Nonprofit Lowdown

Join me and my new pal Ramon to talk about similar best practices in sales and fundraising.  Ramon and I explore how bad salespeople and bad fundraisers give us all a bad name, the power of relationship and the need to invest in yourself to succeed.  Some key takeaways: Bringing the right energy and being in the right headspace are key to fundraising and sales. Invest in yourself to increase your skills--don't wait for someone else to give you permission. Focus on building the relationship and the rest will follow. Believing deeply in your product (or mission) to improve your client's (or donor's) life will drive success. I really enjoyed this wide-ranging conversation and it was an eye-opener for me to realize how similar sales and fundraising are (and how they're different in important ways!). To connect with Ramon, check him out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramon-w-basie/

With the pandemic lockdown, are you dreaming about open roads and exotic vacations?  Join the club.   Listen in to today's interview with Maryann Remsburg, a certified coach, mom of four, author and co-founder of Adventurous Life. In this conversation we talk about how we get so caught up in obligations, "should-ing all over ourselves" and fear that we forget to experience joy and adventure.  Maryann reminds us that we don't need a plane ticket around the world to live an adventurous life--it's all a state of mind.  Learn how to regain the sense of fun and adventure that you had before life (and the pandemic) got you down.  Bonus: you might avoid a mid-life crisis.  You don't need a Lambo and an inappropriately aged boyfriend to enjoy your life! For more about Maryann, visit: https://www.adventurouslife.net/

This episode is not for the faint of heart.  Join me and my friend Stephen Lasser to talk about how to generate leads and income with zero BS.  Stephen's clear-eyed, plain-spoken approach to fundraising is refreshing.  We talk about how to use your boards effectively (don't expect everyone to do everything), how to approach donors and how to meet donors where they are.  As a former banker, Stephen's cool-headed approach to money and how to fund your important mission will help you to be the best fundraiser you can be.   To connect with Stephen, check out his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-lasser-00a3a2/ 

"We can't afford that."  "There's not enough money."  "There's not enough time."  "Must be nice to have enough staff." Any of that sound familiar?  As a sector, we live under constant pressure for resources, exacerbated by the pervasive scarcity mindset that plagues us.  When we live in scarcity, we are stressed with "never enough" and that mindset affects our work, our staff, our clients and our peace of mind.  Join me and Nell Edgington to talk about how you know if you have scarcity mindset and what to do about it.  (spoiler alert!) We start with resourcing ourselves and asking different questions.  As they say, if you change your questions, you can change your life. For more about Nell (including buying her book), visit: https://www.socialvelocity.net/

"What about fee-for-service?"   If you've ever heard this in a board or staff meeting, then this episode is for you.  We talk with Brian Joseph, Co-Founder and CEO and Lizzie Honan, Regional Director NYC of RevJen about how to think about launching a fee-generating venture within your nonprofit.  We discuss the internal decisions, how to staff and train properly and how sales is unlike fundraising.  This is an insightful and thoughtful interview that sheds light on the mysteries of fee-for-service. To learn more about RevJen, visit: https://revjen.com/ To download their Infinity Model, visit: shorturl.at/dhuK9

How is fundraising like dating?  From first meeting to courtship to finally "sealing the deal" Jonah and I take a humorous perspective on major gift fundraising.  Learn how to avoid the most common pitfalls (i.e. talking too much about yourself) and learn why I call major gift fundraising the "jazz" of the development world.  Remember, people, it's not about the money--it's about the relationships!  Jonah is smart, experienced, insightful and fun.  You'll enjoy this energetic conversation about how to romance your donors so they keep coming back for more. For more about Jonah, visit: altruicity.com To get a free chapter of Jonah's book, visit: https://www.dateyourdonors.com/ 

It's a whole new gala world where fundraisers are online, formal wear means your house slippers and hosts are the size of your screen.  The pandemic has made the entire gala industry pivot in ways we couldn't imagine.  Join me and Benjamin Ryan Nathan, founder of All of Us Films, as we discuss some of the successes and failures of virtual galas.  Ben runs a production company that did eight virtual galas from March to December and he shares some of his lessons learned.  We talk about how much we can expect to raise, where to really spend the money for a quality gala and some pitfalls he's experienced.  For all of you planning virtual galas, this is a must-listen. To find Ben, check out: AllOfUsFilms.com To download the virtual gala checklist, click here or shorturl.at/gmxyW

This one is for all of you aspiring nonprofit founders.  In this episode, we serve up a hefty dose of reality about what it takes to found and run a successful nonprofit organization.  News flash: running a nonprofit is actually running a small business.  We speak with new founder, Kenneth Brown, about everything he's learned in the first year of his nonprofit and Andrea Ortega who helps founders establish 501c3s.  We chat about how much time is spent on fundraising, how to deal with rejection and the reality of funding (spoiler alert: grant money will not fall out of the sky into your lap).  This is an important one if you're thinking about starting up a nonprofit of your own.  

True story: on top of my nonprofit work, I'm an aspiring stand-up comedian.  And, lemme tell ya, it's rough out there for a comic.  Join me and fellow stand-up comedian and Chief Story Smith Carlos Maestas to talk about how to be a better communicator.  We talk about how to find your own story, why it's a good idea to not take yourself too seriously and how to get out of pitch mode and into real connection with funders.  This interview was a ton of fun and jam-packed with value bombs for those looking to be better storytellers, and communicators. For more about Carlos and to get his book, check it out here: https://www.keyideas.net/ To see Carlos's very funny work for the Human Services Council, check it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gELZnORV4U&feature=youtu.be

Join me and George "In the Mix" Suttles to talk about a very important topic.  We discuss the myths of the lack of BIPOC talent, how to set BIPOC leaders up for success and how to celebrate leadership reclamation.  This is a hugely important topic for the sector because if we say that we want to center Black and brown leadership, then we have to be prepared to do business differently.  This conversation is honest, bold and asks important questions that will challenge the status quo. For more about George, connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgesuttles/