The Fundraising Talent Podcast

I began my conversation with Nikki Bell by asking whether she might be an example of the rising generation of fundraising professionals who are less likely to describe themselves as coming through the back door or wrestling with their former identity as a PR or marketing professional. She concludes her response to my question by insisting that there’s no turning back and that she absolutely adores her work. Certainly not the sentiment we generally encounter with the generation of fundraisers ahead of her. A visit to Nikki’s blog will reveal just how real we’re talking about and how enthusiastic about her work she happens to be: Fundraising is a wonderful profession and I LOVE that our job makes a difference for others.  It allows us to put supporters first, gives us vibrance and variety, and I get to drink tea and have meaningful conversations with inspirational people – win! When we reached out to Nikki, our interest was in “community fundraising” – a concept that Sam Butler (Director of Communications and Fundraising at the Tibet Relief Fund) had referenced in a previous podcast. Community fundraisers in the UK describe themselves as real, authentic and personal.* Nikki describes community fundraising as encouraging fundraising professionals to get out from behind their desks and engage with real people rather than a data analysis. Nikki concludes with the notion that community fundraising is a way for charities to differentiate themselves from other organizations and increase the effectiveness of their other fundraising efforts. If you’d like to reach out to Nikki, she can be found on https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-bell/ or her *https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/groups/sig-community-fundraising/our-manifesto/

My conversation with Ellen as the last in this podcast series could not have landed closer than where I believed it should. The consensus is that fundraising counsel in the near future needs to be increasingly adaptive rather than formulaic, able to ask better questions rather than give answers, and inclined to lean into rather than avoid the messiness of our maturing profession. These most trusted advisors cannot maintain an arms-length. Despite our many differences, Ellen and I could not be more aligned in our understanding of both the challenges and opportunities in professional fundraising. Ellen’s critique of fundraising counsel is in large part that the profession is unwilling or unable to address the more fundamental and often messy problems that interfere with fundraising effectiveness. Her mid-career transition from corporate sales and marketing to nonprofit fundraising has afforded her an opportunity to impart wisdom that has ensured profitability and success for major corporations in the private sector. Coincidently, similar to one of the earlier interviews, Ellen included some of the wisdom of Jim Collins’ Good to Great. Collins taught us that excellence comes from a willingness to confront the brutal facts. Ellen concludes with the passionate observation that our great leaders should not only demonstrate a willingness to face the brutal facts but an eagerness to identify them. If you'd like connect with Ellen, I would encourage you to visit her website at www.bristolstrategygroup.com/ If you'd like to be a guest on The Fundraising Talent Podcast, please go to www.lewisfundraising.com/signup​

Much of my conversation with Jeff begged the question of whether organizations and their leaders have established a firm foundation for successful fundraising. Jeff believes successful fundraising is built on a bedrock of relevant, consistent messaging; sound fundraising practices; and the proper nurturing and stewarding of meaningful relationships.   Jeff shared with me the impact and influence that Jerold Panas has had in his fundraising career. Jeff is one of many in our field who are very grateful for the contribution that Mr. Panas made to their professional growth and development. As a mentor and friend, Mr. Panas afforded Jeff a solid foundation on which he has established his own practice.   As with each conversation in this series, we considered some of the reasons why campaign feasibility studies get a bad wrap. Jeff believes that one of the primary reasons is simply because so many feasibility studies are done so poorly. A well-executed study should give the organization a foundation on which to carry out a well-informed and well-orchestrated campaign.   At the conclusion of our conversation, Jeff suggested that our listeners visit his blog Bedrocks & Beacons which is hosted by Nonprofit PRO. For those who would like to reach Jeff, feel free to email him at Jeff@lighthousecounsel.com   As a reminder, today's broadcast is the fifth of six interviews where we are taking a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel. Be sure to come back tomorrow for our final interview in this year-end series. ​

I was surprised to learn that Joan and I began our fundraising careers in very similar places. Joan happened upon fundraising at a children’s home in eastern Kentucky where it was discovered that her strengths aligned with the task. I too began my fundraising career at a children’s home in southwest Virginia. Much of my conversation with Joan was about whether consultants and their clients were in the right roles and for the right reasons. It reminded me of the wisdom many of us have read in Jim Collins’ Good to Great. First, fundraising counsel can help ensure that an organization has the right people on the bus (First Who... Then What), and fundraising counsel should always conclude the engagement with the organization at a higher place than where it started (Level 5 Leadership). We conclude our conversation with honest yet difficult questions of whether some consultants maintain an arms-length posture with their clients in large part because they discovered that fundraising really wasn't for them. It’s unfortunate that some consultants have hung their shingle in an attempt to remedy a poor career decision. If you'd like to connect with Joan, she suggested visiting her website at www.baumgartnerbrown.com or email her at joan@baumgartnerbrown.com. She would be delighted to hear from you. As a reminder, today's broadcast is the fourth in a series of six where we are taking a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel.

