 Welcome everybody to another episode of the non-profit show. We have one of our favorite people here today, LaShonda Williams, one of the superstar trainers with Fundraising Academy. And we were just chatting in the green room that it's, LaShonda and I worked together but only on camera. And she got to the opportunity to actually meet IRL in real life, Jarrett Ransom, the non-profit nerd at AFP icon. So it's really an interesting way that we've formed relationships. Fundraising Academy at National University is all about relationships. And so this is such an interesting time that we've navigated through and we're still navigating through. Wouldn't you say LaShonda? Oh, absolutely. We're still doing hybrid events. My colleagues are across the US and country at times. So it is very interesting. We forge really great relationships online. But to me, there's nothing like being face-to-face of AFP icon created that opportunity for us to strengthen our relationship with our partners and for us as a team to get together and spend some quality time. And it was absolutely spectacular. I'm so glad. I'm real, I'm just thrilled. But we had a wonderful time and we are very, very fortunate that one of our big sponsors, Bloomerang, actually had us in their booth. And we broadcast from their booth for two days. And so, again, we want to thank them because that's a big, that's a big give to give a valuable, expensive real estate on a convention floor to somebody to do something else. And so we are very, very appreciative as we are with all of our presenting sponsors and they include American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller, nonprofit thought leader, Fundraising Academy at National University, Staffing Boutique, nonprofit nerd, and nonprofit tech talk. Again, you know, we say this day in and day out, but these are the folks that allow us to have these amazing conversations. And Fundraising Academy has really stepped up to lend us their talent every Friday to help answer and navigate the questions that come in. LaShonda, it's really interesting now that I'm going out to things. I was at a very large public event on Tuesday, Tuesday or Wednesday on breakfast. I'm not so good in the morning, so I can't remember which day it was. But, you know, I had a couple of people that came up to me during that breakfast that said, hey, can you get this question on your show? So, you know, in the beginning with the pandemic, people were just emailing or typing in, you know, during a show. But I mentioned this to Jared and she said the same thing as she's going out. People are saying, hey, would you put this question up for me? So it's really an interesting thing how we're navigating this. You know, again, all of our broadcasts come to our community through streaming, through podcasts, but now we have a really cool thing. And that's a new app. And so you can take an image if you're watching this live or through one of our archives, you can scan this code and we'll get you set up so that you never miss any of the information that we're pushing out. It's really fun and I want to also thank our team here at American Nonprofit Academy led by Kevin Pace. They did this amazing technology and we are super excited about it. OK, my friend, talk to us about cultivating and Cultivate 2023. Cultivate 2023 is the conference at the nonprofit. I'm sorry that the fundraising Academy is putting on June 1. It is our first conference. We will feature a variety of talent across the San Diego, California area, along with our keynote speaker, Ken Miller, who will bring a variety of information and will talk throughout the day about how to cultivate relationships from the nonprofit perspective. We have two tracks, one for those who may be new to fundraising or in the middle of their career. We'll also have another track for leadership. So anything and everything that you want, one stop shopping all day long. It'll be an opportunity to engage with other individuals in the philanthropic sector to learn from each other, to grow from each other and also to network among each other to strengthen our professional relationship so that we can create our own community of practice as we cultivate new relationships. I love it. Well, we will be there. The nonprofit show will be there. We'll be broadcasting live for two days. You know, your event is on a Thursday, but on Friday is our general. We generally do our ask and answer episode. And so I think we're trying to figure out how we're going to convene. But we've been thinking about doing more like a panel discussion. And so that's to be determined. But we are very, very excited at the nonprofit show to be there and be a part of this. You can scan this QR code again, if you're watching this live or through one of our archives, go ahead and scan that. And that will link you in. If you are hearing this on podcast, go ahead and go to fundraising dash academy dot org and you can learn more about that. Navigate through their website. It's going to be a really great opportunity. And hey, I got to say, it's not just because I live in the desert, but going to San Diego in the heat of the summer, always a good choice. Always a good choice. And you'll always be surrounded by good people. Yes, absolutely. And you're