 Welcome to the non-profit show and happy Friday. I love this day. It is my favorite day of the week, except for Saturday. That is probably truly my favorite day, but I really enjoy Fridays because we get to have a representative from Fundraising Academy at National University for our ask and answer. So really excited to have the conversation with you, LaShonda, and we're going to have a quick introduction about you in just a moment. But we also want to say thank you to our presenting sponsors that allow us each day, every single weekday, to come on and share a conversation with you. So gratitude goes out to Bloomerang, American Non-Profit Academy, Non-Profit Thought Leader, Staffing Boutique, Your Part-Time Controller, 180 Management Group, Fundraising Academy at National University, where LaShonda joins us. Also, thank you to JMT Consulting, Non-Profit Nerd, and Non-Profit Tech Talk. We are so grateful to have the amazing support from these companies every single day to provide these conversations. If you missed any of our previous conversations, LaShonda, I think you know this, but we are well past 950 and moving towards our 1,000 episode, you can find all of them. Actually, here's my phone. Maybe scan that QR code, right? I think we're all used to QRs by now. Download the app. You can also still find us on streaming broadcast and podcast, so all the fun places. And I want to give you a little bit of respect and due diligence, because LaShonda, you are joining us today as a trainer from Fundraising Academy at National University. And I want to welcome you back. You join us often, and it's always fun to have you. Thank you for having me back today. I'm excited. This is a fry, yay. What a great way to end the week, and that is with some great insight on the cost-selling cycle and learning more about the Fundraising Academy. Thank you. It's going to be a lot of fun, and for those of you that we haven't met, I'm Jarrett Ransome, Non-Profit Nerd, and CEO of the Raven Group. So if you're ready, we're going to dive right in. I'm ready when you are. OK. So this is from Name Withheld, and we get them quite a bit. In fact, if any of you have questions or seeking suggestions, advice, send us an email, send us on our social channels, all those places, this is where these questions come in from. So Name Withheld in Boston, in a recent development staff meeting, another team member suggested that they could have achieved a higher donation from a specific donor than what I did. Honestly, this hurt my feelings and has created some self-doubt. What should be my next steps? That is a great question, and I appreciate the anonymity because there are many of us that may have experienced this at some point during our career in the philanthropic space. Let's start with the fundamentals. And the fundamentals, when you're thinking about development and philanthropy, the heart of philanthropy is relationships. And so best practices tell us that it's very important to make sure that we understand the relationships. And in these instances in which you have someone that has a stronger relationship with the donor as you're working towards to achieve your organization's goal, and you want to make sure that the donor or prospective donor is best served, so you may want to work in collaboration with your colleague who has that great relationship. And don't take it personal. Consider it as an opportunity to learn more. And during the pre-discovery and discovery phase in the cost-selling cycle, we provide some examples of some questions and things that you may want to ask to dive a little bit deeper to strengthen your relationship with the donor and incorporating your colleague can help facilitate and navigate the strength of the relationship. So don't take it personal. Take it as an opportunity to grow as a professional and also to maximize the opportunity on behalf of your organization to further increase the impact to its optimal potential. Optimal. Great reply, LaShonda. I mean, love it. I would also add, for me, my style is I would share that my feelings were hurt with this colleague, with the coworker. Definitely. It might depend, right, whether it's male or female. I don't know. There's a lot of dynamics that go into the workspace, but I always find anytime there's a hairy situation that doesn't settle, I like to talk about it. I like to talk through it. But I love it probably isn't personal. And I know, and I'm witnessing for the whole nation, I tend to take things personally. So when I address them, I find that the resolution is much greater. I love the collaboration. That is a big one. We should absolutely be working in a team, especially if we have the privilege of having a team and we're not a solo person doing that. And then also, before we were really gathering before the presentation, we are consulting with our team to say, this is what I was thinking. Where do we feel that donor might be? So we're going into it with an educated decision already. So great insights. All right. So name withheld, we wish you the luck, all the luck. And yeah, I hope it works out well for you. Okay, Ben from New York, New York. That's really hard to say and not sing. So while I know that commissions are a big no, no. Yes, they are. Thank you, Ben. In the nonprofit sector, how can we reward our development team with bonuses? I think we should lay this out so that everyone who is doing cause selling understands upfront that when they hit their goals, they will be rewarded. What do you see in this space, LaShonda? That is a very great question, Ben and I too love New York and I want to start singing. And I want to sing praises because you want to reward your team. And obviously, you know, according to AFP standards as professionals, we're not to receive bonuses or commissions based on revenue that we've been able to secure