Jim Langley refers to himself as a concerned practitioner. The way that he describes the role of fundraising counsel is much like that of a cartographer. Someone who understands the current landscape, who has traversed similar paths before, yet maintains a learning posture, always aware that the landscape is changing. Jim believes that too few organizations are aware of the evolutionary changes occurring in our sector and prefer instead to keep their heads in the ground. Some of the factors that have changed the landscape are the decline in trust of institutions, the tendency to ignore anything that resembles mass marketing, different worldviews and values, and an entrepreneurial mindset that insists on a strong value proposition and a clear societal return on investment.The role of fundraising counsel is to ensure that everyone is looking at the same map. Her role is to ensure that everyone is strategically positioned, knows the direction in which they are moving, and is able evaluate progress. Counsel may be most beneficial when a new course must be charted. Jim concluded our conversation with two very profound thoughts that are certainly applicable to anyone in an advisory role. A history professor once encouraged Jim to “be what's missing.” This has been a defining characteristic of his career – to identify where the gaps are and play that role for his client. Jim also insisted that to play this adaptive role, one must be humble: “We're not gurus, we're not sitting on high, and you know, putting out pronouncements based on eminent wisdom. If we're not still learning, if we're not still humble enough to continue to learn, I don't think we can be effective consultants.” If you have enjoyed listening to this conversation with Jim, I would encourage you to reach out to Jim. Jim can be found on LinkedIn as well as at Langley Innovations. As a reminder, this is the third in a series of six conversations in which we take a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel. Please be sure to come back tomorrow for the next broadcast.

It was especially evident that Kathy Drucquer Duff wants to ensure that she is making a meaningful and strategic contribution for her clients. She recognizes that many organizations are doing great things and she wants to be sure that she’s contributing to their progress. From the outset of an engagement, she wants to ensure that the team is receptive to her being there. Whereas some organizations might perceive fundraising counsel as being there to fix problems, she wants to be recognized as being there to build on existing strengths.   Kathy has evidently wrestled with the effectiveness of the traditional feasibility study. Similar to the listening campaign that I routinely recommend to our clients, Kathy often recommends consultation dinners. It is important that fundraising counsel is adaptive and not relying too much on a cookie cutter approach.   Kathy’s very candid observation is that many campaigns have become perfunctory and therefore lack the ability to truly inspire transformational giving. For this reason, organizational leaders are wise to very carefully consider who they are partnering with. Capital campaigns are the last place we want to discover that we have a halfhearted or inattentive consultant.   If you have enjoyed listening to this conversation with Kathy, I would encourage you to reach out to her. Kathy can certainly be found on LinkedIn as well as at KDD Philanthropy.   As a reminder, this is the second in a series of six conversations in which we take a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel. Please be sure to come back tomorrow for the next broadcast. If you'd like to be a guest on The Fundraising Talent Podcast in 2019, please email me here.

I am delighted to have Jay Frost as our first special guest in this series in which we are taking a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel. In addition to his own firm, Frost on Fundraising, Jay is a Senior Consultant to Panas, Linzy and Partners; a Senior Consultant to Brian Lacy and Associates; and an adviser to DonorSearch. In this conversation, Jay characterizes the the role of fundraising counsel as an independent, internal set of eyes and ears that can see and hear what their donor is telling them. Fundraising counsel affords their client perspective of how the donor sees a proposal or idea. Similarly, fundraising counsel ensures that the client can hear more than just the internal voices in their head. Even as fundraising counsel affords a critically important set of eyes and ears, Jay raises concerns about the sometimes narrow focus that we can have on donors who can give the most significant gifts. While helpful for ensuring a successful campaign, Jay believes this focused lens limits our perspective of where resources may be coming from in the future. It’s our job to ensure that clients can efficiently accomplish their goals while not limiting their understanding of the broader community. Oftentimes the feasibility study is the first opportunity for fundraising counsel to afford their client this extra set of eyes and ears. Jay points to the opportunity that the feasibility study creates to facilitate some of the tough conversations that a donor may not otherwise be inclined to have. The study is designed to get around some of the communication barriers and gathers valuable information that can impact the success of a forthcoming campaign. Jay admits that he sometimes gets himself in trouble for allowing feasibility study interviews go too long. However, the risk of frustrating someone doesn’t outweigh the chance of missing an important detail that might have a bearing on the campaign. Jay’s experience has shown that the greater the donors capacity to contribute to or influence the direction of a campaign, the more flexible and patient we should be when meeting with them. If you enjoyed listening to my conversation with Jay Frost, I would encourage you to reach out to him. He can be found at LinkedIn as well as at www.frostonfundraising.com/ As a reminder, this is the first in a series of six conversations in which we take a closer look at the role of fundraising counsel. Please be sure to come back tomorrow for the next broadcast.

