By Gayle Gross
People seek newness in their lives on a daily basis. This is not restricted to the younger generation. It’s everyone! It’s also not limited to personal lives. It’s EVERY walk of life.
A Migration is cutting edge for fundraising. It takes a simple networking program, which people love, and expands it to a larger group. It brings tools for fundraising together in a unique way. Take it from someone who knows. Fundraising is not sitting still. There are changes happening every day. Running a program like you did five years ago is not going to work. We can blame it on newer generations of people and I will be the naysayer and ask us to agree to disagree. It’s not limited! It’s the time we’re in and every generation is affected.
I’ll take you through a conversation I had yesterday:
Fundraiser: Gayle, we are on the verge of giving up our mission. We can’t keep trying. Nothing is working. If we don’t get a good campaign underway and purchase a building we’re sunk.
Me: How long have you been raising money?
Fundraiser: 8 years and if it doesn’t happen soon we’ve got to let go of the dream.
The interesting thing about this conversation is that we were at a networking event when it happened and before talking privately there was never any mention of the fundraising mission. I know the information I eventually share with her will help. The dollars she wants to raise are for a good cause. People WILL give with the right tweaks to her approach.
Let’s play the previous scenario a bit longer. I want the fundraiser to have a brief call (10 – 15 min) so I can hear more about the current fundraising mission and goal. She does not pay for this time with me because I give it away all the time!
Me: We can do a 10 – 15 minute call and afterwards I will send an email with a list of questions. This list will help you think through your current fundraising process. My hope is that you will share your answers with me. I’m also going to share a template with you when you’re ready for it. It will help you put together a fundraising plan.
Fundraiser: Thank you. I appreciate your help but I can’t pay you.
Me: Thank you for saying that but I don’t want money for this service. I’m sharing 10 – 15 minutes on the phone and a few emails with you!
Fundraiser: How do you make money then!?
Me: I host a Webinar Series. It teaches people how to be successful with fundraising in today’s world. There are four sessions. 180+ minutes total. The sessions help you know how to share your message and offer opportunities for people to be involved in your mission.
Fundraiser: How much is the Webinar Series?
Me: $129
Fundraiser: That’s all!? That doesn’t seem like much.
Me: It’s reasonable. I’ve been in your position. I know what it takes to be successful at raising money and it’s not rocket science…no disrespect! I share proven techniques to be successful but you’re the one who really does the work.
Fundraiser: Wow. That’s awesome. There are fundraising consultants out there who charge $12,000 to coach through a fundraising program. It’s the reason we haven’t done it before now.
Me: I’m not your average consultant. I’m a fundraiser at heart and what I teach is common sense. It just hasn’t been related to fundraising before now.
Fundraiser: How do you make money then? You have to be paid for educating us!
Me: I have the Webinar Series, which teaches a fundraising system that’s proven to work AND I CONSULT. I’m not going to charge $12,000 though. I do remember you’re a non-profit. I charge $150 for a SOAR Discovery Session. It’s an audit of systems with a 50-minute call. Although, if an organization wants to do the Webinar Series and the audit of systems I’m happy to combine the two and offer a savings because you sign up at the same time to do both. It’s $189 together.
Fundraiser: What if I wanted you to be my coach?
Me: I currently have packages for $1800 – $3600 per year. We can also customize according to your program. I limit the number of people I coach at this level. And, I hesitate to charge any more than $3600 unless you have me jumping through hoops. We also want to make sure it’s a good fit before we get started. I guarantee that when you do everything you say you’ll do during the year long program you will achieve the fundraising goal we agree upon. Let’s start with the 10 – 15 minute call for now. You can schedule through this link: 10 – 15 minute Call!!
Fundraiser: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to excel.
Me: My pleasure!
And, it really is my pleasure to help people raise the dollars they need to be successful. The Migration is a fundraiser an organization can do to raise money. The Webinar Series explains how it’s done. If you’d like to learn more you can click this link: Webinar Series
There are additional links at the top of this page as well. The “Offer!” is when you combine the Webinar Series and SOAR Discovery Session together for a discount. You save $90 this way.
Gayle Gross has been an avid fundraiser for 22 years, first as a volunteer board member and then as a paid employee for a bank (to increase market share) and a non-profit (to increase the donor base). All in all, the growth of market share is what works for non-profit and for-profit businesses. As a Relationship Development Professional and Community Relations Manager she achieved success in reaching goals. As a coach and mentor, all of the agencies she’s worked with have increased fundraising and on average, by 41%.