This week, I was blessed to give the first two of seven talks I’ll be giving over the next five weeks. My heart is full. 🥹

The first was an opening keynote and innovation workshop for a group of digital nonprofit marketers hosted by Five Q and sponsored by Meta. As a bonus, we got to try the newest Meta Quest 3 VR headsets and my favorite, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses.

I was so frustrated.

We were playing against one of the worst teams in our league. To this day, I don’t even remember the name of the school, they were so small. Mind you, I was from a small high school myself – about 125 kids. But compared to our competition that day, we were a juggernaut – a powerhouse of adolescent athletic prowess.

It was early in the basketball season, and I was playing point guard. We came in confident – it was an easy game against an easy team at the bottom of the league. We expected to blow them out.

We played terribly. Sloppy ball handling. Picked bad shots. Didn’t move the ball well. Turnovers were frequent.

I’m encouraged.

After years of speaking, writing, and waving the flag for the opportunity for recurring giving programs, momentum is building.

The first sustainer program I worked on was 20 years ago. Back then, if your nonprofit wasn’t doing child sponsorship, missionary support, or membership, it was extremely difficult to build a vibrant base of ongoing monthly supporters. The vast majority of nonprofits were left out, unable to tap into the steady, predictable, and renewable source of regular giving.

Then, starting about eight years ago, I noticed how the explosive growth in the subscription economy was transforming donor behavior. Donors were increasingly willing to give to causes on a recurring basis, causes that would not have historically seen significant sustainer giving.

Have you listened to the Purpose & Profit Podcast?

If you are new here, I co-host a show called the Purpose & Profit Podcast, where we interview business and nonprofit leaders to explore the ideas at the intersection of causes and brands.

We’re closing in on the end of Season 3, so today, I want to point you to two recent episodes. The first provides insights into executive leadership from over 5,000 executives, and the second concludes with how positive change happens and how good gets done in the world.

In Part 1 of this Wave Report, we began to answer the question, “How does one actually use AI?” AI, like the internet, is not one thing. It’s a collection of tools and technologies that can impact nearly every area of our leadership and lives.

Based on hundreds of hours of research, speaking on, helping others, and my own experimentation, I’ve condensed 12 Ways to Leverage AI in 2024.

Part 1 of this Wave Report examined the first six ways to use AI effectively. Today, we’ll explore the final six.

In my 8 Trends to LEVERAGE in 2024 post, the number one trend I called out for leaders to put to good use in 2024 was Artificial Intelligence.

Trend to Leverage #1

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE:

AI will reach the peak of the hype cycle in 2024, leading to both disappointment and the emergence of more productive and effective uses of AI.

But how does one actually use AI?

I’ve been thinking about predictions lately.

Each January sees a deluge of predictions for the coming year, but I noticed an interesting shift this past January 2023. Last January, the “predictions lists” were full of uncertainty. After all, “no one can know the future for certain” was the common refrain.

I think coming out of the pandemic made a lot of leaders hesitant.

But I don’t think the value of predictions is in their accuracy.

January used to be a black hole. A foggy void. A blank spot. A blur.

Coming off of the busyness of the holidays and year-end, it was a welcome break.

But for most of my life, January simply slipped by. Little to nothing of significance was accomplished as I slowly turned my attention to the year to come. It typically wasn’t until February, sometimes even March, that I felt like I hit a stride for the new year.

Now, January is one of my favorite months. Full of possibility. Clarity. Anticipation. It’s also one of the most productive times of my entire year.

Today, I’d like to share why January can be the most strategically valuable time of your year, how you can cut through the fog, and develop your own personal imago – a vision of a future that will be, but does not yet exist.

My mission today is to get you to schedule time to reflect and plan for next year before the end of this year.

People have asked me about my process of reflection and planning for the coming year, so I want to share that with you in hopes that it might encourage you to be intentional about preparing to have a fulfilling and productive new year.

This Christmas week, I will be taking the day to reflect on the year that was and to consider the year to come. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.

When it comes to breakthrough innovation, expertise has a big problem. 🧐

I’ll tell you why, but first, I need your help – I’m conducting a national study of recurring giving programs in the nonprofit sector.

Do you know of a charity that should participate in the sustainer study? You can nominate them here.

I'll share more about the study in a minute, but let me tell you why we are conducting it and why expertise can be a barrier to innovation…

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as a plate full of your favorite comfort food! As we reflect on the blessings in our lives, I hope your day was filled with moments of gratitude and warmth.

Did you ever read Choose Your Own Adventure books? I loved – and also hated – Choose Your Own Adventure books. The concept was simple – you as the reader are the protagonist, and you get to choose your own adventure (clever name, huh?).

I was so frustrated. Confused. Sad.

I was a few years into building the team, and we were growing like crazy. And “like crazy” is not an overstatement – the prior year, we had grown 277% (!). The following year, we grew another 267% (!!). Cumulatively, we had grown revenue 14X in just three years. 🤯

It was an exciting time. It was also about to be a frustrating time.

Black Friday.

Small Business Saturday.

Cyber Monday.

Giving Tuesday.

That’s a lot of made-up holidays.

For this week’s Wave Report, I thought I would resurrect and update a previous edition that I wrote last December, titled “A Case of the (Cyber) Mondays?”

The Subscription Economy has changed consumer attitudes towards monthly recurring goods and services, which has led to the transformation of donor behavior. Donors are more likely to give to nonprofits on a monthly basis than ever. Study after study (after study) shows that monthly giving is the fastest-growing type of giving today.

Subscription Philanthropy is here to stay, and the more nonprofits understand and embrace the new paradigm of monthly subscription giving, the better they can take advantage of this new wave of generosity.

I’ve been thinking about obsolescence lately. Becoming obsolete. Outdated. Outmoded. But more than anything, I’ve been thinking about how there is opportunity on the other side of obsolescence. Let me explain.

Last week, we began exploring how the Subscription Economy has reshaped consumer expectations, leading to increased comfort with and preference among donors for monthly recurring giving to charities.

We started with the first three of six key shifts that we can learn from the rise of the Subscription Economy, illustrated through my journey from Cassettes, CDs, and MP3s to Music-as-a-Service – specifically the service Pandora Radio and, later, Spotify. If you missed it or want a refresher, you can read part one here.

I’ve previously established that the rise of the Subscription Economy has been a key factor in reshaping consumer expectations, which has led to increased comfort with and preference among donors for monthly recurring giving to charities.

Donors are increasingly “subscribing” to giving monthly to causes they care about. This has led to the rise of a phenomenon that I call Subscription Philanthropy.

Today, let’s examine several key shifts that we can learn from the rise of the Subscription Economy and apply to the world of Subscription Philanthropy.

I’ve been speaking, studying, and using AI in marketing and fundraising for more than five years now.

I still remember the first time I gave a talk at a conference about how AI was transforming marketing and fundraising. The room was full. Talking to leaders, it was clear that AI evoked both a sense of curiosity, but also of fear. What does it mean that AI is transforming marketing?

At the time, AI was still synonymous with HAL 9000 or the Terminator or Mr. Smith, depending on your generation.

I used to think that I hated conflict.

When I first took the StrengthsFinder test in college, I remember being disappointed to find out that my number one “strength,” according to Gallup, was harmony.

Harmony - People exceptionally talented in the Harmony theme look for consensus. They don’t enjoy conflict; rather, they seek areas of agreement.

Wow, thanks StrengthsFinder. So my number one strength, my greatest asset, is avoiding conflict??