 Thanks for joining us for another episode of the nonprofit show. Today is Friday as Jarrett Ransom, the nonprofit nerd always says Friday. Jarrett's not here today and we're really excited because we have a special guest that's going to talk with us and help us unravel the mysteries of some of our questions. So Suzanne Stone from Listron Foundation is coming to us from Austin. Yep, Austin, Texas. Well, you know, I love the mantra that Texas women always say, the higher the hair, the closer to heaven. Well, and that is very true. So very true. Well, we are going to get to Suzanne in just a second. But before we do, we want to thank all of our sponsors. Without you, we would not be here having these amazing discussions that we have every day. Hard to believe we are coming up on our 400th episode in just a couple of weeks. So it's been quite a wild ride. And these sponsors, most of them have been with us from the beginning. So we are incredibly, incredibly grateful. And Fundraising Academy is our primary sponsor for Ask and Answer. And so we're very, very excited to have them join us. And today, I have Suzanne Stone, Chief Strategic Solutions Program Officer from the Listron Foundation. Hi, thank you so much for I'm so excited to be here. I can't wait to hear these questions. It's a little nerve wracking. I've got to say, but it's a lot of fun. And I think that these questions really help us understand what's going on in the nonprofit sector across our nation. But before we get into that, tell us what you do, Suzanne, for the Listron Foundation and talk us through about what the foundation does. Sure, absolutely. So like you said, I'm the Chief Strategic Solutions and Programs Officer. And what that really means is that I, my job really has two parts to it. I'm in charge of all of our mission programs. So any, any outreach that we do. So the Listron Foundation is just, we're just getting ready to celebrate our 25th year, which is insane. So 25 years, we've funded and invested in over 576 organizations around the country. So we raise money all year long. And then we take that and invest it in solutions that are going to impact the quality of a cancer patient's life today. Like right now, we, we know that there are a lot of organizations out there that are investing in research to cure cancer. And that is awesome. But what we know is that living with cancer is really hard, but it doesn't have to be like that. And there are lots of gaps in care. And that's where we really focus to try to make your everyday life better. And we look for innovative solutions. So that's the second half of my job. So the first half is really functioning and helping people preserve their fertility, helping people exercise through activity and heal that way, working with all of these great grassroots on the ground organizations. But then the second half is around innovation and strategy. This is probably one of my favorite things to do is to really look forward and not in reverse and say, okay, what can we do? How can we move forward? Where's the gap? Where are those friction points? And how are we going to solve for those? And really position the organization to be able to do that. So I've been in the nonprofit field for over 25, 20-something years. Won't give away my age, but a long time. And I absolutely love impact and scale. And those are the things that I really focus on every day here at Livestraw. So let me ask you this. You're based in Texas. When you look at these programs and these investments that you're making, do you have a geographic area that you try and stick to? Or what does that look like for you? Sure, absolutely. So no, geography is not really important. Instead, what we're looking at is impact. So when somebody writes a solution grant to us, so we have a new solutions grants program, one thing we're very focused on is diversity, equity, and inclusion. So we have committed $50,000 every year that focuses on communities of color underserved, underrepresented, underinsured communities, and solving for issues that are specific to those. Because equity in cancer care is really a problem and something that we have to really focus on and solve. So geographically, nope, doesn't matter. We have organizations that we're funding from Montana to New York City out in California. So whether it's giving kids rides to chemo appointments and their doctor's appointments because their families can't get them there, we provide funding for that. There's a fly fishing group in Bozeman that takes women who are breast cancer survivors, we're going through treatment and takes them fly fishing, which sounds a little bit crazy. But when you have this amazing activity, it's a really a bonding and healing experience. We also fund things like, it's a great national organization called Padlove. And this is a pediatric cancer organization that puts cameras in the hands of pediatric cancer patients. And these kids are taught how to take pictures. They have gallery shows all across the country, really fantastic. There's Monkey in my chair and Hopecam wonders and worries that can just keep going on and on. So we're really looking for organizations that are providing real solutions, like I said today, and it's impactful, scalable, and that our investment will change their organization. Wow, I love it. Well, it sounds to me like we need to book you just you for a future show and to talk about this. But right now we've got a lot of questions. So I say let's get to them. And let's see, you know, we like to say you're now in the hot seat. I'm on the hot seat. So let's see how we can answer. Hey, now you don't know this, but whenever I get a name withheld, I get super excited because I always feel like it's a juicy, juicy question. So name withheld from New York. We have a gala planned for late fall and are torn between having a professional auctioneer and a local celebrity. Some of us think that the local broadcaster weathermen would be a stronger draw. What do you advise? Okay, so here's my advice. I've done a lot of galas, many, many galas. So when I worked with an education foundation, when I worked for Susan G. Komen, galas, I've definitely done. My advice here, if the purpose of the gala is just to get