The Business Behind Fundraising

I was having conversations with two prospects, and I always ask: "How much more money do you need? How much would they want to grow?" Organization A - with confidence - aimed to grow by 5x. Organization B, after some hesitation, answered 5 to 7%. The latter surprised me. People usually come to me because they want growth by millions so they can invest fully in all three areas of their organization; programs, admin/overhead, and fundraising. So I asked, "What if you had 20% more? Or 50% more?" Organization B said, "Of course, we'd use it. But we can't even fathom how to get there," and proceeded to list the things keeping their plate full. I tell you - one organization will grow faster than the other. One sees that what they're doing isn't working and is planning for growth. The other needs help breaking out of the scarcity mindset that has plagued the nonprofit sector for too long. This is where a financing plan comes into play. It makes a 2X, 5X, or even 10X growth plan doable. Is your team creating a Financing Plan every year? Or just a Fundraising Plan? Only one will fully fund your entire mission. Tune in to learn more 🎬 watch the full episode of The Business Behind Fundraising — Does Your Financing Plan Fully Finance Your Mission with Sherry Quam Taylor. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Determine your target number. Your financing plan should clearly articulate your financial need and reflect your big vision. Write that number, state your growth initiatives, and don't let your fear hinder you from fulfilling your mission. ✔️ Align your hours with dollars. Your fundraising team may be stuck on the spin cycle - doing the same events every year, getting little to no revenue. These activities (like events) may be sponsored, but your team is putting paid time into organizing them. Passing hours are like dollars floating away. ✔️ Fundraising is education. Communication is the key to clarity. It's our responsibility to be detailed in expressing who we are, what we need, and what our initiatives are about to our donors. ✔️ Use your financing plan like a compass. Is your fundraising team going on autopilot? If the destination becomes murky, setting up a financing plan shifts you into high-level fundraising activities. ✔️ Inspiring investment-level donors to fund your initiative is actually quite practical. But it's a heavy responsibility to carry alone. Your staff should step in and be able to perfectly communicate your true financial need and then ask for that need. ✔️Get on a path to steady revenue. Your financing plan helps pinpoint the things that sabotage time and block our full money-making potential. Since it represents the true need of our organization, it drives us in the right direction to steady revenue. No more landing in the red.

There's a statistic that I share in every webinar and podcast I'm on. The Urban Institute Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy says that 91% of organizations never reach $5 million in annual revenue, with 77% failing to reach the $1 million mark. This stopped me dead in my tracks. I thought, "That is crazy! Why is this occurring?" And that's exactly what I've been working to solve for over a decade. For too long, the nonprofit industry has been held to unrealistic expectations and outdated metrics that keep organizations from growing. The most insidious? "Nonprofits should be able to do more on less." All those "truths" about overhead? When you have a true needs-based budget backed up by a ral financing model that assists you in cultivating relationships with investment-level donors, you find they don't hold true at all. Tune in to learn more 🎬 watch the full episode of The Business Behind Fundraising — The Nonprofit Overhead Myth. What You Will Discover: ✔️More nonprofits should invest more on overhead. I share how I helped an organization triple their revenue in 18 months by spending more money. Life-changing missions require a significant investment in resources, tools, and people. ✔️Turn your team into high-revenue generators. Everyone has the same 8 hours in a typical workday. But is your team using it to the fullest? Every second and every decision must yield those investment-level gifts to fund your organization. ✔️ Hold strategic activities that attract higher-level donors. Having all the money you need to finance your strategic plan starts with identifying what's blocking your overall revenue growth. Attracting larger, unrestricted gifts from individuals starts with getting real about what your organization truly needs to achieve your vision. ✔️ Know your numbers, your business, and what you need. There's no reason to evade the topic of overhead costs if you are clear about what your organization needs. Be able to present the math. ✔️Have financial conversations by starting with a proper budget. Digging deeper to discover the proper course of action to reach your financial needs will help you secure those unrestricted funds. Strategic and intentional - that's the name of the game. Download White Paper: The Big Fundraising Secret (How Traditional Nonprofit Fundraising blocks your overall growth and keeps you from fully funding your organization every year) https://mailchi.mp/a533c0ab59cf/2021-whitepaper #nonprofits #scaling #fundraising #money #boardofdirectors

