Does This Sound Familiar?
Running a Small Nonprofit Is Hard Enough.
Fundraising Shouldn't Make It Harder.
You care deeply about your mission, but when it comes to fundraising, you're stuck in the same cycle most small nonprofits know all too well.
You're wearing every hat
You're the executive director, program manager, and somehow the entire development team. Fundraising keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list.
You're leading this completely alone
There's no development director, no fundraising committee, no one to bounce ideas off of. Every decision falls on you — and some nights, the weight of that is almost too much to carry.
You're bankrolling your own mission
You're working a second job, dipping into savings, or leaning on your partner's income to keep the nonprofit alive. You started this to serve others, not to personally fund it indefinitely.
You're not sure what actually works
There's no shortage of fundraising advice online — but almost none of it is built for small organizations with lean budgets and even leaner teams.
Your Roadmap
What Happens in the First 90 Days
No more Googling. No more guessing. Just a clear, step-by-step system built specifically for small nonprofits, and the exact order to follow it.
Step 1:
Identify Your Donor Pipeline
Most nonprofits believe they don’t have donors.
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In reality, they just haven’t mapped them yet.
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You’ll learn how to identify 250+ qualified donor prospects already connected to your mission.
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This gives you a real starting point instead of staring at a blank list.
Step 2:
Build a Clear Case for Funding
Donors don’t give to vague missions. They give to clear problems and solutions.
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You’ll build a simple, compelling case for funding that explains:
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What problem you solve
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Why it matters right now
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How their donation creates impact
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This becomes the foundation for every fundraising campaign you run.
Step 3:
Design a Focused Campaign
Instead of trying multiple fundraising tactics at once, you’ll launch one focused campaign.
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You’ll learn how to:
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Structure the campaign
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Decide who to ask
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Craft the message
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Make the ask confidently
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Focused campaigns are how small nonprofits raise serious money.
Step 4:
Build Predictable Funding
Once your first campaign runs, you'll have something most small nonprofit founders never get - proof that it works. A repeatable process you can run again and again. No more midnight panic. No more dipping into savings. Just a system you own and know how to use.
This is what the first 90 days looks like inside every Cause Specialists program — starting with a free 7-day trial, no credit card required.
Choose Your Path
Three Ways to Work Together
You care deeply about your mission, but when it comes to fundraising, you're stuck in the same cycle most small nonprofits know all too well.
Get Started
On-Demand Training
Learn at your own pace with a full year of access to the complete fundraising training library.
$697
One-time payment. 12 months of access.
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12-week video training library (50+ lessons)
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All handouts and worksheets
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Full template and checklist library
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AI fundraising tools
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Upgrade credit toward Foundations or VIP programs
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Optional Add-Ons
Group coaching: $197/month
Private 1-on-1 sessions: $299/session
No credit card required
Most Popular
FastTrack Foundations
The full training plus a year of weekly group coaching, so you always have support when you need it.
$2,797
Training + 12 months of group coaching.
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12-week video training library (50+ lessons)
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12 months of weekly group coaching with Joanne
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All handouts and worksheets
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Full template and checklist library
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AI fundraising tools
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Private community of nonprofit founders
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Upgrade credit toward VIP
Best Results
VIP Experience
Full training, group coaching, private sessions, and hands-on campaign support, backed by a money-back guarantee.
$6,500
The most comprehensive fundraising support available for a full year.
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Complete fundraising video and resource training library
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6 private 1:1 coaching calls with Joanne
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Done-for-you custom campaign plan
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Personalized review of all your materials
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Direct access to Joanne Monday through Friday​
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Weekly group coaching calls with Joanne
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Custom yearly fund development plan
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Raise what you invest, guarantee
The Raise What You Invest Guarantee
The VIP Experience is the only program backed by this guarantee because it's where we do the deepest, most hands-on work together.
If you complete the VIP Experience and don't raise at least $6,500 as a direct result of our work together, you have two choices: a full refund, or continued one-on-one coaching sessions at no additional cost until you hit that number. No fine print. No runaround.
Real Results
What Happens When Small Nonprofits
Get the Right Support
Real people. Real organizations. Real results, built on lean budgets and a whole lot of mission.
Hope for Kids $75,000 raised from a first major ask. Scaled to $150,000+.​
Prostaid Calgary went from stalled and frustrated to running fundraising with clarity and confidence.​
Paul built funding to step away from a 9–5 and lead full-time.​
The Great Raleigh Cleanup
Raised enough funding to hire a team and move fully into the next stage of growth.
​​Lakewood University raised $30,000 in six weeks. $100,000+ in year one.
Front Proch Cohousing
Launched their first major gifts campaign and are now scaling ongoing funding.
Meet Joanne
30 Years in the Sector.
Built for Organizations Like Yours.
I'm Joanne Toller, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) with over 30 years in the nonprofit world. I've worked inside organizations, coached leaders, and seen firsthand what separates the nonprofits that thrive from the ones that stay stuck.
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After years of watching passionate, mission-driven people struggle with fundraising — not because they weren't capable, but because no one ever taught them a real system — I built The Cause Specialists to change that.
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Everything I teach is designed specifically for small nonprofits under $250K. You don't have a development team. You probably don't have much of a budget either. That's exactly why the training and coaching I offer is built the way it is — practical, proven, and built for the reality you're actually in.
Frequently Asked Questions
» Do I need to be a registered nonprofit?
You don't need to be fully established to start learning. The foundations, messaging frameworks, and donor psychology sections are valuable no matter where you are. That said, the campaign modules do require a registered organization and a way to accept donations to execute in real time.
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» How much time does this take each week?
A few hours a week is enough to move through the program and implement as you go. This was designed for founders who are already wearing too many hats.
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» What if I'm not tech savvy?
You don't need to be. The program is straightforward to navigate, and everything is laid out step by step. If you can send an email and open a document, you have everything you need to get started.
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» What is your refund policy?
The On-Demand course comes with a free 7-day trial — no credit card required. If you upgrade or enroll in Foundations, reach out within [X days] and we'll make it right. The VIP Experience is backed by the Raise What You Invest Guarantee.
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» How is this different from the free content that's out there?
Most free content is built for large nonprofits or is so general it doesn't apply to your situation. Fundraising FastTrack was built from the ground up for small nonprofit founders, your size, your capacity, your specific challenges. Every lesson, template, and checklist was designed with you in mind. You're not adapting someone else's system. You're using one built for you.
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» How long do I have access?
One full year from the date you enroll. That gives you plenty of time to work through the curriculum at your own pace, revisit lessons as your fundraising evolves, and reference the templates again and again as you grow.
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Not Quite Ready to Get Serious About Fundraising Yet?
That’s okay, we’ve got you covered. Start small with our free resources: binge a few YouTube tutorials, grab some quick-win downloads, or join our weekly newsletter. You’ll get practical fundraising tips you can use right away, no strings attached.