J.Paul Fridenmaker’s Post

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 4 of 4 (You can search hashtag MajorGiftsExternalReadiness to see the intro and previous posts) Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my fourth “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: 🧾Specific goals and metrics will define the fundraiser's success🏁 Clear, measurable goals and success metrics should be established. This includes fundraising targets, the number of new major givers to be identified, and the level of engagement with existing supporters. Having these benchmarks helps in evaluating performance and aligning team efforts with the organization's overall strategy. You should be prepared to manage by activity rather than results - especially in the first two years.  Doing this well almost ensures that you will beat the odds on that nasty high turnover rate of fundraising staff. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #preparation #readiness #networking #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 1 of 4 See the intro post here:  https://lnkd.in/dbwDvDuj Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my first “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: ✍️Strong and Inspirational Messaging of the Vision and Mission😯 Your messaging should cause people to sit on the edge of their seats and ask for more.  And it starts with the people you are recruiting to help with major gift fundraising.  You want them to be excited to passionately support the mission and vision. Ensuring that the vision and mission are clear and inspiring is essential for motivating your new fundraiser to build trust with major givers. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #recruitment #readiness #messaging #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

I want to to take a moment to talk about fundraising shame. Over the course of your career, you may have felt someone shame you for your approach to fundraising, or maybe it was your organization's major gift size, or maybe it was your profile size. Whatever it was, it wasn't right. If you are working to advance the mission of your organization, you are doing great work and you should never feel shame. Here are AMPO we want to meet you where you are. Maybe you have a full department of fundraisers working at all levels of the donor pyramid. That's fantastic. You are making an impact in your community. Maybe you have just hired your first full-time fundraiser- that is amazing. You are going to see more funds for mission delivery, in your community. Or maybe you view fundraising as "another duty as assigned", it isn't your passion, and often it feels overwhelming and disjointed. I ask you, can you find some time to work with one donor. That will make an impact for your organization and you will have more funds available for mission delivery. These videos are designed to give you small wins. Doable ways to move your program forward without having to add another plate to your already full plate. Think about how you can add fundraising as an enhancement to what you are already doing. Maybe you are speaking to a service group. Watch the video to hear a message you can add to your remarks to bring fundraising into the conversation. Let me know how it is going. and if you need anything, just reach out. I am here to walk with you on your fundraising journey. Have a great week- Amy #AMPO #annualgiving #fundraising

#MajorGiftsExternalReadiness Post 3 of 4 (You can search hashtag MajorGiftsExternalReadiness to see the intro and previous posts) Are you externally ready to invest in a person to do major gift fundraising for your charity?  Here’s my third “external readiness” suggestion before you make a hire: 🫰Ready to build and sustain strong relationships with major givers🛫 Major gift fundraising is highly relational. It requires understanding the personal stories, passions, and motivations of givers. This means your new hire is going to need to have a generous travel budget so they can spend time face to face with givers and prospects.  It means they will need to lead vision trips.  It means playing with people which might include a ski trip to Vail or fly fishing in Montana. If you’re not prepared to give your new major gift fundraiser a reasonable budget for this kind of relationship building, I highly recommend that you resist making the hire. #majorgifts #leadership #vision #mission #relationships #fun #readiness #networking #fundraising 💫 I💖sharing about major gift fundraising. If that's what you do for your favorite cause, you may find it helpful to: 👉Follow me on LinkedIn for daily posts (click the🔔on the top right of my profile to be notified of new posts) 👉Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for free pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising (you'll get free weekly pro tips and reflections on major gift fundraising directly to your email): https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz 

Fundraisers - are you looking for major donors in all the wrong places? Here’s the single most strategic place to start filling your pipeline: Right in your own backyard! Look at donors who are already engaged with and supporting your cause. This runs counter to a common misperception in fundraising - that the search for major donors starts outside of your nonprofit. As an organization with an established individual giving base, there are donors already giving to you who are interested in making a greater investment in your important work. You already have supporters who are ready to be meaningfully engaged and introduced to more aspirational opportunities to create change! Here are two simple - and often overlooked - places to start filling your pipeline. 𝟭) 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Depending on the size of your shop, it could be $1,000, $500 or even $250. Ensure you have a process in place to regularly identify, review and qualify these donors for your major gift portfolio. 𝟮) 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 Many very generous supporters are flying under your radar, because they’re giving smaller recurring gifts that add up over time. Don’t overlook your longtime donors with significant cumulative giving histories. Do you have a major gift success story that started by connecting with someone already engaged with your cause? Tell me in the comments! And if you want more practical tips to build a powerful fundraising pipeline and fill it with prospects who are ready, willing and able to give you a major gift - don’t miss my free guide! Download it here: https://lnkd.in/gc8cc2Zm 𝘔𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘸𝘻𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵? 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩! 👋 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 🔝𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 (𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦) #fundraising #majorgifts #nonprofit #philanthropy

There's always something to do around the office. Especially in the startup environment where there's no shortage of problems to solve. I've yet to come across an organization that doesn't have anything to improve. Want to get ahead? Want to get promoted? Want to succeed? Find a "charity". That's what I used to tell folks. If you finished your work and have nothing to do - look around. Pick something up that's dropped. Fix something that's broken. Find a charity. That's how you stand out from the rest. That's how you get promoted. #careers #growth #personaldevelopment #teamwork #promotions #success ------- ♻️ Repost to the community if you find it useful 🔔 Follow me (https://lnkd.in/eTt9cwBH) to grow on #LinkedIn

