Start fundraising right, avoid strategy mistakes & grab my book.
Three weekly insights to get funding
Underdog staycation
I’m off work for a couple days. My new obsession? Sports documentaries where gritty underdogs fight to win — like Last Chance U with junior college football and The Comeback with the Boston Red Sox.
Always bet on heart.
— Kevin
💪🏽💛
Three insights
1. The first step in fundraising is not fundraising.
A top fundraiser finally said it:
The first step in fundraising isn’t fundraising.
Instead, in the scramble for donations, most nonprofits skip the starting line.
“The success of [fundraising] hinges on three core elements: brand awareness, donor retention, and donor engagement,” says Eric Streiff in Philanthropy Daily.
Brand awareness is the beginning of your donor relationships.
Donor retention harnesses the power of long-term commitment.
Donor engagement builds a community of active advocates.
“When these pillars are aligned, nonprofits not only secure the financial resources they need but also build a community of like-minded, principled individuals,” says Streiff.
When a philanthropy expert even tells you to start with brand, it’s time to listen up.
“Embrace these three principles as the bedrock of your fundraising strategy, and watch as your nonprofit thrives, creating lasting change in the lives of those you serve,” Streiff concludes.
Fundraising alone?
You’re playing whack-a-mole with donors.
Focus on brand?
You’re setting up a row of dominos.
One push, the wins keep coming.
2. Seven strategy errors you can’t afford.
A big donor once admitted why they don’t invest.
The reason might surprise you.
This institutional funder told me the most common problem isn’t the idea, pitch deck, or nonprofit leader. Instead, the number one reason they say no is when the organization has no plan to pull off its vision.
In other words, no clear strategy.
So your strategic plan can make or break your fundraising. And make or break your team’s ability to turn a theory of change into impact.
Avoid these 7 mistakes.
Your plan is your funding lifeline.
3. Fundraising can’t fix dead soil.
“Want more funding for your mission? Read this book.”
Of all the 5-star reviews of Fundable & Findable, this one blooms.
Because it comes from the fundraising expert and philanthropist, Natalie Rekstad of Black Fox Global. As it confirms the root-level premise of my book:
Brand is the soil; fundraising is the water.
Brand is the engine; fundraising is the fuel.
Brand is aspiration; fundraising is realization.
Brand is the foundation; fundraising is the roof.
In other words, both brand and fundraising are critical. And inseparable. It’s not about the order of importance, it’s about the order of operations.
To get funding, be fundable and findable.
First.
The weekly bonus
A branding exercise, from Seth Godin.
“My friend’s organization is working with a branding studio to think about how they appear to people who don’t know them well.
This is sometimes called ‘rebranding.’
What is almost always done in practice is actually better referred to as re-logo-ing.
A brand is not a logo. A brand is a promise, a story and a shorthand. A brand tells us what to expect the next time we engage with you.
Being named Fred is not a brand. Fred is your name, not your promise. If you’re an unreliable, selfish hustler, that’s your brand.”
Get my help
Are you ready to get even more fundable and findable?
Check out Fundable/Findable Bootcamp. It’s our self-paced, online course to maximize your funding. In just 15 minutes a day.
And it’s currently 50% off the regular price.
P.S.
Nonprofit work is as simple as taking one step at a time.