going to get to meet LaShonda if you show up. OK, oh, this is crazy. Somebody from San Diego is written in a question. OK, Jerry writes, I want to join my local AFP chapter. And I feel that my nonprofit should pay the dues. However, this is not flying well with my executive director. Am I wrong thinking this is a bad decision? And should I just suck it up and pay the dues myself? Please advise. You know, we've had this question, something similar like this about professional designations. We get these questions every now and again. What do you think LaShonda? So there are a variety of different layers. And so let's kind of first start with the first layer. And me thinking about AFP is phenomenal. The affiliation is important and it's paramount to your professional development and adds value to your organization as you're maintaining high standards and you are being immersed into current trends. And local chapters offer a variety of ongoing professional development for which obviously your organization will benefit. However, as a professional development person, development professional, I ask you, did you provide your full case for support? Wow, you're a taskmaster. So let's first start with what your case for support was. OK. And then, you know, with with the Fundraising Academy in the cost selling cycle, we talk about overcoming objections. And so this is an opportunity to transition that objection into an opportunity. So did you, Jerry, in fact, ask your executive director follow up open ended questions? Is there something that I haven't provided you? Is there more information? What can I share with you to convince you? You know, ask additional questions so that you'll know what that factor is that has led the executive director to derive at the current note that is still a possible yes. And then I will also say that when it comes to professional development, it's really important that we as development professionals are also willing to invest in ourselves. Yeah, when organizations offer the memberships, that is a wonderful added benefit for obviously, which they'll benefit from. There's great ROI. However, at the same time, you also have to be willing to invest in yourself. And I say that from personal experience when I was going through my CFRE process, my organization paid for several professional development opportunities. When it was time for me to take the exam, I didn't even ask them to, you know, to pay for the exam because they invested so much in me through the years. And I paid for my CFRE exam out of pocket. And for some people, you know, they say, well, LaShonda, you should have had your organization do that. I did it because I wanted to invest in myself. And it's no different from when you ask donors to invest in your organizations. The cultivation begins within. And so by me willing to invest in myself, I will reap the long term benefits. The organization reaps the benefit. And it also demonstrates an act of good faith and gratitude that I appreciate that, which you've invested in me. And so I'm going to take it one step further and invest in myself as well. So there's multiple things to think about, Jerry. There's not a true, right or wrong answer, but it creates an opportunity to overcome the objection. OK, so you you blow my mind every time we're together on the on the nonprofit show because I would have never, ever, ever, but I love it. I would have never taken the link because in my mind right now, I'm seeing the cause selling cycle. I call it an icon, but really it's that graph. It's it's that process. And I love that you wove in the concept because what that tells me, LaShonda, is that you're you're living this process and you're looking at your life, not just with donors, but the the ecosystem of philanthropy and saying, how does this work? And that was super cool because I would have never, ever thought of that. And I love that because the more you look at life, doing that process, the more natural I've got to believe it becomes. Exactly. And that contributes to the authenticity that your donors will see because you are living it, you are manifesting it on an ongoing basis. It's not just in the workplace. These are principles that are applicable to you as a fundraising professional in your personal life as well and your personal career as you're growing. Right. So, you know, my my thought when I read this, Jerry, is that I thought of this in a completely different way. I thought of it as we are all struggling to find talent. And when you go to AFP meetings or any AFP engagements, heck, AFP icon in New Orleans, you get to meet people that maybe you can work with or they can maybe deliver business to you or you can partner with. Or it's it's an opportunity for. I don't know, more engagement. Does that make growth engagement? It's an opportunity to cultivate new relationships. It's an opportunity to discover opportunities, leads, prospects. They're a plethora of benefits. The question is how convincing was your case for support? Bottom line, bottom line. I love, love, love that. And Jerry, I hope that you don't feel like we've just like smacked you upside the head. You should have done this. But I love to me when with your response is like, man, you're walking the lock. That's super