Ericka Harney is a fundraising professional, college professor, consultant and lifetime member of the Girl Scouts. On so many levels, my conversation with Ericka had me thinking about my own experiences with nonprofits and my forthcoming maiden voyage as an adjunct this spring. Ericka has in many ways committed herself to resolving the misguided assumptions of how nonprofits should and should not operate. Ericka finds much satisfaction when she has the opportunity to train and teach. She has observed that most fundraising professionals are self-aware and highly capable of adapting themselves to their donors’ expectations. However, their awareness may be lacking when it comes to internal barriers and communications challenges that interfere with their effectiveness. We spent the second half of our conversation with a familiar case study – Girl Scout Cookies. Ericka insists that this organization has long struggled with the mistaken assumption that the cookie program is intended for fundraising when, in fact, its purpose is to be the world’s largest girl-run entrepreneurial effort. Similar to where we started, nonprofits and their fundraisers are wise to ensure everyone understands their operating models and to learn how to accurately convey this to their constituency. For our listeners who would like to connect with Ericka, visit her website at ErickaHarney.com or connect with her on LinkedIn. --- As a reminder, we will wrap up 2018 with a special six-part series where we will take a closer look at fundraising counsel. Many have heard me say that the fundraising profession is in the midst of a messy adolescence. Likewise, I believe that those of us to whom non-profits go for advice are experiencing some growing pains of our own. As you’ve come to expect, I don’t mind asking questions in order to better understand why this might be. Rather than assert my own opinions, I decided we would enlist the opinions of a diverse group who are providing fundraising counsel and ask them what they think some of our challenges and opportunities might be. This special series will begin on December 26. And I would also like to alert our listeners that we are currently organizing our 2019 line-up. If you would like to be a guest in 2019, please see the link in our show notes or go to www.lewisfundraising.com/signup/  

I really enjoyed this conversation with Shelley Birdsong Maddex who has more than two decades experience as a corporate and foundation relations fundraiser. Shelley's experience affords her perspective of today’s investment-minded donor who is unlike the donor many of us knew earlier in our careers. I appreciated Shelley’s suggestions for how we can engage with this modern donor in order to earn their confidence and to ensure that we are speaking a similar language before we solicit this person’s financial support. I got real sense of Shelley’s confidence and experience when she responded to my question about how to engage with the likes of Mark Zuckerberg. If your organization desires to improve its corporate and foundation relations efforts, or if you simply want to join the conversation the two of us started here, I would encourage you to reach out to Shelley here. You may also visit her website at www.thebirdsonggroup.net/  --- As a reminder, we will wrap up 2018 with a special six-part series where we will take a closer look at fundraising counsel. Many have heard me say that the fundraising profession is in the midst of a messy adolescence. Likewise, I believe that those of us to whom non-profits go for advice are experiencing some growing pains of our own. As you’ve come to expect, I don’t mind asking questions in order to better understand why this might be. Rather than assert my own opinions, I decided we would enlist the opinions of a diverse group who are providing fundraising counsel and ask them what they think some of our challenges and opportunities might be. This special series will begin on December 26. And I would also like to alert our listeners that we are currently organizing our 2019 line-up. If you would like to be a guest in 2019, please see the link in our show notes or go to my website www.lewisfundraising.com/signup/  ​   ​

I have enjoyed getting to know Leslie Imhoof, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund at Susquehanna University, over the last several months. Leslie believes the best word to describe her role is that of a connector. She describes herself as a learner and listener - two critically important skills in a fundraiser’s toolbox. Much of our conversation was about fundraisers finding the right posture in their relationships with donors.   Leslie believes fundraising at its best is like putting together a puzzle: making the right connections between people with those places where they can experience greatest meaning.   In some cases, this means the fundraiser must be willing to take a back seat and afford a another representative the opportunity to take the lead in the relationship.   Leslie has discovered that vulnerability is messy and uncomfortable yet lends itself powerfully to creating meaningful relationships with our donors. She knows first hand how letting one’s guard down can dramatically enhance and establish trust in a relationship.   If you'd like to connect with Leslie, she suggested reaching out to her via LinkedIn. ​

