Foundations Archives - Groupfinity

Meet Polly Lagana Who Shares Her Fundraising Framework That Creates Happy Donors Who Give More Money More Consistently. She Tells us Exactly How To Do It!

040 Today I am speaking with Polly Lagana. Polly is a New York based Behavioral Scientist who has been researching happiness for years – it is her life’s work. Her formula is PLEASURE + PURPOSE + COMMUNITY = HAPPINESS. Through her research, Polly found that…

“people want to belong- they want to feel a sense of community – they want to feel like they’re part of something”.

Polly discovered that quick interactions that aren’t about asking for money carry a lot of weight with donors. We should focus our relationship building on putting in time to develop those small connections, unrelated to the ask.

After moving to Switzerland she found philanthropy was BIG, but very quiet. That is where she began to see the intersection between happiness, self satisfaction, donor satisfaction.

“Philanthropy actually comes out of this idea. That’s part of you as a member of the community. It’s a way to have a positive impact on your life”.

She used her research to create her SPARK Framework which results in happier donors who give more money more consistently and get others to give as well and join your donor community:

Simplicity of the ask and the task

Personal connection

Alignment of goals between the donor and your organization or institution

Research and information guiding your decisions And

Knowledge of a positive outcome

Be sure to stick around until the end to hear what Polly learned while living in Switzerland for 3 years.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Make it really simple and reduce the amount of choices for your donor.;

#2 People have short attention spans – keep your ask and pitch to 3 minutes;

#3 Have your best messenger deliver your message;

#4 This is the time to try new things – don’t be afraid – don’t let fear hold you back.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:44] Look at this intersection between happiness and philanthropy
[4:13] PLEASURE + PURPOSE + COMMUNITY = HAPPINESS
[5:00] People want to belong
[5:49] The SPARK Framework
[8:33] Make it simple and reduce the choices for your donor
[9:35] Turn your pitch into a
[11:40] Make it as easy as possible
[13:22] Find your best messenger to deliver your message
[17:00] Those quick interactions that aren't about money carry a lot of weight
[18:07] Make a list of the different types of interactions you could have
[21:23] Don't let fear hold you back

How AJ Steinberg Became The Queen Bee Of Fundraising By Creating Amazing Committee Chairs And How You Can Do The Same.

#039 – Today I am speaking with AJ Steinberg. AJ is a professional event producer with a background in both fundraising and engagement neuropsychology. She produces, consults, and trains but, above all else, considers herself an engagement strategist because…

“engagement is what it takes to work with volunteers and also to create engaging events.”

For over 20 years she has produced more than 100 successful events all over North America and raised millions of dollars for nonprofits from her Los Angeles based production company. Some of her best advice is simple yet effective – make your volunteers feel like the superstars they are….

“I do not ever have an email that doesn’t either end or begin with – hey there, I, first of all, want to thank you for the time that you’re putting into this. I love working with you. I make them feel like superstars because they are superstars.”

She is a recognized subject matter expert and trainer, presenting on subjects such as nonprofit event planning, event sponsorships, committee and volunteer leadership, generational giving, and guest engagement.

Check out AJ at – https://queenbeefundraising.com/

Be sure to stick around until the end to hear what AJ has to say about committee chairs stuck doing all the work.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Community and engagement is the #1 most important thing when you’re interacting with volunteers;

#2 87% of volunteers become more meaningfully involved with the organizations after they have their volunteer experience;

#3 Clear and regular communication with your volunteers is key to your event’s success;

#4 Make your volunteers feel like the superstars they are.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[3:00] 87% of volunteers become more meaningfully involved with the organizations after they have their volunteer experience.
[5:54] The most effective way to use your volunteers is to build it into a team.
[7:49] Energy comes from choosing the right people.
[9:40] Create your hive so that it is set up for success.
[10:11] If you don't choose the right Queen Bee your experience leading them is going to be difficult.
[11:24] You need a cheerleader.
[14:24] Committee members become more involved, happier, and bigger donors ultimately.
[15:20] I consider myself an engagement strategist
[19:38] Community and engagement is the number one most important thing when you're interacting with volunteers
[20:50] When you really understand the value of relationship building it's it makes everything worthwhile
[26:32] Find AJ

How To Build A Better Fundraising Foundation, Especially In The New Post Pandemic World, With Jenni Hargrove.

