 Before we get going too further in, I want to make sure that we thank all of our presenting sponsors who are here with us day in and day out and they include Blumerang, American Nonprofit Academy, your part-time controller, non-profit thought leader, Fundraising Academy at National University where we are joined by, or joined with Tony Bell, Staffing Boutique, non-profit nerd and non-profit Tech Talk. We have three, over these three years, and now we're going into four years. We've really developed three main ways that you can now get the non-profit show. So of course, if you're joining us live, that's great. We have so many more ways you can get to us. We're streaming on all these different platforms. We now have our archives on podcast and we have now just launched an app that you can scan right here if you're watching us and access and download our new app, which will allow you to get even more content more quickly. So yeah, join us because we are growing and we have so many exciting things. Before we jump in, I really want to talk about Cultivate, Tony, because this is a really exciting thing. Can you share with us a little bit about what's going on in Cultivate 2023? Yeah, so thank you for the opportunity, Julia. So we're really excited to invite fundraisers and board members and anyone that's passionate about fundraising and building relationships to our inaugural Cultivate conference. So as it shows here on the screen, June 1st from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at our Spectrum Campus in San Diego. So we'll have educational tracks to support emerging leaders, to support fundraisers that have been in the game for a while. And really, again, just focusing on the relationship aspects of fundraising. I think this will be amazing. And we know about the different trainers from Fundraising Academy that come throughout so many different parts of the US and to bring everybody together under one roof is really going to be a lot of fun. And something that hasn't really been able to be done for a number of years because of the pandemic. And so this will be a lot of fun. You can also scan that handy dandy QR code in the lower left third of the slide. If you're watching us live or on one of the archives and we'll get you set up. Is there a cost to attend this? Yeah, there there is a there is a small fee and you're going to ask me what that is. And I'm not going to remember it off the top of my head. Thank you for the QR code. I will say, though, that we were so grateful to just an abundance of professionals that submitted applications to present at the conference. So far more than we could have possibly accepted. So that in and of itself is very exciting and and will be announcing soon, just really the, you know, the topics and everyone will get to see just the the caliber, if you will, of expertise that will be there supporting everyone's continued professional development. Right. Well, and I'm hopeful that and I haven't we haven't totally confirmed this up, but I believe that we're going to be bringing the nonprofit show to that event as well and broadcasting our morning show from there. You know, it's someplace within the mix. So for those of you that come and we'll have more information about that in the coming weeks, you'll be able to meet us and be part of that. OK, well, yeah, it'll be a lot of fun. Let's get on to our first question, which interestingly enough comes to us from San Diego, John says, how do we get the board to understand our development team, how our development team actually works? They don't seem to understand the process of building relationships. Our board seems to think that it's just asking, which is a problem. You know, we get this question in some form or fashion. I swear to God, every month, I was going to say probably every day. Well, yeah, I mean, but it's oh, my God, it's to me, it's like shocking how much this gets asked. Well, I would say since you're in San Diego, please feel free to invite your board to attend Cultivate. I think that they would learn a lot about what it really means to be a successful fundraiser, a successful relationship driven fundraiser. They'll get a lot of insight. And there will be a professional development and learning tracks that board members will actually find very, very informative. So shame on me. I don't usually pitch like that, but it was just a perfect San Diego board. It was just perfect. So yes, so this really is, you know, the big question, like you were saying, pretty much every month, if not every day. Part of so I think about a number of different ways that I have tackled this in different organizations and and again, depending on kind of the culture of your organization, the size of your organization, what the true purpose of your board is in terms of their their governance of the organization, because every organization's board governs a little differently. So so I think about all the different things that that might take place when you consider all of the variables. So one is take a board member along with you when you go to a meeting with a potential donor so that they can kind of see the process in action. Sit down and maybe depending on the board member style, maybe a some type of flowchart or work stream visual to show them all of the steps along the way, you know, with a little definition about those steps and why they're important. Similar to the call selling cycle, but but very specific to your engagement and how you implement your strategies. So I think about those things. And then the other thing I think about is to have them reflect on their own business. So what do they what