cool. OK, Jerry, go back and and do what LaShonda said and and do this case for support. And you know what? It might not be a bad idea to say, this is how I work with donors and this is how I, you know, communicate and try and build consensus. I don't know. I love it. Really cool. LaShonda, that was so good. I don't even know if you can be able if you can top that answer. But let's move on to city withheld, name withheld. We've had a similar question to this in the past or questions. And to me, when I when I read this question, I was thinking about the sanctity of the relationship and the personal communication that we often have with our donors. And so the question goes like this. And I I'm going to tell you I did take off this person's name because I didn't I just thought it was the right thing to do. So this woman, it was a woman wrote help. I just had a donor who is a significant donor in my portfolio. Call me up and ask my thoughts about another nonprofit. I was totally caught off guard and did not know what to do. I told them that I really did not have any information, but that I would ask around. I'm in a tough spot here. It's kind of like spying. Or, you know, what did you think when what do you think about this? That is definitely in a tough spot. But the first and foremost thing you want to think about is ethics as a professional development, as a fundraising professional. We never give any disparaging information out or share anything disparaging about another organization. The fact that the donor has contacted you directly and asked about another organization, it speaks to the strength of the relationship. Apparently, he or she feels very comfortable with speaking with you, which is great. That means that your relationship is strong. And it's also an opportunity for you to ask additional questions Do you mind sharing what is it about this organization that has you curious? And it's an opportunity for you to discover why they're interested and when the donor shares their interest and the reason for their interest. It's also an opportunity for you to tie in how your organization supports or satisfies that interest that they're inquiring about with the other organization. So you want to ask additional questions. Don't jump the gun. Don't be disparaging. It's an opportunity to strengthen your relationship to learn more about the donor, whether or not they're considering making a contribution to that organization. What we do know is that donor have choices and there's a donor bill of rights. And you want to make sure that you're very respectful of that. And again, as a professional, don't be disparaging about another organization. Provide what you can, but you're not necessarily going to be their prospect researcher on that particular organization. You know, I agree with you. I mean, I feel like my first reaction was this means they trust you and they know that you're on the inside of an of a vibrant community and in the philanthropic you know, health and recommendations that this donor searching, they're strong. My other my other piece is not so generous. And that is my first reaction would be like, crap, they're going to spend less money with me. Oh, I mean, I hate to say it, but I, you know, and I know that's a scarcity mentality and I know that's the wrong way to think. But heartfelt and honestly, my first reaction was like, you know, I'm going to say, I give credence to your first reaction because, of course, that's the first thing that's going to come to mind. However, this particular donor being a significant donor. It is not uncommon for donors to have a diverse portfolio when it comes to philanthropic support. And so because you have a strong relationship with the donor and you've been cultivating and engaging him throughout that time, that trust is there. And I'm certain whatever endeavors he or she has been supporting, you'll continue to support. And in fact, when you share information about another opportunity and I'm using that word loosely, you never know, the donor may it could be a test. And the donor could still say, OK, thank you for sharing this information. I've looked up this organization and I really want I decided that I'm going to support your organization even more because you add more value because your program differs. But we want to respect donors having the option and we want to also be supportive of each other as we're all in the nonprofit sector. And we're trying to advance all of our causes. Yeah, yeah, it's real. It's very interesting. Man, I hope we hear back on how that went. I'm definitely curious on that outcome and the choices that she made. I'm really intrigued because it's it's interesting. OK, Jeffrey from New York writes in I'm a board chair and have asked our members to bring us some new candidates with different talents. This has been such a challenge. They keep bringing the same types of people to the table. Basically, they are not helping us to build diversity in a strong talent base. Any suggestions? This is absolutely timely, Jeffrey. I appreciate that question. AFP's Advancing Philanthropy, April 20, 23 edition. I do have a submission supercharging your board, your fundraising board. And I speak specifically to that that point, which is creating opportunity to