Recently I spoke to a nonprofit leader with a new Strategic Plan wanting to grow their overall budget from $12M to $20M. Lots of earned revenue is in that number, but the charitable revenue needs to grow from $2M to $8M.  

Cool. I can help with that. But, then came this question . . .

If your organization has historically raised donations from individuals through appeals and events, what's the largest gift you can imagine asking a donor for?

Steady, unrestricted revenue for gen-operating expenses gets solved at the business level. Not always the traditional fundraising level.

The other day I saw a post that read something like...“A glossy deck or gift chart doesn't get major donors to give more money.” Do I agree with that statement?

Do you know what creates a strong Capital Campaign? 
A strong annual fund.

Do you know what creates a strong Growth Campaign?
A strong annual fund.

The nonprofit sector has tried to trick us.

It tells us fundraising looks like . . .

We’ve put the idea that “to make programs grow, you must restrict funds to PROGRAMMING” behind us by now, right?

We know this statement isn’t true...

But, I know lots of you must continually educate board members and donors about this concept.

Nonprofit Leaders: I don't need to tell you that UNRESTRICTED gen-ops donations make the greatest difference to...your mission, your annual growth, your infrastructure, and your long-term sustainability.

But here's what I hear too often…

Q: Do you know what helps your fundraising team reach their goals every year? 

A: Taking the long view.

Is your team able to tell a story incorporating your multi-year plan? Not just programmatically, but the overall growth and financial story of your organization?

Nonprofit growth is highly influenced by your own personal Money Psychology. My approach to fundraising changed when I started studying this topic.