 So today, we have Mr. Tony Bell joining us as Senior Director, Office of Program Administration with the National University, and we are so thrilled to have you here with us, Tony. Again, this is our fifth and final episode during this Power Week, and we've been doing the hashtag Power Week each and every day, Tony, thanks to you and thanks to Fundraising Academy for joining us for this dedicated episode. You know, again, we had mentioned in our Chitty Chat Chat or our Green Room Chatter, there's so many wonderful, wonderful elements from the call-selling education model that many of you can use into your day-to-day operating systems, processes. I have done that recently and it's just been wonderful. Thank you, of course, to Fundraising Academy for not only being a Power Week sponsor but also for being a presenting sponsor with us each and every episode. We are the only national nonprofit broadcast, and we could not be where we are today without the continued support from our sponsors, each and every one of them. So please take the time to check them out, not now, but in about 29 minutes. We don't want you to miss today's episode because, Tony, we always say that Friday is one of our favorite episodes of the week because this is when we have dedicated each and every question that comes in from our viewers, from our sponsors, from individuals on social media, and they send in their questions in a variety of ways and we answer them. And that is exactly what you've joined me to do today, so welcome back and thank you. Thank you so much. And congratulations again on the success of the Power Week concept. I remember when you were floating the idea and just to see it happen and to see the success of it and to see the added value that it brings to the audience and to the sector. So I just wanted to wish you congratulations on the success of the concept. Well, thank you. Yes, absolutely. And thanks for jumping right in. We named it Something Similar to I Think What Comes on the Discovery Channel. It might rhyme with... Well, I probably shouldn't rhyme it right. Shark Week, kind of a mentality. And so we thought, you know, this would be fun. And so we've been able to do that again thanks to you, Tony, and the team. Absolutely. So this question is for Tony. We're diving right into your expertise here. So Leah in Denver, Colorado asked this question of you, Tony. Leah says, I'm quite impressed with the cause selling cycle program, but I cannot get my other development team members on board with the process. What should I do? And can I do this by myself without my team? It's a great question, Leah. And the snarky answer is leave them in the dust. But that's not the best, most collaborative partner kind of way to, you know, team player kind of way to approach this. So first of all, yes, you can implement it on your own. It's certainly, you know, more effective if an entire team is kind of leaning into the same process. But yes, you could be highly successful, you know, leaning into the cause selling cycle, because it's going to enhance your relationship skills and the success that you have in building relationships with, you know, potential investors and donors for the organization. One of the ways that you might consider getting them on board, and I think about Julia when I answer this way, because Julia and I both have talked about, and Jared, you've leaned into this as well, how we wish we had this tool early on in our career. And now that we have it, we can lead into it and embrace it. But what we're kind of learning to is that we were already doing some of these things, right? We were already actively engaged in some of these strategies. But we didn't consider them part of a full and complete and successful process. So I think that if you were to share some of the clips of the nonprofit show with your team members around cause selling, that they too might say, especially some of the ones that have been in the sector for a while, may too realize that they've been doing some of this all along. And here's how it fits into a larger process. And oh my goodness, here's a strategy that I knew about and somehow it just totally escaped my toolbox. And I haven't stepped in and looked for that tool in a long time. So that would be my response to that question. That is a great response, Toni. And as I think about the variety of organizations in which I've had the great honor to work with, some organizations have very robust systems. And that means they're donor database, others not so much, right? And so there really is, I believe, a way to integrate many of these cause selling, I want to say methodologies or elements, whether you have something super robust or not. I think, as you said, there's so many ways how we can incorporate the use of this. So Leah, I love your question. Maybe you should leave them in the dust, but I have a feeling when you do the cycle, they're going to be left in the dust anyway because everything works better with a plan. Everything works better with knowing what the next step is. So lead by example, I think is a great way to say, this is what I've been using and see how it makes a difference in your efforts. Absolutely. Yeah. And let us know how it goes. Because I think this would be really interesting. I know the whole lead by example is a great way in many lifestyles and structures. But it might just be, Leah, that your team recognizes the value and will say, tell us more. Absolutely. Tell us more. Okay. I think, too, just before we go off of that completely, and I think that's the importance, too, in team meetings is sharing your successes and the little successes along the way. And cause selling certainly allows you plenty of opportunities to celebrate the small successes along the way. So in those conversations and as you're sharing those small successes, you can relate them to the cause selling cycle. So folks aren't just seeing the benefits of the cycle when you get the gift, but the benefits of the process. Yeah. That's a great tip, too, because we all want to celebrate