If you have been following the Fundraising Freedom Podcast, when I first started it I actually called it the Mary Valloni Show. And if you've been following for a while, you know that I follow the steps that I teach in my book, Fundraising Freedom. Those steps follow the acronym FREEDOM because what I want for you, and what I want for me, is freedom. So, I have been spending the last several weeks and really the last several months thinking through what my vision is. What does it actually look like to focus your vision? 2020 has obviously caused us to have to take a step back and really look at everything. What is your vision for your life; the passion and purpose that you have for the work that you do? If you're anything like me, you've probably had some moments where you're like, ‘what am I doing? What is happening? Where do I even fit into all of this?’ I’ve spent a lot of time journaling and walking through my vision for this podcast, my vision for my business, and trying to really pull back the layers and remind myself why I do the work that I do.

In chapter one of Fundraising Freedom, I share with you that I really want to make sure that you have your mission, your vision, and your timeline in your budget. I also want to make sure that you know exactly why you're doing what you're doing. If you don't have a passion for the work that you're doing, people will see that. Usually, that means that your donations will run parallel to that. You may see that your donations declined because the people just don't follow this movement that you have created for your cause. At the top of every podcast episode, I talk about how I want to educate, encourage, and empower fundraisers to raise more funds and have more freedom. And I do believe that that is at the core of what I do. That is my mission. I want to teach you, I want to encourage you, and especially this year, I want to encourage you to keep going and to not give up. I want to empower you to know that it's possible to take that education and really step out into a new place in the work that you do so that you can speak on behalf of the people you serve. Those three core tenants are what I believe, and I spent several years really trying to nail down what that mission was. Of course, on the vision side, I've always wanted to end the lack and scarcity mindset. In the nonprofit sector, even the word nonprofit means not for profit. And so many people look at our nonprofits and say, ‘well, you can do this on less, you don't need that much.’ As nonprofit leaders, you are told that you maybe shouldn't make as much as you make or that you shouldn't be compensated well for the work that's being done and I just do not believe that I believe that you should be compensated well.

I also believe that your charity should have every dollar that it needs to actually end whatever problem you are trying to solve. I would say 100% of you are trying to raise dollars for your nonprofit because whatever you're trying to fix wasn't fixed by the for-profit sector. So not only do you have to do this on limited resources, you have to follow the government guidelines and you have to do it with very minimal income. I understand the challenges that you are faced with and I get that, and I feel your pain deep within my soul. I mean, I have been doing this for 20 years, and I know that you guys sacrifice, and you do this with very minimal rewards. I just think you guys are absolutely incredible; the heart that you have for the people you serve is just off the charts. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate the ability to share with you some of the things that I've learned in the nonprofit space. Of course, we know we can always do better and that there's always more that can be done. But the thing is that you guys are showing up every single day, doing the hard work that somebody else couldn't accomplish. For that, I just want to give you the biggest high five and virtual hug and to let you know that I'm really just so grateful that I get to really do life with you guys.

I’ve had to have some tough conversations with myself, and I'm sure you have been in this same boat, trying to figure out what are we going to do as we move into the new year. How are we going to stay focused on what we were actually called to do? For me, I’ve had such clarity in the last year that I was really called to help faith-based organizations. My heart is for people who are sharing the gospel and helping change lives. I've launched several programs over the last several years, mostly on one-on-one coaching and group coaching; helping people raise money in a group environment. The reason why I did those things was that that's what worked for me.  So, I wanted to create an environment for you so that you knew that you weren't alone, which was my why statement. That was the why behind everything; I do not want you to be alone. I do not want you, for one second, to feel alone in the work that you're doing because you're not. You have so many people, me included, who care about you, who care about your work, and the fact that you are spending every day doing the hard stuff that nobody else is willing to do.

I've launched some programs, one of which is called Fundraising Freedom Academy. Several of you joined in and saw really, really great results. I mean, hundreds of thousands of dollars, which was just absolutely incredible. And to me, I was really humbled by the fact that those students of mine trusted me every couple of weeks, as we transitioned some of the things that we were doing, and you believed that what I was teaching was effective. Almost three years ago, I launched a program called Fully Funded Academy with my friend Mike Kim. I had actually been following Mike on his Brand You podcast for a couple of years as I was trying to build out my own personal brand, Mary Valloni Consulting. When I actually got a chance to meet him, we sat down and decided that we were going to open up a program called Fully Funded Academy, I was so excited because I had such a passion for missionaries, but it was really more of a passion project. When we launched that program, it was just absolutely incredible. We have hundreds of students now and that program has grown exponentially over the last few months. And I know that the writing is on the wall, that I have to put more of my focus on those students of mine.

If you joined in on my webinar this week, you know that I have opened up a new program called Fully Funded Orgs. Fully Funded Orgs is all about raising funds for your organization. It’s a modification of my former program, Fundraising Freedom Academy. But this is really just streamlining and getting back to focusing my vision on helping those faith-based organizations and individuals. I really cannot tell you how thrilled I am about all the people who have already joined. We've already had people reaching out and sharing that they are so excited about this program and want to share with their organizations and the people that they knew about this resource. This is a program that runs for a year and is specifically focused on raising those big dollars - six figures, even seven figures for your organization. But the really great thing is, is that I have this whole team of coaches who are helping me, I have people who are experts in the space of administrative support, website support, and large-scale major gift donations. I know that I can only do so much on my own – I know a lot about fundraising, but we're always better together and I want to follow what I teach in step 3 of Fundraising Freedom, which is to enlist your team. I want to bring people around my students and make sure that they are taken care of and that they have the resources they need to continue to grow year after year after year. I'm officially starting my first session on January 6th.

I do want to share with you that because of these big things that are happening through Fully Funded Orgs and Fully Funded Academy, as well as my one-on-one coaching, I have decided to make some shifts for 2021. One of those big shifts is that I will be putting this podcast on hiatus. I don't want to say that I won't ever do another episode on this show. But I do want to share with you that because I'm shifting my attention over into those programs that I'm doing, I have another podcast. If you have not already listened, we have two seasons of the Fully Funded Podcasts that are live. You can immediately go there and check out those episodes. I love podcasting and I love helping people raise money so I’m not going anywhere. I will continue to share resources, educate, encourage, and empower nonprofit leaders until I am in the grave. Because I believe in you, I want to help you however I can. But I want to make sure that I'm also available and really there for my students. I have this really crazy radical empathy for these ministry leaders and for these faith-based nonprofit leaders. You are welcome to jump over there, download, and subscribe to that podcast. Every episode that we do is also on YouTube so you can watch these interviews and actually see me have conversations with some of these really great leaders in the nonprofit and ministry space.