diversify the board, looking at a variety of different demographics from the typical demographic groups where you're looking at race, religion, age, but taking it one step beyond and thinking about those that are representative of the community that you serve, those that are in untraditional spaces and creating an opportunity in a space that supports diversity, equity and inclusion by granting access and also providing the necessary training because granting access and diversifying your board but not necessarily providing that foundational training does not create an environment that you can sustain and that you can grow and promote success. So definitely look at your board demographic, have really meaningful conversations, look at, check out the article and try to apply some of those principles and also talk to your board about what are their strong skill sets and what are some skill sets that we're currently missing and let's really be intentional in identifying individuals that will bridge those those those holes that we have in in our in our in our community. I think you're exactly right. We created a board assessment tool at the American Nonprofit Academy years, I mean, years ago and probably 10, 15 years ago. And we've changed it over the years. And I I think people are like, you know, everybody, we need more board members because Joe's leaving and yada, yada. And I think what happens is the board members like look around at their table, their circle and say, well, you know, Betty would be a great choice. And Raul would be a better choice or whatever. And we don't look at to your point what it is we need. You know, maybe this is a board that needs an HR professional or an attorney or a physician or somebody that can lend a voice to a certain topic that is not being heard, right, or is not being accessed. Exactly. And so you have to have candid conversations with the board. And that may mean that board member referrals may not necessarily your recruitment process may not necessarily be limited to just board member referrals, perhaps their individuals within the community space that are not directly connected to board members. And that is an opportunity to engage your community in a very meaningful way. And in many instances, unfortunately, boards can become homogeneous because people associate in the same circles with consistency. And so if you're looking to diversify, that means you have to look outside of that space that is your norm. And so you have to be very intentional with that. Yeah. And I think you're right, you know, we have our little tribes and then we just kind of, you know, swim in that same pond. And so for a lot of people, it's a big like aha moment to say it's not just another body, it's the right type of body, right? It's exactly the right person and the right fit. And so I think I, you know, maybe I'm a Pollyanna, but man, I think your board wants to do right by their mission. They just definitely think so. I want to I want to be on the half full and have, you know, optimism that the board wants the organization to continue to grow and that they want it to be viable. They want it to be diverse. But perhaps you need to really define what diversity means. And what that looks like for your organization. And again, you know, Julia, like you said, looking at various types of professions, because you'll have a heightened level of expertise. The more experts that you have at the table, the better you can do with proven decision making on behalf of your organization and creating plans that are sustainable, meaningful and impactful. You know, one of my biggest lessons was working with the nonprofit who served, you know, I live in the Southwest, who whose main function was to serve the Hispanic community. And on their board, they did not have one person that could speak Spanish. And I was like, what? What? You know, so it's I mean, just the linguistics, just a language issue. So it's not always just about, you know, race and gender. Exactly. It goes beyond a lot. Yeah, a lot of things. So anyway, OK, well, that was a good question. And I really hope that Jeffrey in New York can can navigate that into some better solutions. Holy cow, New York City is like super diverse. So you shouldn't have that problem. Now, our next question comes from Lincoln, Nebraska, not as diverse. And this is interesting, LaShonda, because this comes from a group of people and they wrote into us and said, how do you feel about having our board members be required to fundraise? We are thinking about a specific number and adding it to our board member policies. We are in the discovery phase of this decision and fear the outcome once this goes before before our board for a vote. It's it's an interesting question. It is a very interesting question. It's springtime. Organizations are starting to renew, amplify, looking at their strategic plans, their organizational goals and structure for success. With that in mind, culture philanthropy begins within the organization. And so I think that it's important to be very authentic with the board and talking about the mission, the goals, objectives that are currently in place and how their financial support is an integral part of that. And their support is an endorsement and a demonstration