic[22:53] Why nonprofit leaders need to communicate like humans[23:59] The distrust of intellectuals and academia[25:14] Simple messaging wins: Build the wall vs. the blah blah blah act[27:37] How social change actually happens[30:24] The concentric circles model: Self, family, community, world[31:30] Why local action matters more than national outrage[33:04] Raising good men in a world of bad role models[34:39] Andrew Tate and the young men crisis[36:06] School shootings and focusing on what you can control[36:43] Choosing to be a joyful warrior[37:25] Why the Democratic Party can't become the party of grievances[38:54] Where to find MikeP.S. — Feeling a disconnect between your mission and your brand? Cosmic helps social impact leaders build trust through story-rich brands, compelling campaigns, and values-aligned strategy. Let’s talk about how to elevate your impact: https://designbycosmic.com/Listeners, now you can text us your comments or questions by clicking this link.*** If you liked this episode, please help spread the word. Share with your friends or co-workers, post it to social media, “follow” or “subscribe” in your podcast app, or write a review on Apple Podcasts. We could not do this without you! We love hearing feedback from our community, so please email us with your questions or comments — including topics you’d like us to cover in future episodes — at [email protected] Thank you for all that you do for your cause and for being part of the movement to move humanity and the planet forward.

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