 Welcome happy Friday and thank you to all of you that have joined us today. I've been saying good morning good afternoon or good evening depending on the time in which you've joined us today we are thrilled to have our guest with us Hannah burger and you'll learn more about her soon. Before we go into too much of the episode we of course want to extend our deepest appreciation to our presenting sponsors. These companies have been with us, most of them over the last two years again we thought we would start the episode and it would last two weeks. So here we are about 430 episodes strong, thanks to our sponsors that keep the conversations going. They invest not only here in us and the show but truly in you and your communities across the nation so please do check them out. Again, if you've joined us for the chitty chat chat you've learned how amazing this human is that is joined me today I'm so excited to have Hannah burger with us for today's show again one of our favorites I always refer to it as our fry yay and answered but Hannah is chief development officer in principle with sorry as the philanthropy coach so that's your business name and you're also partnered with fundraising Academy so welcome Hannah I'm so glad to have you here. Thank you Jared it's such a pleasure to be here. We went through of course you know our names and origination stories of how we both have very unique names so I love having someone here that is just, you know, as interesting of a backstory and a childhood as me. Tell us a little bit if you would about your, you know, experience your career and of course your role here with fundraising Academy. Sure. So I am 20 years into a nonprofit mostly fundraising focused career. I'm currently the chief development officer for a transformative youth development and community center called a place called home in south central Los Angeles. And I'm also the principal consultant and executive coach with my own boutique consulting firm the philanthropy coach. So I'm based in Los Angeles. I am a believer in the transformative power philanthropy and the only thing I enjoy more than raising tons of money for mission driven organizations is teaching other emerging professionals to do the same. I've been partnered with fundraising Academy as an instructor for about five years now. And I'll be the lead instructor on their first national online cohort that's coming up in the new year. So exciting and I know that we have a clip on that to share later so make sure you stay with us to learn about this opportunity that you just shared with us. Thank you. I feel like you and I are kindred spirits we have a lot of the same passion and fuel behind our work to be here service. And to start that we of course have every Friday this is when we save your questions to answer them on this broadcast with the thought leader and today we are so thrilled to have Hannah with us. So I will read the question aloud will both kind of take turns answering them it's okay if we don't agree. And hopefully we're providing some really sage wisdom and advice to our to our viewers. So Justin writes in and Justin asked this question. I'm thinking about going to graduate school for a master's degree specifically specializing in nonprofit management. Can you please give me your perspective on this major investment. Should I go first. Yes, please do. So the coach of me wants to ask Justin so many questions about really what his career goals are. I have a master's degree in public administration with an emphasis in nonprofit sector management. But I did that to age myself 14 years ago. So the price tag has changed considerably. But what hasn't changed in our sector as quickly is salaries right so I would want to know from Justin. You know what's what's the career trajectory here if it's you want to work in government. Is it that you want to stay as a fundraiser for community based organizations do you have aspirations to work at the university level. So those things kind of play into the decision as far as I'm concerned I would say a master's degree is really helpful to get your foot in the door. It's a lovely added bonus on your resume, but it's not the be all end all I really believe that, especially when it comes to fundraising relationship based. That skill set, it's something that you learn over time. It's it's an expertise that you build through trial and error. And I think that years on the ground so to speak you know doing the work are just as valuable if not more valuable than a degree that you would earn from a university. Sage advice definitely and thank you so much. I would agree with with much of that. And I know that Justin there are so many other opportunities. Be it certificates, CFRE credentials that you can earn fundraising Academy plays a big role in that. In fact, we have had Jack a lotto on quite a bit and Jack is part of the CFRE kind of cohort and really works with people on that degree of certification. I like you Hannah I have a master's degree it's actually in business administration so I again to age myself I didn't have the opportunity to get an undergrad in nonprofit management and really just lately I feel like there's a lot more of this nonprofit management specialization if you know to put it in terms that have come out just lately and so many of us really didn't have that opportunity to dive deep but I have gone into some of my, you know certificate programs locally from local university in my community to just work through some of the latest trends and best practices, because, as you said price tax change so do some of the models and business structures fundraising Academy has a phenomenal cause selling education model. I wish and I told this to Tony bell, I wish I had that 20 years ago when I started saying. Justin great questions, the coach and both Hannah and myself we really want to dig a bit deeper but I would say really, you know, to add on to Hannah's response. Figure out why this is driving you you know what is your ultimate goal to earn and achieve this level of degree how will you use it as Hannah said in your career trajectory. Investing in something that hopefully will carry out time and time again, and then I also am going to advocate