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Brady Josephson

Brady is the Managing Director of the NextAfter Institute for Online Fundraising where he performs original research, develops resources, and provides training to help organizations raise more money online to fund their life-changing work. 

A charity nerd, adjunct professor, and international speaker, his thoughts have been featured in The Huffington Post, NPR, and The Chronicle of Philanthropy among others. Brady is a frequent speaker and presenter at conferences in Canada, the US, and Europe including the Nonprofit Technology Conference, AFP Congress, RaiseNow Inspire, BBCON, and more. He is also a host of The Generosity Freakshow — a podcast discussing how we can improve, optimize, and grow giving.

Before coming to NextAfter, Brady worked for the company he started, The Josephson Group, which founded Shift, a digital agency, and Nonprofit Supply Co., a Google Ad Grant advertising service. Brady has also spent time in the technology space and also served as Director of Development for a startup nonprofit in the US, National Marketing Director for an international development charity in Canada, and Adjunct Professor at North Park University’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management in Chicago.

Brady lives just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his wife Liz, son Hendrix, dog Melly, and cat Thor. You can follow him on Twitter @bradyjosephson. 

APPROACH TO  FUNDRAISING

BRADY'S THOUGHTS, WRITING, AND IDEAS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN...

APPROACH TO SPEAKING

ORGANIZATIONS AND CONFERENCES BRADY HAS PRESENTED TO...

CONTACT BRADY TO SPEAK AT YOUR EVENT

Charity Nerd. Digital Marketer. Adjunct Professor. Fundraising Writer. International Speaker. Podcast Host.

BACKGROUND

While there’s a lot that could be said about the ins and outs of growing an email file, acquiring new donors, crafting a value proposition, donation form design, etc – everything boils down to three key metrics:

Web Traffic – the amount of people coming to your website.   

Conversion Rate – the amount of your traffic that donates.   

Average Gift – how much your donors are giving.   

These three metrics are so important because they each have a direct influence on revenue. When one metric increases, even if the other two stay the same, revenue is going to increase. And if you can increase 2 (or all 3) of these metrics, your revenue will grow exponentially.   

But identifying the metrics is only a starting point. We need a methodology by which to grow each of those three components.   

That’s where optimization comes in. Online fundraising affords us the opportunity to test and prove (or disprove) our fundraising intuition at a much faster rate than traditional channels. While many organizations argue and bicker about what the right strategy is in a board room, we can have data-driven and statistically proven answers to our fundraising questions often in a matter of days.   

By continuously asking questions, testing, and learning – we can systematically grow our fundraising, our organizations, and our impact in order to increase generosity and achieve more good.

Speaking, teaching and training is incredibly important to me because of my experience hearing speakers, teachers, and trainers.

I 'accidentally' went to grad school (long story) and studied Nonprofit Administration with a focus in fundraising but after learning at a high level from some of the best and brightest I found that much of what I'd learned did not apply to my actual job and career. I was working for a startup nonprofit with little staff, budget, or resources. So knowing how to plan a two-year capital campaign or how to write a great a direct letter weren't the most pressing issues. And there was little to no training in digital which was 90% of my work and focus.

As my career went on I listened to more 'experts' share their ideas and viewpoints but there wasn't a lot of evidence as to why their ideas would work and again there seemed like a disconnect between what I was needing and wanting and what I was getting.

So I try to speak from that standpoint and experience that almost everyone in the nonprofit space — even those with the highest training — have gaps in what they know and are being asked to do. And keeping the focus on the main things and not getting too bogged down in the minutia that can distract is a big focus of every talk, presentation, or training session.

I try to use humour because I'm really not that smart and making people laugh helps mask that... but also because people don't want to just sit and listen for an hour or 45 minutes, they want to be engaged and have fun. 

I also use a lot of research and data to back up what it is I have to say because the world doesn't need another person who really believes in what they are saying. We need more people who know why they believe in what they are saying and how it can apply to people's work and life.  

Between speaking at events, working on research projects, building partnerships, and walking his Bernese Mountain Dog, Melly, Brady has a pretty busy calendar but he'd love to make it out to your next event and share some of what he's learned about fundraising, philanthropy, and, well, life.

You can get in touch with Brady by filling out the form below.
Just tell him who you are and a little about your event, and he'll be sure to get back to you as soon as he possibly can.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you available as a keynote speaker for my upcoming conference?
Yes! Well as long as I'm free and a good fit for you and your conference but I'd certainly love to discuss. My talks can be 30, 45, or 60 minutes and I love having some question and answer time as well. 

Do you do any hands-on training and workshops?
Yes. I've done workshops and sessions on donation pages, email fundraising, recurring giving, and online fundraising overall. We also have full one, two, and three day workshop options depending on what you're looking for that may be a better fit.

What about webinars, podcasts, and interviews? Do you do those?
Heck yes! I love podcasts — listen to them all the time and have started a few and been on a few — and do a lot of webinars throughout the year. Would love to discuss as well.

What do you mean by 'accidentally' went to grad school?
Well, I was a Canadian going to school in the United States and playing baseball before blowing out my arm and needing surgery. We thought all the doctor visits and costs were covered by insurance but it turned out it wasn't... unless I was a full-time student. So it was cheaper for me to go to grad school than pay the medical bills and that's why I went to grad school when I did. I always wanted to go but the time, school, and even program weren't necessarily what I'd have chosen. But when life gives you lemons... or in my case a torn rotator cuff...

 SPEAKING SESSIONS

WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID...

Pull the Goalie - Why a New Approach is Needed to Grow Generosity

Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit 2019

The State of Nonprofit Recurring Giving

Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit 2018