Is unrestricted fundraising really the hardest kind? In this episode of Inspired Nonprofit Leadership, Sarah Olivieri sits down with Sherry Quam Taylor to challenge that long-held belief and unpack how nonprofits can build stronger, more effective fundraising strategies by focusing on investment-level giving. They dig into the real reasons many nonprofits stay stuck in low-ROI tactics like events and appeals, and what it takes to shift into a high-return, relationship-based model. From calculating your true financial need to rethinking donor conversations, this episode is packed with insights to help you raise more money with less stress—and no gala required.

Episode Highlights

• 03:21 Fundraising Challenges and Strategies

• 04:05 Investment Level Giving and ROI

• 05:08 Relational Fundraising and Donor Engagement

• 09:01 Shifting Fundraising Mindsets

• 13:01 Building Donor Relationships and Financial Planning

• 18:51 Field Testing Your Messaging

• 19:19 Overcoming Perfectionism in Fundraising

• 19:47 Balancing Organizational Health Perceptions

• 21:10 Equipping Teams for Deeper Conversations

• 23:02 Evaluating Fundraising Efficiency

• 27:50 Shifting to Sustainable Fundraising

• 29:28 The Power of Relational Fundraising

Meet the Guest

Sherry Quam Taylor works with business-minded Nonprofit CEOs whose Strategic Plans require expansive budgets and larger amounts of general-operating revenue for growth. To become investment-level ready, Sherry helps leaders see their revenue potential and helps them see what may be blocking donors from giving in this way. Sherry's clients know how to attract larger donors by solving the funding challenges at the root of the issue.

As a result of learning her methodology, Sherry's clients become sustainable, diversify revenue, and know how to add significant amounts gen-ops revenue to their budgets. But mostly, their development departments and board have transformed into high-ROI revenue generators – aligning their hours with relational dollars and set free from the limitations of transactional fundraising.

Sherry attributes the success of her business to her passion for modeling radical confidence to the future CEOs in her house - her two college-aged daughters.

Connect with Sherry:

Website: www.QuamTaylor.com

Main Social Media Outlet: LinkedIn

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