Real Talk for Real Fundraisers

When you get back to the office or start up your computer again after a holiday, it always takes a while to get re-oriented. If you do a little prep now, you’ll thank yourself when you come back with a clear game plan to follow! We hope you have a peaceful and relaxing holiday season, with some time off that helps you to recharge. And when you get back to work, you can feel confident that you’re starting the year off right with these areas as your top priorities during your first week back. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn… Where to focus your time and effort during your first week back after the holidays The value of doing a “year in review” session with your team or manager How to prepare for a caseload refresh so you have all the info you need in advance The importance of saving time for self-care and setting the tone for the new year Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [Blog] Five Things You Must Do in Caseload Management at the Beginning of This Year [Podcast] New Year’s Resolutions: Part One [Blog] Here’s What MGOs Should Do in January

There’s a temptation to send out more communication at the end of the year. And it’s understandable; there’s a lot to share during this season, and you want to keep your donors informed. But communicating more frequently doesn’t make it more effective. In fact, if you send emails and letters about every event, fundraising campaign, organizational report, and holiday greeting, your donors may start to tune out. In this podcast episode, we’re sharing our tips to help you create engaging and relevant communications that will stand out to your donors during the year-end season. This episode features Jeff Schreifels, Principal, and Drew Coursin, one of our Client Experience Leaders. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn… Ideas to engage your donor with meaningful touch points at year-end The risk of over-communicating during this busy time of year How to take a holistic view of all the content that your organization is sending out to donors so that your communications are relevant and valuable Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [Blog] The Balancing Act of Year-End Outreach in Major Gifts [Podcast] 5 Things Fundraisers Need to Do in the Last Week of the Year [Blog] From the Frontlines: Fundraising Tips to End the Year Strong

It’s the most intimidating part of fundraising: asking someone for a gift. But that’s not the only thing that fundraisers need to ask for. They’re also requesting meetings, inviting people to give their time at events, and asking donors to share the personal driver that inspires their giving. So, whatever your ask is for – how do you do it in a way that honors the donor as a partner in your mission? We developed our Permission-Based Asking™model as a framework for more authentic dialogue. No more guessing what your donor is thinking or making assumptions about what’s going on for them. When you align with the donor throughout the conversation, you’re getting their buy-in before moving forward with an ask, so they’ll never be caught off guard. Donors can and will give more, but they want to be asked. And they want to be asked in a way that’s honoring to them and acknowledges their personal desire to make a difference in the world. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… How Permission-Based Asking™ works to build collaborative dialogue Strategies to practice and develop your asking skills in any context Results from Veritus clients who’ve used Permission-Based Asking with their donors Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [Course] Making Effective Donor Asks [Blog] Permission-Based Asking: An Introduction [White Paper] How to Use Permission-Based Asking™ with Donors

Does your organization encourage you to bring your authentic self to your work in the non-profit space? Or do you feel pressure to self-censor certain parts of your identity? Many non-profit employees say that their workplace culture has created an environment where they’re not comfortable or do not feel safe bringing their authentic selves to work. And this is particularly damaging in fundraising, where you need to bring a certain amount of vulnerability because of the deeply personal nature of your work with donors. To help promote authenticity in non-profit organizations, we’ve invited two special guests, Paul Towne and Rachel Wyley, to guide us along this journey toward authenticity. Paul Towne is an Executive Search Consultant at Cooper Coleman. Paul has devoted his 20-year career to advancing social good, splitting his time between raising funds for some of the world’s most impactful organizations and championing technology that promotes charitable giving and organizational effectiveness. Rachel Wyley is the CEO and Founder of Culture Kinesis, an agency which focuses on cultural reimagination and supporting organizations and individuals to do the foundational work that’s needed before starting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives – the mindset work, the unlearning work, and the community building work that supports you in creating an inclusive culture. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… What’s going on in the non-profit world that makes people feel like they need to self-censor at work The cost to non-profits and individuals when authenticity is not embraced Resources for how to have these conversations and shift your organizational culture Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [BLOG] In Fundraising, Vulnerability Is Your Greatest Strength [PODCAST] The Confidence to Have Tough Conversations [BLOG] Why Every Non-Profit Leader Needs to Join in the Journey for Racial Justice

Usually, people have the best of intentions. But it’s shocking how many organizations have internalized some misguided views of fundraising without realizing how their mindset is hurting their donor relationships. There’s plenty of wrong thinking out there, and on today’s episode, we’ll talk about what it looks like when fundraising leaders and professionals don’t prioritize the donor. Remember, donors are not a means to an end. They’re the lifeblood of your organization and partners in achieving your mission. Keep an open mind as you listen in today; if you’ve made these mistakes, that’s ok to admit. Making mistakes is all part of the process. But if you aren't learning and growing each time, then you're missing out on opportunities for positive change. Show Highlights: In this episode, we’ll share how non-profits unintentionally damage their donor relationships when they… Don’t understand the role of fundraising Promote a misguided view of the role of the donor Fail to recognize the spiritual nature of giving Treat donors as a means to an end Set up a system and structure that is disconnected from the donor journey Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [BLOG] Mistakes You’re Making That Suppress Major Donor Giving [VIDEO] What’s Holding Non-Profits Back From Treating Their Donors Well? [WHITE PAPER] Building a Culture of Philanthropy