success. Absolutely. For sure. So Robert, in Los Angeles, California, Robert asked the question, I would like to reset our development team goals according to fundraising academies cause selling cycle, specifically tracking the action items from the different phases. And I usually refer to this as moves management. And so I know that that's, you know, when I use that vernacular to me, it's kind of the same. So it's tracking those actions in the phases. What would be the top three to five things that we should track in our CRM? Well, Robert, it's a great question. And I love how you're, you know, you're taking the opportunity to, to marry these strategies with your technology. I just, you know, I really celebrate how you, how you view the value of, of the combination of the two. And, and Jared and I were talking about this earlier before we, before we started. And we are also seeing clients and other organizations doing the same thing. So the first thing I would recommend is taking a look at the steps and determining what's best for your organization in terms of how you measure success. I don't want, I don't want, I don't want it to be implied that there's a one size fits all answer to this, you know, particular question. But there are ways that, that you, you know, some ways that you can consider doing it that you could recommend. So one would be just in the three phases. And that was something that Jared and I talked about, simply phase one, phase two, phase three, and, and using that another way. And one of the ways that, that we are looking at integrating it into our donor management system within our organization, we're looking at prospecting approach, the ask and stewardship. So those are, are the four steps that we're looking at. So with prospecting, we're including the pre approach within that prospecting category. And then with approach, we're including the needs discovery, the presentation, and the handling objections would all fit there. And then of course, the ask and stewardship. So, so that's just kind of a quick answer, Jared, from me around what I think in, in ways that folks can integrate the cycles or the actual steps into their CRM. I think that's great. And I'm curious, Tony, if you have any insight, this is a, you know, off the cuff question here, how we might be able to look at our CRM or our donor database, customer relationship management system, and see what already exists by way of acknowledging these action steps per Robert's question. So do you have any insight to say, okay, let's look at our database, let's see what functionality exists. And now let's couple that with our cycle. Yes. Yeah, but I think it's a really good question. I'm not an expert in, in this particular space, but this is what, this is what first comes to mind is making sure you have clear definitions around what you're seeing in, in your CRM. So, and it's a, that's a great exercise for, for anyone, pardon me, some of us still have landlines that we forget to turn off. You're very busy. We get it. Yeah, I'm not asking a live question, I guarantee you. So, so, and I think it's something good for organizations to do on an ongoing basis anyway, is to take a look at, you know, at your CRM and, and these areas and make sure that everyone's still in agreement with the definitions of, you know, of that. So with your existing CRM, that would be my, my recommendation. Look at the data, look at, at your categories, make sure that they're clearly defined and that there's consensus on the definitions of what you have. And then you could see how, how they may or may not just organically fit with either a site, either one of the steps or, you know, one of the phases of the cause selling cycle. So that's what, that's how I, that's my initial thought and approach. I like that. No, I think that's great. And, and so Robert, good luck with this. You know, there is lots of nuggets of information that Tony just shared when it comes to tracking those top three to five things in your CRM. So you're off to a great start and I can't wait to hear how it progresses. Ooh, this is a dual Judy and Matt in Kansas City. Judy and Matt write in and they ask, we are putting our entire fund development group into the cause selling process. Congratulations, by the way. Yeah, I love it. That's great. Yeah. Should we do a training for our board members as well? They are a large part of our fund development. This is such a good juicy question. I love, love this question. So yeah, so, so one really excited to hear that the entire team is going to be leaning in and to cause selling that, that of course makes us feel really good about the product and the curriculum. So I always feel like fundraising is a team sport and that board members are definitely a vital player on, on that team and an important player on the team. So just from that particular lens, I would absolutely support the board going through cause selling training as well. If you think that they would be overwhelmed by the entire process, then you might want to give them an opportunity to lean in and be trained on a particular phase that they're interested in, maybe survey them and say, you know, we're, we're, we're doing training on the cause selling cycle. The cause selling cycle is in three phases and eight steps. We'd like to invite the board to join us. Here are the phases or the steps. Which of these are you interested in? Please select all or, or the, or any, right? So, so giving them an opportunity to select what they feel like they're most interested in, in learning might be one way to go, to go about it. So one, I think just from the lens of fundraising being a team sport and board members being, you know, critical players on the team, absolutely. Then there's the other side of board development. And what I feel like is important for board members to engage in some type of professional development or professional learning that is connected to the nonprofit sector. As they would in their for-profit sectors and wanting to know what's the latest and the greatest, they should have that