33: How to Rewire the Neural Pathways in Your Brain to Raise More Money for Your Organization with Cindy Wagman

Cindy Wagman is the President and Founder of The Good Partnership, a consultancy that is working to unlock the potential of small nonprofits through fundraising. In this episode, me and Cindy talk about the system of beliefs and stigmas that are often associated with fundraising and how we can rewire the neural pathways in our brains that are keeping us stuck. We also explore the power of stories as vehicles for empathy and the importance of meeting your donors and really getting to know them. Join us while we go deep into the fundraiser’s brain and behavior and share some big tips for the small nonprofit!

Episode highlights: 

01:50 - Introducing Cindy Wagman: How and when did she fall in love with fundraising work? 

04:21 - Rewire the shortcuts: Cindy’s tips to start overcoming the fundraising beliefs and habits that might be holding us back .

11:56 - ‘Bad’ at fundraising: How does our brain create and interpret the detrimental beliefs that make fundraising a stressful task?

24:07 - Look at what’s inside your lens: Explaining what are the ‘Funder Lenses’ and how knowing them helps to shift negative reinforcement loops and act with authenticity.

30:25 - A story is an instrument of empathy: Transformative experiences and what happens when the exposure to one piece of information turns into a belief.

37:27 - Our work has value: Discussing the negative ways in which pop culture and major organizations have portrayed the fundraiser’s work.