Nonprofit CourageLab

How much do you know about your biggest donors? How much do you know about the circumstances around the biggest gifts you have closed? These are clues to what is working and what you can do more of.

What you need to make sure you’re not doing is using relationship building as an excuse not to ask for donations. If someone is a huge fan of your work and is really involved in your mission and has the capacity to give a lot of money, ask them! They don’t need another best friend - they need more opportunities to help your work even more. Change the way they relate to you so they can see you as the executive they knew you could be. Don’t let relationships be the thing that’s stopping you from raising more money.

If you are in a season where you need to grow exponentially, check out my new program, Million Dollar VIP and see if it’s right for you: https://julieordonez.com/million

Our next cohort will be in September 2023, so get on the waitlist for CourageLab today! https://julieordonez.com/waitlist

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I recently did a live workshop and I’m thrilled to bring it to you on the podcast! I’m going to give you practical, actionable steps you can do TODAY to get more major donor meetings.

There are a few things that hold us back. For some, it’s the skills. You need a better toolkit. For some, it’s the confidence to talk to your donors and ask the big questions. Today we’re going to talk about your mindset and what you believe about yourself, what you believe about your donors, and how those things need to change.

Have you believed any of these things?

1. This donor isn’t responding because they just don’t care that much.
2. They’re super busy and this isn’t a priority right now.
3. Why would these people want to meet with me? These people are so important, who am I?
4. I don’t want to intrude or overstep.
5. I don’t know what I’m gonna say in a meeting, so why should I ask for one?
6. You don’t think your donors actually have much more capacity
7. You need to accomplish more in your mission before you can meet with certain donors.

These are assumptions and beliefs that we assign to what’s happening. It’s not necessarily rooted in data unless the donor told you directly.

In this episode, I’ll help you to identify your beliefs and what to do with them. I’ll also tell you EXACTLY what you can write in your emails when you’re asking for a meeting or following up with a donor. I’ll cover 3 case study emails and how I would rewrite them and take some Q&A from workshop attendees

Our next cohort will be in September 2023, so get on the waitlist for CourageLab today! https://julieordonez.com/waitlist

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Have you ever put something off for a long time and when you finally got around to doing it, it wasn’t nearly as hard as you expected? The fear is almost always worse than actually doing the thing. Fear is the signal that you’re about to grow - it doesn’t mean to stop. 

Make the decision and take the courageous action. Fear will only grow if you wait. When you learn to take action, even when you’re afraid, you can:

• Build lots more confidence
• Raise more money
• Grow your impact
• Fulfill your mission

If you don’t know how to do that, I need you inside CourageLab. My program is designed to help you get your first $10k in week one because you need a quick win and confidence boost. Take action now and change your relationship with fear.

Our next cohort will be in September 2023, so get on the waitlist for CourageLab today! https://julieordonez.com/waitlist

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Your goal is set, you have your donor database, your front line fundraisers are ready to go, but you know before you start that the numbers in your projections won’t reach your goal. What do you do? What do you try next?

First, ask yourself a few questions:

• If you really believe that your largest donors were truly on your team, truly have your back and believe in your mission, how would you approach them?
• Have you asked for new connections, not just for more money?
• What is your system for cold outreach?
• Have you checked in and really connected with your current donors? You may have major donors hiding in your database that you haven’t fully connected with yet.

You haven’t really tried everything yet. There are other things you can try and even if you did those last year, you can do them again. Ask your most loyal people for more. Not just more money, but more in general, and see what comes of it.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Courage comes from being uncomfortable, taking calculated risks that grow our mission and our impact. The one skill that I’ve started doing that has helped me raise millions of dollars is negotiation - and it’s uncomfortable!

I learned about negotiation at an event in Los Angeles years ago where I heard a story from a lady who was fundraising for a new hospital wing for low income and homeless families and individuals to really address the issues with healthcare and poverty. She managed to negotiate $2M from one donor because she really believed her mission was worth that much from one person. Do you believe that?

You need to have the guts and a plan to ask. Talk to your donors like equals. You have to be able to ask for more. It’s your job to ask for more! I teach my Million Dollar VIP clients how to do this so that closing 6 and 7-figure gifts becomes just another Tuesday. 

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Today we’re going to talk about how rich people, your major donors, think during a recession. The important thing to remember is that even though some people are struggling right now, not everyone is. Your most generous donors are generous even in a recession. The best data you can get will come directly from your donors’ mouths when you ask them directly. Many of them prioritize generosity and want to be known by that. Your donors are generous people and when you treat them as such, that’s how they’ll behave.