same understanding at some level of what's going on in the nonprofit sector. So cause selling I think fulfills two of my missions or visions for boards. And that is one that they are an active player in fundraising, but also that they lean into some type of professional development or professional learning, you know, connected with the nonprofit sector. You know, I agree. And I think this is a wonderful opportunity. There are many videos that fundraising Academy has produced several with us here with the nonprofit show. So there's an entire YouTube channel and that is a great tool to share. You know, and I'm thinking too, on a sheer educational informational point, this should absolutely be shared, I believe with your board and in particular your fund development committee, so that they understand your process, right? So when you have a breakfast that, you know, really speaks to, okay, these are the individuals that we want to bring into our breakfast. This is where they fit into our cause selling model, right? Perhaps they're in phase one. And perhaps we've already done the Madden test with them. And for those of you that question, what is the Madden test, right? I encourage you to go back, take a look at the video that we've done with Tony. It is a wonderful step and resource to identify who are the individuals that we think we should invite. So I think really having that education as you're speaking to Tony is phenomenal. And as you move through your year and your various campaigns, relate that back to the model, relate that back to say, this is where we are with this particular project as it relates to the model. And you brought up, yeah, that's so good, Jared. And you brought up, I think, a good point too, around just the library of pre-recorded, you know, just the library of digital content that's available around cause selling. And so you can think creatively around how to engage your board, you know, in that. So perhaps they are asked to review a specific episode of the nonprofit show and then you convene them and you have a conversation around what they saw and heard and learned and how they can, you know, actively implement that or how that ties to your development department's strategies and how that supports the goals of the organization. So you can get really creative in the way that you engage them in the curriculum because we continue to build a really robust digital library of content. Yes, absolutely. And I know when I use the word role play, people are like, but I still think there's great value, you know, I really think that when it comes to engaging your board or your team, I mean, just having these impromptu conversations, for me, it builds value in that impromptuness of not really, you know, knowing what words are going to come top of mouth, you know, in the conversation or top of mind. So I'm still a fan of it. I like it, but that speaks to my personality and to my Thesbian degree. Sure. So anyway, if that works for you, Judy and Matt, hopefully, hopefully that will bring value. Well, and there is tremendous value. And even folks that react like I did, you know, around the concept, you know, even folks like me that, you know, aren't real fond of the concept, the value is tremendous. And there's just, there's just no denying that. Right, right. Oh, I know. I mean, it's kind of the same with an icebreaker, right? People are like, no, I don't want to do that either. Okay, so Chandra has sent in our question. I believe this might be our final one of the episode, Tony. Okay, okay. Chandra asks our states, I would like to have our internal newsletter to our staff, which is about 75 individuals include a culture of philanthropy point or culture of philanthropy tip. And I feel that we need to get all of our team members thinking about fundraising. Is this too pushy? I, well, I don't think it's pushy at all. I think that including a culture of philanthropy point or tip in a newsletter is pretty soft, actually. I think it's, it's kind of a soft approach and a, you know, a good way to inform folks. But I don't think it's pushy at all. I would also consider if it doesn't already exist as part, you know, within your culture of philanthropy point or tip, some type of mission moment as well that, that celebrates a success, you know, for the organization and outcome of a program or a success, you know, around the fundraising strategy. But no, absolutely. Yes, all day, every day, every newsletter, that's not pushy at all. Not pushy. And I, and I think, you know, as we just talked about, our board members understanding the cycle, our fund development committee understanding the cycle, why not the team, right? Why not the entire organization, whether they're program related or, you know, fundraising volunteer, because this really is a piece of the greater mission. And I just believe the more people that are informed and understand the process or at least the intention behind the process, right? It seeks a win-win end goal, and that's what we're here for. And I do really appreciate the approach because the question was about building a culture of philanthropy. So it isn't so honed in on tools to fundraise, right? And it really is around building a culture. And that allows for so many topics within the newsletter. So some that, like, like I was saying, some that can be very specific to your mission. But it really does open up just a wider lane for themes and subjects that could exist in the newsletter, if your goal is to build a culture of philanthropy. And I heard recently, culture of generosity. And I loved that. I was thinking, you know, it's quite synonymous. Philanthropy is the act of giving. Generosity is, you know, being generous, perhaps in what you provide and give. And so I liked that culture of generosity phrase as well. Well, what I like about that is I think it sounds more welcoming. I think it implies that there's room for lots of people at the table to be generous. You know, philanthropy can often be perceived as something not obtainable by folks who want to be generous. And let's