 Welcome, thanks for joining us today. We are thrilled that you're here for another episode of the non-profit show. If you joined us in the green room chatter, you heard that I am super excited for today's conversation. I had the great privilege of meeting our guest, Muhi Kwaja, CFRE, Fundraising Academy Trainer at the recent AFP icon conference in Las Vegas. At that time, Muhi was there on the showroom floor. We pulled him into the live episode as we were broadcasting there on the floor. But you mentioned very briefly in this live episode in Vegas, Muhi about Ikigai, and we're going to talk about what this is and understanding the purpose of life. So thrilled to have you here. Let's get moving into, again, Julia Patrick. Thank you for creating this fantastic platform, and thanks for being the CEO of the American non-profit. You and your company bring so many great resources to our sector. I'm honored and privileged to serve alongside Julia as the co-host here of the non-profit show. Also known as your non-profit nerd, Julia likes to claim me for herself, but I like to remind you, there is so much nerdiness to go around. I'm also the CEO of the Raven Group, and Julia and I are graciously honored to have the presenting sponsors that we have for these episodes. Today is episode 565, so we are moving and grooving right along thanks to Bloomerang, American Non-profit Academy, Fundraising Academy, Non-profit Nerd, your part-time controller, Staffing Boutique, and the non-profit thought leader. So we, again, just want to say thank you to our presenting sponsors. You keep these conversations going. Again, 565, marching towards 600. You can find us on Roku, YouTube, Fire TV, Vimeo, as well as podcasts. So if you're a big podcaster like I am, you can go ahead and queue us up on your podcast streaming channels, and you can listen to us wherever you might be. So Fundraising Academy is not new to us, Muhy, but I do believe you are somewhat new to Fundraising Academy. You're not new to our sector, but let me first welcome you, again, Muhy Kwaja, CFRE trainer, of course, with Fundraising Academy, but you shared with me earlier, Muhy, that you are also the co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation. So I want to welcome you. I want to say thank you for all that you do for our world globally, and just a warm welcome here to the episode. Oh, thank you so much, Jared. It's a real pleasure to be here today and really excited to just have a conversation with you about things that I have learned in my career and could be helpful to other people. I'm always a big proponent of continuously learning in my life. And I joined the Fundraising Academy for that very reason. Back in April, I joined as a trainer, and I've been in this industry right out of college. I had an internship at the University of Michigan. It was called the Development Summer Internship Program, and they took seniors graduating and they put them in the development office and they taught them for a whole semester. We worked 30 hours a week. It was paid, and then we also had a class on Fridays. So it was really fascinating to just be dipped into this career and seeing the opportunity. So I'm very fortunate to have been in fundraising for 13 years already, and it's crazy to say that, but I've been everything from associate development officer, a one-person development team to a chief development officer. And also, as you mentioned, starting a nonprofit, the American Muslim Community Foundation. So I love sharing these best practices and Fundraising Academy give me that opportunity to continuously teach and facilitate conversations around major gifts, around fundraising, best practices. So it's a really great partnership. Yeah, absolutely. I kind of sat up straighter when you said 13. We're both teenagers. I just want to acknowledge that because I started my business, the Raven Group 13 years ago. And so I've been playing with the teenager vernacular as well. So thanks for sharing that. And again, thanks for all that you do. So again, back in Vegas, we had this conversation, it was very casual and it was brief. And you were like, I'd really like to come on the show and talk about Iki Guy. First of all, I had no idea how to say it. I had no idea how to spell it. So would you please walk us through the defining concept of this? Where does it come from? What does it mean? And how do you live it? Yeah, that is a huge question. And we only have so much time, but I will do my best to summarize for you what this concept means. And Iki Guy is a Japanese concept. Iki comes from the word ikuru, which means to live. And guy is a suffix that means like worth or value. So the whole idea of practicing Iki Guy means finding value in your day-to-day life. It's supposed to bring you closer to your family and community. And it's really like, think of like a Venn diagram. It is what you love, what the world needs, what you're good at, and what you can get paid for. So if you combine all of those things, that is in a nutshell, Iki Guy. And the reason why that's so cool is because if you think of like something you love and something you're good at, if you overlap those two things, that's gonna be like what passion is. But if you think of like what you can be paid for and what you're good at, that's like what your profession is. And if you think of like what the world needs and what you can be paid for, that's like what your vocation is. But then if you think of like what you, the world needs and what you love, that's like your mission in life, right? So like if you healthfully or happily combine all of those things, then you can get satisfaction, delight, comfort, and excitement. And that is what Iki Guy is all about. Go on, I'm listening. I could just sit here and just like take all of this in. I recently did a presentation for one of our partner agencies, Bloomerang, about finding and living in your zone of genius. And so as you define the concept of Iki Guy, it makes me think very similarly of that. I too provided a Venn diagram, right? And I was like, if you can find that thing that you love to do and it doesn't feel like work, like you found it. It's clearly, it takes a little bit more than that. But if someone had told me in elementary school that getting in trouble for talking was gonna become my profession, I of course would have laughed, right? Here we are in conversation. I get paid to talk. We get paid to ask for money. We get paid to have coffee, lunch, dinner, cocktails with donors like, come on, we saw this talent early, early in our life. So that's the concept of Iki Guy. Well, let's move in, Muhee, to how this is impacting our sector, our nonprofit professionals. And I'd like to just throw it out there and say, where are you right now? Yeah, so right before we jump into that, I wanna share a little bit more on Iki Guy. And you mentioned about early on in your life or things that you were passionate about. Iki Guy is supposed to be what's found intrinsically in you. Each of us have a natural inclination towards something, but then adulthood came and you have responsibilities and all of these things, right? So if you think of what it was you were truly passionate about, I remember being like fascinated with the cosmos and astronomy, but I also remember like having traits of like being a natural leader in my community youth group and like all of these things. So that's like what I leaned into and all throughout my like high school, college, I was president of this, president of that, like so hyper-involved. And those were the things that I believed I could do, but maybe my parents didn't see it as a natural career path, but then luckily this internship came around, right? So think of all the things like what type of income you want, what type of standards of living you want, all of those things factor in, but it really comes down to some of these five pillars of Iki Guy. And the first pillar is like starting small, right? You wanna make sure that whatever it is you do, you do what you do best. You know how to say no. How important is that, right? Like also taking care of your energy, like not feeling drained. So then the second pillar is releasing yourself. It's about just like really allowing yourself to fall into the fold of life and like bring things in naturally. The third is harmony and sustainability. The fourth is the joy of the little things and the fifth pillar is being in the here and now. So like presence. So all of these things plays such a critical role and we can jump into how these things are relatable to the nonprofit life as well. You asked where I am and I am in Lima, Peru for the entire month of June. I'm gonna be traveling over the next four months. So I'm not gonna be back in the United States until October and that's if I decide to come back, right? We'll see how I feel in October. But I've been giving myself these four months to travel. I'm doing it through a program called Remote Ear for anybody who works remotely. It's a fantastic travel work program. They take care of your accommodations in terms of a place to stay, a workspace and they curate experiences for you. Last weekend I was in the Amazon jungle. How crazy is that? It's amazing. You too. So really taking this moment to live my life and really live by my own terms. I have gone through a lot of transitions in the last year that allowed me the affordability to do something like this. So now I'm just really leaning into doing the things that I've always loved. And I think if we relate that back to like the nonprofit world, we wanna make sure that our employees, our colleagues avoid burnout, right? We wanna make sure that they're passionate about our missions. These are people who are marketing and fundraising and helping the organization accomplish its mission. Are they really there for that purpose? Are they happy in their job? Are you somebody who's making somebody else's job miserable, right? Let's talk real. Like what are you doing to make the workplace an amazing atmosphere? So you may wanna send this to that CEO or that director that's pissing you off. Yeah, hand-tint, wink, wink. But honestly, like there's nothing more important than your talent on your team, right? At American Muslim Community Foundation, I'm so grateful for the team that we have. I was full-time at AMCF for two years. After I left the Red Cross in 2019, I did AMCF full-time until 2021. I took a step back. We