What My Favorite Bartender Can Teach You About Fundraising

Rhonda Travers: Four steps to retaining volunteers: As Founder & President of Travers Training & Consulting, Rhonda Travers fulfills her passion for creating a collaborative culture by helping businesses & nonprofits increase engagement, retention, and productivity. Rhonda leverages her 30-year corporate leadership experience to share her unique approach through business consulting, training workshops, and speaking engagements. Key Takeaways: In today's fast-paced world, offering flexibility in volunteer roles is essential for nonprofits to attract and retain volunteers. Showing sincere and specific appreciation is also critical, as it encourages volunteers to go above and beyond for the cause they believe in. To keep volunteers engaged, nonprofits should inform them about their roles and the organization's mission through various communication channels that match their preferences. Volunteers are more likely to stay when their personal motivations align with the nonprofit's missio by The Influential Nonprofit

28 min listen

[CLASSIC REWIND] Kim Fisher, Vision Catalyst: How to Start a Nonprofit: Kim Fisher is a nonprofit strategist who specializes in creating and implementing infrastructure for nonprofit start-ups. Kim does everything from completing the IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit application requirements, to board training and development. She has over 30 years experience as a nonprofit executive in all areas of nonprofit management including business development, training, marketing and as CEO. Kim’s extensive experience in both domestic and international organizations gives her a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of the nonprofit adventure. Key Takeaways: Nonprofit leaders and members really struggle with taking salary from the nonprofit organization. This is rooted from a poverty mindset that you have to let go of if you want to build a successful and sustainable nonprofit company. The four main pieces of starting out a nonprofit: be incorporated into your state, work on board by The Influential Nonprofit

38 min listen

Better Fundraising Conversations: Not What You Say But What You Ask: Key Takeaways: Ask and listen instead of pitching and selling. People are more likely to when they feel seen, heard, and understood. Your only job is to tap into somebody and have them feel seen, heard, and understood. People decide based on their emotions. Listen to them and lead the conversation with empathy. If people feel misunderstood, they’ll become frustrated and guarded, the opposite is also true. First, ask a vision question to know what their pain is or what they want to gain. Second, ask about the gap - the challenges that make the vision difficult to materialize. Third is the cost, ask them what is the cost of not solving this issue. After asking those three questions, that’s when you can involve your organization in the conversation. Ask a qualifying question: “What do you feel is needed to close the gap?” “If you want to increase the quality of the conversations that you have with anybody in your by The Influential Nonprofit

26 min listen

Jane Pfeiffer, Field Trip: Why donors give!: Jane Pfeiffer is the founder and President of Fieldtrip, a cause-focused agency dedicated to helping purpose-driven organizations help others. Fieldtrip is based on the belief that learning expands when you step outside with a sense of wonder and curiosity. Jane, and the Fieldtrip team, work across the country supporting important work including public and private education, homelessness, child abuse prevention, LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and other health and social services. Key Takeaways: The three key attitude segments within the supporter population are these: first is culture or how they think about giving and supporting nonprofits. Second is if they believe the issues we’re facing today are solvable or at least improvable. The third is how they view the beneficiaries or the recipients of the mission. Instead of trying to find the magic words that will make people care about your cause, talk to people and ask them what made them want to do by The Influential Nonprofit

34 min listen

Activating Your Support Networks: Key Takeaways: Creating a support network can help you stay connected, stay confident, stay grounded, and most importantly, stay sovereign. Prioritize building deeper connections with people, and be intentional in getting to know them. Set dates, strive to meet consistently, and keep it fresh with different activities. The lessons that you need rarely ever come from within. Most of the time, it’s by seeking out other people and giving them a listening ear that you’ll find the gem that you need. Having a strong support network is not only about what you can get from it, it’s also an opportunity for you to give value to other people. Instead of worrying how your needs can be met, focus on being a value to others, knowing that your needs will be met. “It's not about the outcome, it's about staying sovereign. You create, you decide, you set the pattern. No one dictates to you how you feel or [what you are] worth, you decide that for yourself. That' by The Influential Nonprofit

