Your Rally Point Podcast: Mallory Erickson — Fundraiser Readiness, Behavioral Science, and Practicing for the Moments That Matter

In this episode, James sits down with Mallory Erickson—fundraiser, executive coach, and creator of the first-ever Fundraiser Readiness Platform, Practivated.com, to explore why fundraising is as much about the nervous system and mindset of the fundraiser as it is about strategy and donors. Mallory shares how behavioral science, neuroscience, and coaching transformed her own fundraising career and led to the creation of a safe, supportive practice environment where fundraisers can build confidence, clarity, and connection before entering high-stakes donor conversations.

What You’ll Learn

• Why stress and fear cause fundraisers to become transactional instead of relational
• How practicing donor conversations builds “muscle memory” for real-world meetings
• What personalization at scale means for fundraisers—not just donors
• How Practivated’s AI coach “Tivi” supports strategy, messaging, and donor preparation
• Why role-play with feedback is more effective than scripts alone
• How managers can use leading indicators to better coach and support their teams
• Common use cases: onboarding, campaign readiness, stalled donor relationships, and transformational giving
• How technology can heal “tech trauma” when it’s built by fundraisers for fundraisers

Resources

• Learn more about Practivated: practivated.com
• Connect with Mallory Erickson on LinkedIn and social platforms
• Referenced concepts: behavioral science, neuroscience, executive coaching, donor conversation role-play

Quotables

• “Stress and fear can sound like loyalty, compassion, and strategy—but they keep us small.”
• “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.”
• “We lose transformational gifts when stress makes us transactional.”
• “This is about muscle memory, not scripts.”
• “Success as a service, not software as a service.”
• “My North Star has always been improving the lives of fundraisers.”

Skip to What You Want to Hear

• 00:00 — Introduction + Mallory’s journey into fundraising and coaching
• 02:00 — Why fundraisers struggle: stress, fear, and isolation
• 04:20 — The origin story of Practivated
• 06:40 — How stress shrinks big gifts into small asks
• 08:15 — On-demand AI coaching with Tivi
• 10:30 — Role-play scenarios and skill-based feedback
• 12:25 — Manager dashboards and leading indicators
• 14:20 — Why practice builds confidence and presence
• 16:20 — Adoption challenges and culture change
• 18:10 — Use cases: onboarding, campaigns, and stalled donor relationships
• 21:30 — Healing tech trauma in the nonprofit sector
• 24:55 — Closing reflections on success, partnership, and mission

If this episode sparked new ideas about how your team can prepare for stronger donor conversations, ⁠we invite you to learn more about how Rally Corp⁠ helps nonprofits engage supporters with clarity, confidence, and purpose. Connect with us to see how Rally’s tools and guidance can support your fundraising strategy and help you mobilize people for good.

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