Why is investing in improved fundraising a good investment for my nonprofit?
Basically, Dan Pallotta says it all in his great Ted Talk.
The bottom line: “Fundraising is the one thing that has the potential to multiply the amount of money available for the cause we care about so deeply.” – Dan Pallotta
If you have more money, you can do more of what you do. And if you do what you do well, but don’t stretch to help as many people as possible, you are doing the world a disservice. Every nonprofit would like to have more money. Investing in fundraising can get you that.
Can you work with any type of nonprofit?
In some ways, fundraising is fundraising, whether you’re a large institution or all-volunteer organization. But that’s not really the whole story. It really helps if I’m passionate about your cause, so if I’m not, I’ll be honest with you about that. You deserve a coach who is all-in on your mission. Luckily, I am passionate about many, many things: kids, teens, families, people with disabilities, equity, social justice, peace, the environment, addiction recovery, women’s issues, LGBTQ+ inclusion, poverty, animals, economic development, small business, education, the arts, and on and on.
Will I have to ask people for money if I work with you?
My goal is to help you reach the point that you will WANT to ask people for money, and more importantly, to know that your potential supporters WANT you to ask them! Askophobia is a real thing (though not a real word) and completely normal. It is also completely curable.
Can you do the fundraising for me?
No. For one thing, I don’t know your donors, and relationship is the cornerstone of fundraising. More importantly, I want your fundraising results to be sustainable long after you cease paying me, which means the people in your organization have to know how to do it. As a coach, my goal is to teach you how to raise funds effectively and essentially coach myself out of a job! That said, I do offer some technical support as part of my coaching packages, which can include help with drafting proposals, direct mail campaigns, emails, scripts, and other items you might not have time to prepare to be ready for fundraising.
Do you help with capital campaigns?
If you’re looking for a full-service campaign consultant, I’m honestly not what you need for a capital campaign (though I think campaign consultants can be great!). But, if you can be really motivated to do the work, my general fundraising coaching services could be just the thing to keep you on track and give you an experienced advisor for your effort. I’ve worked on several successful campaigns, so I know my way around a gift range chart! If you’re considering a larger campaign and want more help, I can also give you a referral to some very excellent campaign consultants. If there are other ways I can be helpful in preparing (such as a campaign planning, conducting a fundraising diagnostic to help assess readiness, general campaign advice, or providing campaign training), I’d be delighted to do so. Contact me for more information.
Do you help with legacy or planned giving programs or endowment campaigns?
Yes! I LOVE legacy giving and have worked with bequests, annuities, insurance policies, transfer-on-death of specific assets and other creative ways to give. Legacy giving has the highest ROI in fundraising and has been the domain of higher ed for too long. I love helping smaller community nonprofits get in on the legacy giving action.
Do you give discounts? Will you donate your services?
Short answer – no. Longer answer – I deliberately set my fees as low as I could and still make a modest living. So in some ways, I feel like I’m giving everyone I choose to work with a huge discount! One of my goals is make my coaching sustainable so I can do this rather than something else (i.e. a job) and help as many great nonprofits as possible. So for that reason, I really can’t work for free. That said, I will likely make a donation (or several) to your organization as I get to know your mission. No promises, but I do love giving!