16 min listen

Karen Knight: Boost Your Volunteer Program!: With a career spanning over three decades, Karen Knight is a seasoned professional renowned for her unwavering commitment to the not-for-profit sector. Having navigated various leadership roles in both the private and public sectors, Karen’s journey highlights her adaptability and versatility. Key Takeaways: Before looking for volunteers, establish the roles that they will fill or come up with a list of tasks that they will do. Know who you are looking for and what they’re going to do. Keep your volunteers happy by making them feel appreciated. Thank every volunteer in every shift and in specific if possible. If you can’t be specific, then show them that you see what they’re contributing. Talk to your volunteers. If you listen, people tell you about what they want. Don’t spend time and energy arranging an event for the volunteers that they may not necessarily like. Instead, ask them what they want. Volunteers are not merely “free wor by The Influential Nonprofit

34 min listen

No More Drama!: Key Takeaways: Understanding how thoughts and feelings contribute to decision-making is key to influential leadership. Influential leadership creates sustainable workforces with less turnover and more productivity. The first step towards becoming an influential leader is to go inward. Be willing to understand how the thoughts, beliefs, and experiences that you had when you were young impact the decisions that you make today. Guilt is when we feel bad for what we do and shame is when we feel bad about who we are. Most things that upset us originate from deeply rooted feelings of guilt and shame. When navigating conflict of others or your own, pay attention to what’s making you and others feel uncomfortable. An influential leader’s job is to create more good leaders. When you practice influential leadership, not only are you creating a more influential and conscious leadership for yourself, but you're also teaching others how their thoughts and feelings contribute to t by The Influential Nonprofit

18 min listen

Creating Structure for Maximum Productivity: Key Takeaways: Having maximum structure and maximum flow allows individuals to work to their highest advantage, rather than sacrificing one for the other. Individuals can fall into one of three categories: high structure, low flow; high flow, low structure; or high structure, high flow, where the ideal balance is found in the "influential third." Create a foundation for the day through a consistent morning routine or Sunday planning. This structure allows for greater openness to unexpected creativity and flow. It’s also important to take a day or week off to unplug and recharge. Hustle and constant productivity are not sustainable. Embrace structure and accountability to maintain passion and creativity while also acknowledging the importance of individual choice and autonomy. “Ideally, what we would love to have is a high flow, high structure. When we're this way, we get maximum productivity and creativity, you get the best of both wor by The Influential Nonprofit

24 min listen

Chris Barlow: Donor Attraction With Digital Marketing: As Founder and Customer Happiness Director of Beeline, Chris is thankful to get to help nonprofits grow their mission and donor base through digital marketing, specifically Google Grant, Bing, and Facebook ads. Most of all, he’s thankful to be the dad to seven kids and to help them learn to live generously. Key Takeaways: Digital marketing is a powerful tool for nonprofits to achieve their organizational goals. The key to having an effective digital marketing strategy is to focus on giving value. Create content that addresses donor’s questions, entertains, and solves their problems. When you focus on producing valuable content for your audience, you won’t have to waste too much effort on self-promotion. People will naturally gravitate toward you. Leverage existing content to provide value without sacrificing too much time, collaborate with partners in creating mutually beneficial projects, and utilize Google Ad Grants to i by The Influential Nonprofit

33 min listen

Maria Rio: Real Talk About Community-Centric Fundraising: Maria Rio is a Community-Centric Fundraiser with over a decade in the sector, published in a variety of national publications, a speaker, and an advocate. Key Takeaways: Being Community-Centered means focusing on the community rather than an executive’s ego, a board member, or somebody else. It’s all about centering the needs, methods, and values of the people that you’re trying to serve in all aspects of your organization. Release judgment and start from a place of empathy when discussing socio-economic intersectional issues. It’s indeed important to have a basic understanding of these issues but it would be more effective to educate people when you meet them where they are at. Donors envision themselves as changemakers instead of wealth hoarders and are actively exploring ways to give away their wealth to address societal issues. Nonprofits should show that Donors are partners, rather than heroes or beneficiaries. Ther by The Influential Nonprofit