#038 – Today I am speaking with Jenni Hargrove. Jenni is a nonprofit guru who advises nonprofits on management, marketing, and development strategies. She has amazing free resources on her website including her podcast The Nonprofit Jenni Show. In this interview, she shares the risk many nonprofits face when they limit their fundraising efforts to only 1 big event per year.

“I always tell them that when they’re thinking about stabilizing their revenue in the long term is that you need to think about your revenue streams sort of as a stool. So that’s why we don’t like to have just one or two revenue streams because that only gives you one or two legs to stand on. You really want at least three different types of revenue streams. And so that, doesn’t mean having three fundraising events that would only count as one leg on the stool because it’s only one type of revenue.”

She began her career working in corporate philanthropy for a really big international corporation. Her job included picking and choosing which nonprofits would get funded. She wanted to create resources for the so many nonprofits she had to turn down. AND Nonprofit Jenni was born.

“It is just much more fulfilling for me to be able to serve the 99% versus the 1%.”

Check out Jenni at – https://www.nonprofitjenni.com/

Be sure to stick around until the end to hear all about the Nonprofit Jenni Book Club.

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 You need 3 legs to your fundraising/ revenue stream;

#2 Nonprofits can use social enterprises to fund their missions;

#3 Consult with an accountant and an attorney when setting up your nonprofit; and

#4 Corporate Foundations can be a better place to look for money than the corporation itself.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:35] Think about your revenue streams sort of as a stool with 3 legs.
[6:08] The business should fund AND fuel your mission.
[9:50] Oasis Bike Shop in Nashville, TN.
[11:50] The money that they earn from you is then used to fund kids going through the program.
[16:00] if you want to start a business for your nonprofit, talk to an accountant and attorney.
[19:30] Foundations can be a better source than corporate donations.
[23:41] Creativity isn't what inspires people - your mission inspires people.
[24:10] How Jenni got started

Should your nonprofit fundraising focus on high-net worth individuals? Absolutely. Here is what you need to know from Rhea Wong.

#037 – Today I am speaking with Rhea Wong. Rhea is a New York based nonprofit consultant who trains nonprofit leaders to fundraise more money from high-net worth donors. At the age of 26, she became the Executive Director of a nonprofit with a $250k budget. The first day on the job, she Googled 2 things – 1) what does an Executive Director do and 2) how to fundraise?

Rhea did something right – very right. In her 12 years as the ED of that nonprofit, she grew that $250k budget to over $3 million through private philanthropy.

“So I’d figured out the foundations, the corporations, the events, the individuals and the one area that I thought had the most potential for growth were the major gift individuals. When we look at the pie of philanthropic gifts, nationally, the biggest chunk of the pie are individuals. They’re responsible for upwards of like $350 billion or something. So many nonprofits focus on, you know, the grants and like corporate sponsorships or whatever. It’s really about the people.”

After working on projects for her ED friends, she decided to focus on major gift fundraising because that is where people had the most anxiety.

Be sure to stick around until the end to hear all of Rhea’s great dating analogies for fundraising.

Check out Rhea at – https://www.rheawong.com/

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Think of fundraising like a party and you just want to see who wants to come to your party;

#2 Don’t think you are taking something away from donors. You are inviting them to be part of something special;

#3 Fundraising is just a math problem – offers minus NOs equals YESes. So the more you ask, the more nos you’re going to get, but the more yeses you’re going to get;

#4 If everybody’s your donor, then nobody is your donor.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:12] I was super clueless about fundraising.
[2:43] The biggest chunk of fundraising comes from individuals.
[8:30] In my family money was about stability and freedom.
[11:45] Fundraising is just a party and you just want to see who wants to come to this.
[12:50] Fundraising is not on your knees, it's on your feet.
[13:59] Fundraising is just a math problem.
[15:26] Date your donor.
[16:35] Money is trust in paper form - when people give you a donation, they are saying they believe in you.
[19:20] If everybody's your donor, then nobody is your donor.
[21:57] There should be no surprises - it should be pretty clear that we're not just hanging out for fun.
[23:20] The Pandemic
[27:10] Find Rhea

Little known hacks on how to apply for grants for nonprofit organizations – with Dr. Bev Browning

#028 – Today I am speaking with Dr. Beverly Browning. Dr. Bev is the author of 44 grant-related publications, including six editions of Grant Writing For Dummies and Nonprofit Kit For Dummies. Her online courses are taught to thousands of students annually. She also has a 16-week virtual Coaching/Mentoring Program. Dr Bev says….

“You will not get funded if you are not innovative, creative, and unique.”

Dr. Bev offers resources on:

1 Grant Writing and Funding

2 Board of Directors Training

3 Strategic Needs Assessment

4 Professional Development Training

5 Proposal Development and

6 Internal Peer Review

Check out Dr. Bev’s free resources on her website – https://bevbrowning.com/nonprofit-resources/

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Funders are looking for nonprofit organizations that are filling gaps.

#2 Check in with your local United Way to find potential funders .

#3 The work is 80% research / 20% writing.

#4 Don’t go for funding until you’ve built a relationship with the funder.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[2:00] The first step is to do an organizational assessment
[3:01] Volunteers should ease the Executive Director's responsibilities
[3:22] Give or get policy
[4:50] Executive Director should NOT be leading the SWOT analysis
[6:36] Volunteers can have greater insights than paid staff
[7:40] Nonprofit leaders may have vision but may lack organizational management
[8:37] Funders are looking for organizations that fill gaps
[9:37] You will NOT get funded if you are NOT innovative, creative, and unique
[10:00] Look at the United Way for gaps in your community
[12:55] A grant is 80% research / 20% writing
[13:35] Look for buzzwords on the funder's website
[14:20] Don't apply for funding before you've developed a relationship with the funder
[16:25] The best board members put in 15-20 hours per month
[17:20] Good relationships can overcome bad writing
[18:13] Typical foundation proposals could take 1-2 weeks for a newbie
[19:23] Most new nonprofits cannot get federal grants
[23:25] A plan for building relationships with funders

A few secrets everyone should know before starting a new nonprofit organization – with Gigi Lawrence

#027 – Today I am speaking with Gigi Lawrence. Gigi founded Nonprofit for Newbies, a consulting and networking community, to help people start new nonprofits. Gigi is a mompreneur who started off in the financial consulting world, but didn’t feel fulfilled. She knew she wanted to help others, but was unsure how. After she took a job as a nonprofit financial literacy program director she knew she had found her calling. Gigi says….

“If your foundation isn’t structured correctly and you don’t know how to explain your process. You don’t know how to explain your programs in a way that others are going to understand and be motivated to move forward with those services or that program and being involved…..

…you have to be able to sell yourself, sell your organization, and in order to sell it, you have to know what you’re selling and you have to believe in it.”

Nonprofit for Newbies either advises or refers “newbies” to one of the independent contractors in their network on:

Starting their nonprofit
Grant writing
Writing their business plan
Fundraising
Marketing
Accounting
Board Development, and
Mindset

As of this interview, her Facebook Group has over 10k members.

Gigi has a ton of free resources on her website

https://www.nonprofitfornewbies.com/social

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Be able to clearly explain your programs and what you do.

#2 Get board members who will help you execute your mission.

#3 Have people you are serving represented on your board.

#4 Get local high school or college students to help with your social media at little or no cost.

Check out Groupfinity.com for the show notes and links for this episode.

Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode

[3:45] We have a vetted consultant netwrok
[5:30] It comes down to getting your foundation right....
[7:20] Most questions I get when people start
[8:12] Considerations when forming your board
[11:40] Have representation on your board
[12:40] Changes since the pandemic
[15:30] Use college students to help with social media
[16:45] Focus on the tasks that are a good use of your time
[17:27] Make sure you spend some time budgeting
[19:33] Voices of Color
[20:51] How Gigi got started

Meet Polly Lagana Who Shares Her Fundraising Framework That Creates Happy Donors Who Give More Money More Consistently. She Tells us Exactly How To Do It!

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

How AJ Steinberg Became The Queen Bee Of Fundraising By Creating Amazing Committee Chairs And How You Can Do The Same.

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

How To Build A Better Fundraising Foundation, Especially In The New Post Pandemic World, With Jenni Hargrove.

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Should your nonprofit fundraising focus on high-net worth individuals? Absolutely. Here is what you need to know from Rhea Wong.

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

A few secrets everyone should know before starting a new nonprofit organization – with Gigi Lawrence

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

BE AN INSIDER

Join the community