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Beyond the Donation podcast cover art for Episode 13 with Steve Johns, CEO of OneCause.

Ep. 13 | Navigating Negative Circumstances with Positive Results, an interview with Steve Johns, CEO of OneCause

Our Guest: Steve Johns, CEO of OneCause & Author of Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads

About Steve: In 2014, Steve moved to Indianapolis from Chicago, taking his 30+ years of financial management experience with him to join OneCause as their CEO. He enjoys his work and his family, especially as a new grandfather!

(2:40) The book Fearless: Leadership Lessons at the Crossroads
based on the experience of leading OneCause through the Covid19 pandemic

(6:27) Leadership transparency & vulnerability

“It’s almost like a paradox because people consider vulnerabilities sometimes to be a weakness, and I think that it really starts from a position of strength. You have to be strong enough to admit you don’t have all the answers.” - Steve Johns

(9:50) Functioning in pandemic-pivots

(13:40) Confidence amid chaos

(15:15) OneCause, Nonprofits, and Donors overcoming together

[16:38] Fundraising changes, evolution, and results from the pandemic

[21:00] OneCause & DonorDock Integration
The benefits & importance of data

[25:00] Innovation emphasized

Steve’s Golden Nugget: We have to tackle the donor retention issue, utilizing the golden rule. Be timely. Be responsive. Build relationship.

More About Steve:

LinkedIn Website Leadership Book Raise Conference

To Connect with Beyond the Donation Podcast:

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How do nonprofits keep funder relationships warm when budgets tighten?

Prioritize relationship continuity over net-new introductions. Send a quarterly one-screen "executive postcard" — one outcome, one short story, one milestone. Offer 20-minute standing check-ins with one-slide agendas. Right-size asks so a partner can fund something complete at a lower tier and add later. Match the funder's language exactly — if they say "workforce pathways," don't counter with "career readiness."

Last updated
April 25, 2026
How do nonprofit leaders avoid decision fatigue?

By systemizing the decisions that do not need fresh thinking — hiring rubrics, gift acceptance policies, stewardship workflows, program-review templates — so leadership attention can go to the small number of truly strategic calls. Documented policies convert repeated decisions into routines, and routines convert decision fatigue into focus.

Last updated
April 25, 2026
What are the hardest decisions nonprofit leaders make?

Consistently: ending a program that donors love but outcomes do not support, letting go of long-tenured staff whose roles have outgrown their skills, raising fees or declining a gift that comes with strings, and saying no to a mission-adjacent opportunity that would stretch capacity too far. Each is a leadership call, not a management one.

Last updated
April 25, 2026
Why is retaining donors cheaper than acquiring new ones?

Acquisition requires paid ads, event costs, list rentals, and time-intensive prospecting. Retention requires stewardship touchpoints your CRM and staff already produce. Industry data consistently shows retention costs 3 to 5 times less per dollar raised than acquisition. Nonprofits that underinvest in retention pay that premium year after year without realizing it.

Last updated
April 25, 2026
Author
Elisha Ford
Content Writer
Last updated:
April 29, 2026
Written by
Elisha Ford
Content Writer

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