32 min listen

Sean Kosofsky: EDs, Boards, and the Gift of Fundraising: Sean Kosofsky is the Nonprofit Fixer! He is a coach, consultant, trainer, and strategic advisor. For the past 30+ years, he has helped causes, campaigns, and candidates raise millions of dollars and transformed nonprofit organizations and leaders. He has served in a wide variety of roles in nonprofits, including policy, communications, development, grassroots organizing, direct service, board leadership, and five stints as an executive director. He is an author and the owner of Mind the Gap Consulting, which offers coaching and consulting services for executive directors, boards, and fundraisers, as well as a suite of online training courses. Key Takeaways: Unless the executive director is clumsy at pitching or closing the deal, they should be a part of every major gift solicitation. The team can set appointments but the executive director must be the one closing the deal. Fundraising is a partnership that will help create the by The Influential Nonprofit

29 min listen

Farra Trompeter: Connecting To Your Community Through Branding: As Big Duck’s Co-Director, Farra ensures that Big Duck is a healthy, thriving company—that we’re creating a great work environment, are financially stable, producing work that successfully meets or exceeds client’s needs, and that diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism are centered in all we do. She directs Big Duck’s marketing and business development efforts, seeking to build relationships with nonprofits who want to use communications to achieve their mission. Farra has led dozens of organizations through major brand overhauls, fundraising campaigns, and much more since joining Big Duck in 2007. She’s a frequent speaker around the country, training nonprofit staff and board members on branding, communications planning, and engaging donors at all giving levels. Key Takeaways: Organizations often present an outdated or aspirational version of themselves online, which can lead to a disconnect between their digit by The Influential Nonprofit

35 min listen

It's Back: Learn How To Attract New Donors To Your Nonprofit At The Donor Attraction Forum!: Join us LIVE on Thursday, February 15th & Friday, February 16th in this year’s Donor Attraction Forum for FREE by clicking here: https://donorattractionforum.com/MaryanneD Ask for and receive all you want need and deserve without feeling rejected, ineffective, or pushy. Learn to manage your mindset, lead yourself and others more effectively and have the meaningful conversations that drive your most important work. Get your free starter kit today at www.theinfluentialnonprofit.com Book your quickie intro call with Maryanne here! Connect with Maryanne Dersch: https://www.courageouscommunication.com/connect by The Influential Nonprofit

8 min listen

Money Mindset And Fundraising: Key Takeaways: Addressing your inner beliefs and feelings about money is essential to your success in fundraising because our subconscious minds can influence our financial decisions and behaviors. Look at the story that your mind has made up about money. Separate the guilt and the shame and keep your feelings neutral. You are not judging, you are observing and analyzing. Hear out the story and then re-write it. Self-awareness gives you the power of choice. The nonprofit sector has a tendency to operate in a scarcity mindset, prioritizing short-term survival over long-term growth and impact. We must altogether shift from a scarcity to an abundance mindset and release what doesn’t serve us so that we can make room for aligned individuals and resources. The Big Lie that we’ve been told is that there’s only so much money for nonprofits that you’ve got to take your slice of the pie. However, if you look at the data, you’ll know that that is false. “Mo by The Influential Nonprofit

34 min listen

Supercharge Your Year With 90 Day MOST Plan: Key Takeaways: 90 days is long enough to get something done but short enough that there’s some urgency to it. The 90-day MOST stands for Mission, Objective, Strategy, and Tactics. It accounts for having an overall vision and creating simple strategies to implement each quarter. We need to have a clear vision so that we know what we’re looking for. Before creating a plan, take time to create a vision board. Visualize what you want to create in your life and depict it in your vision board. Once you have a vision, determine an objective. Then, create three strategies that will serve to achieve that objective. Under each strategy, create three simple tactics. Keep it simple. “90 days has been studied as to be very effective. It's long enough to get something done. But it's short enough that you there's some urgency to it” “We create the vision. And then from that vision, we create the plan. But we don't want to plan while creating the by The Influential Nonprofit