a bunch of people together, then that's great. Then it doesn't matter. Then I'd say go with your local broadcaster. But if the intention of the gala, I'm assuming, is fundraising, then I would absolutely advise you to invest in the auctioneer. Your job as the fundraiser is to put the right people in the room. That's your role, is to fill those tables with people that you've cultivated and that are ready to give, that you're telling their story. Just like you're a professional fundraiser, an auctioneer is also a professional fundraiser. The weatherman is not. In my experience, when you put somebody like a local news celebrity in charge of auctioneering, you are going to leave money on the table. I agree. Just like if you tried to do the weather, you're not, you have no idea. So my suggestion might be for name with held is that you try something like asking both of them. Ask the weatherman broadcaster to be your emcee and ask and then hire your auctioneer to actually. Yeah, I love that. Okay, Suzanne, you're a winner. You can keep going with this. I like that answer. I've seen recently, and I would say in the last five years, a kind of a hybrid situation where that celebrity or broadcaster or somebody who has that talent reads the item that's going to come up for auction. They kind of make the sizzle in the pot because you have to remember broadcasters are good script readers. And a lot of times we think, oh, wow, they're going to be so much fun and have all this, you know, joy to be even be fun. But the reality is they only do really well when they have a script. And so it can be a shock to a lot of folks when they're like, wow, here she fell flat. Well, it's because that's not really how they work, you know. So I love what you said. Yeah, pull them both together. But I agree with you 100%. That professional auctioneer will pull money and navigate a successful auction and not just make it a drag. Absolutely. And I think a lot of times they'll come before and they'll, you know, good auctioneer will say, well, what are your items? And, you know, they might have their own contacts or, you know, they won't just show up. Absolutely. And another thing that I might suggest you do, from a board perspective, some board members, and depending on how big this organization is, right, some board members have an opinion on spending money on somebody like an auctioneer, right? So one thing that I have found works really well when I hire my auctioneer and I have my own personal favorite. So if you need one, you can reach out to me and I will help. But if you want to motivate that auctioneer, then write a contract where they get a bonus if they hit your goal. So what's your financial goal, right? If your financial goal is $100,000, then give them an extra bonus if they hit 100 and even more if they hit 125, more 150, right? So you're incentivizing them to raise you more money. And you might be thinking, well, I'm going to lose money. No, you're not because you wouldn't have gotten that otherwise. So when you incentivize your auctioneer, you may find that they perform even better and your board or whomever you're pitching this to will feel like, oh, okay, well, they're invested in this personally now. They really want that success. I love it. And I think that's a great, great piece of advice. I really, really do. Okay, well, let's go on to Sean and Cincinnati, Ohio. Sean writes, it used to be that our point of entry for a donor was a site tour. With COVID, we changed all that. Once all clear has been given, we're wondering if we should even go back to this donor cultivation approach. A lot of people are asking this question, Suzanne, a lot of people. Yeah. So here's my, this is my opinion on this question. Events are ever changing right now. One of the most expensive things you can do is change your mind. I like a piece of advice. And so I say, make a decision and stick there. So for me, I would say you're already questioning this. And so let's, I don't know what the site tour might be, but I might, I'm thinking about what it could be, like maybe a hospital, right? Something like that. I'm saying if it were me, I would say we're going to pivot end of, end of discussion. That's the decision and move forward. When you make that decision, you're going to be able to, you've got smart people in your organization. What was the purpose of the tour? Was the purpose of the tour to educate, or was it just to get them in the door because it was cool and flashy? I bet, well, I don't bet, I know there are ways to make your donor or potential donor feel exactly the same way without that site tour. But my biggest piece of advice here is make a decision and don't, don't move off of that. So for 2022, this is what we're going to do. It doesn't matter if you get the all clear, because what we're learning now, I believe again, what we're learning now is nothing is for sure. What's the next variant? What's the next, just make a decision that is financially responsible for your organization and won't put your employees in this constant state of flux where they're working 80 hours a week, because we keep changing our mind. You know, I think that's like super wise. And I think it's wisdom that goes well beyond this question. And I really, really appreciate that you brought that up, because I think that's a great lens to look at a lot of things through, because you are right. There's a tremendous amount of upheaval. It's going to continue. And it's, it's multifaceted. You know, and I love what you said, there's no true all clear. You know, you can't just say, okay, woohoo, because we've changed the way we work. We've changed the way we communicate. Our workforce is changing. And they're not wanting to do the same things or live the same way. I suspect that Sean is part of the Ben Avon system, Terry Axelrod, something like that, where you garner attention and empathy and sustainable giving relationships, because you brought them onto your campus. I believe that, but I, yeah. And I, you know what, I, I did Ben Avon years ago when I worked for CASA, Quarterpoint and Special Advocates. And I use, I use the model as very successful. And, but this is what I can tell you that I also learned that if I apply, and