that your employer help you with this investment so that could be a conversation hopefully that you have either looked into or looking into that in the near future to help you with that investment but I wish you, I wish you all the best. Good. Good answers. Well, Hannah I'll give you again. First right to answer this but this comes from name withheld which my co host Julia Patrick loves these name withheld because she thinks they're spicy and dicey. This one's coming to us from Salt Lake City, Utah. I want to get a coach for 2022 and that is right around the corner. I am in fundraising and I think it could help me but I have these two questions. Can I ask my employer to pay for this coaching. And does it make me look weak or less professional if I do this. I love this question name withheld. First of all, I want to applaud this person for considering coaching and realizing what a value it will probably add to their career. Bravo. So, in short, yes, you absolutely can and should ask your employer to pay for this coaching. This is professional development. The organization hopefully has a line item in their budget for professional development for their employees but if they don't. It's definitely a conversation that's that's worth having and I would encourage this person to think about when they come to the table to ask their supervisor about the funding to invest in this coaching. What's in it for the organization. Right. What's the return on this investment. That's the way you're going to want to pitch the opportunity if the funding doesn't already exist. Second, does it make you look weak. Absolutely not. We should all be embracing an attitude of lifelong learning. Coaching is a really beautiful thing because it's not just about. Let me rephrase that in my mind what coaching does is it looks at your blind spots it helps you uncover gaps in your knowledge or experiences you haven't had yet or experiences that you have had that have maybe tarnished the way you operate in the world. A good coach is a good mirror right it reflects back to you what's happening in your life and they help you get past it so when you get a coach specific to your career. They're going to help you turn things around immediately you walk out a good coaching session with a feeling of being more grounded a better understanding of how you're operating where the blind spots are and actions to take immediately so. I know that when I work with clients my goal is always to have folks walk away from even our first session. Feeling more in control of their professional progress and ready to raise more funds right so that's an immediate ROI both for them personally and for their organization. Absolutely and I love coaching I love being coach I myself have a coach and I offer coaching much like you do on a three year professional services. I do not think this makes anyone look weak right I really think this is a great personal and professional investment and I think you might be surprised. How many people actually invest in a coach because I do think that that field and industry has scaled significantly many again you know many people that coach also have a coach. And so I do think it's a phenomenal opportunity I do think are I do know actually that some people I have coach have had their coaching paid for by their employer and some have said I'm paying for this out of pocket. So it's kind of gone both ways but I do think there's a great opportunity to really demonstrate that return on investment to your employer and to use those professional dollars that Hannah mentioned so hopefully name with help that gives you some insight to go back to your employer feel a bit more confident and poised as you present this opportunity and your desire to invest in yourself and the organization right for future growth through this coaching so there are so many coaches out there. Whether it's in person your local community or through zoom right there's so many different platforms now so do your due diligence just as you would for a financial coach or a you know physical trainer anything that you might be looking into to make sure that you have the right bit of personality wise as well as knowledge and expertise in what you're looking to grow and again fantastic I think that's a great goal for 22 and I hope I hope more people do it honestly. Absolutely. All right. So Sandra from the windy city. I started walking during lunch at my nonprofit to get a break and to disengage from our stressful work environment. I added environment because you know I've been there. I know what it's like. I have other staff members who want to join me because they have seen these benefits. My issue however is that this is my personal time. How do I navigate this. So Sandra you know what's funny is I would have answered this question differently maybe like 510 years ago in my career. Interesting. Yeah I probably would have like thought about ways that I could you know kind of incorporate folks to make them feel like you know there was team bonding and find a way to accommodate myself but here's the advice I'll give you now after I've had years of coaching prioritize you right you've already identified that this is something that works for you that gets you centered after being your stressful work environment all day right I feel like it's something that's not only a habit a positive habit but it's also like a major stress reliever for you. So I would say, you know, there's a kind way to say no, no can be the most empowering word. I encourage you to use it with your colleagues you know say, I'm so thrilled that you to want to start, you know, taking on a positive habit like walking every day during your breaks but this is this time is really important to me. It helps me get myself grounded and I like to be alone while I do it. I mean, you know, any respecting colleague I think would really appreciate that and maybe they model, you know, use your behavior as a positive model to find something that works beautifully for them as well. I love that you referenced what Hannah would have said 510 years ago, because I think as a social butterfly extrovert myself I'd be like great come on let's let's make this our walking club and