Even though they may not be personally struggling financially, recessions are stressful and there is more consideration in what to do philanthropically. You must have a crystal clear vision of impact for the future, and you need to be really efficient in how you talk about your work.

Being able to articulate your big vision will inspire people, and that’s what you want. You want it to be obvious that it’ll take a massive amount of capital to make a massive impact. Be straightforward in your communication so your donors know why you need their unique value and their unique contribution. That’s when it becomes important to qualify your leads to be sure they’re mission aligned.

Finally, you have to be able to deliver and report back on the impact of the gift, regardless of whether there is a recession. Anybody can write a check and get a tax write-off, but wealthy people want to make an actual difference.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Every few episodes, I’ll share an “Ask Julie” episode, where I’ll talk with a client or nonprofit leader about a question they have.

In this episode,I’ll give you a sneak peek into one of my monthly coaching workshops. Today’s question is, “Do I give up on this wealthy donor when there’s radio silence?” If a donor seems to be ghosting you, there are a few things you should consider. 

What are you doing to stand out among the many other organizations trying to get donations from them? Why should they choose you over everyone else? Odds are you haven’t done the work to be worth his investment.

Communicating with your major donors is worth 30 minutes of your time a week. Don’t fill up emails with offers and links and information. Keep them simple and personal, and don’t let resentment build towards your donors.

The root of courage is humility.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, 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 go step by step through the process for building a solid foundation for raising major gifts. I’m not talking about foundations or grants. I mean individuals who contribute $10,000 or more per year to your nonprofit. 

First, you need to identify who those donors are and align your priorities to build relationships with them. Don’t be so busy working in your business that you neglect your relationships with donors because if they leave you, you won’t have a business to run. You need to spend more time with them if they’re eager, responsive, giving every year, and even increasing their giving. Don’t take them for granted.

Next, you need to change who you are and how you see yourself. Get the guts to ask for more. Build your internal courage. The real risk is not learning how to do these things and hoping that your charisma carries you through.

It’s important to aso change the way you see your donors. When I say “rich people,” you might bristle a little bit. They know they can make more money. Their precious limited resource is time. Be mindful of how you use (and waste) your time as well as the time of your volunteers and donors.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

I started my career in fundraising during the great recession and that was a great training ground. I was lucky enough to have a boss that agreed to get me training and really hone my skills as a major gifts fundraiser. What I found was that no matter what situation the world is in, the best way to fundraise is by cultivating genuine relationships with your donors.

We are taught that it’s rude to talk about money. But, avoiding talking about money in an attempt to be polite isn’t helping your donors to help you. Inside CourageLab, I teach you how to be yourself when talking to rich people. I teach you how to have compelling conversations that lead to opportunities for them to have the impact that they want to have on the world.

We are not entitled to someone’s money just because we’re doing good work. Don’t take your major donors for granted. Studies show that gratitude is like oil for your brain. If you’re feeling stuck, it’s likely because you’re getting into entitlement and pride and you’re not practicing gratitude.

If you’re ready to double or even triple your individual giving and start 2023 strong, come grab your spot at CourageLab today! https://nonprofitcouragelab.com/

Music credit: With the Flow by Fin Productions

A Podcast Launch Bestie production

I hear many fundraisers and nonprofit leaders worrying that it’s somehow bad or unethical to raise money during a recession. In this episode, I want to talk about that mindset, how it became so prevalent, whether it’s accurate, and what to do about it. 

I started my fundraising career during the great recession. I was working with a community center and I couldn’t justify not fundraising, because the people we served were the most vulnerable. Their needs were the most dire. Times were hard for most Americans at the time, but I had to do what I could to help people survive.

The top 3 things you can do to recession proof your fundraising efforts are:

1. Get to know your donors, and let them get to know you. If they feel seen and valued beyond their monetary contributions, they’ll be on your side no matter what. 
2. Decide if your mission is important and urgent. If you don’t believe in your mission, you’ll find reasons not to ask. 
3. Build your empathy muscle for rich people. Don’t objectify them - you’re not entitled to their money. They want a connection too. 

There will always be a crisis. There are times to talk about donations, and there are times to just check in on your donors and connect with them. When you invest in relationships, you’ll know how passionate they are, or aren’t, about your mission. They’ll know they can trust you, even when times are tough, and you can ask them for exponentially more.

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