We’ve all been there before. You meet someone and present a great proposal. Multiple calls and emails later, you realize that the gift potential has fizzled out. Was it something you said or didn’t say? Stop the self condemnation and listen up. Greg has 3 solid tips for you to “close the gift”.

Bryan is joined by a special guest to talk about The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen: Evan Baker! Evan is the Mission Advancement Officer at the University of Mary. This episode covers: fundraising as a ministry, how to bring a more authentic spiritual approach to fundraising, and why fundraising doesn’t have to mean begging.

Can there be a less time and labor consuming way to raise money than a bake sale? Yes! Bryan discusses why non-profits and churches should put aside this archaic fundraising method and approach fundraising with a more relational approach.

When asking for gifts, there is something to be said for bare bones sincerity. Greg and Bryan take a deep dive into how to make an honest ask.

Greg dives deeper into the question of Catholic identity. You may have encountered donors who ask about the Catholic identity of your school. What is prompting that question? What is it they really want to know? What is their underlying concern? How might you receive and answer the question? With degrees in both business and theology, Greg helps development directors understand the perspective of these donors.

Can an attack dog thwart your fundraising? Greg and Bryan take you down a journey of absurd moments they have had in their fundraising careers.

Every great appeal, ask, invitation, and opportunity has one thing in common: urgency. You cannot undervalue what this one element can do for your fundraising. Bryan and Greg share practical tools and insights on how to make your fundraising more urgent.

One of the hardest parts of fundraising is determining how much to ask someone for. Bryan and Greg take on this topic today and discuss the process and best practices they take to determine: how much should you ask for?

In this episode, Greg presents a solution to how Catholic schools can avoid mission drift while still benefitting from modern fundraising. Also, Greg eats a little bit of crow pie from his arguments in part one.

Have Catholic schools changed? Greg suspects they have. He channels his 30+ years fundraising for Catholic education to navigate the difference he sees occurring in the schools of old with the schools of today. Greg ends with a question for you the listener. You won’t want to miss this first discussion on why Catholic schools are now “all grown up.”