Just Ask - Rethinking Development

Working for a non-profit, there will inevitably come a time when you will apply for a grant. But a questions needs to be answered: are they worth the effort? Will the amount of time and energy to secure the grant be worth the donation received? Find out what factors you should be looking for to determine if a grant is right for you organization. Greg and Bryan discuss: are grants worth it?

What stops you as a fundraiser from making more calls? Most people would agree that if you make more calls you increase your odds of meeting more people and raising more money. And yet, many individuals don’t make nearly enough calls to have success. Why? Call reluctance is one of the biggest obstacles fundraisers and fundraising volunteers face. Greg and Bryan provide help to get out of the rut a...

What drives you in your fundraising efforts? Greg tackles this topic and proposes a simple but true answer: when you find your deepest motivation, it’s then that you’ll have your greatest success.

What is a Fast Food Fundraiser? We aren’t talking McDonald’s or Chick-Fil-A today. In the philanthropy profession, a fundraiser stays at a non-profit on average for only 16 - 18 months. A Fast Food Fundraiser is someone who comes into an organization and leaves fast before ever really making a dent. Bryan talks about three reasons you should avoid this, and as a bonus, Greg shares questions to ask...

Can you, as a fundraiser, honestly say the phrase “it’s not about the money” in any benefactor relationship and mean it? Isn’t the point of fundraising to raise money? Can you say its not about the money and still serve the best interests of both donors and your charity? Bryan shares three arguments for why not only can hold this view, but you’ll paradoxically raise more funds when you do.

We’ve all been there before. You meet someone and present a great proposal. Multiple calls and emails later, you realize that the gift potential has fizzled out. Was it something you said or didn’t say? Stop the self condemnation and listen up. Greg has 3 solid tips for you to “close the gift”.

Bryan is joined by a special guest to talk about The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen: Evan Baker! Evan is the Mission Advancement Officer at the University of Mary. This episode covers: fundraising as a ministry, how to bring a more authentic spiritual approach to fundraising, and why fundraising doesn’t have to mean begging.

Can there be a less time and labor consuming way to raise money than a bake sale? Yes! Bryan discusses why non-profits and churches should put aside this archaic fundraising method and approach fundraising with a more relational approach.

When asking for gifts, there is something to be said for bare bones sincerity. Greg and Bryan take a deep dive into how to make an honest ask.

Greg dives deeper into the question of Catholic identity. You may have encountered donors who ask about the Catholic identity of your school. What is prompting that question? What is it they really want to know? What is their underlying concern? How might you receive and answer the question? With degrees in both business and theology, Greg helps development directors understand the perspective of...

Can an attack dog thwart your fundraising? Greg and Bryan take you down a journey of absurd moments they have had in their fundraising careers.

Every great appeal, ask, invitation, and opportunity has one thing in common: urgency. You cannot undervalue what this one element can do for your fundraising. Bryan and Greg share practical tools and insights on how to make your fundraising more urgent.

One of the hardest parts of fundraising is determining how much to ask someone for. Bryan and Greg take on this topic today and discuss the process and best practices they take to determine: how much should you ask for?

In this episode, Greg presents a solution to how Catholic schools can avoid mission drift while still benefitting from modern fundraising. Also, Greg eats a little bit of crow pie from his arguments in part one.

Have Catholic schools changed? Greg suspects they have. He channels his 30+ years fundraising for Catholic education to navigate the difference he sees occurring in the schools of old with the schools of today. Greg ends with a question for you the listener. You won’t want to miss this first discussion on why Catholic schools are now “all grown up.”

Why can’t you raise money behind a desk? Major fundraising happens when you get out and see people. How many visits should you aim to make? Should you be asking for a gift every time? Bryan leads this topic as he and Greg discuss the logic and best practices to highlight this truth: you can’t raise money behind a desk.

Transparent fundraising should sound a bit redundant. Yet non-profits face frequent decisions of how transparent to be with donors. How much do they need to know? Bryan discusses his approach to this topic.

Competition can be a great motivating force. But, one of the traps fundraisers face is to see competition in an unhealthy way: an “us vs them” outlook regarding other charities. Today, Bryan talks with Greg about how competition can be healthy and unhealthy. They discuss who(or what) your real competition is in fundraising.

What is the number 1 cause of campaigns stalling out? Execution. Without effective organization of solicitation tracking, every charity will watch what could be major gifts slip through the cracks or be left like unharvested fruit on the vine. Greg leads this discussion on the 5 fields every database should have in place to avoid this trap and execute for success.

One of the biggest mistakes in development is to assume the person you need to see will say no. Professionals and volunteers will often do this before they ever even pick up the phone! Greg shares his 10th and final Principle of Development Strategy. Listen as he and Bryan discuss how to avoid this kind of “Stinkin Thinkin”.

What exactly did Little Jane teach Greg on her first birthday? The simple but true principle of development: the more personal the appeal, the more likely the person will say yes, and the bigger the gift. When you take the time and care to personalize your approach, greater results for your charity and cause will follow. Listen in as Greg and Bryan discuss this 9th of 10 principles.

In this episode, Bryan eats crow pie in regards to fundraising events. In a prior episode, Bryan shared his dislike for events as an effective way to fundraise. However, his organization just put on an event which raised $500,000. How? Bryan discusses with Greg the keys to making an event a major opportunity.

So you work at a nonprofit. Your technical job description doesn’t mention soliciting gifts. But - do you actually fundraise and not know it? Bryan and Greg discuss how you might be more involved in fundraising than you actually realize.

What do Ben Franklin and your current donors have in common? Human nature. Find out why you can use this truth to your charity’s benefit when approaching individuals for support. In this episode, Greg leads the discussion on why the motives for a person to get involved remain relatively stable.

Do you feel like your fundraising has come to a standstill or you’re not moving as fast as you would like to reach your financial goals? Bryan and Greg cover four key ways you may be stalling out your fundraising efforts. This episode will address: - why you need organized data - whether events are the best way to fundraise - the benefit of having more than one development employee - how good prep...