22 min listen

Luke Emerson: Tips For Growing Your Fundraising Skillset: Luke brings 25+ years of expertise from top companies like Procter & Gamble and AstraZeneca to the University of Rochester. As Assistant VP overseeing Domestic and International major gift fundraising, he drives impactful results. In his free time, Luke's passion extends to Tips4People.com, a video micro-learning hub empowering small nonprofits with concise, high-quality actionable tips for positive change. Key Takeaways: Listening is the key to being an effective fundraiser. You have to listen to what your donors are saying so that you can hone in on the impact that they want to have. You don’t have to pitch or sell, you just have to listen and connect. Webinars and courses may take 45 minutes and contain a lot of great information, but usually, there are only two or three nuggets within the webinar. If we condense those nuggets and package them into bite-sized and actionable clips we can save people time and have them apply by The Influential Nonprofit

31 min listen

Why Fundraising Goals Are Costing You Money: Key Takeaways: Raising money is critical to a mission. That’s why it’s important to find a better way of doing this that has more grace, ease, and flow. Measuring by amount only limits how we look at relationships and it makes fundraising transactional. Remember that donors aren’t ATMs. We tend to not value other things that come to us if they're not supportive of a goal that we need. When we don’t value those things, we’ll miss out on a lot of beauty and joy. Goals don’t create long-term success and they can restrict our joy if we equate our value with our ability to reach them. Goals create tension, cause smallness and fear, and it can set people up for failure. This coming 2024, instead of coming up with goals, ask yourselves “What systems and structures are we going to put in place that will help create these goals?” Systems and structures that are put in place to support the goal will help us achieve the success that we want. “Wh by The Influential Nonprofit

28 min listen

Mitch Stein: Unlock Donor-Advised Funds: Mitch is a social entrepreneur, community builder, and impact innovator. He is currently the Head of Strategy for Chariot, a Donor-Advised Fund solution for nonprofits to solicit, maximize, manage & steward DAF donors and their gifts. He previously founded a nonprofit marketplace and community called Pond after leaving his role as a VP on Goldman Sachs' Technology Investment Banking team. He's a long-time board member at The LGBT Center of NYC and an active alum of the Startup Leadership Program NYC. Key Takeaways: Through the Chariot App, donors with donor-advised funds can now log into their accounts and send grants directly to nonprofits on their websites, eliminating the need for wire transfers or mailed checks. Donor-advised funds are money that’s already there. We have to strive to make the process easier and more efficient so that people are better equipped to give to the causes they care about without any hassle. Ask the board what by The Influential Nonprofit

38 min listen

Eric Ressler: Thriving In The Attention Economy: Eric Ressler is the Founder and Creative Director at Cosmic, a Social Impact Creative Agency. Cosmic empowers social impact organizations to catalyze real-world change by helping them nail their impact story, build brand awareness, and inspire action. Key Takeaways: It shouldn’t be an issue if either a “nonprofit” organization is making a profit, or if it’s failing. Most for-profit businesses take a lot of years before they take off and it’s only right that we give nonprofit businesses the same kind of consideration. Our current digital era has allowed for information to be free and flowing to the point that it can be overwhelming to most people. Information is no longer at a premium, attention is. Since attention is finite, that is the thing that we compete for in this new “attention economy”. Building your brand is foundational to your organization’s success - it can either boost your growth or hinder it. Embrace boldness, but no by The Influential Nonprofit

38 min listen

Moving Beyond Polarity For Better Solutions: Key Takeaways: We don’t have to always choose between two options. The influential way is the third option where everybody wins which is all about making decisions from a higher power and with a higher purpose. When you focus on one polarity over another and pull them apart from each other, the polarity will eventually break. For example, by sacrificing conflict for peace, we end up creating more conflict. Learn to see value in both elements of a polarity. Allow space for paradoxes and keep both polarities in balance. Instead of thinking only of choosing between two options, adopt a higher level of thinking. There’s no such thing as personal life and work life. How you show up in one place is how you show up in every place. There is no distinction. “We live in the polarity. It's either this or that. When we do that, what happens is we stay bound to that - we can only see two solutions: it's this or that and we don't see, or open ours by The Influential Nonprofit

