Fundraising Leadership ™

Executive Coaching, Leadership Training, and Personal Development

Is Your Money Story Affecting Your Ask?

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Spoiler alert: I strongly believe that the answer to the question in the title is YES.  And not only that, but there’s a decent chance the impact your money story is having isn’t pretty.

So, what is a money story, exactly?

Most of us learn “stories” about money from the Big Three Influencers: our families, our communities and our churches (and other religions). Sometimes the messages are lovely, about sharing and abundance and villages raising children.  MUCH more often, people are taught that money is scarce, that it must be earned with sweat, that it is infused with power, that it is linked to greed and evil. They learn that money is something others have more of, and that it creates imbalance. They learn that there isn’t enough.  They learn that it comes with strings attached.  They learn that asking for it is bad. [Read more…]

Put on Your Cape and Let’s Get Going! Embracing Vulnerability in Fundraising.

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Vulnerability is a big word. It has twelve letters and many connotations, depending with whom you speak. It’s also a word I used to fear. Being vulnerable meant leaving myself open and unprotected, travelling into unknown territory. Quite frankly, it was my least favorite state of being.

Philanthropy is also a big, twelve-letter word that means something different depending with whom you are speaking. Unlike vulnerability, philanthropy has been a word I’ve confidently lived with for the past 30 years. Despite the constant “I just don’t know how you ask people for money” comments from faculty and friends, philanthropy is my happy place.   [Read more…]

The Move from “Doing” Fundraising to “Being” a Fundraiser

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Recently, I woke up to an inbox full of resources that aim to improve the “doing” of fundraising. At first glance, this made me smile.

Just 10+ years ago, I had to dig deep into cyberspace to find insights like the ones that came in like clockwork on this particular morning. Think: winning major gift strategies, proposal budgeting tips, mid-level giving mastery, donor retention via text, year-end strategies that sell, and so many more!

There is, remarkably, no shortage of tactics in our field.

[Read more…]

A New Conversation About Philanthropy

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I’ve been earning my living as a professional fundraiser for almost 15 years. I’ve worked with some awesome donors and volunteers to support important causes, but I’ve often thought that the cause I’m most passionate about is philanthropy itself. I recall hearing this word for the first time when I was in my late teens. I remember thinking, “I want to be a philanthropist!” and calculating how much of the income from my retail job I could afford to give away to others. (It did not occur to me to make as much money as possible so that I would have more to give away, a strategy espoused by some in the effective altruism movement.) 

But philanthropy has gotten some bad press lately. Writers like Anand Giridharadas, Edgar Villanueva, and Rob Reich have argued there’s a hypocrisy to making your fortune in ways that harm others and then being celebrated for giving (some of) it away. They’re not wrong. How many know that Carnegie and Rockefeller were ruthless industrialists but now are mostly remembered as benevolent patrons of libraries, universities and concert halls? And sure, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have promised to direct 99% of their Facebook stock to curing every disease, ever. But should that give Facebook license to mine our data and undermine our democracy?  [Read more…]

Fundraising & Career Strategy: The Benefits of Playing the Long Game

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We live in a world of “Insta”, that is constantly playing the short game.

Fundraising has suffered from a transactional, derivative and acquisition mindset forever. We are haunted by our bake-sale origins.

Being almost 20 years in the charitable sector I have become a career-anthropologist. Observing the careers and strategies of leaders and organizations I admire. It’s what leads me personally on my own career path to specialize in ‘gift-planning’ while most of the sector is always trying to maximize major gifts. Now in 2019, they are one in the same. [Read more…]

Limiting Beliefs That Hinder Fundraising Success

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As an experienced fundraiser and leader you might not remember all the limiting beliefs that held you back at the start of your career.  Many of those beliefs are tied to the fears that surround asking such as: 1) “I  don’t know how to ask”,  2) “I’m too embarrassed to ask”, 3) “I don’t know who to ask”, 4) “I don’t have time to ask”, and 5) “If I ask, they will say no”.

While you may have faced some (or all) of these fears and limiting beliefs in the past and moved beyond them as your career as a fundraiser evolved, there may be some members of your staff who are not as advanced as you are, and who may be struggling.  This post is for them.  I encourage you to share it with them, as well as offer how you overcame these obstacles to success.

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The Power of Two: Co-Leading a Fundraising Program

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Is two better than one?  In the right situation with the right combination of people, YES!

Two is always better than one when it comes to things like puppies or vacations or pieces of cake (maybe even glasses of wine) but what about fundraisers in the same role at the same time?  This was the situation for me when I started a new role in an arts organization after spending three years at an academic institution.  I was excited to return to being a full-time major gift fundraiser with great opportunities in front of me at a transitional time in the organization.  One unexpected element was learning that it would, in fact, be two of us starting the same senior role, two weeks apart.  After a brief pause, and a request to meet my double, my surprise became delight and things began to fall into place. [Read more…]

Fundraising in a Healthcare Setting

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A donor called. “Cancer,” he said from his post-exam waiting room.  “Will you come to talk to me for a few minutes?”, the donor asked.    I ran out of my office thinking “How should I act? What should I say?”

I have been raising money in the healthcare context for the last ten years.  The dream of helping people live out their lives to the fullest extent possible, overcoming the obstacles that disease, disability, and life throw at you…it is hard to imagine anything more tangible or more inspiring.  In my role as a fundraiser at San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, I get the opportunity to support healthcare professionals delivering care in many situations: from Trauma where life and death are on the line, to Social Medicine where homeless patients get help far beyond medical interventions, to the Birth Center where wonderful healthy babies are born HIV free to HIV positive parents thanks to the dedicated work of a vast network of social workers, case managers, and many others. [Read more…]

Moving Beyond Short Term Fundraising

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Creating a Leadership Legacy That Will Impact Future Generations

Is your organization constantly suffering from a lack of donations or inconsistent funding?  Are you passionate about a worthy cause that can’t seem to gain momentum while making an impact?  Do you need more wealthy donors, but don’t seem to be resonating with them?

There could be a hidden reason that you are totally unaware of.

If you ignore this common problem that so many non-profits and charitable organizations suffer from, your funding problems may not only continue, but they may end up getting worse. [Read more…]

Successful Fundraising in a Nutshell

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Do you have a project that needs funding to become a reality?  Does your nonprofit rely on private donations to fund its operations?  Is your organization like many small nonprofits that do not have a formal advancement/development plan nor assigned staff responsible for fundraising? [Read more…]