Fully Funded Academy is an introductory level of raising support. My partner Mike Kim, who is a marketing expert, has written support letters and templates for emails or for blog posts. I mean, the resources are crazy good. Mike is the best in the industry - he's a former copywriter who teaches copywriting and is so good at what he does. It's only $49 a month and that is full price, it’s never going to go up on you. I invite you to join us over there, I do calls twice a month. And then Fully Funded Orgs is also two calls a month. So, for anybody who joins in on Fully Funded Orgs, they actually get four weeks every single month, with resources available to them from my team and me at Fully Funded Academy. We not only do the teaching with the coaching, but we also have a community on Facebook. You can post questions or whatever is going on in your fundraising world, and those people are there for you. They're just absolutely incredible people and so that is something that I just want to make sure that you know is available.

I simply cannot share with you how much I appreciate you and how I appreciate the ability to do this podcast. I started this podcast in January of 2017 and nearly every single week, I have been on the microphone sharing some crazy ideas that I have about fundraising. I have loved every second of it and as I said, podcasting, in general, is something that I will continue to do. As we roll into the holiday months, I want to wish you guys a Merry Christmas. I wish you crazy abundance in your year-end support raising and that you use those letters to speak boldly. That you invite people to just come be a part of the work that you're doing, and you do it with such confidence and being so empowered to step out and share the message of your cause. Thank you again, and I hope you all have an incredible holiday season here and I will see you over on the Fully Funded Podcast. Let's go change the world one volunteer and $1 at a time.

Resources:

Mike Kim

Brand You podcast

Fully Funded podcast

Fully Funded podcast on YouTube

Fully Funded Orgs

Connect with Mary:

Mary Valloni

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

Today we're talking about how to create a personal or an organizational budget that actually works for you coming into 2021. I know that budgeting is something that some people love, and other people hate - there's a love-hate relationship with the budget. And for many of you, you've probably already gone through the budgeting process. Usually, that happens in the fall time as you're preparing for the next year. But you may be in a season where things are changing every single day. We never know what tomorrow is going to bring. Today's conversation is probably not going to be this brand new information that you've never heard of before. But I think that what we can do today is we can actually talk through making your budget work for you.

As I work with organizations, what I find is that so many of them do not have a fundraising number that they're actually working towards. Many times, they get into this cycle where they just want more. However, it’s important that you actually have a clear number, an actual fundraising goal that you're working towards. I don't want you to randomly pick a number, that is not a great way to budget, it's not a great way to fundraise or to invite other people to be a part of your work. Here are some tips I want to share.

If you look back and reflect on 2019 and consider how much you raised as well as the work you did, you’re probably going to pick up about 50% of that normal behavior, and 50% of 2020, after March, where we had to modify everything. So 2021, you're probably still going to have online events, you're probably still going to have the social distancing, and possibly doing a lot of things on Zoom, and working through major gifts, shifting that fundraising around so that you can modify your behavior to fit the season that we're in. As we move into 2021, I want you to look at where your money went.

I work on my budget every single week. I know that some people don't look at their budget very often, but I am a stickler for the budget because the budget tells you where your money is going, and it tells you where it went. As you put numbers on a sheet of paper when you budget, you're just randomly putting numbers down on a sheet of paper, right? Because you're just trying to get a good 10,000-foot view of what your budget looks like. So, as you're putting those numbers down on paper, the best way to budget is to look at where did we spend the money last year. Now you may be a first-year raising these funds or bringing in these dollars and so you may not have past years to look at so the best you can do is really just take a good guess at what it's going to take. When you start assessing and you look at where the dollars went, where did we end up spending money? Maybe we didn't spend in certain categories like travel conferences or training because, in 2020, some of those things just didn't happen. So for 2021, we're going to modify that and start to add a little bit of that back probably for the second half of 2021. Hopefully, after we do get some sort of vaccine in the process, that'll allow us then to start looking at, well, maybe we can do some events in the fall of next year, but maybe not huge ones, just small things that you can start to engage people back into face-to-face communication with your organization and with your cause.

Number two, look at what your priorities are, what is most important, and in the previous posts, I've talked a lot about going back to your vision of what is it that we're trying to do as an organization, what's the ultimate end result. Now if you are a fundraiser, you're not responsible for the mission side of the organization, you obviously are just given a number from the mission side, and they're telling you “Hey, this is how much it's gonna cost for us to do the work we're doing on the mission side, here's your number.” Now, that is actually an easier position to be in. That's the position I was in for many, many years, where I just was told, “Hey, go raise a quarter of a million dollars, go raise a half a million dollars, that's what your task is.” And I never had to really come up with my number, so to speak, but I was able to create those stretch goals and, and really work with my committee to come up with a goal that we wanted to do as a team. Set your priorities, what are you spending those dollars on so that you know exactly how much money you need to raise.  

The budget is what allows you to feel comfortable about making the ask when you know where those dollars are going to go. You can answer your donor’s questions, you can answer your prospective donors’ questions because you know exactly how that money is going to be spent. If you are in a position where you're, if I say to you, “hey, I want to give you $10,000 to your cause.” And your immediate reaction isn't we're going to do ABCD with that money. If you are like, I don't know what we would do with that money, you have a problem. And the reason why you're not seeing those gifts come into your cause is that you don't have a plan. People who have money will smell that out, they will know that you are not prepared and you're not ready to receive their gift, which means they're not going to give it. So make sure that your budget is really clearly aligned so that you know when you're having that conversation with somebody your mind shifts over during the conversation to those line items.

The next thing is I want to make sure that you have clear categories. If you're raising funds in different buckets such as from individuals, companies, or organizations like churches or clubs, you want to start to look at those categories of income first. Then we want to look at each category of income, what expenses are we going to have that correlate to that category of income. What is it costing us to raise these dollars? This is your fundraising budget. If you are someone who is responsible for the mission side and the fundraising side, you need to budget to make sure that your mission is really clear on the expenses that it's going to take for that that what you're going to do on the program side. And you're going to need to know your expenses on the fundraising side so that you are really clear on those percentages. And just as a reminder, if you are the program, remember this - if you are a one-man show or a two-man show, and your program is you doing the work, you sitting down, you training you helping that individual, you are the program. So anytime that you are the one who's putting out the results, that tangible stuff that's happening, like your organization wouldn't happen without you, you are the program. So your salary, everything that falls under those line items, that's part of the program.

Next, we want to total all the categories. How much are we raising in revenue? How much are we spending on our expenses? These two numbers should be equal, we want a zero-based budget so that we know where every single dollar goes. Now, if you do raise above and beyond, and you’ve fulfilled every dollar on this budget, the next dollars that you bring in, they're going to go to A, B, and C, and maybe those are projects, maybe those are categories that if you can fulfill your base budget, these are the things that you’d love to do. You can share that with your donors. You can share that with prospective donors so that they know you’ve got a vision that far exceeds your basic budget.