this is what we're going to do. I also prioritize myself and hope that you, all of you will do just the same, and I'm thinking of a way. Maybe there's three days a week you walk solo two days a week you invite your colleagues to join you. Maybe that's just one day a week like maybe there's there's a when when solution to create some of that camaraderie and community through that physical aspect, or you might want to consider again you know maybe you create this as I don't want to say a competition but a friendly competition, you know, there's so many apps on our phones that we could really use this as part of our community. And maybe you have some kind of a fun challenge or competition to say, you know, however many miles or minutes or different routes did you take, or maybe make it a scavenger hunt something I have no idea again shooting from the hip. You guys have 20 years of a nonprofit experience on them, but thinking of ways to use this walking opportunity as an additional opportunity to engage with your colleagues. There's so many individuals I know that like to shut their door kind of you know go to a go to a park and have lunch by themselves and to me this is very much the same where this is your personal bubble. You have time, maybe you want to read listen to a podcast. So whatever you need to do to take care of yourself, as well as maybe there's a win win solution, where you truly can kind of blend the opportunities for the majority of the time, it is just for you Sandra, and maybe you're willing to share some of those days and those walking moments with your colleagues. Great suggestion Jared and I'll just piggyback on that. You know, Sandra, I would also think about where what's your role in the organization and is there an opportunity by coming up with a win win where you can be networking your way to your next step in your career, or mentoring somebody who perhaps reports to you or would like to be in your position. Right. Absolutely. I love this we always get different perspectives and and piggyback so they're always welcome. Okay, here's a question from Chantel in North Texas, our program team wants to conduct some tours with like serving nonprofits in our city. I don't know if this is a super idea but our CEO sees it as competitive and across some lines. Any suggestions on this idea or approach. Good question. On the hip. I'm, I think it's a great idea. I don't believe that nonprofit organizations should see each other as competitors, especially the fundraisers. You know, in my own life, when I moved back to Los Angeles about four years ago, one of the first things I did was make a lunch date with my peer at a very close proximity organization geographically but also very close and mission. And we sat down and became fast friends and that relationship grew into what I now call my local brain trust and it's all directors of development at organization serving Los Angeles, most of which serve south Los Angeles. And while our missions are a little bit different. There's a lot of similarities there and we do everything from, you know, call each other in a moment of crisis to get advice to share our annual fund appeals just so we can, you know, get a different idea of what folks are doing and share the wealth of knowledge that exists within our little community that we've created. So, yeah, I would want to dig in with the CEOs to why they see that as potentially competitive. But I think any opportunity to connect with like minded organizations is golden and to have those really positive working with staff members at like minded organizations is just it's a beautiful way to do business. And from your funders perspective, that collaborative spirit can be a really powerful thing. I think I can add more to what you shared because I also come from a place of collaboration, and that spirit of working together so I see this as a win win. Again would love to dig in with the CEO and find out why he she or they are really against this opportunity. I think there's so much we can learn from one another and with on another. I guess we think of one of our previous guest Rita sornan who serves as the executive director for the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption. And they are all about collaboration and she shared in one of her episodes with us that they are very welcome to having open dialogues and conversations with organizations that may seem competitive because we serve like minded, you know, constituents and operations and the sort. So I to like Hannah like Rita sornan come from a place of, let's work together right we are here to help the community and to help provide solutions to our community problems. So why not share in our best practices. I love hearing Hannah that you share your annual appeals as well, because I would really love to say what's missing right like please take a look at this does this resonate with you what's missing. What have you done that has been successful and how might we integrate incorporate some of that into this so I do see it also as a win win I'm glad to to hear that from you as well, Hannah. Good luck, but I would really pitch this as an opportunity that's positive and it could grow into even more future positive opportunities so I believe this is our last question and it's, it's a powerful one. And it's actually one that I have been stewing on and I'm still not sure how I'm going to answer it. Hi girls in Portland, Oregon. I am asking my small team to bring a short inspirational quote to help us start our weekly staff meetings. One of our employees gave me an eye roll and asked that I stipulate that none of the quotes be biblical or religious in nature thoughts. Well first I'd like to address the eye roll. No, I'll leave that alone for a minute. As the coach in us we want to address that behavior. Right. I really want to know the intention that Charles has for this request of his team. So, I immediately think what a lovely way for this group to share what they find inspiring and it's sharing a little bit of themselves, right. And if that is the intention that it's a way for team members to share a little bit of themselves and perhaps, you know, charge up the enthusiasm in the team. Then I would