Considering you already have a large following, your best option would be to fund your shows via Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/). Many shows on Youtube, and many musicians and other artists with a following make a considerable amount of money from their fans through Patreon, some over $20k / month.

You can set it up to be either a per-month, or per-content payment, and you set up benefits to each level of donation, just like in Kickstarter.

Patreon is not very searchable, so success on their platform relies entirely on you already having a substantial audience that you can ask to get on board (e.g. at the end of each of your podcasts, and in emails, your website, etc.).

If you'd like to discuss how to best break down your funding/benefit options give me a call,

best of luck,

Lee

Your focus shouldn't be on raising money and launching the show. Your focus should be producing a great show.

I launched my own business podcast Shoulders of Titans with only a few hundred dollars.

Here's what you need:

A voice talent to create an intro and extro. ($200)

Editing software: (FREE)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Sennheiser PC 8 USB ($50)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HWEZGG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005HWEZGG&linkCode=as2&tag=theschoofinte-20&linkId=GD37ZWKAF7L2DMUV

Show Graphics & Artwork. $20
https://www.fiverr.com/

Get a few shows going, then you can go pitch sponsors. Start small. Forget 52 episodes. Let's focus on just getting the first 5 episodes up and running.

Don't let this hold you back. It has nothing to do with how much resources you have, it has to do how resourceful you are.

I think podcasts are a bit like the early paywalls. No one has really worked out the best way to monetize them yet. My recommendation would be to experiment. There is no such thing as a pricing lab. Try something, if it doesn't work, try something else. The Economist recently looked at the topic here: http://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21688740-handful-successful-presenters-are-dispelling-myths-about-medium-podcasts-are-gaining

It beats me that you want to stick with Podcasts - not that it is wrong - but why not expand into other media? Could be because of my background, but why not take up teaching? Get onto free to use Google Hangouts to run webcasts instead of your podcasts if that works for you. No need of big investments, huge reach on YouTube for your recorded sessions drive more users to signup for your Live webinars, that you could charge for. You could even increase your consulting revenue owing to the success of your recorded webinars.

There are many other ways to monetize your recorded sessions, so don't look at funding as your roadblock.

Sell ads.

I am not trying to sell you on calling me. Really, I am pretty busy with my businesses and consulting. However, I need more info before I could have a greater impact in helping you.

Ask, Ask, Ask, then Ask again.

Bonus:
Here is $10,000 worth of information for free and in a nutshell.

Concentrate on the 3 M's. There are actually 7, but 3 will do for now. These are Market, Message, and Media. They come in that order.

Who is your target market (customer, clients, buyers, users, etc.)?
Tailor your laser focused message for this target market.
What is the best media mix to get your message to that market?

Here's what you do...first, make it an offer that is so incredible that they cannot resist. Secondly, do all the work for them. Make it so easy to make the purchase now that they can do it virtually without effort. Thirdly, give them an incentive to act right now. Fourthly, offer an almost unbelievable guarantee. Fifth, offer a bonus for acting now. There are many other incredible steps, but these steps should help the novice to the professional sell anything.

Whether you are selling B2B or B2C, you have to focus on selling to only one person. You can actually sell to one person at a time while selling to millions at a time. They are one and the same. Don't get off track, what we call digital marketing selling is just selling in print. And that has not changed since Cluade Hopkins wrote "Scientific Advertising." Really long before he wrote the book.

The secret to success: I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with some of the biggest names in business, celebrities, actors, entrepreneurs, business people, and companies from startup to billion dollar operations. The number one reason for their success is doing what they know and love while doing it in new, creative, and innovative ways.

Ask, Ask, Ask. Have thick skin and learn from each "mistake." In a short while, the market will tell you what you need to do and who and what you need to ask. But get started now even if that just means asking a contact on LinkedIn.

While you are thinking, think big and think of something at least 1% better, newer, or different. And being cheaper is not a winning strategy.

Make decisions quickly and change decisions slowly..unless you are actually going off a cliff.

Remember these two 11 letter words...persistence and consistency. They are two of the most important tools ever invented.

Treat everybody you talk to and everybody you meet (including yourself) like each is your number one million dollar customer.

Bootstrap when possible and reasonable. Read "How To Get Rich" by Felix Dennis. Or better yet just remember the camel's nose in the tent story.

However, sometimes you just need to make a deal.

Listen, in any business you have to take some chances and some risks. Make sure you don't need a license and go for it. Remember, timid business people have skinny kids. Paraphrased from Zig Ziglar.

Best of luck,
Take massive action and never give up.
Michael

Michael Irvin, MBA, RN

I agree with those who have suggested starting a Patreon since you already have a large network.

In addition to that, however, I would suggest seeking out sponsorships with companies who have complimentary missions and values as your podcast, or products that can serve your listeners. Since you're a social enterprise, there may be grants out there too that would fund the kind of work you are doing.

If I knew more about your show, I could suggest some examples of potential sponsors I would approach. I'd also be interested in listening to your show as well! :)

Direct podcast monetization is when the show is the thing you're selling. On the other side is indirect podcast monetization. This is when you use your podcast as a tool to sell other things. Your podcast becomes the vehicle to promote products and create demand among your listeners. The simplest way to monetize a podcast is to ask people for money. When people ask us how to monetize a podcast, this is always the first solution we recommend because it’s easy to set up and promote. Or set up a GoFundMe campaign for a simple collection page. Tell your audience that. If people understand where the money is going, they'll be more apt to donate. The latest trend in podcasting is creating paid membership tiers. Listeners can pay to access exclusive content, private Facebook groups, or podcast swag. It’s well-respected and simple to use. FYP Podcast's Patreon landing page. You may find more listeners are willing to support the show because they're receiving either a physical product or exclusive episodes for their contribution.
You can read more here: https://castos.com/monetize-a-podcast/
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath