fundraising ideas Archives

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

Your Guide To Creating A For Profit Business To Fund Your Nonprofit, According To Tracy Clark

#036 – Today I am speaking with Tracy Clark, the Founder and CEO of Clark & Clark, a nonprofit consulting firm she runs with her husband Robert Clark. Tracy has been coaching and setting up non profit organizations for over 10 years. Together, they have set up over 4,000 Nonprofits and received over 10 million dollars in grant funding.

Clark & Clark teaches self-sufficiency and business development. Their top priority is to see more minorities access the required funds to pursue their purpose.

In this episode, we talk about how some nonprofits start a real for profit business that sells products and services and then use the funds generated by that business to fund their programs.

Tracy says:

“even though they may have had some successful fundraising campaigns, what they’re realizing is they want a little bit more control over the funding that’s coming in.”

Be sure to stick around to hear how Tracy started her 1st business at the age of 10.
Check out Clark & Clark at – https://www.clarkandclark.org/

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Grant funders want you to demonstrate sustainability;

#2 You can likely operate a business without a storefront;

#3 Nonprofits face a lot competition so make sure you understand why people will want to support yours;

#4 Make sure you do a good job of budgeting.

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

[2:14] Nonprofits are realizing they want more control over the funding that's coming in.
[8:10] Do I need a storefront?
[9:22] I would really challenge you to really think about ways to share space with others.
[11:24] There is a lot of competition in the nonprofit world.
[12:34] Find an area of need and think about how you can provide a service and add value.
[13:47] The first thing that you should start thinking about is your budget and what you really need.
[17:30] Find something that you're passionate about and fulfills a need.
[19:27] The biggest thing I learned in the pandemic is you really have to cut out the fluff.
[21:10] When it comes to the virtual space, nonprofits can reach new areas of the world.
[21:53] I started my first business at the age of 10.
[25:13] Connect with Tracy
[26:03] A nonprofit organization does not mean that you don't generate funds.

All The Deets On Peer To Peer Fundraising With Chris Hammond

#035 – Today I am speaking with Chris Hammond. Chris founded CGC as a full service consulting firm offering nonprofits strategy on communication, marketing, development, and fundraising. They free up nonprofit boards and staff so they can spend more time on their missions and less on admin stuff.

One of CGC’s superpowers is Peer to Peer Fundraising. They teach their clients how to leverage their supporters’ networks to raise money by committing just 15ish minutes per week to educate their friends and family on this organization they love.

This is A LOT less cost and stress compared to an annual gala.

As for challenges organizations face, Chris says:

“One of the biggest things we’ve seen our clients facing is change and evolving and innovating.”

Be sure to stick around to hear how one of Chris’ clients turned a $2,500 donor into a $15,000 donor.

Check out CGC at – https://cgcgiving.com/

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 Use a welcome email series to onboard new supporters;

#2 Dealing with change is one of the biggest challenges for organizations;

#3 Peer to Peer Fundraising is a more formulaic and predictable form of fundraising;

#4 It is as important to have supporters open doors with potential donors as it is to have a super compelling message.

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

[2:45] We focus on organizations with 3 people or less in their marketing or development departments
[4:15] Started helping with grant writing, but realized that was not the best use of my time
[5:35] Dealing with change is one of the biggest challenges for organizations.
[8:35] People don’t have the time to strategically think about how they should evolve and innovate.
[11:13] We work with organizations to create a welcome series.
[13:52] Welcome Series is separate from your newsletter.
[17:30] We’ve seen an uptick in Peer to Peer Fundraising.
[20:18] We develop the messaging templates and the content.
[22:30] Peer to Peer with a Gala Fundraiser.
[27:29] If you have a fairly active group of donors, you can do P2P Fundraising.
[28:45] Example: Center For food Action.
[32:54] Connect With Chris.

Never Worry About Collecting Annual Membership Dues Again – Not Quite, But You Should Hear What Shane Sams Has To Say About What You Can Do Instead

#034 – Today I am speaking with Shane Sams. Shane has one of the most popular episodes on Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast. His episode #122 is one of SPI’s most popular. To put this in perspective, SPI has more than 500 episodes and over one million downloads. Shane’s episode has more downloads than Tim Ferris and Gary Vaynerchuck combined.

Shane started the flipped lifestyle with his wife Jocelyn. Their mission is to help 100,000 families flip their life by turning it upside down thru starting, building, and growing an online business.

Although they primarily work with individuals, they also work with nonprofits and I think there is a lot of potential for our small mission driven organizations, especially those that rely on membership dues. Our organizations can use what Shane teaches to start a fun online business and use the funds generated from that effort to fund their organization’s programs and ditch their membership dues.

Shane says that in building a successful membership group….

“You’ve got to provide value with content. You’ve got to provide value by uniting the community and you’ve got to bring access to the people”.

AND

“People are only going to exchange their proof of work, which is money, for your proof of solution”.

Be sure to stick around to hear how Shane, in his words, “about wrecked my lawnmower”.

Check out Shane at – flippedlifestyle.com

Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

#1 You make money when you sell your knowledge, your wisdom, and you help people solve problems;

#2 The membership model will work, whether you’re for profit or non-profit, doesn’t matter;

#3 Create content that solves a problem and a place for your people to hang out and connect;

#4 It’s simple – you create content, you build an email list, you get people in your membership.

Show Notes

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

[4:05] Shane’s story.
[9:43] And I about wrecked my lawnmower.
[14:06] Shane and Jocelyn started elementarylibrarian.com.
[16:55] After we quit our jobs, we helped someone in our Sunday School group.
[17:50] You can monetize that with training, leadership, and coaching.
[18:10] The membership model will work whether you're for profit or nonprofit, it doesn't matter.
[23:59] Provide content that solves a problem, a place for your people to hang out, and provide leadership.
[25:34] Two success stories - a financial one and a crazy one.
[29:43] Our mission is to help a hundred thousand families flip their life.
[30:33] Find Shane

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

Your Guide To Creating A For Profit Business To Fund Your Nonprofit, According To Tracy Clark

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

All The Deets On Peer To Peer Fundraising With Chris Hammond

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Never Worry About Collecting Annual Membership Dues Again – Not Quite, But You Should Hear What Shane Sams Has To Say About What You Can Do Instead

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

BE AN INSIDER

Join the community

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!

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

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

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

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

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

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

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

Your Guide To Creating A For Profit Business To Fund Your Nonprofit, According To Tracy Clark

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

All The Deets On Peer To Peer Fundraising With Chris Hammond

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

Never Worry About Collecting Annual Membership Dues Again – Not Quite, But You Should Hear What Shane Sams Has To Say About What You Can Do Instead

Subscribe

Resources

4 Key Takeaways

Show Notes

Subscribe

BE AN INSIDER

Join the community