Fall Funder Series: A Discussion with John Tracey, Program Director of the Simons Foundation

Nonprofit GrowthDevelopment
Written By Sherry Quam Taylor

This week on my Business Behind Fundraising podcast, I’m bringing Part Two of a Three-Part Fall Series featuring funders we all admire! I’m asking all the questions that you want to know from funding partners. They’ve been super generous with their advice.
 

We started with a bang last month with Shireen Zaman of the Ford Foundation’s BUILD program. 

 

Now, here in September, you’ll hear from John Tracey, Program Director, Science, Society and Culture of the Simons Foundation.

 

Sidenote:  I had COVID when I recorded this interview. Please ignore how awful I sound and near choking/coughing! But, John made up for it! You’ll love the conversation!

 

Here’s the snapshot from our time together:

[08:00] What has changed with Simon’s funding model and approach since Covid?

 

[10:00] Are higher amounts of General Operating here to stay?

 

[13:20] John shares how orgs can form strong relationships with funders…

 

[15:50] What partnerships look like with Simons? John shares more about wrap-around services…

 

[17:30] Misconceptions John sees in the sector and what this has to do with the eclipse! [Spoiler: Being a funder is not a cushy job!]

 

[21:30] What's the funder journey you should take if the foundation is not open-call?

 

[24:00] John’s advice on reaching out to funders… “I’m on LinkedIN! My DMs are open”

 

These are really a treat for me to host as I get so many of these questions from my clients every week!

 

I’d like to say a big thank you to John for his time, honest answers, and candid advice! YouTube link below . . . Apple Podcast link here.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

👣 Follow me on LinkedIn here 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.

Sherry Quam Taylor

Sherry Quam Taylor works with business-minded Nonprofit CEOs whose Strategic Plans require expansive budgets and larger amounts of general-operating revenue for growth. To become investment-level ready, Sherry helps leaders see their revenue potential and helps them see what may be blocking donors from giving in this way. Sherry’s clients know how to attract larger donors by solving the funding challenges at the root of the issue.

As a result of learning her methodology, Sherry’s clients become sustainable, diversify revenue, and know how to add significant amounts gen-ops revenue to their budgets. But mostly, their development departments and board have transformed into high-ROI revenue generators – aligning their hours with relational dollars and set free from the limitations of transactional fundraising.

Sherry attributes the success of her business to her passion for modeling radical confidence to the future CEOs in her house - her two college-aged daughters.

https://www.QuamTaylor.com
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Fall Funder Series: A Discussion with Aba Taylor, Executive Director of Brookline Community Foundation
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Fall Funder Series: A Discussion with Shireen Zaman, Program Officer, BUILD // Ford Foundation