“We’ve got 10-ways-to-Tuesday to solve that problem.”  I can hear my Grandpa saying it as if he was in the room with me now.  He had a special way of helping me get unstuck when I was facing a challenge.  I’m grateful to have gotten that gene from him🧬- helping people get unstuck in raising large gifts for their favorite cause. One of the most common challenges I hear when talking to charity leaders and board members is some version of “I’m not a fundraiser” or “I’m not good at asking”.  Typically they have an idea in their head about what a good fundraiser looks like - a visionary, extroverted, charming, inspirational, charismatic, and fearless individual who moves seamlessly from businesses to foundations to wealthy widows raising money for the cause. BUT, if we were to line up 10 experienced major gift fundraisers and invite them to share how they conduct their ‘asks’, we would likely get 10 different responses.  This is great news:  There are as many ways to ask for money as there are personality styles. So, you can learn how to become good at asking.  I believe it’s one of the most coachable elements in major gift fundraising.  But how do we get there?  We embrace your personal style and discover the satisfaction of making the ask in a way that’s authentically you. I’ve been developing a list of ~10 different approaches to making the ask based on various strengths and preferences.  Stay tuned for posts on each one of those, searchable with the hashtag “TenWaysToTuesdayToAskForLargeGifts” (I’m guessing no one else is using that one…and it makes me smile to honor my Grandpa’s legacy). #majorgifts #TenWaysToTuesdayToAskForLargeGifts #invitation #awareness #action #patience #fundraising 💫 Need some help to increase your results in major gift fundraising? Start with weekly pro tips and reflections from J.Paul:  https://lnkd.in/dfyNe9Xz

No, you didn't raise $1 Billion. Something I realized early in my career is that many fundraisers lie about their success. Maybe some of them aren't lying, but they're at the very least misleading people. ❌ I think of one gift officer who claimed he raised $28 Million the last year at his old job. (Turned out to be total BS) ❌ I think of another Director of Development who claimed they raised TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars. In reality, they just inherited a database that was giving a lot. in fact, giving went down dramatically under their leadership. ❌ And let's not forget the consultant who has helped raise over $1 Billion! Ok, yes there are a few out there that can actually claim this, but many people will just add up the entire revenue of every organization they ever worked with and give themselves credit for all of it. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I spoke to a new gift officer recently who was feeling discouraged. He has a very cold portfolio and has been putting in lots of attempts to get visits scheduled. He's raised OVER $100,000 in his first 6 months on the job and that's basically all new money. I was overjoyed with his success, but he thought it was a huge disappointment. Why? Because he's comparing himself to fake fundraising masters who inflate their success. I speak to organizations every single day of the week, and I can assure you most gift officers are not knocking it out of the park every day. I share that with you to give yourself some perspective... you don't need to compare yourself to whatever incomplete picture someone else is giving you about their success. Anyone who is successful in major gifts had struggles along the way and that is normal. Keep moving forward and get the next visit scheduled. P.S. There are some fundraisers who have ACTUALLY raised more than $1 Billion. As in money that would not have come in without their involvement. Those people are incredible and don't need to constantly tell the world how much money they've raised to gain attention. P.P.S. Only a few spots left to save big Major Gift Millions. Use the coupon code SALE at checkout to get enrolled today! #OneVisitAway #nonprofits #philanthropy #majorgiftmillions

Nonprofit friends, I encourage you to take just a couple of minutes to read Veritus Group principal, Jeff Schreifels blog on abundance mindset. There really is enough. ❤️ 💡 Key takeaway: "What if “we” non-profits and fundraisers all felt there was enough out there? And our job was to inspire folks to share their abundance, so they could experience the joy of giving some of it away to help make the world a better place? Would we relax a bit more? Could we allow fundraisers to take the time to develop authentic relationships with donors? Might non-profit leaders invest more in the whole process of helping a donor find joy in their giving?" #TheVeritusWay #Abundance #Enough #JoyofGiving https://lnkd.in/gbtEdy_i

This is the most accurate post I’ve ever seen in regards to working for a nonprofit. I would encourage everyone to read. ____________________ I’ve worked in the “for profit” and currently (for the past two years) in the “Nonprofit” world and I will give some insight on being a fundraising professional for a nonprofit organization that I love dearly. -You have to have a heart for the mission, disciplined spiritual life, thick skin, and be willing to wear many hats, work long hours, and be subject to reporting to many different people and councils to explain your efforts. 1) Wearing many hats. If anyone doesn’t believe nonprofit people work hard, I would encourage you to schedule a day to volunteer and learn more about the tasks, responsibilities, and ownership that many small shop organizations take on. 2) Ideas are cheap, execution is key. Many people will have ideas, opinions, or tips on what you should be doing. However, what nonprofits need the most are faithful servants who are willing to help in any way that is asked of them. (Call any nonprofit in the world, I can assure you that they could use more “volunteers” than “ideas”.) (Not that all ideas or “suggestions” are bad or discouraged, but if you have an idea, be willing to help strategize and get that idea off the ground by volunteering your time.) 3) Give people some “grace” who work for nonprofits. Nonprofit people work at a discounted salary, generally have zero retirement plans, work long hours planning/hosting events and serving others, and do it faithfully because they truly are passionate about the mission they are blessed to work for. _______________________ Nonprofits are vital to spreading Gods grace and love to many others in the world. Without them, this world would be lacking in many beautiful ministries and missions. Remember, Ideas are great, but what nonprofits really need is the support of your time, talent, and treasure. 🙏