hired a full-time executive director. They also hired a nonprofit manager, a donor manager, part-time. So those three people are doing what I used to do all on my own. And there's a lot of things that needed to be done better and that's why I needed to bring in the help because I'm not much of a process person. I'm a very big vision, get an idea, accomplish it. But somewhere along the way, a lot of steps were missed and it's just like he has this idea and he can do anything, but internally, we needed an executive director to be more process-oriented and work with the board of directors and do a lot of things. And I realized that and I accepted that. And as a founder, that was a challenge for me to step away from something that I love, that I created on a piece of paper and brought into fruition. So it was a long journey to get to that point but now I get to work 10 hours a week there and just do big vision strategy, fundraising, the things that I love and the other people get to right-size the ship and help the organization scale and grow and we're better for it. So what I'm hearing and thank you for all of this and sharing so transparently where you are today, where you'll be through October, this to me, it's so exciting. I know that over the last couple of years, pandemic's plural, not just COVID-19, right? But we're talking social injustice, environmental crisis, political divide. There's really so many of us have really taken the time as I close my eyes and thank so many of us have taken the time to assess what's important. And this IkiGuy concept is so important. You shared the five principles earlier, thanks for that. I know I need to go back and listen to each and everyone. I'm sure we could Google it and find it as well. But is this, I can't help but think because I shared with you, I have a son, we're very rooted to his school schedule. So how do we implement IkiGuy if we don't have the ability to live a more nomadic lifestyle? And IkiGuy does not mean nomadic, like it's not synonymous, but how are we able, because I can only imagine, Muhe, that we probably have some viewers and listeners that are saying, if I were young again, I would do this. Or if I, you know, wasn't married or had kids and other family commitments, I would absolutely do this. Many of us too are in the season of parenting our parents. And so that keeps you in another kind of rooted space. How does this impact, you know, you talked about, you talked about our nonprofit professionals and I appreciate that. What about donors? And I mean, I just said a lot in that. And so if you can kind of like sift and filter through that, but my next level is thinking, okay, those of us of nonprofit professionals that aren't spring chickens as we once used to be and the impact on donors, can you just address all of that? Again, I threw out everything in the kitchen sink, but I'm gonna let you sift through it. I know, no worries. So I would say like, you know, I'm 37 years old. On paper, it feels like I, you know, should be doing a lot of things in my life that maybe the status quo, but the reality of my situation as well is that I'm exiting a 13 year relationship. I'm now independent. I, you know, don't have dependents that I feel like I need to provide for. So a lot of transitions in my life allow me to be a little more nomadic. And I was ready to live that RV van life. Like I was gonna tour across the country when I got back in October. I bought an RV, Jared, I kid you not, it was stolen. So like the universe was telling me like, maybe put some pause on that, right? Now, if that's not a sign. I thought I had my life figured out how hilarious, right? This was just the universe. God saying like, I'm actually in control. Like you just sit back and do your thing. And luckily it was insured and like still figuring that out with insurance. But the idea and the concept is like for me, what brings me happiness is being a little nomadic, is being a little adventurous, is going on those hikes and exploring and doing all those things. So I feel like that is my picky guy. But for somebody else, it may be more pulling them towards their profession or pulling them towards a mission and things like that. So really it's what is inside of you and that's gonna be your purpose of life. Icky guy, when it comes to donors, when I think of that, it's like people give away their money, not only to feel good about making the world a better place and maybe their religion calls them to do that in some aspect, but really I think it's for their own Icky guy. It's for their own purpose in life. It's like the issue that they wanna solve. Maybe they're super passionate about education or maybe they're super passionate about food and security in their zip code. And when they donate, even if it's a hundred bucks, everyone's a philanthropist. Let's list that, right? Thank you. And you don't need to be of a certain socioeconomic status to be able to give money away. Maybe you give from your time, maybe you give from your talent. There are other means to philanthropy than just money. So we need to redefine what that means for us. But when it comes to a donor seeking their purpose and really I think of myself as a philanthropic