do they do? And what do they do successfully? And what role do relationships play in the success of their business? Wow, OK, so that is something I've never heard before. But you know what, I love that because I think that's one of the things that the more you can make the ecosystem of the nonprofit resonate with the reality of that board member who generally is coming from the business world. Brilliant. I think that is a brilliant way to get that board member to be more engaged, to understand the importance and the value of their service. That's super brilliant. Good job. Oh, well, thanks. And we see that a lot when when I had the pleasure of working with a lot of boards directly and doing some board development work. It was really interesting. The board members were super successful and the for-profit sector and for some reason just not being able to connect how their skill sets benefit the nonprofit. So so with those kind of conversations, like, OK, well, well, how would you respond to this question or this scenario in your for-profit? Well, guess what? It's most of the time the same. So so really getting them to understand, you know, connect that helps a lot. You know what, that is super genius. That is just like to me, like that that that just is like blows my mind because I can see what that attitude and that approach that you're going to also you're not only going to build a stronger relationship and in better connectivity, but you're going to send that board member back out to be more aware of what potentially could occur. I hope so. Versus just showing up for the board meeting and being present for that moment because that doesn't help us. We need our board members to be thinking about us as they navigate their workday world, not just a second Tuesday of every month from four to six or whatever, right? No, right, right exactly. And then last, then the last thing on this, Julia, would be, you know, education. So there's plenty of, you know, plenty of subject matter experts, you know, in our field around board development and getting this kind of connectivity and understanding around what development really means. So there's lots of great blogs and articles out there. So, you know, encourage your board members to really become, again, educated just like they would stay educated in their for-profit careers. Yeah, that's really, that's good advice because everybody brings their hands about this conversation. And it doesn't seem like we often offer actionable things, right, that make sense, that are positive as opposed to punitive. A lot of times, Tony, and before I move on to the next question, I feel like this question leads to the implementation of stronger board policies and board agreements. And if you will, contracts, I will raise so much money. You know what I mean? It's like, yeah, it kind of can become punitive at that point. Yes, well, and I think it's important that you mention that because, you know, we need to remind ourselves that board members are volunteers. Right, they're volunteers with the highest level of accountability to the organization, but they're still volunteers and we want them to have a great experience and to feel valued. So, yeah, punitive is not the way. No, it's, well, it doesn't really get you very far. I mean, because that's working from a point of shame and fear. Right. That might work for like a two-year-old, but it doesn't have a lot, it doesn't have a lot of shelf. No peeps for you. You too. Oh my God, that's the best. Hey, name withheld, city withheld. You know, these are my favorite questions. We are trying to convince our CEO that she should be nominated for some community awards. She's hesitant to saying she's not worthy. Our marketing communications department think this is good business and builds our brand. Help. Isn't that an interesting question? Yeah, you know, it really is. And so my assumption, and I know I say this every time I'm on the show with you, there's a lot that we have to assume and write in a lot of these questions. But one I'm going to say congratulations, because I'm going to assume that this CEO really comes from a place of servant leadership, that they have the necessary amount of humility to be a really great leader. So I'm going to make that assumption. I would also remind the CEO that being nominated doesn't mean you're going to win. Oh my God, that's hilarious. But it's always an honor to be nominated. So I mean, there are a lot of benefits. I think the first conversation that needs to happen is around the CEO's comfort level, with just, again, that kind of visibility, that kind of recognition, and really coaching. It says she, so coaching her through how to really accept the flowers when they come her way. And look at it as more fuel for her engine and not something that she should be ashamed of. And it is true. It does a lot of good for your brand. The brand recognition, the brand credibility, all of those things exist when your CEO or anyone within your leadership is being recognized in the community for the work that they're doing. So I love any opportunity to celebrate anyone that's doing work in the nonprofit sector. So I would encourage a name withheld to work closely, again, closely with their CEO to figure out if there's some coaching that needs to take place just for them to be able to embrace the recognition that I'm sure they so deserve. Right, I think it sounds harsh, but people want to jump on the bandwagon of a winner. And so this would be a cultivation point for board members, for staff, for community partnerships. I mean, the media attention alone, these types of events normally have a media