think that bringing quotes that may be biblical or religious in nature to the tables totally appropriate. I realize that we live in a very secular world right I'm in Los Angeles doesn't get much more secular than that. But if we are practicing true inclusivity that means that people get to come to the table with their full selves. And I know that in my organization with my team at a place called home in my consulting practice. And so if that is if part of who you are as a person of faith, then you should feel comfortable and safe sharing that with your team. I love your answer and I witnessed you I have no idea my answer like I was not sure how how to respond to this I love. You know really this whole come as you are and if this means that you are powered by faith and you should be able to bring this to the table as well. Plus there are so many organizations, although I'm assuming this one in particular that asked the question is not a faith based organization but there are so many organizations that do have a very faith rooted culture, and in that case I would I would assume that that's kind of you know par for the course. I have been to many board meetings where they start with prayer because they are such a faith rooted organization that that is part of their culture and their standard procedure for opening up any type of meeting. One of the things that I have done and maybe you want to consider this Charles and leading a team instead of asking for an inspirational quote, I've essentially asked for an article that was really something that was thought or a best practice something that another organization was doing and had great success with so really I turned it from more of a personal focus to more of that professional setting to identify. Perhaps there's you know a white paper out there that we want to talk about and how does that incorporate into our work. So Charles maybe there's an opportunity for you to use what you intended to do with these inspirational quotes that would be very personal, perhaps you can consider what it might look like to also an and or bring in the opportunity of other ideas, other articles worth consideration and conversation, perhaps books that maybe your team has read and wants to discuss, maybe a podcast right there's so many opportunities, maybe one of these shows there's so many opportunities and, and thought provoking conversations that I think will bring, hopefully what you're looking for to the table which is I read this it's, you know, collectivity camaraderie bringing community from your small team and finding again I'm all about these win wins how can we really create this as an opportunity for a win hopefully that's helpful Charles, I love where you're going with us and again I wish you the best and Hannah, I cannot believe this but our time is almost up. So I would love for us to end with you telling a little bit more, you had teased it earlier and I'm so glad that you did, because you are taking a primary role in fundraising academies cause selling accelerate program tell us about this and when does sure so this is the first national online cause selling accelerate course that fundraising Academy is offering we've done it previously with National University in San Diego I've taught with JFK University up in San Jose and then there's affiliates all over the country. So we're bringing everyone together for a national online cohort starting February 8. It is a 10 week program. You can earn, I believe it's 49 CFRE points so if you're headed towards your CFRE credential. This could really help you speed up that process. And we cover everything from we cover the full cost selling cycle and I'm not going to dive into exactly what that is, but it's everything from why you choose to be in a fundraising nonprofit career to major gifts. I'm even scheduling a really great conversation with a philanthropist so folks can ask questions in real time of the type of person that they might be soliciting in their career. And then of course as the lead instructor. I walk everyone through the materials using my 20 years of experience is really fun, hopefully funny case studies. And it's just, it's a wonderful program. It's a less than $500 investment. I think it's tremendously valuable and I've had a lot of past students who have not only told me they enjoyed the experience but that it was a game changer for their career. So, I love that. I cannot recall our question earlier today that was asking about a master's degree but perhaps this is of consideration, a low cost investment but a really big impact so do check that out with fundraising Academy. I've been so blessed and honored to have Hannah with us today. Thank you for spending your time, your 20 years of expertise and so much knowledge that you have in our sector and the passion uses as well so thank you and I'm glad that we now have you as part of our team and our fundraising Academy is also very lucky to have you. You're interested in connecting with Hannah burger. Please do reach out to her there's her contact information here. She and I also connected on LinkedIn so I can tell you she's pretty active on that platform as well. So grateful to have you joining us today. Julia Patrick has the day off because every now and then we need that. And I am Jarrett ransom your nonprofit nerd again we are powered by our presenting sponsors so I'm grateful to have each and every one of their investment in these episodes and in all of you in our sector around the nation so thank you to our sponsors and fundraising Academy for underwriting our Friday. Ask and answer. It's been such a good one and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. You were fantastic. I definitely want to do this again with you for another Friday, or maybe I'll see you on the online course as well because that captures my attention as a lifelong learner. Wonderful. Thank you so much Jarrett. This was such a treat. Good. Well for all of you that have joined us today. Please do have a good weekend. Come back and join us next week because we have another action packed episode week, and we always end every day by saying please stay well, so you can do well. Thanks everyone and have a wonderful weekend.