advisor, right? What can I help this family accomplish with their charitable giving, even if it's only $500, even if it's $500,000, but maybe to them that's a drop in the bucket, right? So you really have to think of like, have the deep conversations with your donors. What's the purpose of them supporting your organization? Why do they support the organization? What other organizations do they support? This is really getting into the psyche of the donor and talking to them about this concept of Iggy Guy and how it aligns with their charitable giving. Sure, why not? It may be an entry to a conversation. Have you heard about this concept of Iggy Guy? I found it really fascinating and it talks about the purpose of life. I'd love to hear more about your purpose in life and what you try to accomplish when you donate your charitable giving. So I think these are all inroads and things that will get your donors thinking and appreciate your insight in the conversation. So there's a lot of ways in which you can bring this concept into the donor atmosphere. So a few other things about donor relationship management, like always I love talking about lapsed donors and just being able to put a different strategy and spin on things for those donors. So this might actually be a good aspect of reengaging the donors by asking a question, right? Like yeah, the small talk of like, hey, have you been or hey, I noticed you didn't give last year or this that the other, but really something that will get them to pause, get them to think, get them to reflect on why they gave to your organization in the first place. These are all ways in which you can reengage your donor and bring your organization top of mind. So those are the best opportunities to get people into your donor network again. And it's far easier each of you know to retain a donor than it is to acquire a donor. So going back to that pool of people who have lapsed, even if it's been three years, five years, still dig deep, have hope, be persistent. I feel like I'm giving myself dating advice, but... So it's called... Call me if you need more. Call me, because I've been there too. We can give you advice. You know, as you're talking about icky guy with the donors and pulling that into the cause selling education model that fundraising academy provides. First of all, I'd like to challenge our viewers and listeners if you could, you know, to include icky guy into your conversation. Included, I'm already thinking, Muhy, like what's my next email that's going out that mentions icky guy, right? That shares this episode that literally takes us from, tell us what got you involved with this organization to what is your icky guy, you know? Like what drives you, what makes you passionate? I, you know, again, talk about my son. For me, the icky guy for me is also as a family, what are our core values? Where do we want to give as a legacy? And I love, gave you snaps for everyone's a philanthropist. Everyone has the ability to give time, talent, treasure. We all have this innate ability to make a difference. I believe, and I hear you say that you believe as well. So I, as you're talking, I'm already thinking of that email communication that elevates, you know, icky guy. And first of all, you know, all of us need to Google and learn how to spell it and say it. I practiced and literally was very phonetic when I wrote it out, I-C-K-Y-G-U-Y, icky guy. So that's how I was able to learn it. But I just love all of this. I feel like there's so much more that we could talk about. We talked about, you know, truly looking at this from the nonprofit professional perspective. And I've had the great opportunity of talking to so many nonprofit leaders, you know, when it looks at how you want to live your life, you know, whether it's nomadic, buying an RV, which I'm so sorry to hear yours got stolen, but you're right, there was a message to be learned. And then we talked about how it impacts our donors. And our very few minutes left, Muhy, I would love for you. And we touched on this, but how more might we share the concept of this? Yeah, I think, you know, the thing that I love doing is like strategic planning for like nonprofit organizations, for people who want to start their businesses, for just like brainstorming of like the potential possibilities, right? And we do this all the time in our profession, but how often do we do it in our personal lives? So that's what I feel Ikegaya is, is like, it's our strategic plan, it's our roadmap, it's our journey to happiness, right? So really, if you think of it in that way, yeah, we should be putting a lot of self development time here, right? Do you have, you know, coming back to the workplace, like is there trust between coworkers and leaders? Is there pride in the role that you perform? Is there camaraderie in the workplace? All of these things are so important. And whether you have this conversation with colleagues or loved ones, family, friends, everyone in between, I think there's something that people can do in their life to make that shift from, you know, everybody's been burnt out. Whether you realize it or not, you've been burnt out. So the way that I see it is, how can you avoid that? How can you