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Fall Funder Podcast Series: A Discussion with Shireen Zaman, Program Officer, BUILD // Ford Foundation
On this month’s The Business Behind Fundraising podcast, I interviewed Shireen Zaman of the Ford Foundation’s BUILD program. We demystified LOTS of myths about the grantor/grantee relationship, but one of the topics I’m still thinking about?....
🔥Submitting Foundation Budgets with COMPENSATION AT MARKET RATES🔥
[It’s at minute 17:00 if you want to jump right in! Podcast link HERE.]
Funder Series on my Podcast this Fall: Building Relationships with Funders
Earlier this year I was fortunate enough to teach a webinar through The Chronicle of Philanthropy with Shireen Zaman of the Ford Foundation’s BUILD program.
It was all about how nonprofits can start securing more general-operating revenue.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that webinar (and the questions in the Zoom chat) are why I decided to do this Fall Funder Series on my own podcast!
Guest Podcast Spot: Breaking Down Combined Development & Marketing/Communications Teams
I got to be on another one of Tony Martignetti’s podcasts!
If your organization has a combined Fundraising and Marketing/Communications position, you won’t want to miss this podcast episode.
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.
The Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Your Nonprofit Board—with Mary Hiland
I got so much positive feedback on this interview with Mary Hiland back in February that I want to make sure you saw this episode!
I asked Mary a handful of the board related questions I always hear from the leaders I work with! The first one…Is it the board's responsibility to fundraise?
Nonprofit CEOs: Have you ever had a board member ask to be compensated?
Nonprofit CEOs: Have you ever had a board member ask to be compensated?
This is a question one of my clients was asked recently. So, in my podcast I answered this question by going straight to the expert to provide some clarity: Mary Hiland, Founder and President of Hiland Consulting.
Nonprofit CEOs: Should you always have to ask your board before making an investment?
Nonprofit CEOs: Should you always have to ask your board before making an investment?
That’s a common (and often debated) question within nonprofit organizations.
Who better to get a thoughtful answer from than @Mary Hiland, Founder and President of Hiland Consulting. Mary is MORE than qualified to weigh in, having worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 40 years.
Is it the responsibility of the nonprofit board to fundraise?
Is it the responsibility of a nonprofit board to fundraise?
Some might say “absolutely,” others say “it depends,” and still others aver “no way.”
This is one of the topics I discussed recently with Mary Hiland, Founder and President of Hiland Consulting on my podcast. Mary has deep expertise in this area, having worked in the nonprofit sector for over 40 years.
My Nonprofit Mantra: Spend Money to Raise Money
“You have to spend money to make money” is a common phrase in the business world. The same rings true in the nonprofit sector. Yet, many nonprofit leaders don’t see it that way.
In Major Gift Fundraising, Slow and Steady Wins the Race
“The race is not always to the swift.” That’s one message to come out of Aesop’s fable, The Tortoise and the Hare. We can also apply it to major gift fundraising.
There are certain aspects of fundraising that hold a sense of urgency. Planning a gala or golf tournament has a deadline. Updating your organization’s website, posting on social media, getting your email newsletter out the door are all tasks. And, true to research, it feels good to cross them off the list. You’re being productive.
Yet, if you want to grow your unrestricted revenue, nonprofit leadership needs to start making different decisions—ones that take a “slow and steady” approach to fundraising.
Guest Podcast Episode: "Planning Where You Want to Go" with Stu Swineford
When someone leads with, “I hope you don’t take this personally…” it’s natural to brace for a blow.
How nice is it then when it turns out to be a compliment!
Someone recently said to me, “I hope you don’t take this personally but I feel like your approach is quite practical, it’s quite straightforward.”
It *is* practical. It’s not flashy, or sparkly, or “out there.” There’s no quick fix to fundraising - and there’s no expedited timeline for growth.
But, when organizations put one foot in front of the other, and are consistent in using the tools we create (skills, knowledge, mindset shifts), that’s when transformation truly occurs.
Guest Podcast Episode: “Take No Prisoners Fundraising Success” with Larry C. Johnson
I want to share a a bit of my recent conversation with Larry C. Johnson, founder of The Eight Principles and host of Oracle League Podcasts.
In our conversation, Larry shared this phrase with me when talking with nonprofit CEOs: Have you found your organization’s four-leaf clover?
We were talking about efficient and effective fundraising - which eludes so many organizations within the nonprofit sector. Executive directors and board members constantly grapple with:
❌ Not enough unrestricted gifts
❌ Lack of gen-ops revenue
❌ Heavy emphasis on project based gifts
❌ Little professional development in fundraising staff
❌ Feeling like they can’t take risks
I’m not telling you anything new here! These ARE the pervasive barriers within the sector.
But, they’re not impenetrable.
New Podcast Announcement: Nonprofit MBA Podcast 3.19 with Stephen Halasnik
When Your Nonprofit Funding is Plateauing Featuring Sherry Quam Taylor on The Nonprofit MBA Podcast
Read an Executive Summary or Listen to the Podcast HERE
Nonprofit Consultant Sherry Quam Taylor from QuamTaylor LLC talks with Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions about the signs and solutions for when a nonprofit fundraising has stopped growing. The solutions are much more counterintuitive then one would expect.