on behalf of our organizations. So one of the things that we've seen with some consistency, you know, post COVID we've gone to this hybrid world we're now living in. So thinking about opportunities to reward or create a structure where the team holistically meets a said goal that perhaps there's some opportunity for a subsequent remote day or preference in priority and selecting vacation days off, you know, as you begin the new year, you know everyone wants to take every single holiday. However, you know, tiering a system in place where if, you know, you fall in this particular rim perhaps you may have first pick on vacation days. But most importantly, I'm definitely an advocate for collaboration. Talking with your team as a collective to identify what are things that are important to them that may not require any funding at all? You know, what are some of the no cost opportunities that your organization has available for them? And depending on the type of nonprofit you may have partnerships with the theater you may have partnerships with the opera, with sports teams and I'm positive that at some point you're able to secure some comp tickets and this could be a part of your reward structure. And the final recommendation that I would have and just as general as a supervisor or manager depending on your organizational structure there are times within the year where you may receive subsequent funding like in higher ed to be able to provide merit pay. And so with merit pay it's different from bonus. It is solely based on performance and it is tied to your overarching evaluation. And as a fundraising professional each and every one of us has goals and that is one opportunity to also reward from a fiscal standpoint without it being a formal bonus but it is merit pay based on overall performance which is encompassing of both qualitative and quantitative performance. And that's how you can kind of layer the playing field. Okay, mic drop, I think we're done. And I think I also need to stow upon you LaShonda these nerd glasses because that was fantastic. I love the merit increase. My brain as you were talking about this and providing such great responses. What about, I always like to say, well, okay I love the book and this is personal but the five love languages, right? And that one for management. And so I really like to find what is the thing that motivates the team? And you had said like really inquire with the team and I like to inquire within the person themselves but my brain was going to maybe these individuals are seeking additional professional development opportunities. Definitely. Conferences they want to attend. Perhaps they want to seek their CFRE and that's a designation that they're working towards. I also love the cop days, like there's so many ways to be flexible in this space. So I think there's some solutions Ben that you can consider that will stay in alignment and not break the principle of the AFP Association of Fundraising Professionals Commissions and I want to say kudos Ben for acknowledging that and knowing that. So thank you. Yeah, good stuff. All right, let's move over to Texas, San Antonio. I just talked to someone the other day that it moved from Phoenix to San Antonio. So I hope it's just down the street and around the corner. I love it. So this is a board member then around the street down the street and around the corner. We have some board members and they feel that it is time to change our logo and modernize it. I am in marketing and I know this is a huge waste of money especially when we have more pressing issues to deal with as a board. How do I handle this? Okay, this is fascinating LaShonda because this is a board member who doesn't agree with other board members about making this big logo change. So take it away. What do you say? So I would say the great news is you are a fellow board member which means that you are speaking among your peers. So with that in mind, I would say to attempt to guide the conversation to what is our organization's mission? What are the goals and what are our priorities? And then from a fiscal standpoint because that is your biggest concern and with any organization, fiscal management is paramount. What would be the prospective ROI? Where is your organization as it relates to the current goals that are in structure? Have we achieved those said goals and what role has marketing or branding played on it if not at all? But before going into such extremes, I would highly recommend that you have your board to have the conversation about the mission and more importantly, engage some of your constituents and have a salon focus group where you can talk about what the logos look like, what they mean, how they resonate with them and hear from them before you make such a significant investment. But to your point, you wanna ensure that the return on investment is worth not only the fiscal standpoint, but the time because resources that are being spent on meeting with the team that's going to create the logo could be better spent in front of prospective donors to secure philanthropic support to further your cause. 