27 min listen

Dr. Victoria Boyd: Websites that Work!: President and Founder of The Philantrepreneur™ Foundation, Dr. Boyd has been a driving force in education, non-profit, and entrepreneurial endeavors as an educator, trainer, administrator, and advocate throughout the country. With a passion for seeing others reach their full potential, she provides guidance and training focusing on nonprofit and social enterprise development and management. Key Takeaways: The nonprofit side and business side must intersect. If you are a business, you need to have a purpose, you need to give back to the community and if you are on the nonprofit side, you need to consider how you can sustainably realize your mission by thinking like an entrepreneur. Nonprofits have to upgrade how they talk about themselves and how they label their work because the words we use influence our mindset and feelings. Instead of nonprofit, Dr. Victoria suggests we call them a “For-Purpose Business” - which is more accurate since runn by The Influential Nonprofit

40 min listen

Becky Endicott: Stoke The Fire Of Engagement Part 2: Becky Endicott is a ridiculous idealist and marketer disguised as a fundraiser working to unleash the Impact Uprising. She's the co-founder of We Are For Good, a new media company gathering nonprofit allies and changemakers in community and conversation to elevate, modernize, and humanize doing good. Key Takeaways: Fundraising will make you feel disingenuous if you put money first in your intention and mindset. If you prioritize building a relationship and building a community, the money will come. Shift your perspective on how you measure engagement. Money is an important currency, but there is a currency that is so much more important and has the potential to be more impactful and that is your relationship equity. Use your marketing not just to push out messages but to create a community. Emotions and experience create a memory. When you host an event for your people, let it be that your focus is on creating meaningful experien by The Influential Nonprofit

19 min listen

Becky Endicott: Stoke the fire of Engagement Part 1: Becky Endicott is a ridiculous idealist and marketer disguised as a fundraiser working to unleash the Impact Uprising. She's the co-founder of We Are For Good, a new media company gathering nonprofit allies and changemakers in community and conversation to elevate, modernize, and humanize doing good. Key Takeaways: Stoking your audience is all about creating a community that’s centered on authentic engagement that leads to movement. Whenever you post anything or tell a story, tag and involve people in your community who might be connected to that story. Start a conversation. The goal of stoking your audience is to cultivate believers. Believers don’t only bring in donations, they bring social capital and social proof, they bring stories, lived experiences, their own time and effort, and their network. Stoking creates an authentic community. An authentic community is one where everyone’s voice matters and the mission moves forward by The Influential Nonprofit

24 min listen

Why Nonprofit Leaders Need Influence: Key Takeaways: Influence is the art of getting people you have no authority over to do what you want them to do, not just because they have to do it but because they choose to. Your ability to influence others is critical to your success. The first step in mastering the art of influence and showing up as an influential leader is knowing yourself. It’s not about anybody else. Train yourself first before anybody else in the organization, because you are the trailblazer that sets the limit for others. If you raise your game, they will rise with you. Discover and honor the things that make each person in your team unique. Acknowledge those things so that they will light up and they will join you in your vision. Look within yourself for credibility rather than relying on others to recognize your worth. This is the key to becoming a sovereign, influential leader. If you want them to recognize something in you, you have to recognize it in yourself first. by The Influential Nonprofit

19 min listen

Rebecca Rodriguez: Why or Why Not to Start a Nonprofit: Rebecca is the Principal Consultant at For the Philanthropist and author of The Nonprofit Workbook: Tips & Best Practices for Start-ups Serving the Greater Common Good. Her clients include funders & grant recipients where she focuses on capacity building. Rebecca joins me along with 18 other nonprofit entrepreneurs who focus on supporting those who labor in the social sector. Key Takeaways: Most people who start nonprofits don’t need to. If you’re planning to start a nonprofit, try to get experience in the social sector first. Volunteer for at least a year before you launch your 501C entity. Do some research on existing organizations. Duplication causes a lot of confusion. We are each on a journey to fulfill our purpose. There are many ways to express the self-fulfillment of your meaning and starting a nonprofit is only one of the ways. Do take note that sometimes, the process towards self-actualization will involve pain and by The Influential Nonprofit

