Missions to Movements

Shilpa Alva is on a mission to fix one of the world’s most fundamental problems: the fact that hundreds of millions of people don’t have access to safe, clean water.
Surge for Water is a women-led nonprofit that went from a nights-and-weekends passion project into a global organization delivering clean water, sanitation, hygiene, and women’s health solutions. And after operating across 12 countries and reaching hundreds of thousands of people, Shilpa shares why the organization has shifted its focus from chasing the biggest numbers to demonstrating deeper, community-owned impact.
We talk about the business principles Shilpa carried from chemical engineering and corporate leadership into the nonprofit sector, why her board encouraged her to become a more visible speaker and advocate, how media appearances build credibility even when the ROI is difficult to isolate, and why nonprofit leaders should begin telling their stories long before they feel fully ready.
Resources & Links
Connect with Shilpa on LinkedIn and learn more about Surge for Water on their website.
This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.
With the Monthly Giving Builder, you can generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 
Let's Connect!
Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!

Most nonprofits start with the tools. The better question is, what’s the scalable opportunity technology can solve so your team can stay focused on the human interactions that matter most?
With 1 in 2 people impacted by cancer in their lifetime, Mike Osborne and his team at Cancer Council Victoria are applying that thinking to one of their biggest pressure points: freeing up counselors from digging through systems so they can stay present and support more people in less time.
Mike also reveals research-backed hot takes on AI-generated search summaries, and why teens are more likely to open up to a chatbot than talk to an adult.
Resources & Links
Connect with Mike on LinkedIn and learn more about Cancer Council Victoria on their website.
This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.
With the Monthly Giving Builder, you can generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 
Let's Connect!
Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!

Way too much of our human capacity is spent on tasks that DON’T require human empathy. That’s how Tim Bachta from Children International is thinking about growth as his team works to expand from 220,000 to 275,000 children served.
Tim shares how his team is using Microsoft Copilot to eliminate the manual work that’s been slowing them down (like letter translation processes that once took months, to systems running in DAYS!) so their staff can focus on building relationships and supporting families.
This episode is a powerful look at what happens when you stop asking, “how can we use AI?!” and start asking where your team’s time is being wasted and who your champions are to help drive change.
Resources & Links
Connect with Tim on LinkedIn and learn more about Children International on their website.
This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.
With the Monthly Giving Builder, you can generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 
Let's Connect!
Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!

What does the latest recurring giving data actually tell us? In this special State of Recurring Giving episode, three leaders from CharityEngine, GivingTuesday Data Commons, and World Central Kitchen are joining me to unpack the latest recurring giving benchmarks AND one of the most compelling monthly giving case studies of the year.
Together, we're exploring the trends shaping recurring giving today, why monthly donors generate nearly 3x the annual value of one-time donors, and how World Central Kitchen turned 2,800 new monthly donors into an estimated $6 million in lifetime value with their Kitchen Core monthly giving program.
Resources & Links
A special thank you to CharityEngine for making this quarter's State of Recurring Giving webinar possible.
This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.
With the Monthly Giving Builder, you can generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 
Let's Connect!
Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!

Did you know 92% of donors say giving is part of who they are? And that 94% say they're MORE motivated to give when they know exactly where their money will go?
Today I'm doing one of my favorite things – diving into the data and research from Bloomerang's 2026 Giving Signals Report, and sharing the major opportunity gaps every nonprofit should be paying attention to. Generosity isn't disappearing, but it's becoming much more intentional!
This episode is packed with several high-impact changes that can help you remove friction, strengthen donor relationships, and increase giving.
Resources & Links
Check out Bloomerang’s latest research in their 2026 Giving Signals Report.
This episode is presented by The Monthly Giving Builder.
With the Monthly Giving Builder, you can generate your comprehensive monthly giving plan and build your program step by step - with a guided companion working alongside you from start to finish. 
Let's Connect!
Send a DM on Instagram or LinkedIn and let us know what you think of the show!
My book, The Monthly Giving Mastermind, is here! Grab a copy here and learn my framework to build, grow, and sustain subscriptions for good.
Want to book Dana as a speaker for your event? Click here!