We talk a lot about the importance of taking your donor to the scene so that the need feels real and personal to them. But there’s a risk of exploiting the very communities you serve if their stories are not told in an honoring way. Some non-profits paint themselves as the heroes, when really, the people they serve deserve the credit for and ownership of their stories. Particularly in communities where the population served may be mostly Black or Latinx, while the non-profit staff members are white, it can feel like another instance of “white saviorism” which has done a lot of damage in these communities. So how do you share stories of transformation from your community, without suggesting a savior mentality? To help us unpack this topic, we’ve invited a special guest, Aliguma Young. Aliguma is the founding CEO of The Super Fundraiser. With almost 20 years in fundraising, Aliguma has raised over $200,000,000 for non-profit organizations, nationally and internationally. She launched The Super Fundraiser to support non-profit organizations in developing equity-led fundraising that empowers communities and drives real change. We hope this episode will inspire you to start a conversation about your own organization’s relationship to the community it serves. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… The concept of “white saviorism,” what it looks like when non-profit organizations or staff members have a savior mentality, and how this is harmful to the communities served How to promote equity as part of your organizational mission How to involve members of the community in creating a solution Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [Podcast] Supporting Black and Brown Colleagues in the Non-Profit Sector [Blog] Why Every Non-Profit Leader Needs to Join in the Journey for Racial Justice [Podcast] The Confidence to Have Tough Conversations

What is it that makes The Veritus Way of fundraising so successful? To tell you more about it, we’ve invited a couple of our clients to share about their experiences with the Veritus approach to fundraising. Listen in to learn about how they approached integrating The Veritus Way into their work, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them, and what they would share with others who are working to implement a new approach to fundraising. You may recognize some of your own challenges in their stories and successes. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll hear first-hand experiences of… How The Veritus Way stands out from other systems and structures What was most challenging about adopting a new approach What was most impactful in these fundraisers’ success Advice to others who are considering implementing a new system at their non-profit Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: Free Donor File Assessment What is the Veritus Way? Is Co-Management the Solution?

Do you have a strategy to help you allocate your time per donor? The reality is, you only have so much time in a day. And you need to be a good steward of that time. So, while we value all donors as people, the impact they have is not equal. Some will give much more than others, and those donors need a bigger investment of your time and energy. On this episode, Jeff is joined by Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services, to talk about the idea of tiering donor caseloads. This is a core component of the system and structure we follow as part of The Veritus Way. Join us for this conversation about the process of tiering and how it works to help you focus your time where you can make the most impact. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… The process of tiering your caseload donors A-C Misconceptions about what it means to tier donors and engage them at different levels Challenges that arise when a caseload isn’t tiered Differences in tiering a major gifts caseload versus a mid-level caseload How tiering helps fundraisers to better engage their donors Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [White Paper] Tiering Donors to Create Focused Caseloads [Blog] You Can’t Spend All Your Time With a Donor Just Because You Like Them [Video] Why “Tier” Donors in a Major Gift Caseload?

What’s so great about mid-level? We’re so glad you asked! More and more organizations are discovering that mid-level is the key to retaining donors and donor value. When you have a mid-level program that’s focused on building relationships with donors and discovering their passions and interests, it allows you to qualify and move more donors to major gifts. And in addition to inspiring more donor engagement and connection, a mid-level program really makes a difference for your organization’s bottom line. This podcast episode features Kara Ansotegui, one of our Client Experience Leaders, and Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services. Kara and Lisa together have decades of experience with non-profits, and they have a passion for the power of mid-level (and making it FUN). We hope this conversation will inspire you to get started on mid-level, so your organization can make a greater impact toward its mission. Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… The role of mid-level in building a healthy donor pipeline where donors are engaged from acquisition all the way to planned giving How mid-level programs improve rates of donor and donor value attrition How a strong mid-level program allows you to qualify and move more donors up into major gifts Net revenue increases that our mid-level clients have seen after starting a mid-level program Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: [Podcast] Keep, Lift, Move: The Three Objectives of a Successful Mid-Level Program [Blog] How to Overcome the Fear and Get Started on Your Mid-Level Program [Course] Certification Course in Mid-Level Fundraising

Looking for inspiration to help you plan for the fall fundraising season? Look no further! Since we’re privileged to work with so many different non-profit organizations, we have a bird’s-eye view of the latest fundraising trends and themes. From year-end planning to giving trends to technology in the relational giving space – exciting things are happening. On this podcast episode, Jeff and Richard are joined by Lisa Robertson, our Director of Client Services, to share some tips based on what’s working well for our clients. Listen in for some great ideas and strategies to energize your fundraising program this fall! Show Highlights: In this episode, you’ll learn about… Fundraising trends and themes we’re seeing with Veritus clients Strategies our clients are using to provide exceptional donor service (and how you can apply these in your own organization) Common challenges that non-profits are facing in the second half of 2022 Veritus Group is passionate about partnering with you and your organization throughout your fundraising journey. We believe that the key to transformative fundraising is a disciplined system and structure, trusted accountability, persistence, and a bit of fun. We specialize in mid-level fundraising, major gifts, and planned giving, helping our clients to develop compelling donor offers and to focus on strategic leadership and organizational development. You can learn more about how we can partner with you at www.VeritusGroup.com. Additional Resources: Exceptional Donor Service Starts With You Do You Provide a 5-Star Donor Experience? Discovering Your Donor’s Passions and Interests