Alan Clayton is Chairman of Philanthropy and Fundraising International, and Director of Philanthropy and Fundraising North America. He's also a brilliant fundraiser.I had the absolute pleasure of visiting with Alan this past week to talk about great fundraising organizations...what makes them great, how they think and behave differently than other nonprofits, how they approach their brand differently from other organizations, and what other nonprofits need to do to become great in their own right. Alan gives us his in-depth assessment on:The biggest obstacle to great fundraising and growth for nonprofits (hint: it's probably not what you think)The process organizations and leaders need to follow to bring alignment internally that can prepare their organizations for transformational growthHow to know if your organization is prepared for a great fundraising transformationNavigating the complex maze of logic and emotion to bring about meaningful change in your organizationWhy the conflict over investment between fundraising and program budgets is short-sighted, and how you should think differently about itHow an organization's fundraising returns compare to stock market returns, and why CFO's should fully embrace fundraising investmentThe key decisions that growth-minded, successful nonprofits make that are different from the decisions that average nonprofits don't make 

 Alan and his team are hosting a fully ONLINE version of The Great Fundraising Masterclass from February 9 - February 12. If you like our podcast conversation and want to go deeper on this subject, sign up for this Masterclass today!

Special thanks to our friends at 7-Figure Fundraising for sponsoring today’s episode! At 7-Figure Fundraising they teach fundraisers and nonprofit leaders how to craft and deliver fundraising pitches that consistently deliver more 6 and 7-figure gifts. Right now, they are offering a 5% discount on their live online training that begins on February 16, 2021. You can register here, and use the code RAINMAKER at check-out to get the discount.