Number six, after you've got your categories taken care of, then obviously, we take action. Now we do with the budget says, we follow the plan, we stay at or under each of those line items. Now, here's one thing that I want you to understand is that you created this thing. So it's yours, you put the numbers on the sheet of paper, nobody is going to come after you and say “oh, my gosh, John, you spent $1 too much in that category. And not enough over here.” While number six is to take action and to stay out at or under those line items, number seven is you can make edits, you can change things. If you end up spending more in one area and you're spending less than another, it's your budget, you can make those changes. So whether you're doing this for your personal budget, or whether you're doing this for your organization or mission ministry, you can make those edits as needed.

As you're going through each of these steps that I shared with you, making sure that you really assess where you're at, make sure you know where your priorities are, you get through and you set those realistic goals, create the categories, total the categories, take action, and then make edits as needed. Those are the seven things that I wanted to share with you as you're building out your budget. And as you're thinking through your budget and your line items, how can we be the most efficient? How can we be the most effective at raising funds, and really, when it comes down to it, if you know your numbers, you will be trusted more.

Resources mentioned:

https://mint.intuit.com/

https://www.everydollar.com/

Stewardship Application

Questions about Stewardship?

• Laura Diaz
  Mission Advocate
  773-919-6500
  ldiaz@stewardshiptechnology.com

7 Fundraising Secrets Every Ministry or Nonprofit Should Know to Thrive in 2021

Connect with Mary:

Mary Valloni

Fundraising Freedom Academy

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

Today we're talking about virtual events, live events, all that good stuff with my guest, Wendi Freeman. Wendi is the founder and CEO of Be Bright Events. She has worked in the for-profit space, and she's done a lot of work in the nonprofit space as well. Wendi has more than 15 years of experience; she's planned events, conferences, workshops, retreats, masterminds for groups that are anywhere from about 12 people all the way up to 700 people, and their budgets range anywhere from $1,000 to a million dollars.

Tell us a little bit more about you and the work that you do today.

I did event planning in the corporate space for a little over 15 years and started my own business because I wanted to focus more on organizations that were making an impact in people's lives. I started my business with the intent of in-person events and have since pivoted to virtual events, which has actually been really great. There's such a broader reach of planning events for organizations and entrepreneurs who are making an impact. We've been able to raise even more funds, we've been able to reach and touch even more people, and it's really given organizations an opportunity to really get their messages out in a way that they otherwise previously weren't able to do.

How did you add the virtual on top of the already scheduled event? How did that look like for your clients?

For a lot of them, they already had the speakers confirmed. So we just reached out to the speakers and told them that we still want them to speak at our in-person event if the dates work for them. But we would love to feature them on our virtual event as well. Almost every speaker was willing to do that because again, it gives them that broader reach. I think you're probably sensing a theme here. With virtual, it's very different than in person. You really have to be strategic in the way that you create your program because when you're on stage, you have a captive audience. When you're virtual, they're not necessarily captive, they're behind the screen, it's very easy to multitask. And the attention span is not nearly the same as it is when you're in person. So we combined a lot of them into panels that kept it very interactive and engaging. And then we had other ones just do a shorter version of their session or one component of their session as a highlight. So not only were we still delivering that value, but we also gain marketing materials to promote the in-person event with kind of sneak peeks of what they're going to be seeing what the type of content is. We also did a lot of modifications - the agenda, the way that they were speaking, and we worked in some engagement activities. So intentional hot seats, intentional Q and A's, and breakout sessions. For some of them, we added an upgraded ticket price that was for that VIP ticket. Obviously, with the VIP you will get all of the recordings. But what that also included was a lunch or a mastermind or some sort of private event where they literally got to be in a room with the speaker, which is something that you would never have. I mean, you're obviously in the room with the speaker at an in-person event. But being 18 inches away in a Zoom Room with fewer people having the opportunity to really talk to that speaker provided a tremendous amount of value to the attendees.

Do you charge the same for your virtual events or that virtual ticket as your live ticket?

That's a question that I get a lot. You could look at it one of two ways. The first thing that I always say is, you would never have an in-person event for free. The reason being there's obviously overhead, but you are delivering value and people are paying for that value. The same thing stands true in a virtual event. What I've done with virtual events is we have come up with various ticket tiers. That allows you to still offer a higher level of value at a price point that is going to generate revenue for you. But you also can have those lower price points; a lot of virtual events are offering free. For a lot of your listeners that are in the nonprofit space, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, because you want to get that word out, you're going to get more fundraisers you're going to be or you're going to be able to raise more money. But at the same time, when you're doing that, you can limit it to where it's just a live stream on YouTube, or it's a live stream on Facebook, and then people are paying to actually be in the Zoom Room to be a part of those breakouts, to be a part of those conversations, to get the recordings to get any speaker downloads And then making each package a no brainer depending on the level of engagement the attendees want. There's a ticket price that will resonate with everyone.

What are you seeing that is being done really well by nonprofit leaders during the season that we've been walking through?

What I've been seeing that is has been done really well, our number one, the nonprofit's that are willing to take that leap. It can be scary, especially when you are thinking about in-person events that have silent auctions and different types of events. But there are ways to replicate that in the virtual space. And there's actually some really fun ways we've done silent auctions. We've done online auctions, we've even done in-person auctions where everybody gets sent out a packet ahead of time, and they have their flag number and we're doing it that way. So I think that creating the experience, letting people know that this still is an interactive fundraiser, and being intentional with the sessions that you're having and the different activities that you're doing. The nonprofit's that I have worked with that have raised the most money, they all had one thing in common, and on their registration pages. They had short videos of previous recipients of those funds, sharing their story about what they were able to accomplish as a result because that's what pulls at people's heartstrings. So those were definitely the Top Producing nonprofit fundraising events that I've been a part of were the ones that took the time to get those videos from the recipients really good.

What is your definition of fundraising freedom? What does that mean to you?

I think a part of freedom comes down to security. Being in a place where you feel secure enough to go after what you want. So many people talk about financial freedom and just freedom in general. And I know for me it comes down to it's not about financial freedom, it's about what is the end goal? What am I trying to accomplish? And how can I do that? When I feel secure, I'm willing to take more risks. When I feel secure, I’m willing to step out of my comfort zone. When I feel secure I am going to be the person that I need to be in order to accomplish whatever it is that I'm trying to accomplish.

Do you have any parting advice for people as they launch out into this virtual event space or just nonprofit work in general?

I just encourage everybody to remember your why. Why did you start this foundation? Why are you doing this and use that as your momentum to move you forward? Do the things that you might not want to do resource up level up, you know, ask for help when you need help, and use that why as your momentum.

