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Episode 3 • You Won't Ever Feel Ready, So Start Now
He's spent eight years convincing nonprofits to believe in themselves. The harder sell has always been himself.
Patrick is one of those people who walks into rooms radiating certainty. But the version of him that wakes up before a keynote, quietly running through every reason it could fall apart, is just as real... and he thinks that version is actually the better one.
Patrick Kirby is a fundraising consultant, speaker, and author based in Fargo, ND. Over nearly a decade, he has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise more money, build better cultures, and stop doing things the way they have always been done.
In this episode of Never Been Asked That, we get into:
- Why the most confident person in the room is usually fighting the hardest internal battle
- How theater, Les Miserables, and a hallway at Anne Carlson Center permanently rewired how he sees the work
- The moment a new boss asked 'Is this a bit?' and accidentally handed Patrick his exit ramp
- Why donors are exhausted by tragedy and what joy has to do with fundraising
- What Rick Rubin got right about audiences, and why Patrick stopped writing for anyone but himself
Key moments:
- (01:00:00) Intro
- (01:00:40) Presence Over Pitch: What people get wrong about Patrick first
- (01:03:08) The Introvert Few People See: The reset time behind the stage
- (01:09:02) Story Is the Strategy: Theater, musicals, and learning to be uncomfortable
- (01:13:10) Losing the Race, Finding the Gift: From sales rep to healthcare recruiter to nothing
- (01:19:24) The Humor and the Edge: When personality became the differentiator
- (01:23:36) The Discipline Behind the Energy: Standards, curiosity, and letting clients go
- (01:47:58) The Hallway Moment: Anne Carlson, the kid who wasn't supposed to walk, and the boss who asked the wrong question
- (01:55:00) People Are the Real Work: The obsessive balance between care and business
- (02:01:38) The Audience Comes Last: Joy, storytelling, and why sad isn't a fundraising strategy
- (02:14:53) Audacity and Self-Belief: Rick Rubin, unreasonable confidence, and what happens when you stop caring what people think
- (02:35:45) Leading beyond motivation into action
Curious what you think we should have asked.
Follow Patrick Kirby:
- Patrick Kirby’s Website
- Get one of Patrick’s Books
- Patrick Kirby on LinkedIn
- DoGoodBetter on YouTube
- Patrick Kirby on Instagram
View all episodes
By BeToldHe's spent eight years convincing nonprofits to believe in themselves. The harder sell has always been himself.
Patrick is one of those people who walks into rooms radiating certainty. But the version of him that wakes up before a keynote, quietly running through every reason it could fall apart, is just as real... and he thinks that version is actually the better one.
Patrick Kirby is a fundraising consultant, speaker, and author based in Fargo, ND. Over nearly a decade, he has helped hundreds of nonprofits raise more money, build better cultures, and stop doing things the way they have always been done.
In this episode of Never Been Asked That, we get into:
- Why the most confident person in the room is usually fighting the hardest internal battle
- How theater, Les Miserables, and a hallway at Anne Carlson Center permanently rewired how he sees the work
- The moment a new boss asked 'Is this a bit?' and accidentally handed Patrick his exit ramp
- Why donors are exhausted by tragedy and what joy has to do with fundraising
- What Rick Rubin got right about audiences, and why Patrick stopped writing for anyone but himself
Key moments:
- (01:00:00) Intro
- (01:00:40) Presence Over Pitch: What people get wrong about Patrick first
- (01:03:08) The Introvert Few People See: The reset time behind the stage
- (01:09:02) Story Is the Strategy: Theater, musicals, and learning to be uncomfortable
- (01:13:10) Losing the Race, Finding the Gift: From sales rep to healthcare recruiter to nothing
- (01:19:24) The Humor and the Edge: When personality became the differentiator
- (01:23:36) The Discipline Behind the Energy: Standards, curiosity, and letting clients go
- (01:47:58) The Hallway Moment: Anne Carlson, the kid who wasn't supposed to walk, and the boss who asked the wrong question
- (01:55:00) People Are the Real Work: The obsessive balance between care and business
- (02:01:38) The Audience Comes Last: Joy, storytelling, and why sad isn't a fundraising strategy
- (02:14:53) Audacity and Self-Belief: Rick Rubin, unreasonable confidence, and what happens when you stop caring what people think
- (02:35:45) Leading beyond motivation into action
Curious what you think we should have asked.
Follow Patrick Kirby:
- Patrick Kirby’s Website
- Get one of Patrick’s Books
- Patrick Kirby on LinkedIn
- DoGoodBetter on YouTube
- Patrick Kirby on Instagram