Blog Archives
The Powerful Art of Conversation in fundraising (part 1)
Full, Active, Conscious Participation – (prelude to The Changing Landscape of Philanthropy)
Julian Treasure at TED – talking so people will listen
As those responsible for promoting non-profits, we are in the business of speaking so that others will actually listen and then act. Too often, however, we experience just the opposite of our goal. Our voices are just another noisy bit in the cacophony of fundraising “pitches” that leave a prospect donor (partner) disengaged, disnterested and distracted. This TED talk by Julian Treasure identifies how we can adopt new habits in our speaking that leads to people who really want to give. This is an area of personal communication that I suggest we all work on. (watch it on YouTube here…)
I am a church musician and a member of the Liturgy Committee at my local parish. The goal of all that we plan and execute is this: full, active and conscious participation by all those present. In order to inspire people to meaningful action, we need to give them an opportunity to be part of the drama, part of the mission. Have you ever been in church (or a fundraising event) where everything seems to be just a big lead-up to the offertory? How did that make you feel?
Now think about the times when you were so inspired and energized by someone’s spoken word that you felt part of the story yourself. How did you feel? What did the speaker do to excite those feelings? What did you want to do as a result?
Practical application of Julian Treasure’s TED Talk in the world of philanthropy and fundraising:
We are hosting The Changing Landscape of Philanthropy – an event August 1st in Columbus, Ohio to work on these techniques and other ways you can build a community of active, engaged supporters . . . it is one event in a series of experiences where you can develop skills and methods to build a collaborative network of partners to grow your nonprofit rapidly and have greater impact.
For example, Joel Kessel of Kessel Communications is presenting on “Cashing In on Media Awareness”. It is a 25,000-foot overview of getting in the media and telling your story so people will listen.
Sign up at Eventbrite: http://tinyurl.com/qhhca4s
Check out Julian Treasure’s other TED Talks on LISTENING – – they’re wonderful. Then, join an Unleashed Abundance Cohort with other fundraisers to identify and reinforce the good habits of successful fundraising that you truly want to achieve.
5 Undeniable Truths of Successful Fundraising
Last year, CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund conducted a study of the real challenge facing the development and fundraising efforts of nonprofit organizations. The main theme I noticed was that all of the underlying causes of decline in revenue were internal to the organization. Every problem, obstacle or challenge that the study researched has a solution that the organization could work on, control and manage. Nonprofit organizations can no longer embrace the idea that a “bad economy” or some other outside circumstance is the cause of their struggle. The answers to the challenges definitely begin with work from the inside out. If you want your organization to raise more money, foster new partnerships and widen the network of support then you must shift your attitude from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. It also means that the accountability is focused squarely on the shoulders of ALL the people in the organization.
In a recent presentation, I discussed the main challenges and some general solutions to overcoming the obstacles that are preventing nonprofits from enjoying undeniable success in their fundraising.
See the slides from this presentation that I gave for a group of leaders responsible for development and advancement in their organizations – on SlideShare
If you’re interested in a walk-through on this or a deeper discussion on some immediate strategies to execute NOW, please contact me.
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