Connect with Wendi:

The Virtual Event Experts: www.thevirtualeventexperts.com

Be Bright Events: www.bebrighteventsco.com/

Schedule a FREE Strategy Call: https://calendly.com/bebrightevents/be-bright-events-connection-call

Virtual Event Toolkit: https://bit.ly/virtualeventtoolkit
Email: wendi.freeman@bebrighteventsco.com

FREE DOWNLOAD: Guide to Getting Started: https://www.bebrighteventsco.com/planningworkbook

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendi.i.freeman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendifreeman

Connect with Mary:

Mary Valloni

Fundraising Freedom Academy

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

Procrastination can take hold of nearly every area of your life—writing a thank you letter, picking up the phone, doing the dishes and so much more. 

Procrastination is everywhere, but what if you had a tool that could help you quiet the voice in your head and help you knock out your to-do list.

You may be just 5 seconds away from solving that problem every time. You just might make “taking action” a habit in the process!

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/.

If you’re interested in joining our 3-month group coaching program to build out your fundraising team, send an email to mary@maryvalloni.com to get all the details.

In this episode we talk about the top three things your donors are saying behind your back, which explains why your donors may be unhappy with you and leave. We talk through what those are and what you can do to turn it around. 

Ask yourself, do you only care about your donors’ lives because they support your cause? Would you spend time with them if they weren’t giving to you? If so, they already know the answer and that’s why they aren’t sticking around. What could you do to improve the relationship so they become lifelong donors to you and your cause?

I’ll give you a hint…1.) Care, 2.) Listen, and 3.) Say Thank You!

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/.

If you’re interested in joining our 3-month group coaching program to build out your fundraising team, send an email to mary@maryvalloni.com to get all the details.

Anxiety may be one of, if not the worst, enemy of a fundraiser. In this episode we talk through the 4 tips to manage the anxiety and stress of an upcoming fundraising event, how to take care of your body and how a fundraising team can help drastically reduce your anxiety level. 

Here are the 4 tips we cover:

1. Accept the fact that you can’t control everything. What’s the worst that could happen?

2. Do your best with what you have. Be proud of what you’ve done.

3. Maintain a positive attitude. You have the choice of positive or negative thoughts. Choose to go positive.

4. Identify the pattern of your anxiety. When does it get triggered? 

If you’re interested in hearing more about building out your fundraising team through our 3-month group coaching program, send an email to mary@maryvalloni.com to get all the details.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Join me as we take a trip down memory lane. In this episode, I share why I do the work that I do and why this podcast exists. You also get to be the first to hear about my next project. Space is limited for this NEW project, so don’t waste any time in reaching out. To get more details, email mary@maryvalloni.com. 

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the final part of our 6-part series on persuasion and we’re talking about scarcity. Are you tired of pushing projects to get people excited about your cause? Well, this week’s persuasion principle will give you the ability to drive your donors to any budgetary need of your choice including your general operating budget!

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to attend our July Fellowship on July 13th at 10am CST, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is part 5 of our 6-part series on persuasion. This fifth part focuses on authority. People defer to experts and to those in positions of authority. We all want to know “Who’s in charge?”. 

Find out how you can be the leader others want to follow by becoming a subject matter expert.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/.

To check out the Influence and Impact Summit and to catch Mary’s exclusive interview, register at http://bit.ly/IandISummit

This is part 4 of our 6-part series on persuasion. This fourth part focuses on commitment and consistency. People want to be consistent. If they make a public commitment to give, there is a good chance they will follow through. Find out how you can use written and verbal commitments to increase donations and volunteer hours for your cause.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/.

To check out the Influence and Impact Summit and to catch Mary’s exclusive interview, register at http://bit.ly/IandISummit

This is part 3 of a 6-part series on persuasion. This third part focuses on social proof and how people will do what they see others doing. Find out how you can use peer pressure to increase donations and create model volunteers and donors for your cause. 

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/.

To check out the Influence and Impact Summit and to catch Mary’s exclusive interview, register at http://bit.ly/IandISummit

This is part 2 of a 6 part series on persuasion. This second part focuses on reciprocity. Listen in to hear how your donors and your cause can receive mutual benefit from partnering together.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is part 1 of a 6 part series on persuasion. The first of the six focuses on our ability to be likable. Listen in to hear the 5 things we all need to do to attract more people to us so and to our cause.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Today we're talking about the three things you need to effectively grow and multiply your cause.  The reason why I wanted to talk on this topic is that multiplication is really what we're all about, right? When we join or when we start up an organization, our goal here is to affect as many people as possible in a positive way. We're trying to impact lives and help people who maybe have never been helped before. As you are thinking about how to increase donations and how do you get more people engaged, there are three things that you should really have in that plan.  Whether you are the founder, you've been doing this for a long time, or whether you are a part of a larger organization and just got hired on as development staff, you are in the right place, today's episode is for you.

The first thing that you need is an effective board. Some of you don't have to worry about the board of directors but for those of you who have had to recruit one or manage one, you will find out very that this is a difficult group of people to manage because they're not just a normal group of people. These are your bosses. They are at the top of the food chain and they can make or break your organization. It's all about having the right people in the right seats on that bus that's going in the direction that you want to take your organization in. This is a group of people who are basically saying that they will honor the vision and mission of this organization.

Now many times we get confused and we think that the Board of Directors should be the group of people who are raising all of our money. I believe that your board should have some skin in the game and they should be giving to your organization. And so if you have board members who are not giving their time, their money, and their resources, you should probably question why they're serving on your board and why they've been allowed to stay. I just want you to be really cautious of the fact that you need to have requirements for your board. And I'm not saying that they have to be your largest givers. I'm not even saying that they have to all financially give. I'm just saying that your board has to be engaged in some way.

Number two is all about your staff. Every organization should have paid staff. I know it’s the fad in the nonprofit industry that we should have all non-paid volunteers and that this somehow means you are more efficient and makes for a better organization if you don't have any paid staff. How many businesses are effective when people don't get paid? Not very many. In order for you to really grow and multiply, you have to have effective staff in place.

The final thing I want you to be thinking about is your volunteers. We've talked about a board of directors as your volunteers. Now, our volunteers are not paid and this may be you but these are not paid positions. This is what gives credibility to your organization. You've got people in the community who want to give to the work that you're doing and they're willing to do it for free because they want to invest in what's happening. I've always said volunteers give twice as much than non-volunteers. So if you want to grow and multiply, get more volunteers. Sometimes people sit back and say, “I don't even know what to do with them?” Get creative. Some companies will actually pay to have their staff volunteer for your organization, or they will give matching gifts to one of their individuals who give to your organization. Now I want to address the advisory group here. This is something that I'm a huge advocate for.  Recruit a volunteer who can serve on an advisory level for you. This is very different than a board of directors. The advisory group is all about the people who are looking at your finances and looking at your fundraising. They're not looking at your mission. They're not spending a lot of time thinking about how many people are being impacted. They're thinking specifically about who can give and who can be a volunteer in the area of fundraising. 

