We flipped the script to have Mary Hiland interview me as a guest for her show, Inspired Nonprofit Leadership.
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Lindsay Simonds Featured in the Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Podcast
“Most of your donors will want to have that intellectual conversation with the leadership to see that it’s a strategic, successful, and long-term campaign to ensure their funds are well stewarded.” Click To TweetFeasibility Studies, Capital Campaigns, Major Gifts… what are they all about? Just as podcasting is about connecting with others and growing together, it is crucial to cultivate a strong relationship with your community at large if you want to bring bold ideas to life in nonprofit organizations. That is why in today’s episode, we flipped the script to have Mary Hiland interview me as a guest for her show, Inspired Nonprofit Leadership.
As a fundraising consultant for over a decade, clients under my management have raised over $1 billion cumulatively. I’ve set up and run campaigns ranging from $500K to $500M. I’ve worked with clients ranging from academic medicine to health care and research, early education, special education, environmental conservation, religion and social services, and many youth programs. In this episode of Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Podcast, Mary and I dive into the best practice of extraordinary fundraising endeavors: Capital Campaigns.
If you are a nonprofit leader eager to see your organization prove resilient during these challenging times, and even fund major projects, listen to this interview to have the full scope of major donors, learn what the golden triangle of giving is, and how much money your nonprofit should be raising to run a million-dollar(+) campaign. Also, we’ll touch on feasibility studies, how to avoid donor fatigue, how anyone can run a campaign — from startup to legacy organization — As well as the pre-work to ensure you’re ready to go and the kinds of volunteer structures that set you up for success.
Key Takeaways:
03:42 – An insight on boards: why they are crucial to every nonprofit.
05:59 – The Four Leadership Functions: the board’s roles in the ecosystem.
08:19 – Mary’s Three-Step Process to recruit the best members for your board as a nonprofit.
13:29 – The power of intrinsic motivation and how treating your board candidates as possible donors will increase your recruiting success rate.
15:23 – A natural networking process: asking for referrals when you’re stuck.
18:37 – Why your first meeting with a candidate should never be seen as a job interview.
21:50 – The non-negotiable traits all your board members must have.
22:43 – Effective boards are effective teams: how to create a thriving and connected community.
27:21 – What about numbers? On the right amount of members for your board team.
29:59 – Valuable time well spent: working on connecting and bonding with your board members.
32:52 – How to properly orient your board members and the three duties they are meant to accomplish.
Connect with Me
If you’re interested in exploring professional counsel for a feasibility study, capital campaign or fundraising strategic counsel, send me an email for a free consultation at [email protected]
Making the Ask: the Five Fundamentals of Fundraising
Check out my webinar: Stewardship is the Strategy
Episode Resources
Inspired Nonprofit Leadership Podcast
Governance as Leadership by Richard P. Chait