component, right? I mean, for a magazine or TV station. So I think of it as a huge win for the organization. It is a huge win. Yeah, I think you got to get that CEO over that hump. Because it's frankly, I think it's a part of doing business, Tony. It is, it is. I think you got to kind of look at that. Well, hopefully that helps name withheld, city withheld. Hey, Eric from Portland, Oregon writes, and we are thinking about setting a dollar amount that our CEO can commit our nonprofit contracts to before it goes to the full board for approval. Have you heard of this? And what would be a good number? A lot of times we call this a cash drawer limit or drawer limit, where let's say they're going to execute a contract for a multi-year lease, or they're going to buy a big piece of equipment, or they're going to enter into maybe even a working relationship with another nonprofit that involves contracting or service, something like that. It's a good question, especially in a changing economy, where some contracts that might have gotten situated years ago were great, and now they're not so great. Yeah, that's, it is an interesting question, and I'm struggling a little bit with the dollar amount and contracts. So when you were first reading it, and I was reading it along with you, I connected dollar amount more so to services and kind of invoices. So when I had the honor of serving in executive positions at nonprofits, it was either a $2,500 cap in terms of expenses that I could commit to, and those were pretty, I mean, those were small grassroots organizations, but even at the larger one, I think the maximum that I could commit to from the organization as an executive director or CEO was $5,000. Okay, wow, that's low. No, I know. Who did you, so in that process, who was, was there like a person you could go to, like the CFO or board chair, or did it have to go in front of like the whole board? Well, no, if it was $5,000 or less, it didn't have to go to anybody. Right. Yeah, but anything above that, then yes, it would first be presented to the executive committee for them to vet, and then the executive committee would bring it to the full board. Wow, so that would take like at least a month. Yeah, depending, yeah, yeah, depending. But again, when I'm thinking contracts, I'm thinking of, I'm thinking long runway initiatives look so, you know, so there's probably approval processes that would take place along the way. You know what I mean? Even just the initial draft of a contract would probably have board review before it moved, you know, board and legal review before it moves on to the partner or the vendor for an actual signature. So a lot of it has to do with, you know, how conservative your board is, you know, what is their level of oversight? What is the level of trust in the CEO? I mean, there's so many factors that play into this, but your CEO should, based on the comfort of the board, at least have some level of autonomy, you know, some threshold for which they can run the business day to day without constantly having to turn to someone for approval for, you know, items that are only a couple hundred dollars. Yeah, I mean, it's just such a slow way to do business. And if you're not empowering that CEO to run the business, man, that's a tough thing. However, I do think it's a good idea, Tony. I mean, I think that you can get into a situation where you have leadership that changes and then the organization's hogtie to contracting that was, you know, put into place and then you've got to clean up a mess or navigate forward, you know, without any process, having been a part of the process for making it. And you could put policies in place that are vendor specific. Okay. That's smart. Yeah. You know, so to your example earlier, anything real estate related, full board from A to Z. If it is the annual gala and you're working with, you know, the host hotel and all of those vendors. Well, you know what the budget is for the event, sign away, right? So, you know, so it may be a good thing to really think about, you know, the various kind of vendors or areas where contracts might exist and determine the level of, you know, authorization based on that. That's really smart. And I would not have thought of that. Eric, I hope that this helps you out. Knowing that you're looking at this as smart. And again, as Tony mentioned, it's really going to be tied to the size of budget your organization works with and how they navigate that. So, yeah, really interesting question. Okay. Pat from Denver writes in, we're gearing up staff wide training. Some of our staff ask if we could have board members participate. These trainings have nothing to do with board work, but it might help for them to understand what we do. So interesting. We're talking about programming safety and other skills. Is this a good idea or not? Very interesting. I don't think we've ever had this question. No, not that I recall on any show that I've been on. And I'm trying to think about, you know, I'm just reflecting on my experience and other stories I've heard out in the field. There are times where board members and staff do participate in trainings together. And really, safety has been one of them. Especially for brick and mortar nonprofit organizations. And especially unfortunately in today's landscape where crisis planning is more and more relevant and necessary. So I see staff and boards participating together in a lot of that type of training. If you're going through training that's around your programming, when we think about board members as being part of our fundraising team and our greatest ambassadors out in the community, I think