that's, that's great Julia, that's great insight, you're probably right. I did kind of think about that for a second. I know that I used when, because I worked for CASA, we couldn't introduce you to the kids, right? We can't bring those kids. So we had real stories and handwritten letters, but we had fake pictures, right? We just had to like, this is the kid from, from Google or whatever. You can replicate whatever you're doing in a Zoom environment, or in a book, or in a whatever. I feel like you can still have that point of entry. You can still send them a box of food, right? Even though I know that the whole food rule around Ben Avon, but you know, you can send them a snack or send them an item. So I think that there are ways that you can get around this. But again, I think you have to make the hard decision that is, that is financially best for your organization. Just like you said, you know, it's a time of upheaval. And I think what we know about everybody is change is hard, and it's stressful. Some of us deal with stress, the stress of change better than others. But this idea of changing your mind midway, well, this is just for now. This is just for now. It's like, your employees and your team will not feel confident moving forward, because there's always this thing in the back of their mind, well, what if we get an R Clear by September? Well, what if maybe October? Well, what's plan S? Just stick with plan S. You know, I love your whole approach. That, that's just, that says a lot. Yeah, I love it. Okay, well, wow, you're doing great. Two for two, sister. I think that's really good. Okay. Oh, okay, this is another name withheld. This is going to be juicy. I just know it. Okay, name withheld from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I'm a program director at a mid-sized nonprofit. The development director wants me to attend some of their donor meetings. Frankly, I'm slammed with work and I don't understand how it's my job to help them. I am not a fundraiser. Well, you get just a little bit of attention, right? Oh, this is a juicy one. You were right. Okay. Okay. All right. So I'm going to take a deep breath while I select myself before I answer this question. All right. So I think, I think name withheld, you should be flattered. Your development director believes that you're a great storyteller, right, believes that you're really connected to the mission. And so first, I say you should be flattered. Yeah. Second, every single person in a nonprofit is a fundraiser. Right. The receptionist, back in the day, the receptionist is a fundraiser. Yeah, the janitor, the field, the IT person, everybody is a fundraiser. Yes. Because without, and without your development director, I hate to tell you this, but you have no mission. I had a program, a mission director, and she used to say no money, no mission, no money, no mission. And that's the truth. So what I might suggest here for you is to try to reframe how you're seeing this ask. Talk with your director a little bit deeper and ask him or her, what are the stories that you need from me? If you can't be there in person, maybe it's, it's that the director, your development director doesn't have the stories they need or the tools that they need to make the donor connect with what you're doing every single day. And so the, what I hear in this little tiny statement is that you're siloed, right? Yeah, I agree. And so when you have silos, the nonprofit will never grow. You're going to stunt your growth when you work in silos in a nonprofit. It's just the fact. And so you have to, you have to break those silos down and really start communicating. Yeah. I love that. And I would say absolutely every single person in an organization is in fund development. And it is such a shock in this day and age to have somebody who comes forward with that question, because when I read this or what I heard in my mind was that the CEO is not communicating this. And, and if the CEO is not communicating this, I would imagine that Name With Health has a lot of other people in their organization coming from all different parts that think the same thing. I completely agree. And I think it goes back to this silo, right? This, this, and, and some of that I believe comes when people move into nonprofit from for profit areas, you know, for profit business, and they're used to finance staying in the finance lane, right? And everybody stays in their lane. And while it's important for you to stay in your lane as a programmatic person, you need to know that you can actually do your job better if you help the, the development director and the marketing director, because I'm betting you have one since you're mid-sized, right? So, so yes. And I, you know, I didn't think you're right, Julia, about the CEO. Clearly leadership isn't sharing that this is how you, this is how to best work together. It's a workflow. But silo stunt growth, and that's in nonprofits. I love it. And, you know, I think you're right about that, that whole concept, because think about not just the development director, but I can see this is like, you know, you're walking on the campus and you see a garbage can turned over and you're like, well, I've got to call facilities maintenance versus stopping and picking up some trash. You know what I mean? It's just exactly. It's a bad attitude. And it's almost like a mindset issue for me in terms of leadership. Wow. Okay. Well, name with help. Never write us again, because we just slammed them. But you, you're probably really great at your job. So yeah, be a little flattered. Oh my God, that's hilarious. Okay. Well, I'm going to, I'm going to be watching for questions that come from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I don't know. We might have a little bit of a dearth of questions that are coming from there. Okay, Brianna from Kansas City, Missouri. How important is it for our executive team to get media training? We have some extra professional development funds. Well, Hallelujah, brother. That never happened. I was going to say, how's that happening? Yeah, good, good deal. And we are looking into this type of investment for our staff. So, you know, it's always hard. This, this type of question is a little