Develop thick skin, scale back buzzwords & decolonize language.

Kevin L. Brown’s weekly newsletter

Welcome

Hi from sunny (but muggy) Malaysia. 👋🏽

I’m excited to share this new weekly newsletter format with you.

Note the new name: Fundable & Findable by Kevin L. Brown. Each Friday, look for three insights to help you get funding. Plus the weekly bonus and a fun P.S. at the end.

As always, click the comment button or reply via email to continue the conversation.

— Kevin

💪🏽💛

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Three insights

1. Mental models to develop thick skin.

Fundraising is tough if you’re not tough.

So is nonprofit leadership.

But many of us struggle to develop thick skin. These five mental models from Ben Meer help you communicate boldly, process negative donor feedback, and constantly improve your brand.

Then remember two things:

“Mental toughness is believing I would prevail in my circumstances rather than believing my circumstances would change,” says LaRae Quy.

And...

“Resilience is very different than being numb,” reminds Yasmin Mogahed. “Resilience means you experience, you feel, you fail, you hurt. You fall. But, you keep going.”

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2. Scale back the buzzwords.

We’ve abused the word scale.

Worn out the term systems change.

And these buzzwords pressure nonprofit leaders to bend their mission and message. Plus, those who are scaling and changing systems get lost in the jargon jungle.

But here’s the reality:

Scale and systems change are not the only impact options. There are four pathways, thus four options for your fundraising story.

Find yours in this 2-minute guide.

Silence the noise.
Ignore donor demands.
And navigate your own path.

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3. Decolonizing words and wealth is just beginning.

Colonial independence is honored somewhere in the world twice every week.

Eight nations still control 17 colonies today.

And 95% of philanthropic foundations are still based in North America and Europe. While local NGOs still only receive 0.4% of international humanitarian assistance.

Wake-up call.

This data is a startling reminder that the beast we’re fighting is widespread and far from dead.

“Colonialism has given way to post-colonialism and neocolonialism, whatever those sweeping labels may encompass,” says The New York Times. “But irrespective of the lexicon, the reality is that the wounds of colonialism are not healed, the consequences still not fully addressed and the universal human struggle for dignity persists.”

So what can we do about it?
Too much for one post.

But in my zone of brand and fundraising. ⤵

“In order for us to decolonize wealth, at least half of the people who make the decisions about where money goes — at least 50% of staff, 50% of advisors, 50% of board members — should have intimate, authentic knowledge of the issues and communities involved,” says Edgar Villanueva.

“... when you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression,” he continues. “That discomfort is part of the healing.”

One way to punch through that discomfort?

Our words.

“Language was the means of the spiritual subjugation,” Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o said. And “language is the repository of our prejudices, our beliefs, our assumptions,” says Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

So as nonprofit leaders, brand builders, and fundraisers — especially those of us born in the Global North — communications is one area that is within our control.

Immediately.

Because wealth moves slowly.
Words move faster.

And equity needs voices.
Not just money.

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The weekly bonus

Check out the new series of articles in Stanford Social Innovation Review: Communication in a New Era of Social Change.

“Is it possible we’re doing communications work wrong? Are foundations and nonprofits stubbornly stuck using 20th-century strategies in a 21st-century age of participation?

This article series, presented in partnership with The Communications Network, will share stories, strategies, and lessons from forward-thinking foundations and nonprofits that have begun evolving the way they think and do communications and how it’s changed their work.”

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Need my help?

If this advice is useful — but you’re ready to get even more fundable and findable — check out Brand Bootcamp.

It’s our self-paced, online course to maximize your funding. In just 15 minutes a day.

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P.S.

Fundraising can feel like this sometimes.

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