be honest, it's kind of hard to say and spell. I'll tell you, sometimes I would rather, it's funny you say that, but I'd rather, you know, spell philanthropy than entrepreneur sometimes. Well, and I think that's because we are in it. We hear it most often and frequently, but you're right. I think philanthropy comes with this grandiose title, and it's really not the amount of zeros that you put behind your donation. It is that simple act of giving. That is the definition of philanthropy. However, as you were saying, Tony, I do believe that it kind of, you know, comes across as hard to achieve. It's hard to get to that philanthropic level. And let's just say philanthropy as many times as we can right now. But it really is that culture of generosity and that culture of giving. It really is. But so I do, I love that culture of generosity because philanthropy, especially in today's environment, is valued in many different ways. It's valued in, what do we say, time, talent and treasure. So we're historically, when folks would hear the word philanthropy, they would only think about, you know, the monetary contribution that one can make to an organization. But that definition has been expanded. And I love, you know, hearing new ways to say it. So again, so that it's more welcoming, more inclusive. Right. Absolutely. And we, that's what we want to focus on is that inclusivity that everyone has the ability to make a difference truly. Absolutely. So important. Well, great question that came in, Chandra. Thank you so much for asking that. We wish you the best when it comes to including your culture of philanthropy or generosity point in that staff newsletter. I think that's a phenomenal idea. It sure is. It sure is. What a week, Tony. I know that today is your, your episode with us today. We've had Jack Elotto on. We had Pearl Hoaglin. And we also had Linise, I'm missing her last name, Andrade, right? Well done. Yes. Okay. Well, they were each spectacular. We talked to this entire power week again, hashtag power week on determining what a major gift is and how that might be defined within your organization. We talked about the major gift fundraising cycle, the traditional cycle, the cause selling cycle. So make sure you go back and take a look at that. We talked about prospecting for these major gifts and prospecting for the donors themselves. In stewardship, that was Linise's topic yesterday. She was such a phenomenal professional. I know, I know that I could sit and chat with her for hours. She was just a wealth of knowledge. And so it was a very robust week. And of course today with you, Tony Bell, it's just been fantastic. So thank you to everyone that has joined us for this nonprofit power week. Each and every one of today's and this week's I should say episode has been dedicated to major gifts. So Tony, what's what's happening at fundraising academy that you might want to send us off with? Is there anything that we should know? Yeah. So you know, I'm thrilled to share that we have a cause selling cohort that'll be starting in February. So for anyone that might be interested in earning a certificate in cause selling, they can go to fundraising academy.org and and take a look at that opportunity. I mentioned earlier we're building our digital library. So pretty soon we will have a digital portal for the fundraising academy with all kinds of great resources available to the nonprofit sector and and look forward to those enhancements to our program and look forward to our continued partnership with the nonprofit show. Well, thank you. The Accelerate program, I know that that is something coming up in February. I think there's still some more openings. I know I was interested in that and I've certainly shared some information with some of my colleagues. So if that piques your interest to anyone who's watching, make sure you check that out. There is still some room available and it looks like a fantastic program. It really does. It is. I mean that you know, aside from great curriculum and great takeaways, the relationships that you build through that cohort experience will stay with you your entire career. And it's a national. So it's not just your local community. You're able to really, you know, stay in touch and create this cohesive cohort team throughout the nation. So thank you for providing that opportunity and thank you to being a presenting sponsor with us each and every episode right along with our other presenting sponsors. You can see on the screen here. Just in a few minutes would be a great time to check these out. So if you stayed with us and you've eagerly been sitting on the edge of your chair wanting to look up more of these sponsors, you will have that time in just a little bit. Tony, thank you. And for anyone, everyone that is interested in finding Tony, this is where you can find him. He's also very active on LinkedIn and is very welcoming. So if there's any question that we didn't get to answer here today, please do make sure that you reach out to Tony and the National University Fundraising Academy. So it's been, it's been phenomenal. And again, that wraps up our nonprofit Power Week. While the episodes might be wrapped up, they exist in perpetuity. So make sure you check them out on our archive. And we are so very grateful to all of you for joining us. And Tony, you and your team for joining us for a fantastic week. Thank you. Thank you too. I mean, the time goes by too fast when we get together to do these. It does. And I think that's partly because we have such a shared passion for the nonprofit sector and for all of the great work that goes on out there. So we definitely want to send our thanks and gratitude to all of the folks out there that are raising funds to incredible causes, making a huge difference in their communities. I couldn't have said it better. Absolutely. And with it being a fryer, hopefully that means that each of you gets a rest this weekend. So if you're in a cold climate, I hope that you stay warm and stay well so you can do well. We'll see you back here on Monday.