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 Mike
P.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/
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