"Do your donors actually know that you need more money?" "Of course, Sherry. We're a nonprofit!" Well, not so fast. There are so many things that get in the way and keep donors from understanding your nonprofit's true financial need. And, sadly, it's often the things we do, say, and imply that block donors from giving their best gift to our missions. The good news? You can set up the systems and structure that attract and lead investment-level donors to give greater gifts every year. And in this episode, I'll be teaching the fundamentals that reduce the number of questions a donor has in their mind and prevent them from giving larger gifts. Tune in to learn more 🎬 watch the full episode of The Business Behind Fundraising — Funding Your Nonprofit's Strategic Plan with Sherry Quam Taylor. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Tell donors your TRUE financial need. Be honest with yourself first. Are you presenting a squeak-by budget or being upfront with what you want? One will lead to an investment-level ask and decision. ✔️ Spend equal time planning your income path AND expense projections. When you focus on both sides of the coin, you'll be able to inspire and drive your team and board beyond your annual budget. ✔️ If you dream of raising millions in a year, create a financing plan before you decide what fundraising activities you should do. Fully outline the month-to-month activities per donor segment that empower you to reach or exceed your annual target. ✔️ Events and appeals must play a specific role in your organization, but not the lead role. Are there time-intensive activities that you need to stop doing so you can start more strategic and relationship-based activities to make every second of your staff's time count? Download The Ultimate Checklist: Does your team create a fundraising plan or financing plan every year? Only one will fully fund your nonprofit https://mailchi.mp/456ca47c3b12/financingplan #nonprofits #scaling #fundraising #money #boardofdirectors

We're jumping right into the deep end for our first topic. Right now, I'm working with a client who has amazing growth dreams for their organization: 25% every year for five years. The catch? They've been in the red, struggling to start raising the type of dollars that their big ideas require. If you're stuck in a funding plateau, it's time to do something different to move past it and start raising the right money. Tune in to learn more 🎬 watch the full episode of The Business Behind Fundraising — Funding Your Nonprofit's Strategic Plan with Sherry Quam Taylor. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Irrational frugality and growth can't co-exist. And this conflicting mindset is hindering you from attracting donors who would fully fund those ideas. You're not alone, tons of other leaders have a hard time breaking out of it. ✔️ Attract flexible and unrestricted gifts. Ensure that you're leading your stakeholders to the right kind of revenue that allows you to invest in infrastructure, making your plans a reality. ✔️ Your staff can make or break your fundraising plans. Equip your staff with the skills and confidence to answer the toughest questions when having investment-level conversations. ✔️ Get to the root of your funding problems. As a leader, you may be expected to know how to bring in investment-level gifts; or, you're waiting for your board to connect you to the right network. Does your team know how to attract and solicit for major gifts? ✔️ Recognize what your strategic plan needs. Fight the fear of spending more by being honest with what it requires. Nothing should stop you from reaching that dream number. ✔️Speak the language of your donors. Entrepreneurs, business heads, community leaders - they've had their fair share of pitching investments, just like you. Win them over by getting over the fear of talking to them. Enjoyed this episode? Learn How Sherry's Client Added 7-Figures of Gen-Ops Revenue to His Bottom Line. Without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Download the Case Study at https://mailchi.mp/32f117c7f07a/7figures #nonprofits #scaling #fundraising

Calling all nonprofit CEOs who are killing the game. We see you - a visionary leader, growing and scaling. You have overhauled programs, built your board, and are raising millions every year. But what's stopping you from next-level growth? The need for more money. Not just any type of money – the cash you can invest in gen-ops, overheads costs, and the infrastructure to grow even bigger. Did we get your attention? Tune in to learn more 🎬 watch the introduction episode of The Business Behind Fundraising with Sherry Quam Taylor. What You Will Discover: ✔️ Know the fundamentals behind the business of fundraising. How do we ensure that your plans allow healthy revenue generation every year? Find out how to set them up to propel your organization and help you secure larger amounts of unrestricted revenue. ✔️ Create a true financing engine that drives fundraising. Uncover the ways to finance your mission year after year. Learn to set your entire staff and up to reach and even exceed goals by aligning every hour and dollar they spend fundraising with maximum results. ✔️ Go against the growth-hindering misconceptions of transactional and traditional fundraising. Prioritize activities that attract investment-level donors, establishing them as stakeholders so you can secure their best gift every single year. Enjoyed this episode? Learn How Sherry's Client Added 7-Figures of Gen-Ops Revenue to His Bottom Line. Without adding more events, appeals, or grant applications. Download the Case Study at https://mailchi.mp/32f117c7f07a/7figures #nonprofits #scaling #fundraising