bit hard, not knowing exactly what they do. But I might suggest something instead of media training. So media media, and I'm not sure exactly what we mean by media training, but I'm thinking, I'm putting on like, you know, how to, how to do a television interview or, or talk to a reporter, right? That's what I'm thinking, talk to a new reporter who's calling on the phone. But I might suggest that you instead train for something a little bit deeper than that. And so I'm thinking storytelling, how to tell a story, how to write a narrative or tell the narrative, how to do your 30 second introduction, I think is very valuable. What about just how to do this? How many times do you get on Zoom even today and you're watching the ceiling fan and the lighting is terrible? Well, like, come on, you know, you don't have to have a studio in a set. I mean, I'm in my house, but there, there are tools and tricks, right, to be able to make it look professional. So I'm thinking that the training that you could really invest in and that your executive team who should be out and public facing could really benefit from public facing. Now is this on camera. So how do I talk on Zoom? How do I present myself in a, in a webinar situation? How do I story tell? How do I summarize what we do in a way that somebody who has no idea what we do now understands? And also maybe how to post on social, how to interact on LinkedIn, which is my favorite platform or Twitter or whatever your, you know, you've got most. So that would be my, my suggestion. You know, I like that. And I think also that it kind of, it kind of harkens almost to the previous question. And that is, you know, we all need to be sharing our story. And we, we need to be, I think every time we share a story, I think it does something to us as well. You know, if you've ever been called upon to do a mission moment for your organization, it's, I believe it's just as powerful for you as it is for the whole group that you present to. And so I really like what you said. I would, I didn't think of it that way. I thought immediately, yes, media training, because you probably don't have a chain of command. I think for most organizations, it's best to say, never say no comment, but to say, you know, may I guide you to this professional because they can, you know, serve, serve, to a better extent. Having said that, the storytelling is at the core of where we're all going. And as we were talking earlier, you know, we're not doing that POE, that point of entry. So telling the story becomes even more important because we can't walk them up to the shelter or we can't walk them up to the art installation or I mean. Yeah, you can't show them. They can't hold the puppy, right? They can't hold the puppy. And if you can't hold the puppy, well, how are they going to, nobody's ever going to want to donate. Not true, right? Because we've all seen the Sarah McLaughlin video, right? Yeah, that makes everybody cry. But I think if we have, in my, in my opinion, in an executive team for media, really there should be one person who always takes everything. So there's one person who should be doing that media training and your CEO should already know how to do that, frankly. And I think if you teach everybody how to tell your story and how to tell a great story succinctly, the whole organization will benefit. That could be a really great use of funds. Yeah. And I also think too, it might be really fun in kind of team building. Very much so. Very interesting to take. What's your favorite story? Let's pick this impact story and how would you tell the story and to hear it from different points of view? I think it'd be really cool, really great. Because the media, it elicits so much fear and so much duress within an organization, within the individuals. But telling that story is something that, you know, should be part of your routine. So, wow. Suzanne, this has been amazing. It's hard to believe that our fryer, as Jared Ransom likes to say, is over. I mean, the time has just like whipped off. That was fast. That was super fast. I loved your answers. Thanks. They are not the answers that I would have necessarily come up with right away, which is the best, the best, because we always like having different views. Here's Suzanne's information. Livestron Foundation out of Austin, Texas, coming up on your 25th year, right? Yep, 25th year. It's pretty incredible, pretty incredible. It's really exciting. Well, we are just delighted that you would come and spend some time with us here on The Nonprofit Show. It's been a lot of fun. And I think there's a future with us somehow. We've got to get you back on to talk about other things because it's been a lot, a lot of fun. Again, I'm Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy. Jared Ransom, my non-profit nerd, your non-profit nerd, the non-profit nerd is off today. She'll be back with us, obviously, next week. And again, we want to thank our sponsors. Without you, we would not be here having such amazing conversations that we have day in and day out. So next week, we have a lot of really interesting guests coming on, talking about all different things from technology to security to CEO issues. I'm just a lot of different guests. So please check us out and stay with us as we launch into this really important time in the non-profit sector. We're going into Q4. And this is where the rubber meets the road for so many of us. So join us as we talk about all things that are going to help you make money and be more successful with your non-profit. Hey, Suzanne, I hope you get to have a restful weekend. Thank you, you too. And I just want to say for anyone who's tuned in, feel free to reach out to me. You can find me on LinkedIn. I'm really easy. Find me on at Livestrong. It's just Suzanne.Stone at Livestrong.org. And I'd love to help in any way I can. I really believe in lifting up others. So feel free to reach out. Well, you've been a joy to work with today. It's a great way to kick off the weekend. And as we like to tell everyone, as we end this week, which has been another tough week in our country, we want to remind everyone to stay well so you can do well. We'll see you back here on Monday, everyone. Thanks, Suzanne.