Nonprofit Fundraising Is Something Entirely Different Than You’ve Been Told
What if fundraising is something entirely different than you’ve been told?
Well, I’m here to say that statement is true.
This topic came up in my recent podcast interview with my incredible client, Eve Turow-Paul. She’s one of those subject-matter experts that found herself creating and scaling a nonprofit. You can watch it here.
She’s an exceptional fundraiser. It was in her blood - she was already a confident, driven, and super relational professional.
She’s a researcher. So, when it came time to diversify funding and ramp-up her gen-ops dollars, she went into research and learning mode.
Her findings in the sector? Well, like all smart women, she knew something was wrong….
Eve said, “We had received grant funding, but I felt dissatisfied with a lot of the traditional forms of fundraising that I was hearing about. I was dissatisfied with the idea of a give and get policy for the board because I found it to be exclusionary as to who could be on the board. I didn't really understand the value of running events because I think that you spend so much time, it's just so, events are so hard….and mailers, all of these things that I had been reading about and learning about just didn't sit right with me. And the part of fundraising that I really love is the relationship building.”
That research paid off. She’s landing large (very large) gen-ops gifts.
You see, fundraising is different from what we’ve been doing for decades.
It’s not all games, tricks, auction items, tickets, raffles, voting competitions, paddle raises, emails, and applications.
It is being honest with the resources you need to accomplish your mission and running a great business that attracts those people and institutions who WANT to fully fund the work.
It all starts with the CEO/ED. Not your development team and board. This is why my methodology works. It shifts the funding at the root of the organization. This is critical as the average Development Professional is in their role 19 months. #gulp
So, why doesn't everyone do it?
Other than the ENTIRE SECTOR telling you TRANSACTIONAL ACTIVITES ARE THE WAY TO FUNDRAISE….My theory is that people want it to be easier. Even faster.
They don't want the shift to take a year. But, it does.
Last thing…
Too often, I talk to prospective clients who are worried their teams don’t have the capacity to invest 12 months in a shift like this. “How would they add more to their already full plates?”
They assume this approach takes MORE hours. It doesn’t. It’s working smarter vs. working harder.
You know what takes too much capacity? That list above of games, raffles, and tickets….
Let’s work smart together. Apply here.
WATCH EVE'S INTERVIEW HERE.
Or listen on Apple Podcasts here.
Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:
👣 Follow me on LinkedIn where I share the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and adding 7-figures + to their bottom line.
🍎 Read my GUIDE! THE TRUTH ABOUT GIVE/GETS :: Top 5 Reasons Your Board’s Give/Get Is Leaving Thousands (Sometimes Millions) on the Table. See how limiting board members to the Give/Get model restricts gifts and keeps your staff from reaching their full fundraising potential. Here to get it.
📈 Work with me to scale your org's revenue by 2-5X and fund your organization’s Strategic Plan // If you’re a business-minded CEO already raising MILLIONS but need to diversify revenue and secure more general-operating dollars to invest in growth, you can apply to work with me here.