This is a really important season. It's going to make or break organizations and it's going to make or break people. We know that the mental challenges and keeping ourselves motivated and moving forward is tough. I appreciate you being willing to step outside of the box, try new things, and really push yourselves at a new level. Once again, your board members, your staff, and your volunteers are essential to your growth and to the multiplication of your cause. So today, let's get down on paper what we want. And let's go recruit volunteers who are going to help us move our mission forward.

Connect with Mary: 

Mary Valloni

Fundraising Freedom Academy

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

Tanya is a longtime volunteer and supporter of the MS Society, but after years of volunteering her role drastically changed when she was almost fired from her volunteer role. 

On this episode, listen in to find out how you can recruit a dedicated volunteer like Tanya to your organization and what you need to do to keep her coming back year after year.

For more information about Mary Valloni, visit http://maryvalloni.com and to join our fundraising community on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

How long can you do one thing, and just one thing, before you get pulled away by something else of equal (but probably less) importance? 

This is the world we’re living in today where distractions and information overload consume our day to day activities. It’s harder than ever to be successful, but it is possible. 

It’s possible if you learn the skill of focus. In this episode you’ll learn how to take back your calendar so you can improve your work and raise more funds. 

For more information about Mary Valloni and to download the “7 Step Roadmap to Get Fully Funded”, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join our fundraising community on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

One of the most admired women of all time is Mother Teresa (Saint Teresa of Calcutta). Known for her charitable work she has inspired nonprofit leaders for decades. In this episode we talk about 6 of the life-lessons we can learn from Mother Teresa including: 

1. We need each other.

2. You matter.

3. The only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.

4. A smile is a gift.

5. You won’t be given more than you can handle.

6. Start where you are.

For more information about Mary Valloni and to download the 7 Step Roadmap to get fully funded, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join our fundraising community on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

It’s easy to slip into trying to sell your cause to a potential donor if every dollar matters. If you are desperate for donations you’ll do whatever it takes to bring in the dollars including selling without serving. What if you “served” your potential donor and come without wanting anything in return?

On today’s episode, we talk about how to effectively serve your potential donors and supporters by working for them. If you take the time to raise awareness and educate your people well, you’ll find that people who care about the same group of people you serve will be drawn to your cause and will want to see you succeed. If you help others, they will want to help you. 

They’ll want to see you financially secure and you’ll want the same for them. Listen in to hear the rest of the conversation.

For more information about Mary Valloni and to download the 7 Step Roadmap to get fully funded, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/ to join in on the fundraising conversation and catch the recording of our May Fellowship.

Most nonprofit organizations start because of a great need, but nearly 50% can’t keep up with the demand. 

On today’s episode we talk about the challenges of our nonprofits and the three primary killers of our nonprofits today:

1. Leadership can’t get out of the way.

2. Crazy growth too fast without a foundation

3. Confusing vision and mission

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Authenticity is one of the primary concerns for nonprofit leaders, but all you have to do is be you. No one expects you to be anything else. Remember social media is just a tool in your tool belt. It is one of many ways to engage with prospective donors and volunteers.

When using social media, consider these three ways to promote you and your cause:

1. Create a Private Facebook Group and Build New Relationships

2. Be Consistent - Show up and share insider information

3. Focus your posts on what people are doing for you!

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

There is no doubt that we all need to surround ourselves with people who “get” us and that starts with these four people. 

1. Coach - a person who supports a learner in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance.

2. Mentor - an experienced and trusted advisor, a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.

3. Peer - someone with similar interests.

4. Coachee - someone you invest into.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Often times we spend our time focused on the dollars we want to bring in for our cause, but we don’t spend time figuring out what it will actually take to fulfill our mission. If freedom is what you desire, you want to spend as much time as possible actually enjoying the work you do. 

Figure out what the minimum amount of money it will take and then go for it. It’s probably closer than you think!

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

“To achieve something you have never achieved before you must become someone you have never been.” – Les Brown

We’re all faced with trying to figure out what we need to do to become more effective at what we do. Many times we protect ourselves with habits and routines that are comfortable, but I want you to challenge yourself to work towards the person you need to become to be the leader you want to be.

Ask yourself these questions:

•What new habits, disciplines, or behaviors do I need to START?

•What good habits, disciplines, or behaviors do I need to DO MORE OF?

•What poor habits or behaviors do I need to STOP?

Then join us at 10am CST this Friday, April 6th for the Fundraising Freedom Fellowship call as we talk through the habits you need to get rid of and the 3 habits to add to your life. Find out all the details on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/. For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com

Change is hard. If it were easy we’d all be walking around with fully funded retirement accounts and six-pack abs. Because we know it’s hard, we just need to know what obstacles to overcome so we can tackle each of them one at a time. In this episode, we talk through how your past, your habits, your mind and your surroundings could be the culprit and how to overcome them and embrace positive change along the way.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

We've been talking a lot lately about a variety of different ways that you can raise funds and today, I wanted to bring a special guest on to talk specifically about working with philanthropists. Kris Putnam-Walkerly is a Global Philanthropy Advisor and she has more than 20 years of experience working with philanthropists.  Kris has an award-winning book called Delusional Altruism and she has helped hundreds of wealthy family foundations, fortune 500 companies, giving pledge signatories and wealth advisors strategically influence and allocate over a half a billion dollars in grants and gifts.

Fill in the gaps in your story and tell us how you work with people in the charitable sector.

I have been advising and consulting with philanthropists for the past 20 years. I began my career actually working at Stanford University where I was evaluating youth and gang violence prevention programs. And that was funded by a large foundation, the California Wellness Foundation. It piqued my interest because I realized funders, if they have anything, they have money and they have access to wealth. If you start with that, bring in the right experts, and you're really thoughtful and you do your research, you can tackle a problem at its root and try to create lasting change. Philanthropy can really make a difference and help change and solve a lot of the problems that we're dealing with. I went to work at the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, which at the time was the largest in the country. And I began consulting with other funders, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, and many others and realized I not only loved philanthropy, but I loved consulting too and that really began my career. Now I work in a few ways. I help funders of all kinds and sizes. I work with ultra-high net worth donors, leaders of foundations, corporate giving programs, national, local, family foundation, corporate community, and private. I help them to clarify their strategy, and then implement their strategy. And I often am brought on as a trusted advisor. They'll retain me to help them and be kind of strategic sounding board to navigate all aspects of their philanthropic journey.

How do you define philanthropy to the world?

Well, we're all philanthropists because all of us have a lot of love for humanity. And we all have the ability to give of ourselves, our time, talent, treasure, and I like to add ties, which our ties to the community and the ways that we can open doors and help other people by introductions and who we know. And so, I think it's important to recognize that, you know, we can all find ways to give.

What is Delusional Altruism?

Delusional Altruism is based on my experience and I believe donors want to make a difference and change the world and be altruistic and deeply care about the issues and communities that they're supporting. And they're also getting in their own way. They often don't even realize this is happening. I wrote the book to help donors recognize the ways that they have their own blind spots, and they often are preventing themselves from achieving the impact that they seek and how to recognize that and then what they can do differently to have a more transformational impact on whatever cause they care about. 

