This step is what all of your hard work has been leading up to. You’re raising funds, asking people to be part of your team, building out your branding and the reason is that you’re trying to make a difference in the world. Once you get here, this is the time to celebrate! You’re seeing…Continue reading Episode 18 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 7: Make Your Difference
Episode 17 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 6: Organize the Ask
What do you need to organize to make sure you’re in the best position to make the ask? Depending on how you’re raising funds, everyone has a demographic they serve and tend to raise funds from. There is a process for every group of people, and you need to think it through before you just…Continue reading Episode 17 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 6: Organize the Ask
Episode 16 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 5: Deploy Your Team
In today’s episode, we are talking about how to Deploy Your Team. This is where the momentum really picks up. Often, when you’ve been fundraising for a while, you’ve done the first two steps where you knew your vision and then went straight to asking for money. You jumped from steps 1 to 6 to…Continue reading Episode 16 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 5: Deploy Your Team
Episode 15 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 4: Enhance Your Brand
Today we are on step 4 of Mary’s Fundraising FREEDOM process, Enhance Your Brand. There are so many organizations that lean on their staff for branding. They hire marketing people to design a logo or to make sure that your message is en pointe. However, in this step, I want your volunteers to have a…Continue reading Episode 15 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 4: Enhance Your Brand
Episode 14 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 3: Enlist Your Team
This is the step that changes everything. It’s how you go from raising thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars to millions and so on. This is the meat of the entire Fundraising FREEDOM process. Tell us about how to shift your mindset to know there are people who want to give to…Continue reading Episode 14 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 3: Enlist Your Team
Episode 13 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 2: Run Your Research
What kind of research are we looking for in this step? Research actually allows us to gain confidence. Especially if you are trying to raise a larger amount of money, this step allows you to regroup and overcome your fear of fundraising. The data and numbers are important – you want to be as specific…Continue reading Episode 13 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 2: Run Your Research
Episode 12 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 1: Focus Your Vision
In today’s episode, we are jumping into Mary’s Fundraising FREEDOM process with step 1, Focus Your Vision. For today, we are talking about vision as it pertains to finance. Is it $100,000, $1,000,000, or $10,000,000? Whatever it is, I want you to focus your vision on the dollar amount you want to accomplish that you’ve…Continue reading Episode 12 | Fundraising FREEDOM Step 1: Focus Your Vision
Episode 11 | Strategic Planning Steps 7 & 8: Tactics and Plan to Execute
After completing steps 1-6 of the Strategic Planning process, you should have tactics all over the place. At this point, you are ready to formulate and pull together your one-page strategy. You already have your strategic objectives finished, now all you have to do is gather the tactics you and your planning team have put…Continue reading Episode 11 | Strategic Planning Steps 7 & 8: Tactics and Plan to Execute
Episode 10 | Strategic Planning Step Six: Establish Your Measurement
On today’s episode, we are discussing step six of the Strategic Planning process, Establish Your Measurement. How are you measuring the progress of the objectives and initiatives of the organization? Starting with the end in mind and setting quantifiable goals is great, but you must also create targets and get those numbers on paper. One…Continue reading Episode 10 | Strategic Planning Step Six: Establish Your Measurement
Episode 9 | Strategic Planning Step Five: Tighten Your Focus
Today we are diving into step 5 of the strategic planning process, Tighten Your Focus. This is where you start to drill down deeper and get your arms wrapped around your strategic objectives and initiatives. There are four key areas that move from internal to external – capacity, internal process, financial stewardship, client and stakeholder…Continue reading Episode 9 | Strategic Planning Step Five: Tighten Your Focus
Episode 8 | Strategic Planning Step Four: Assess Your Organization
On today’s show, we are talking about Step 4 of the strategic planning process, Assessing Your Organization. This step is important because it allows us to hit the pause button and really talk about ourselves and the organization as a whole. This allows to get all the players in the same room and discuss what…Continue reading Episode 8 | Strategic Planning Step Four: Assess Your Organization
Episode 7 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Mission & Core Values)
On today’s episode we are talking about the second half of step 3, Realize Your Future, which relates to your Mission and Core Values. Last week we talked about the first half of step 3, which is focused on your vision. The difference between your vision statement and your mission statement is the vision is…Continue reading Episode 7 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Mission & Core Values)
Episode 6 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Vision)
Step three of strategic planning is one of the most critical steps in the process because it can make or break your fundraising efforts and your organization as a whole. Clarity attracts and confusion repels. Everyone has people in their lives who communicate so clearly and effectively that you will follow them wherever they go. …Continue reading Episode 6 | Strategic Planning Step Three: Realize Your Future (Vision)
Episode 5 | Strategic Planning Step Two: Take a Look at Your World
In strategic planning terminology, take a look at your world means to do an environmental scan. What’s happening out there has an impact on your organization. This is not to come up with a list of excuses of why you can’t get something done, but rather to help you make better decisions for the future…Continue reading Episode 5 | Strategic Planning Step Two: Take a Look at Your World
Episode 4 | Strategic Planning Step One: Set the Foundation
The number one reason most nonprofits do not have a strategic plan is because they think it’s going to be a daunting task. But all you’re really doing is gaining some clarity and focus in order to set the organization on the right path. If you go on vacation, you have to plan out how…Continue reading Episode 4 | Strategic Planning Step One: Set the Foundation
Episode 3 | Fundraising Freedom Overview
On this episode we are talking about fundraising, on which Mary has literally written the book. We tend to raise our money by taking whatever we can get, however, there is a strategy behind fundraising. But first, a little background from Mary. When I first took my position with the American Cancer Society, the town…Continue reading Episode 3 | Fundraising Freedom Overview
Episode 2 | Strategic Planning Overview
On this episode, Joel will take you through a high-level overview of his STRATEGY steps to build your strategic plan. These 8 steps are built on industry best practices, books and courses, and real-life experiences in taking organizations through this process. Step One: Set the Foundation. What are you planning for? Who is your core…Continue reading Episode 2 | Strategic Planning Overview
Episode 1 | About This Podcast
Welcome to the Nonprofit Executive Club podcast. This podcast is for growth-minded executives who are looking to take their nonprofits to the next level through strategic planning and fundraising. Meet your hosts: Joel Kessel has spent the last 25 years in communications and public relations. He focuses on helping nonprofits get their message out into…Continue reading Episode 1 | About This Podcast