Part 1: How I Raise $2.5M With No Gala and a Whole Lotta Boundaries

Last week, I hosted a 3-day intensive here in sunny Los Angeles with seven of my amazing clients, and let me tell you—it was powerful. Teaching for three full days was both exhausting and energizing in the best way, and I knew I had to bring a piece of it to the podcast. 

In today’s episode, I’m sharing the very first session I taught on Day 1 of the intensive. It’s all about the exact roadmap I’ve followed to raise $2.5 million—multiple times. This isn’t theory. This is what I actually do: how I think, how I plan, how I build relationships with donors, and how I stay consistent when things get hard.

We get into the real-life habits that fuel this work. The mindset I use. The calendar strategy. Even how I start my day (spoiler: intention-setting and gratitude are non-negotiables for me).

If you’re building a donor portfolio, raising money, or leading a fundraising team—you’re gonna want to take notes.

What I cover in this episode:

- The 3 words I choose every morning to set the tone for my day  

- Why intentional energy matters in high-stakes fundraising  

- How I build long-term relationships with donors like “Bob”  

- The exact outreach strategy that opened the door to a whole new donor network  

- The donor profile I write all my content for (and how I built it)  

- How I structure my weekly calendar to stay focused on my North Star  

- Why gratitude, follow-up, and *actually caring* are game-changers in this work

Let’s be real...

Fundraising is not easy. There’s pressure. There’s rejection. There’s a lot we can’t control. But what *is* in your control is how you show up. How you build trust. How you become someone donors remember—in good times *and* hard times.

If you want to know what it really takes to raise millions while staying grounded, intentional, and human… this episode is for you.

Hit play and let’s dive in.

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If you're an org with at least $800k annual budget and major gifts is your top priority, but you need a better strategy and approach, get on the waitlist for the next CourageLab cohort here: https://julieordonez.kit.com/couragelab2