What do you see nonprofits doing really well to engage with philanthropists, and not necessarily just during this time, but throughout the year? 

I really think you can't over-communicate, especially now. And I know that a lot of nonprofit organizations when this crisis first hit were very worried about how to fundraise. To me, I think you really need to switch your mindset as a nonprofit leader and embrace what I call an abundance mindset. And that could mean many things. But I think for a nonprofit leader, it needs to mean recognizing your value, the value that you provide to the people that you're serving, and the value that you're providing to the donor. 

What are you seeing that people are doing well, and maybe not so well in as they engage philanthropists?

It's about communication, but it's about your own positioning and how clear you are. How you communicate the value that you bring, why you're the right organization to be doing this work, your accomplishments, whatever it might be, just really having clear communication, if it's a PowerPoint deck, or it's a two-page overview, or it's your website. You don't want anybody guessing as to what you do or be too vague in the description. Or be too shy about sharing your accomplishments. I think all of those things are really important. And I think secondly, and this might surprise your listeners, is you're not asking for enough money. I remember years ago when I was consulting with Charles Schwab Family Foundation, and I would be reviewing proposals coming in. It would be for a really important domestic violence shelter in the community. And it asked for $5,000. To be honest, I would think to myself, this program costs $100,000 a year to run, ask for $50,000 because we'd probably give it to you. It costs money to hire talented people and run organizations and have bookkeeping services and do professional development, develop your board, invest in technology, all of these things. These are real costs. Pretending they don't exist doesn't really do anything for the service and it turns into this sort of cycle of the scarcity mindset. So I would be honest about what it really takes to run your organization and ask for what you deserve.

I hear statements like, donors only want to give to our projects into our program. They don't want to give to operational expenses. Is that true? Or is that both?

Both. There are a lot of funders who will support core operating support.  However, I think this pandemic has made it abundantly obvious that you can't tightly restrict nonprofit organizations to do only X, Y or Z, when the rug gets pulled out from underneath them, and only A, B and C make sense or they have to reinvent the alphabet in order to proceed. I think the case will be easier to make going forward, that we need our resources to be able to navigate the work. But that said, there's actually a lot of fear in philanthropy. That might be surprising to some people because people equate money with power. One aspect of fear from the perspective of the funder is the fear of losing control, losing control of their money once they give it away. That's why you see so many hoops and hurdles that nonprofits have to jump through to get the funding.

What does fundraising freedom mean to you?

To me, it means taking the opportunity to explore the variety of fundraising tools that you have at your disposal and giving yourself the freedom to learn. One thing I hope everyone is doing during this pandemic is recognizing and seizing this opportunity to improve and change themselves. I've engaged in professional development, I've read books I was planning on reading that I hadn't read before. I've participated in webinars, I've forced myself to try new technology and take risks, doing things I wasn't comfortable doing before, intentionally to make sure that I emerge from this crisis, a stronger, better philanthropy advisor. That's a very freeing feeling because it's under my control, I can do it, I can do all of this for almost free. I really encourage fundraisers and, quite frankly, funders to do the same thing so that you can learn and add another tool to your toolbox.

Resources mentioned:

Delusionalaltruism.com

Six Mistakes Philanthropists Make During A Crisis

Connect with Kris:

Putnam-consulting.com

Connect with Mary:

Mary Valloni

Fundraising Freedom Academy

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

When did we decide that our nonprofits deserved less and that we needed handouts from the community? It’s time to change the way we think so we can actually fulfill our mission. On today’s episode we talk through how to get an abundance mindset by eliminating three statements from your thoughts. Do you believe there are people out there who want to be a part of your cause, they just don’t know you exist? Find out how to find them and start attracting them to your cause today.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Is it possible to have the same excitement knocking on door #1 as door #101 when people say no after no after no? The answer is YES and it’s possible to enjoy the rejection along the way. We know we don’t need everyone to say yes, but regardless it’s hard to hear no. On today’s episode, find out how you can get more yeses and avoid the feeling of rejection all together!

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

There’s usually two reasons why it feels like someone is dodging you, either 1.) they are or 2.) it’s all in your head. If you find yourself following up with potential donors over and over again, you may need to rethink your approach or you may need to avoid being too hard on yourself by assuming it’s all about you. Learn how to avoid the dreaded follow up call, how to ensure someone follows up with you, and much more in this week’s episode.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

No one wants so sit through a painful fundraising pitch, so why would we ask our potential donors to say yes to that? Instead, let’s ask them for their valuable advice and then do what they say. After all, they are our potential donors. Many of them will tell you exactly what to do and say if you were giving the pitch to them. What would they say yes to? That’s what we all want to know. What do our donors want and let’s give it to them.

Face-to-face communication is the best way to get a YES, so let’s get in front of our potential donors and let THEM tell us how to sell to them!

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

The Winter Olympics are in full swing in Pyeongchang, South Korea bringing together the best athletes from around the world. As the media interviews these athletes, we continue to see patterns of how each of them made it to the big stage and how each of us can learn from them.

Here are the 8 things every nonprofit leader can learn from the athletes of these Winter Games.

1. Olympians expect obstacles and embrace them when they come.

2. Olympians put their lives on the line.

3. Olympians know Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.

4. Olympians have accountability

5. Olympians are teachable.

6. Olympians know that good is not good enough.

7. Olympians are consistent and are creatures of habit.

8. Olympians compartmentalize their emotions.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Many of us forget that our nonprofit is ineffective if our leaders are overworked, exhausted and burnt out. Your cause is only as good as your leadership, so this episode focuses on how to protect your most valuable asset - You!

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

As you seek to raise more funds for your cause, the most important piece to the puzzle is having enough donors to fulfill every need that comes up. This means we need to ensure we can attract more donors to our cause. On this episode we talk through the 5 things you can do to attract donors in including:

1.  Have a clear vision.

2.  Invite more people to be insiders into your cause (vs. outsiders).

3.  Tell your donors what impact their dollars will have.

4.  Tell people what you need (create a wish list) and let them save the day.

5.  Be where they are.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

It is 2018 and we are seeing less and less print mail in our mailbox these days, but does that mean that our nonprofits should stop sending out mailings as well? The answer is NO. Mass mailings absolutely still work, but why? Find out how you can make them work for you and how you can add mailings into your communication plan as you connect with your donors and donor prospects.