40 min listen

Rhea Wong: Executive Directors As Fundraisers: Rhea helps non-profits raise more money. Though she has deep experience with institutional, corporate, and event fund-raising, she is passionate about major individual donors and helping organizations to establish individual giving programs. She has raised millions of dollars in private philanthropy and is passionate about building the next generation of fundraising leaders. She has become a leader in the New York nonprofit community and is a frequent educational commentator in the media. She has been recognized with the SmartCEO Brava Award in 2015 and NY Nonprofit Media’s 40 under 40 in 2017. Key Takeaways: Stay sovereign and hold your value no matter what the outcome is. Who you are creates what you do and not the other way around. Hold on to your inherent value as a human being and remember that you cannot change other people’s minds. The primary role of an executive director is to be the chief fundraiser. If you are an Executive by The Influential Nonprofit

42 min listen

Cultivating Authenticity For Maximum Influence: Key Takeaways: Welcome criticism as much as praise, both of these are other people’s opinions of us. They get to have their opinions and not everything that people think about you is your business. People will only respond to what you did and say if they care enough to do so. Don’t put peace on a pedestal. Instead, balance peace and conflict. When you sacrifice the conflict for peace at all costs, we will only end up multiplying and creating more explosive conflicts. Creating space for conflict is the only way to have actual peace. Release the outcome. You don’t get to decide who likes you and who doesn’t, nor do you get to decide who will support your organization and who won’t. Don’t be attached to the outcome. Stay sovereign, hold your vision, and keep moving. Adopt neutrality. Look at the world from a 10,000-foot view. Everything is information, none of it is either good or bad. Be open to allowing things to happen. Things are happen by The Influential Nonprofit

21 min listen

How To Create Systemic Change: Key Takeaways: Honor struggle as it is the first step towards creating change. The next step is to bring into awareness any eternal solution that we treat as a magic wand. The third step is letting go of that magic wand and instead looking inside of ourselves. Step four is to wield anger as a tool for transformation, change, and revolution. Claim these words: “I deserve better. Enough of this, I take my power back.” Realize that somewhere along the way you’ve given your power away, and through this realization, you can take it back. Step five is possibility. New ideas, new systems, new energy, and new stories emerge from the anger and you start to create from a place of openness and possibility rather than fear. The last step is neutrality. This is when you begin to understand that nothing is ever good or bad, everything is just information. Every experience is a part of the process, and each of them has a role to play. “We don't value struggle. We do by The Influential Nonprofit

22 min listen

Richie Kendall: Adapting Your Nonprofit Marketing To The Digital Age: Richie Kendall is a visionary business leader and storyteller. He envisions a world powered by generosity, collaboration, and compassion where workplace giving, cause marketing, influencer impact, and next-generation philanthropy collide. His company Goodworld provides award-winning nonprot and CSR software to power the social purpose sector. His combined experience in technology, film, social impact, and design has put him at the center of collaborations with leading global brands and impact movements. Key Takeaways: Here are the two main trends: companies today want to humanize their brands in order to appeal to the younger generations while individuals are starting to become like brands, building communities and creating revenue as influencers. In a world that values making a profit, being classified as an organization that’s not making a profit messes up with our collective self-esteem. Nonprofit organizatio by The Influential Nonprofit

33 min listen

Chelsea Lamego & Alejandro Stevenson-Duran: How Effective Fund Admin Leads To More Donations: Chelsea Lamego is the Co-Founder and CEO of FundMiner. She was previously the Assistant Vice President for Advancement Operations at The University of Texas at El Paso. Before joining UTEP, Chelsea was Executive Director of El Paso Opera and previously worked in real estate property management and restaurant management. Chelsea received a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration at UTEP. Alejandro Stevenson-Duran is Co-Founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer at FundMiner. He's a technical leader with a track record of successfully launching B2B products, specializing in scaling ML-powered products for millions of users while working at top tech companies including Microsoft and Meta. His experience and education as a Computer Engineer drive his passion for crafting user-oriented products and proficient workforces. Key Takeaways: There is a chronic underinvestment by The Influential Nonprofit

30 min listen

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What My Favorite Bartender Can Teach You About Fundraising

What My Favorite Bartender Can Teach You About Fundraising

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