My guest this week is Sam Laprade. Sam has earned her stripes as a fundraising professional. She owns a data-analytics company and has made a successful transition into consulting. At the recent AFP conference in Toronto, Sam was the closing plenary. In front of hundreds of her peers and unsure of what the reaction might be, Sam courageously tackled sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and mental health.   Her message was not only well-received, but it concluded with extraordinary applause, a standing ovation, and continues to create discussion on social media. When I reached out to Sam about being a guest on the podcast, I was delighted that she was so eager to share some of her courageous message with our listeners.   It’s remarkable to hear about some of the discussions that Sam has since had with individuals in our field who have had similar experiences and desire an opportunity to talk through them. Sam is quite determined to have this conversation at least 100 more times. If you’re an organizer for a local AFP chapter, CASE district, or another professional association, I would encourage you to reach out to her.   If you'd like to connect with Sam, feel free to connect with her on LinkedIn or visit her website at www.samlaprade.com    As a reminder, we have a special six-part series that will broadcast the last week of 2018 between Christmas and New Years. Most of you have heard me say that the fundraising profession is in the midst of a messy adolescence. Likewise, I believe that those of us to whom non-profits go for advice are experiencing some growing pains of our own. As you’ve come to expect, I don’t mind asking questions in order to better understand why this might be. Rather than assert my own opinions, I decided we would enlist the opinions of a diverse group who are providing council and ask them what they think some of our challenges and opportunities might be. This special series will begin on December 26. ​

As it’s the week of Thanksgiving, we couldn’t have a more timely broadcast. My conversation with Sandi Bliss, Chief Advancement Officer for the Virginia Tech Corp of Cadets, was all about the importance of expressing sincere gratitude and being a great listener.   Sandi’s role at Virginia Tech has afforded her a place where she can honor her father and the service he gave to his country. It was very evident throughout our conversation that Sandi considers her work a privilege and is very grateful for this opportunity.   Sandi has learned that effective stewardship is by far one of the greatest investments in ensuring long-term support from a donor. The most talented fundraisers have discovered the remarkable power of saying “thank you.”   One of the most important lessons that Sandi wishes she learned earlier in her career was that no one owns or controls the donor. What is within our control is our ability to listen and steward the relationship.   If you'd like to connect with Sandi, she suggested you reach out to her on LinkedIn. ​

We kicked off our conversation with Wendy’s “five-before-ten” which is a deliberate practice of writing five handwritten notes to her donors every day before 10am. Wendy is a major gifts officer at the United States Naval Institute.   Much of our conversation focused on understanding who we are as fundraisers, similarly understanding our donors, and certainly understanding the organizational culture where we work.   What I found to be especially intriguing was Wendy’s journey to fundraising which began with a journey to better understand herself. After discovering that her original career path was not in sync with who she was, Wendy began searching for opportunities that aligned with her personality. After a year of career counseling and interviewing a hundred people, Wendy discovered that major gift fundraising was an excellent fit for her extroverted, curious and strategic personality.   In addition to understanding ourselves and our donors, we also discussed how important it is to understand your organizational culture. As would be expected of a military organization, everything is strategic and concrete at the US Naval Institute. For example, even when the chemistry between her and a particular donor is strong, Wendy knows how to take a back seat and allow her CEO and/or board to take the lead in a relationship. She also recognizes that the organization’s modus operandi is to stick with the plan and adhere to a clear chain of command. ​ If you'd like to connect with Wendy, feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.

This was certainly a thought-provoking conversation about what donors are really after in their relationship with our nonprofit organizations. Patricia is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Heurista Institute. Like many of us, Patricia happened upon fundraising by mistake and discovered it to be a very rich and rewarding place to study and understand human behavior and relationships. Patricia has made the observation that what makes an individual an awesome fundraiser, terrific at honing in and connecting with a human and taking them on a journey to a gift, is not the same skillset that you need to lead a very complex organization. We agreed that fundraising needs better metrics and a healthier way to track progress in the relationship without zeroing in solely on the closing of gifts. One of the questions we asked was whether today's donor wants their name inscribed on your nonprofit’s building; or do they want a partnership that resembles a conversation among people who want to make a unique impact in the world. For listeners who may want to reach out to Patricia, here is her LinkedIn profile. If you’re interested in learning more about Jeffersonian Dinners, I would recommend Jennifer McRae’s The Generosity Network. For those who are interested in Penelope Burke’s research, visit her site. Clay Shirky’s Ted Talk can be found here. ​

Leesa Harwood has spent nearly three decades as a fundraising professional in the UK and US. She now owns By the Waves Charity Consulting. As we are accustomed to doing on this show, Leesa shared some of the difficult questions that she believes we are avoiding in the nonprofit sector.   Leesa recognizes three types of organizations: those that wouldn’t want to be bothered with such difficult questions, those that believe they have tactical issues to address, and those that recognize that tactical issues are symptoms of a root cause. This third category of organizations would be most inclined to ask the difficult questions that Leesa and I discussed.   Here are some of the thought-provoking questions that we discussed: Does tension between mission drift and donor intent reflect flawed planning that hasn’t incorporated the donor into the process soon enough? Have organizations created the illusion of a meaningful relationship with their donors? Will direct giving platforms ultimately beat fundraisers at their own game by creating a more meaningful experience for the donor? Anyone who might like to continue this conversation with Leesa is encouraged to email her at leesaharwood@talktalk.net  ​