Mark your calendar and join Mary and other nonprofit leaders for her free monthly online fellowship this Friday, February 2nd. All the details are in the Fundraising Freedom Tribe on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/ and for more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com

Find out the two most critical ways to overcome the pressure to succeed. Mary shares how to take it easy on yourself as you focus on your ability to turn any stressful situation around. Often our greatest pressure comes from a place of opportunity. Find out how you can ensure that opportunity is a blessing and not a curse.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Nonprofit and ministry leaders often jump into fundraising events before doing this one thing and that’s attending other events. How do you know how to put on a great fundraising event if you’ve never attended another event? Mary shares why it’s so important to attend events that are similar to the one you want to put on and how you can take ideas from those events to ensure your success. Mary also shares why it’s important to be ready to share your need.  You never know what someone might do for you and your cause when you are in the right place at the right time and ready to share! 

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

My guest today is Ben Starling III.  Ben is a former director of philanthropy, has worked on huge projects like the Museum of the Bible and Scripps Research Institute. He's from Palm Beach, Florida, and he runs a business called Southern Philanthropy. Southern Philanthropy offers custom-tailored fundraising services for profit, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists.

Tell us a little bit about you.

My entire career has been spent on fundraising. When I was a sophomore in college, I had to work, and I answered an ad on the college billboard to go and run errands at a fundraising PR office. I really didn't know exactly what that meant but I knew that I could run errands and the office was close to the school. So, I went down there and from that point forward, I never looked back. The gentleman was an old man, and he told me he was going to mold me into his image. I learned so much; he was a master.

What part of it did you really enjoy?

I am always inquisitive about people. I love to know what they think, what they do, what they believe, and why they believe it. I love to know where they began their life experiences. And I quickly discovered in fundraising that, true fundraising, meant that you get to know people and you get to know them generally over lunch and I love a good meal. It was exciting to listen to these people and to understand their life experiences. I come from a small southern town, and so when I met with these people and they talked about their travels around the world, the important people they knew they had experiences that I could only begin to imagine. I've always loved helping people and bringing people to the table. I’ve always had the gift of gab and that has enabled me to have a lot of friends and a large network. I always got great joy in bringing people together for the common good or a good cause. I realized; this is fundraising. This is my profession. This is my calling in life. It was a natural fit.

Is there anything that fundraisers should be scared of when it comes to trying to secure a major gift from a very wealthy person?

Absolutely not. I can tell you that I've worked with people all over the financial spectrum. And by far the easiest and most genuine people that you will ever work with are those at the highest levels financially. I have often given speeches of lessons from America's billionaires or the 13 billionaires that I've worked with. I can tell you that they're generally very humble people. They're not enjoying attention drawn to their wealth, and they are committed to making a difference and in a lot of times, in fundraising, you can find people who want their picture in the paper or they want their name on a building or they want to be in the spotlight. They want to use a charity in order to get that spotlight. But when you get to the top financial levels, you don't have to impress anyone. So, you're not aiming to chair a gala. But what you are aiming to do is to change the world. Philanthropy at the highest levels is about changing the world. I'll never have a billion dollars to be able to change the world myself but my contribution to changing the world is inviting others who do have that financial ability to join into an organization or to a mission and to participate financially.

 What are you seeing right now that's holding nonprofit leaders back?

Overall, I have to say it is a lack of fundraising training. For a lot of people, they've cut their teeth in special events, and they believe special event fundraising is the one and only way to go. What I'm seeing now is these event-driven organizations are having a very, very difficult time because of COVID. COVID has shut those events down.  A lot of the event-driven organizations are heavily supported by businesses that give corporate sponsorships and those sorts of things. A lot of that money is dried up and so another source of funds that I teach on are major gifts and key philanthropists in an area.

What is a major gift to an organization?

I get that every time I speak on major gifts and the answer is it varies. It depends on your organization. I’ve worked in organizations before where $5,000 was a major gift. I have given advice to some startup nonprofits where if you gave them $1,000, they thought that they had hit the lottery with $1,000. When I went to work for Scripps Research Institute it was interesting because the major gifts level started at $100,000. They wanted us to focus on people who could give $100,000 and at the Museum of the Bible, we set the target at $500,000 for major gifts to begin. You have some schools, Harvard and Yale, and some of those with billion-dollar endowments, where major gifts may begin at a couple of million dollars. So, it varies but everybody needs to take a look at their donor roles and determine what is a major gift to your organization. I've often classified that as something that makes a difference. $25 is a nice gift but that doesn't always pay the bills. What is your threshold and, whatever is wanted to establish that becomes your benchmark in the major gift arena.

What advice would you give to someone just getting started with raising major gifts?

You need infrastructure and you need knowledge. Major gift fundraising is very different than special event fundraising. Knowing the difference, knowing what to look for, and knowing how you should structure things is vitally important. I'll give you an example. So, in special event fundraising, your audience is basically anyone who can afford to buy a ticket to come. Those people who buy tickets will refer to them as ticket buyers. You may have someone there that’s coming who is capable of giving at your major gift level. I cannot stress this enough that in major gift fundraising, you have to know the difference between a ticket buyer and someone who wants to change the world. In special event fundraising, you're focused on quantity. I've always believed that it is much easier to get $1 million from one person than it is to get 10 $100,000 gifts. It's knowing what to look for, knowing how to structure, and then following a strategic plan.

Resources mentioned:

GETTING STARTED: MAJOR GIFTS 101 – FAITH-BASED EDITION

*Coupon Code: FOB25

Connect with Ben:

Southern Philanthropy

Ben on LinkedIn

Connect with Mary:

Mary Valloni

Fundraising Freedom Academy

Fully Funded Academy

Facebook

LinkedIn

Who is your ideal donor? What do they do and why would they like you? We address these questions and more in this episode. Do you find that you are running out of prospects? Identify how to create a plan and how to promote the work you do where your donors are and not where they aren’t.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

It’s a new year and with the new year, you may need a new attitude to match! Today’s episode is about how to free yourself from the negativity, how to be a giver, and how to do more of what works. We are in more control of our success than we think we are and if you want more of what works it’s time to remove the things that don’t. 

Ministry leaders, be sure to check out Mary’s new podcast, The Fully Funded Podcast with Mike Kim and Mary Valloni, at http://apple.co/2q4BnIW.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

One of the most popular Christmas movies of all time is Elf, featuring Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel. Check out this episode for the top 5 happiness quotes from the movie and how they relate to nonprofit leaders today. 

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

With only a few weeks left in the calendar year, I wanted to share with you the questions you need to ask yourself. Find out what needs to stay and what needs to go as we wrap up 2017 and head into 2018. How will you best share your message and clear out anything that could be holding you back.

For details about our January 2nd Mastermind Group, go to http://maryvalloni.com/coaching and be sure to submit your application by Friday, December 15th at 12:00 midnight CST.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

It’s December, which means it’s the most wonderful time of the year and the most stressful as well! If you are feeling totally overwhelmed here’s the 7 things you should do today. Don’t let your mind run you down the wrong path, learn what to do to take back control and stay on target to finish out the year strong. 