build in systems in place to that the quality of your life? You know, I often say, I wanna become a lifeaholic, I've been a workaholic, it sucked, you know? So I'm here to help remind myself first and foremost and each and every one of you that there's so much that we as individuals have to offer the world and ourselves, right? We control our own happiness. And if we can't figure out what our purpose in life is, we need to make the time to do it because you wanna wake up with that sense of fulfillment. Yeah, the coffee needs to get you there. But if you can wake up, have that positive attitude, find that happiness and joy, there's something really special in life. We talked about in the Green Room Chatter, you know, our conversation today provides the modeling for others. And, you know, I shared that I recently purchased a very small condo in Park City, Utah. And that is a bit of my icky guy of saying, hey, I want to spend my summer in a cooler climate where I can be more active. I can take those hikes. I can, you know, kind of find respite in nature. And so that's a way for us to share the concept of icky guy, this conversation, sharing this episode with other people, you know, sharing the concept with your donors, with your development team, with your staff, also learning, which I'm not gonna let you miss this because you said it and I'm gonna repeat it. Where are you pissing people off to where you're kind of snuffing their icky guy, right? Like, where are we snuffing other people's icky guy? I'm guilty, right? I get into this drive mode of solutions and process. And I'm sure I'm snuffing someone's icky guy. And just to have that awareness, I appreciate and honor that you brought that up, Muhy, because it's so, that self-awareness is interesting. So as we share the concept, living the concept, implementing the concept, no matter the size, I think it's really important. My big question to you as we wrap up is, are you writing a book? Oh man. You know, I'd rather talk about things than write. I don't know. That's just me and my personal preference. There's so many good resources and things that I've benefited from reading. I don't think I have anything additional to add that is that much of value. I feel like everything that I've shared is like just regurgitated things that I have accomplished, right? It's not like my own concept. It's not like anything like that. However, maybe for my journeys in life. Yes. A memoir, like a published all, like I don't know if I can even do that because I live such a wild life, Jared. You could. I can't publish a book. You could have a plastic sleeve over it. And behind the counter. But I love that. I've been listening to you. It has inspired me. It's motivated me. I just want to honor and appreciate who you are as a person, who you are as a spirit. Thank you so very much. Mujiquaja for who you are and being a CFRE for those of you at Certified Fundraising Executive, which means he's a total nonprofit nerd himself. Loves to, yeah, there you go. Loves to raise money. He's also a trainer with Fundraising Academy. Please check out fundraising-academy.org. And you also heard him say he's a co-founder. He's co-founder of the American Muslim Community Foundation. Thank you for sharing that co-founder story. Thank you for sharing how you stepped away, hired an executive that brought talents that maybe weren't your greatest skillset and allowed the organization to flourish under new leadership, different leadership in a way that you saw was really beneficial to the organization. So I appreciate all of that. Of course. Yeah. Really happy to be here. Thank you. And thanks to Julia again for being the CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy, allowing me to serve alongside as the co-host and have these fantastic conversations that are my love language. They fill up my cup and they just make me, they make me so happy and proud to be in the sector. I'm also extremely happy and proud to have the ongoing support from many of our presenting sponsors. Those of you watching, you can see their logo on the screen. And I encourage you to check them out. Those of you listening, I'm gonna say the companies for you so that you don't miss a beat and you can check them out too. So thank you so very much to Bloomerang American Nonprofit Academy, fundraising academy, non-profit nerd, your part-time controller, staffing boutique and the non-profit thought leader. Well, if we haven't plugged it enough, this episode can be found on so many of our channels, Roku, YouTube, Vimeo, Fire TV, as well as podcasting. I hope I hit all those. If not, our executive producer will remind me. But this is an episode you will want to share. You'll probably want to listen to it again. I know I will. And just thank you. Thank you, thank you, Muihi, for all that you are, all that you offer. I wish you the very best safe travels and journey. Thank you so much. Looking forward to seeing all the other episodes. Yes, thank you. For all of you that have joined us, we're gonna end today's show as we do every single day. Again, today is 565, if you're counting, some of us are. But again, please, please stay well so we can all continue to do well. Thank you so much.