Carolyn Polakowski, Cay Communications, on Nonprofit Fundraising Strategy, Grants, and Board Development (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 980)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Carolyn Polakowski, president and CEO of Cay Communications, LLC, a nonprofit consulting firm that works with organizations across Georgia on program development, board training, grant writing, and nonprofit fundraising strategy.
Carolyn talked about how crowded the nonprofit sector has become, pointing out that Georgia has more than 65,000 registered nonprofits and that the IRS receives roughly 300 new nonprofit applications from Georgians every month. She explained why she often steers people who want to start a new nonprofit toward volunteering with an existing organization doing similar work instead, and she walked through what a genuinely engaged board of directors looks like, down to giving members specific assignments rather than leaving them to guess what’s expected.
She also described how government grants work more like a reimbursable vendor contract than free money, since nonprofits have to spend the funds first and get paid back later, and she highlighted Revved Up Kids, a North Fulton organization that trains children to protect themselves from predators, as an example of a nonprofit that built a strong board and a fundraising plan it actually follows year after year.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- A strong nonprofit fundraising strategy blends individual giving, grants, and events, since donor dollars are stretched across more than 65,000 registered nonprofits in Georgia
- A strong nonprofit board needs specific assignments and personal financial buy-in from its members, not just recognizable names on a letterhead
- Government grants function as reimbursable vendor agreements, so nonprofits need cash flow and staff capacity to manage them properly
- Revved Up Kids built its board and fundraising strategy around a clear annual plan, growing signature events like the Shamrock Shuffle over time
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:00 John Ray opens the show and introduces guest Carolyn Polakowski
02:00 Carolyn Polakowski introduces Cay Communications and its work with Georgia nonprofits
04:00 Current challenges facing nonprofits, including declining giving and government funding cuts
05:00 Georgia’s saturated nonprofit market and the flood of new nonprofit applications
06:00 Why Carolyn steers new nonprofit founders toward existing organizations instead
08:00 Running a nonprofit like a business, including diversifying funding and paying competitive wages
12:00 What makes a strong nonprofit board of directors
14:00 Setting specific expectations and assignments for board members
16:00 The shift from an all-volunteer team to paid staff with real experience
18:00 Diversifying revenue and the role of friendraisers
19:00 Government grants as a reimbursable vendor relationship, not free money
20:00 How competitive charitable foundation funding has become
23:00 How Cay Communications supports nonprofit leaders and staff
26:00 Signs a nonprofit needs outside help with fundraising and grants
28:00 A Revved Up Kids success story and the Shamrock Shuffle event
30:00 How to connect with Carolyn Polakowski and Cay Communications
Carolyn Polakowski, President & CEO, Cay Communications, LLC
Carolyn Polakowski is president and CEO of Cay Communications, LLC, a nonprofit consulting firm she launched in 2015. She brings 40 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including expertise in grant writing, fundraising strategy, board development, and public relations. Carolyn was part of the original team that built philanthropy programs for WebMD in the early days of the Internet, and she went on to serve as Foundation Director at Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, now Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and to launch the Caring Foundation at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia. She spent a decade as Executive Director of the Fragile Kids Foundation, where she quadrupled the organization’s budget and the number of medically fragile children it served.
In 2015, Carolyn founded Cay Communications, LLC, to gather a team with expertise across the nonprofit sector and, in her words, light the way for great organizations to make a greater impact. The firm helps nonprofits with program development, board training, annual fundraising strategy, grant writing, and public relations, and its grant writing team alone brings a combined 75 years of experience to client work.
Carolyn is active in the community as a founding board member of Camp Trach Me Away and a supporter of organizations including Daniel’s Fight, Girl Power to Cure, and Camp Big Heart. She is a past president of the East Cobb Civitan Club and a member of the Georgia Grant Writing Association, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and the Association of Professional Fundraisers. She has been nominated three times as East Cobb Citizen of the Year and was named an Atlanta Business Chronicle Healthcare Hero. Carolyn lives in Marietta, Georgia, with her husband Bill.
Cay Communications, LLC
Cay Communications, LLC, supports nonprofit organizations striving to expand on all fronts, increasing the level of donations, grants, volunteer manpower, and community visibility vital to a powerfully delivered mission. A team of seasoned grant writers, supported by prospect researchers continually identifying new funding sources, manages and grows grant revenues, allowing a client’s development team to focus fully on events, individual giving, and more.
Cay Communications provides strong fundraising and public relations strategies, as well as creative digital, social, and print media campaigns to position organizations for success in the competitive world of nonprofit marketing and fund development. The team is also trained in board development to help nonprofit leadership make the right moves to grow.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
Approaching 1,000 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
