Nonprofit CourageLab

It’s very common to be terrified of hearing “no.” To avoid hearing no, we ask for smaller amounts or avoid asking at all. That’s not the way to raise large gifts. The worst thing that could happen isn’t hearing no. The worst thing that could happen is you not asking for more and your community continuing to suffer.

The courage to hear “no” comes from being solid in your why. Is your work urgent? Is it lifesaving, or not? Is the benefit for your community worth your discomfort?

There are a few myths that hold us back from asking for more.

1. Some believe that they don’t have to ask for more. In reality, a moment of discomfort is nothing compared to the impact of you holding back.
2. The best major gift fundraisers must hear “yes” all the time. No, they don’t - they hear no more often because they ask more.

The first week of CourageLab is designed to get you a $10k gift. By trusting in my framework and following through on the challenges, you will be willing to hear no. Once you’re willing to hear no, and you can handle it gracefully, you will get more yes! Maintain the relationship and that no can turn into a yes. 

Get clear on how urgent, life-saving, and crucial your mission is. Is it worth hearing no for? How much do you need to ask for in order to get to your goals? Have a plan and be ready to handle the “no” with grace and strengthen the partnership, then watch how that will unlock radical generosity within your organization.

The fall cohort is open now!

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Part of building relationships and getting your nonprofit to the next level is learning how to activate the catalysts on your board. These are the go-getters, the ones that ask the questions, offer help, and want to do better than their predecessors. Are you really using their skills to their full potential?

One reason why you may not be getting the growth you need is because your board members don’t know what to help you with. They may never have done any fundraising before, or served on a board before, but they really do want to make an impact. They want to do a good job, and sometimes they can be quite competitive. Use that to your advantage. 

Get to know your board members and follow up when they offer to help. Get the buy-in from the influential, catalytic members of your board before the board meeting and they’ll be able to step into a strong leadership role next to you.

I challenge you to call a board member and ask them some of these powerful questions and create a plan so you can support them in helping you expand your mission.

The fall cohort is open now!

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

In this episode, I’m going to talk about my CourageLab process and help you decide if it’s the right fit for you. CourageLab is a 6-week program for major gifts training.

In CourageLab, you’ll learn:

• How to identify the right donors
• How to get meetings with those donors
• How to ask them for more
• Overall strategy for major gifts
• Accountability and mindset coaching

CourageLab may be right for you if you have donors who are giving a thousand dollars or more per year and you know they could give much more. If you can admit that fear holds you back and you want to expand your impact and you’re ready to create a new relationship with fundraising.

Imagine enjoying fundraising. Imagine making one phone call and getting a $10k gift. Imagine a simple system. Imagine being able to identify the best ROI opportunities. In order to grow, you need to become someone new; someone more courageous. You need to invest in yourself. If the budget is small, and fear keeps you small, you’ll never grow.

My program promise is that you will raise a $10k gift in 6 weeks or less, or your money back. I can make a bold claim like that because I have helped dozens of leaders do exactly that. 

The fall cohort is open now!

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Fundraising that survives economic downturn and recession comes from a strong relationship with your donors. If you know them, and they know you, they will stick by you.

Here are the critical ways to build strong relationships with your donors:

1. Get personal. Share about your life, even if it has nothing whatsoever to do with your mission.
2. Ask powerful questions. Ask them why they give and you may find a much deeper connection with them.
3. Pick up the phone. Why are we so afraid of the phone? Just 2 minutes can accelerate your relationship.
4. Follow up. Not just about gifts and programs, but about things that your donors have shared with you. 

People want to be connected to you. It’s okay to get to know your donors and create these strong connections with them.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

What does it take to raise a million dollars? If you’re struggling, it’s not for lack of work ethic. In this episode I’ll cover the 3 keys to a million dollar strategy.

1. You need impossible goals. If your goals are tiny, they inspire tiny gifts. Impossible goals force us to think bigger and get more creative.
2. Prioritize meaningful fundraising activities. Don’t organize events that aren’t relevant to your people, just because you saw it being successful somewhere else. What is an activity that will bring your donors closer together, closer to your mission, and closer to your team?
3. Create an ownership culture. Stop pretending that you don’t have time if the reality is that you’re afraid. Once you own your attitude, you can change it. Control the controllables, and that includes yourself.

What impossible goals are you going to set today? How can you take greater ownership of the results you get (or don’t get)?

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Courage isn’t a feeling; it’s a muscle. Courage is feeling the fear and doing the thing anyway. It’s a skill you develop by doing more of what you’re afraid to do.

In my CourageLab framework, we build courage in these ways:

• Build an attitude of abundance. Believe that your donors can give more. Rather than looking for evidence that they are maxed out, look for evidence that they are on your team.
• Humble yourself. Be willing to experience any emotion and work through it. What are you willing to do that is so uncomfortable but you know is necessary to raise more money?
• Own your genius. Delegate everything you don’t have to be doing and spend your energy on what really matters.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

My CourageLab program focuses on 3 major components to help you become a world class fundraiser and build a strong major gifts program.

Courage: Humility that is fully developed looks like courage. It takes courage to have boundaries, to receive help, and ask for gifts. Being an exemplary leader takes guts.

Strategy: Learn how to structure your time and which donors to focus on. As an executive, focus on the people you enjoy, maybe the top 20 donors and start there.

Relationships: Build authentic relationships with your donors. Ask powerful questions, then genuinely listen with curiosity.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Who you are determines what you do. If your strategy doesn’t line up with who you are, it won’t work. Developing a culture of generosity IS your strategy. When generosity is rampant in your organization, it comes naturally to everyone involved. 

There are 5 keys to building a culture of generosity:

• An attitude of abundance
• Humility
• Focus on people and relationships
• Communication - both of frequency and quality
• Taking ownership

Whatever you celebrate, you will see more of.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

When it comes to major gifts fundraising, we talk a lot about renewing gifts, usually to the same amount that was given last year. How do you move beyond the same $25k year after year and grow exponentially? It takes a lot of courage to challenge donors to step up in new, big ways.

The goal has to be to uncover the passion within your donors and the impact that they desire to see, then leading them to extraordinary generosity.

Try it out with a donor you’re close to. They might just say yes, or surprise you with an innovative solution. It’s not because you’re greedy. You don’t care only about money. It’s time to lead from the front with power, with courage, and with generosity. You cannot ask them to go where you aren’t willing to.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Welcome back! In this episode I want to talk about how to change what you believe about your donors and yourself. There’s an attitude in the nonprofit sector that borders on martyrdom. We tend to believe that no one else cares as much as we do, that rich people are greedy, and that we are the heroes because we work for pennies for what we believe in.

In reality, humility, when fully developed, looks like courage. Asking our donors for more means that we are willing to sacrifice our image and our comfort level for the cause. A humble leader doesn’t burn themselves out.

You can choose to believe that there are people who are all in, who are willing to sacrifice just as much as you, and they will step up. 

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving this year, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production