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Do your donors believe they matter to your organization? Jay Werth welcomes Bill Crouch, founder and CEO of Bright Dot and author of Mattership: Making Donors Feel They Matter, to explore that question on Convergent’s The Difference.

Drawing on four decades in fundraising and his experience as a college president, Bill discusses where transformational giving begins, and how everyday communications shapes a nonprofit's fundraising culture.The conversation also explores emotional intelligence, donor portfolios, and practical ways to put Mattership into action.

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Every fundraiser knows that stories drive donations. But have you ever stopped to ask what sharing a story actually costs the person who lived it? In this episode of The Difference, host Jay Werth sits down with Maria Bryan—Partnership Marketing Manager at Donorbox and host of the When Bearing Witness podcast—to dive deep into trauma-informed storytelling. They unpack the hidden emotional toll on story owners and development staff, challenge the myth that "ethical storytelling doesn't raise money," and discuss why standard liability releases aren't enough. Plus, Maria shares actionable steps you can implement right away to make your storytelling safer, more dignified, and far more effective.

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Is over-polishing your fundraising videos actually hurting your impact? On this episode of The Difference, host Jay Werth talks with documentary filmmaker Peter Murphy Lewis about why hyper-polished content erodes donor trust. They explore how targeting niche audiences drives bigger returns, how to turn routine events into lasting narrative engines, and where to draw the line on beneficiary ethics.

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