For details about our January 2nd Mastermind Group, go to maryvalloni.com/coaching and be sure to submit your application by Friday, December 15th at 12:00 midnight CST.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

Tuesday, November 28th is #GivingTuesday and we’re gearing up for the biggest nonprofit holiday of the year. Listen in to find out what 3 things you must do to make the most out of #GivingTuesday.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is our seventh episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This seventh step is all about making a difference and celebrating your success. This is why we work so hard. Find out how to speak your team’s language so you can celebrate them, how to create a thank-you plan and how to enjoy every moment of the journey with your team. 

Thanks to those of you who joined my free training this past week with Mike Kim. We announced that we are doing a LIVE event for missionaries in San Diego next March. Our early bird pricing ends soon, so be sure to reserve your seat, only 40 seats are available, at http://fullyfundedworkshop.com.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the sixth episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This sixth step is centered around how to organize your ask. We talk through how fundraising is like dating, how to avoid giving money and wealthy individuals more power than they deserve, and how to ask for in-kind donations and cash. 

Be sure to reserve your seat for my free online training with Mike Kim on the “7 Year-End Fundraising Secrets Every Missionary Needs to Know” on Tuesday, November 14th at 12:00pm CST. Register at http://mikekim.com/7-secrets.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the fifth episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This fifth step is centered around how to deploy your team. Learn how to create a strong staff/volunteer partnership, give the right titles to empower your team and trust your team while releasing them to share your message.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the fourth episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This fourth step is centered around how to enhance your brand. Learn how to create a personal brand, an organizational brand, a high-quality logo, a one-page document, a case document, and a fundraising website.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

In the past few months, we have been talking about how to navigate this new “normal” as we walk through the season of a pandemic. Over the course of these last several months, you've had to make a shift. You've had to start looking at different ways of running your fundraising efforts. And so today, we're going to continue on that topic. I'm going to give you a list of the industries that are actually doing really, really well right now, and then we'll talk through that and see how it impacts you and your cause.

In the last couple of episodes, we’ve talked about online fundraising and virtual fundraising events. There's no reason why corporations and small businesses would not want to still sponsor your fundraising efforts. How are people marketing right now? How are you engaging donors? How are you engaging customers? Corporations and small businesses are looking to you to get their messages out there in the world and they're looking for creative ways where they can continue to promote and get people engaged in the work that they're doing. It doesn't matter what country you live in. I just want to remind you that humans are humans, it doesn't matter where we live, we all want to be connected to each other. We all want to feel like we're making a difference in the world in some way. We're talking about the people who, in their gut, know that they need to take care of their neighbors. We need to take care of the people that we do life with, and we also have to take care of people who don't have what we have. Whether that's orphans and widows, poor people who don't have food, don't have a shelter, or don't have a place to live. I've been watching these organizations that are feeding tens of millions of people, and the donations are still coming in. And they are seeing growth in ways that we probably would never have understood prior to this. Today as we talk about these corporations and businesses, I want you to just to be reminded that it is natural for them to want to give and to feel like they're connected to the community. So, all we're doing is we're fulfilling the problem.

Let's talk through some of these industries and then I will go from there to tell you how we actually engage them and get them to financially support the work that you're doing. Number one on my list is the cleaning industry. People who are in the cleaning and product supplies industry are seeing an uptick because people need to clean their homes. Number two, the health and fitness industry. People are starting to realize that they're packing on a few pounds and maybe it's time that to get that elliptical machine or a few weights should show up at home, or maybe they should walk a little bit more. Maybe they need some new tennis shoes and some workout gear. The health and fitness industry has done very well. Number three, the wellness industry. Mental illness is on the rise and being isolated and not being connected with other people has proven to be something that we all know we need. The next one is the food industry. We all have to eat right? Grocery stores and even restaurants have modified what they do like curbside pickup and delivery. Then you get into the personal safety products like PPE or anybody who's doing masks or any sort of personal protection equipment, those industries have done well. There’s the home and garden industry that’s booming. People want to make their homes look nice. This is also why the real estate industry is doing well - the supply and demand is just so crazy that homes are selling very well. Then we get into video communications. A lot of people shifted from working from a storefront property or office over to home, and they've obviously had to start using new technology. And so video communications like Zoom and GoTo Meeting are raking in the cash right now because we are all online either working or meeting with our families.  Next are the eCommerce sites like Etsy or people who sell most of their products online who will deliver their products and services to your door. They have done well. Then you get into online education. All of our schools have shifted to online and e-courses are on the rise.  And the list goes on.

I just want you to see that there is a whole host of industries that are doing well, and I want to encourage you to be much more strategic than you've been in the past. Let's stop focusing on trying to retain the donors that we've had in the past and let's start looking at what new industries and what new people you can start to engage. If there are certain people that you've been following, or people who you have really felt have impacted your nonprofit, then start having those conversations with them about how they could volunteer with your work and how they could adopt your cause. Everybody's looking for that charity of choice and it doesn't matter what their business looks like. Provide opportunities for them to choose your cause. Remember, a huge reason why companies and small businesses give to charities is that they want to make sure that the community sees that they care. When they donate school supplies or to feed the hungry, they are doing all those things because they know that they've got to take care of their people. And in return, those people are going to trust them back and want to do business with them.

It's the same reason for both of us; for whether it's the for-profit or nonprofit industry. We want to show the community that we care, and that we're not just coming with a hand out all the time. Be sure to take a few minutes to realize that you have a lot of influence in your community, in the world, and the space that you work in. As you continue to press onward, I want you to take better control and to see that you have a lot of power in this season so go after new opportunities, and find new and exciting ways to engage people into the work that you're doing. It is in your control to invite people in. You're the gatekeeper, nobody's going to just randomly show up at your doorstep and say, “Gosh, I want to market my product through your organization.” They're not going to do that; you have to be creative. And you have to reach out to them and say, “you know what? You guys have been on our mind for a while. And we have this fundraiser that's coming up. And we believe that there's a way that we can partner together online, to make sure that this thing is a success for our community and a success for you as a business.” I hope that this is helpful today as you continue to press forward. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. I am just like you and I'm on the other side trying to navigate this myself. I hope you have a wonderful week. Let's go and engage these companies that are booming and let's engage them in a way that they can make a difference in the world through your cause.

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This is the third episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This third step is centered around how to enlist your team. Learn how to find and recruit your lead volunteer, that one person who can serve as a team captain for your leadership team. Mary shares stories of how she has identified and gone after previous leaders for the organizations she’s worked with and encourages you to go enlist your team. 

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the second episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This second step is centered around how to run your research to understand your allies, competition, prospects and yourself. Identify how to best reach out and get the information you need to prepare for your next fundraising campaign.

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/

This is the first episode in our 7-part series on “What is Fundraising Freedom and How Can I Get It?” This first step is centered around how to focus your vision to attain maximum clarity so your donors know who you are and what you stand for. 

For more information about Mary Valloni Consulting, visit http://maryvalloni.com and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fundraisingfreedomtribe/