of their commitment beyond being physically present and being a part of the decision making process. And I think with the right information, the right case for support, that it shouldn't be foreign to them. You never know. One of the things that comes up often in the philanthropic space is the number one reason why people haven't given is because they haven't been asked. And we cannot be afraid to ask our boards to participate in fundraising in an instances where boards may not necessarily board members may not necessarily have the expendable cash. Then perhaps they can be responsible for providing referrals to solicit X set amount of dollars as their participation for the requirement for funding. So there are a variety of ways to include the board in the fundraising process, whether it be actual cash at hand or referrals or a combination approach. You'll have to, you know, have a conversation with the board to find out what and where you can meet in the middle and be very transparent about the needs of the organization and that their commitment as a volunteer is greatly appreciated. But it is their philanthropic support that ensures that the organization is able to sustain its mission and continue for with the work. You know, LaShonda, I'm seeing a lot of grant portals and you probably are, too, asking the question, do you have 100 percent financial participation with your board? And it's not like, you know, at what level or what dollar amount, but it's just to your point is everyone giving. It might only be 100 bucks. But do you have 100 percent philanthropic and financial support of your board? And that's that is important. And, you know, and depending on the types of gifts you're soliciting when you're when you're cultivating larger donors or preparing for capital or comprehensive campaign, they want to know who are the supporters. You know, I can recall working in in another institution and we were seeking opportunities to secure larger gifts from corporations and from foundations, and you're right, that was the first question. It was at a high rate institution. The first question that they asked our foundation was how many of your alumni are currently supporting your organization? How many donors do you have? And again, the culture philanthropy begins within the institution and then it spurs outside of it. And it starts with having that conversation with your board members and then your staff members and then leading out into the community. And there's nothing better than a donor to hear that 100 percent of the staff members do support the organization. It's magic. Yeah, you know, there's a difference between you're a major stakeholder and you want to demonstrate your commitment beyond that professional service that you're providing that you're being compensated for. I used to manage faculty, staff giving and with faculty, staff giving. We had coordinators and divisions all across the organization. And it starts with as a coordinator, you are required and expected to be a donor. And so and then they're able to connect with those that they're soliciting. I support the giving campaign and please join me. I've already made my gift. And so, you know, when you're asking the broader community to support you, it's important to say that our board, we have 100 percent board's participation. And so that just it solidifies the organization. It provides financial stability. It's another revenue stream. There are nothing but pluses associated with board financial support. Well, speaking of gifts, Lashonda Williams, a trainer with extraordinary. I'm going to add extraordinary, extraordinary at Fundraising Academy that's based at National University. Lashonda Williams, you are such a great mind in our sector. And shoot, I'm glad that you're in the nonprofit sector and not in pharmaceuticals or automobile sales or something else because you are great and I've always learned something from you. And at the same time, I'm always very encouraged. And so what what a joy to have you on another episode of the nonprofit show. We have Lashonda coming back to a two day drill down with us in the next couple of weeks, specifically talking about ways to thank donors. It's fascinating. And it's not your regular deal that we all know and have fall back on. So I encourage you to to check us out. And we'll be talking about that even more. Again, Lashonda Williams, one of the great trainers at Fundraising Academy. We're also very grateful for our sponsors that come to us, come with us, I should say, every day and they include Blumerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part time controller, Nonprofit Thought Leader, Fundraising Academy at National University, Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Nerd and Nonprofit Tech Talk. These are the folks that are with us day in and day out. OK, Lashonda, you have empowered me and excited me. No end to get going. Have a great weekend, Julie. It's always a pleasure to be with you and I'm looking forward to sharing more and best wishes to all of my fellow development professionals. All right. Thank you so much, everybody. Hey, as we like to end every episode, we want to remind everyone to stay well. So you can do well. We'll see you back here again. Thanks so much, Lashonda.