it's worth offering an invitation for them to come in and understand more deeply around the work that's taking place and around the programs. I can't think of any reason not to include them. Again, nuances, board dynamics. There are plenty of reasons not to do it, depending on nuances and dynamics, you know, with your board. But when we think about what's best for the business, and when we think about what's best in terms of not only our staff, but our board members being as well rounded as they can possibly be to succeed in their role, I see no reason why you can't extend an invitation for them to attend. Yeah, I agree. And I also think too that, you know, if nothing else, a lot of times all the board, they see the C-suite or a handful of people, but they don't see the folks in the trenches and they don't learn names. And then, you know, I think that that kind of builds to the whole issue of, oh, it's the board. And, you know, and that's not a healthy thing. I think it's a good thing to get everybody kind of on the same page. Yeah, it really does help prevent the Ben versus us mentality or culture, you know, that can exist when, you know, frontline team members feel like they're so disconnected from really senior leadership. Great. Well, we've got time for one more question. And this is an interesting question because I think this probably happens more than we know. Marianne writes to us from St. Louis, how do I ask a donor if they should include their spouse at our next meeting? It is a woman and I hate to act like she needs her husband's permission to donate. I'm having anxiety over this. I really don't know how to navigate this. It's a cost-selling question for sure. So, yeah, I'm having a little trouble navigating this as well. So, it's a great question. And I'm sure Marianne is not the only person that thinks this. If I were to give you my absolute, honest, transparent answer, my first reaction is to think if there's some unconscious bias that exists in this conversation. So, that's the first thing that comes to mind. But there may have been, as you follow the cost-selling cycle and you're in your needs discovery phase of the cost-selling cycle, Marianne may have picked up on certain words or phrases that led her to believe that the wife in this case may not necessarily be empowered or feel empowered to make the decision on her own. I'm not going to even try and phrase a question for Marianne because I just think that there are so many variables. But if you are going to find a way to recommend or ask if someone else should review or Marianne might say, I'm willing to have this conversation with others. If you want others to meet with me and gain the same level of trust that you have, so there are ways to maybe position it like that. But really to be super sensitive around any type of unconscious bias that approaching this in the wrong way might create. I love what you said. Is there anybody else who you may want to include in future discussions because that could be a sibling, that could be a child, the next generation of heirs, that could be a financial advisor, an attorney, obviously a spouse. So yeah, that's cool. I think that's smart. And before we go on office, this really should have kind of been figured out earlier in the process of cost-selling. If Marianne's following that process on the needs now, correct? I mean, that's where you would do it. Yeah, the whole needs discovery piece of the cost-selling cycle is where you really kind of understand this. And that's why I was saying, sometimes it's a little difficult and maybe Marianne is in that needs discovery phase. And it was picking up on some clues that maybe someone else needs to also hear the message and have the same level of trust. I love it. Very interesting. Well, good luck to you because this is the big thing and you want to make sure you're doing it right. Hey, Tony Bell, Senior Director, Relationship Center, National University. Love, love, love, spending time with you. You always need something new to think about and a new way to talk about all things nonprofit. Thank you. Thank you for once again the pleasure of being here. It's always an honor. It's really a lot of fun. There's never a time that I'm not with you that you don't spark a new thought for me. And that's a cool thing. I love that. Hey, working new thoughts with us every day are our partners as well. And they include Blumerang, American Nonprofit Academy, Your Part-Time Controller, Nonprofit Thought Leader, Fundraising Academy at National University where Tony joins us from, Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Nerd, and Nonprofit Tech Talk. These are the folks that join with us day in and day out. Tony, I checked before we came on air today and I think this is episode 772. We're remarkable. Yeah, it is. I remember when you were celebrating like show 100 or show like 300 or something. So congratulations to both of you. Yeah, I mean, I thought 100 was a milestone. But anyway, yeah, so it's been a lot of fun. And again, our thanks to all the folks that come on and join us day in and day out to help share the wonderful news and the important work that we're doing in the nonprofit sector. The nonprofit sector makes our country so wonderful and gives us so many opportunities. And so this is something we want to help support and celebrate. And our friends at Fundraising Academy do this with us every Friday for the Ask and Answer episodes. Hey, everybody, we like to end every episode. We want to remind ourselves, our viewer, anybody working in Tony's kitchen this weekend to stay well so you can do well. Thanks everybody. Happy holiday.