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Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Molly secured 100% of her nonprofit’s funding by month 6 of her fiscal year (and was volunteer-run 2 ½ years ago)
100% Funded by Month 6: Molly’s Success Story
Two and a half years ago, Molly’s organization was 100% volunteer-run. Today, she has paid staff and raises double what she used to. In fact, this year, Molly raised 100% of her budget by the sixth month of her fiscal year.
Can you imagine what meeting your fundraising goals with six months to spare feels like?
“I was going to update you when we meet next week, but we are officially fully funded for the year!” - Molly
Molly is awesome and embraces the discipline that comes with fundraising, but I promise, she didn’t do this by magic.
![Summer [ EXPERT ] Hot Seat Series - Nonprofit Fundraising and Beyond](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65280fbed04ab77a3f0cb3bc/1700591581105-JD0V8KU5DX1GA94YTH6U/image-asset.jpeg)
Summer [ EXPERT ] Hot Seat Series - Nonprofit Fundraising and Beyond
EVERYTHING impacts fundraising.
It sounds like an exaggeration, but experience has taught me it’s true.
Every time I sit down with a new client, I start with the same question that launched me on my journey in fundraising over a decade ago:
What keeps them from securing large donations from individuals?
Time and again, I see that it’s not any one thing. There’s no magic piece to the puzzle.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How to Grow a Nonprofit During Tough Times (What I Learned During the Last Recession)
Across the country, median family income was at one of the lowest points in a decade. The unemployment rate was quite high.
The year was 2010, and I had just left my established corporate career to work at a nonprofit.
For 13 years, I’d worked in the corporate world doing work I’d loved. But like so many of you, I was moved by a mission, and had to be part of it. So I jumped into the world of nonprofit, with little network or connections.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: Is Your Biggest Fundraising Hurdle Your Organization’s Name, Look, or Messaging?
Is the name or look of your organization actually KEEPING you from raising funds?
I’m serious.
Years ago I was serving with a nonprofit and sat in on a board meeting. I heard the strangest thing - it actually stopped me dead in my tracks.
There were a number of board members mispronouncing the name of the organization. Yes, mispronouncing the name of the nonprofit board they were sitting on.
The THREE Nonprofit Misconceptions COVID-19 Proved Should End
How are things at your organization? If you’re panicking about fundraising, worried about the future, and not sure which steps to take next, you’re certainly not alone. Across the country and around the world, nonprofits are working out how to pursue their missions and keep paying bills during this very uncertain time.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us a lot about ourselves, from our preparedness to gaps in our healthcare system. For nonprofits, it’s shown three major misconceptions that we simply can’t take into the future with us.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Serena raised 37% Budget in December alone (and that’s not the best part)
What does it take to raise $250K from individual donors during the last 30 days of the year?
To answer that, we have to ask my LET’S GROW student Serena, who raised 56% of her $670K budget in December 2019 alone.
Wow! One quarter into her fiscal year and she was already more than halfway to her budget.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How Anthony Got His Nonprofit Board to Raise Money
“My board doesn’t understand they are supposed to fundraise.”
It’s one of the most common phrases I hear from Executive Directors, typically followed by:
“Our board is too small.”
“We don’t have the right people on our board.”
“We’re a working-board, not a fundraising-board.”
The Executive Director then sighs, as if the discussion is over, they’re just cursed, and there’s nothing to do about it.
There’s a lot to do about it.
I’ve seen small boards, boards with challenging people on them, and working-boards be amazing at fundraising.
What’s the secret? A different, and better approach to board fundraising.
Fundraising PLAYBOOK: How My Student Raised 3X Money of Her Annual Gala Goal (by moving her event donors to annual donors)
If your gala raised 3X more than it ever had, what’s the first thing you’d do?
Seriously, what would you do?
Hire staff so that you can serve more people?
Open a larger facility closer to the people who NEED YOU?
Launch a new program to serve people in a greater way?
Finally pay yourself and your staff a living wage salary so you could dedicate your full attention to those you serve?
It’s not an idle question. It’s very, very likely that you’re leaving money on the table at your annual event, and I’m here to show you how to transform your gala, build better donor relationships, and secure larger donations that reach your organization’s true need.