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. That four-leaf clover - funding your organization in a way that allows you to actually do all the amazing things in your strategic plan - is not so difficult to uncover…
…If you can embrace a different approach. One that:
✅ Favors relationships with donors over transactions
✅ Leans into calculated risks
✅ Inspires donors to give their best gift - not the “okay” one
✅ Invests in the knowledge and skills of the team
It’s a flip-the-switch mindset, to be sure. But the old way hasn’t really been working that well, so…
At one point in the podcast interview, Larry also posed this question to me: “Have you ever had to fire a client?”
The true answer is “no,” but it’s also not a cut-and-dry explanation. I HAVE had leaders and board members come to me and say, “Can you guarantee results?”
My response is this: As an advisor and teacher, I can guarantee that I can tell you exactly what you need to do to regularly add seven figures to your bottom line. When people follow this advice their organizations get results.
The only time my process/methodology doesn’t work is when leaders are:
👎 Afraid of change
👎 Intent on doing things the way they’ve always done
👎 Invested in the idea that a “quick fix” is feasible
👎 Unwilling to put in the time, effort, money, and eagerness to really grow
So, no, it’s not a “firing” but rather being frank about why success is really up to YOU - if you are truly able to accept what needs to be done. To push back against the sector’s misconceptions of what fundraising is *supposed* to look like.
If not, we’re probably not a good fit - and that’s okay.
Larry also asked me about one of my success stories, which you can hear more about in the episode.
P.S. Larry was quick to point out that there are many professions where results are never guaranteed!
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 so they can scale.
🍎 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 keeps your staff from reaching their full fundraising potential. Here to get it.
📈 Work with me to fund your organization’s Strategic Plan and scale your budget by 2 - 5X // If you’re a business-minded CEO already raising MILLIONS but still need more general-operating revenue to invest in growth, you can apply to work with me here.