100%. I was just working with an organization and they didn't like one of their colors in their color palette. They decided that it's too bold, it's a little unsettling, it kinda like incites anxiety, right? And so they're like, we wanna take that color off. Well, guess what, LaShonda? It's on their tabling tablecloths, it's on their banner, it's all over the website, it's on print material. So that does cost money and it takes time. And so I really admire this board member acknowledging this love that you said, you are a peer, right? Reminding this board member that they have the ability to really lead and guide a very informative decision. If the board wants to go forward, I would highly recommend perhaps a task force that starts to identify what you just said, LaShonda, in this ROI, like, okay, let's get some quotes. What would this cost? What would that rollout look like over time? Is this gonna happen overnight? And then, you know, all the material show up, there's a lot to consider. And so perhaps during that task force or committee, you know, that set up, that process might really shine some light on this to say, you're right, now's not the time. And maybe we wanna table it now, revisit it in two years with a budget that can export what we need to do. Because, you know, rebranding is very expensive. You know, I can recall a couple of years back when local high schools were changing mascot names and that is very costly. So you want to definitely think about what are the financial implications as well as the time, because those two could definitely drain resources and take away from those that you're trying to serve. From the mission, absolutely. And when you think of all of the inventory, you know, like creating an inventory of your collaterals, every, I mean, that in and of itself is a task and will take time. So we're not just talking investing money, investing time. There's a lot. Definitely. So, all right. Well, let's move to I believe our final question, which is in our from, I should say Denver, Colorado, which I guarantee, Samuel, right now you are probably bundled up in super cold, getting lots of snow. So let's see if we can warm you up with our answer. I am asking how the CFRE designation has helped build your career. I would also like to know if the process improved your performance and perhaps resulted in an increase in salary. My nonprofit will not cover the cost of this investment. So I really need to know if this is a wise move on my part. Okay, LaShonda Williams, M-P-A-C-F-R-E, take it away. So, Samuel, this is a really great question that I get asked pretty often. So I'm not new to this. I am true to CFRE. So I will say that definitely CFRE is worth the investment. At the time when I prepared for the exam, I was working in the role of an annual giving director, an annual giving, an annual fund. It limits what your exposure is, but I was in a small shop. So I had an opportunity to really dive into all aspects of the donor cycle, including some major gift donors. The investment, I will say to you to ask yourself, am I worth it? I took the initiative and started my application and I paid for my exam myself because I wanted to invest in myself. Specifically when you think about the prestige associated with the CFRE, the limited number of professionals granted, there are over 100,000 individuals that are in the fundraising industry as advancement professionals in some form and in some role. However, when you're talking about the CFRE specifically, and they just posted something on LinkedIn like last week, the first week of the year, the top 10 reasons to secure your CFRE and there's more details on their site. And among that is one first and foremost important thing is the knowledge base, which is really important. You want to make sure that you are doing true justice to your organization by being very knowledgeable and maintaining your commitment to professional development, current trends and best practices. Specifically, there are currently 7,700 of us that are global and to be among that small group in itself to me, it creates an opportunity for me to feel a little more confident about what it is I'm doing. As a person of color, specifically a woman of color, there are roughly like 200, my last count, no more than 300 African Americans that currently have the CFRE credential. And I hope that number is growing because I'm constantly tagging and encouraging individuals to secure the credential. It has provided me with a heightened sense of confidence because now through the studying process and Jack Alotto, who's on the show all the time, was my tutor during that process, I attended his session and it was absolutely phenomenal because as professionals, we work in our specific roles but the CFRE is based on all roles within the advancement infrastructure so that you are very cognitive of everything. It's a comprehensive exam of all things associated with fundraising. Have I felt the financial implications of that? Absolutely, I'm very excited to share that since securing the CFRE, I've had a couple of opportunities in speaking engagements. There are individuals that often ask for training opportunities, but more importantly, the intrinsic value and reward of knowing that you have this higher level of expertise and the resources. You have 7,700 peers that you can call upon and I created a community of practice during my study process and they consist of women who have various positions. Some are in small nonprofit, some are in the medical industry as chief of staffs. So you create this supplemental community as a support system. It's absolutely unequivocally worth it. I am one that focuses on intrinsic values more so than those extrinsic, but if you're concerned about being able to yield the quantifiables post CFRE, the opportunities are there. And in addition to that, when it comes to employment opportunities, I keep my LinkedIn up to date and there's definitely not a shortage of recruiters seeking individuals in fundraising. And when you have the CFRE credential on your resume, I must admit that I do believe that my application has risen to the top. I've had some very interesting opportunities. However, I've made selections that align more so with who I am as a person and with my mission in pursuit of securing philanthropic support for students seeking economic empowerment through education. So yes, yes, yes, invest in yourself. Yes, because you are worth it. And I love it. You are worth it. Started with that. It's like, you know, are you worth it? Yes, the answer is resounding. Yes, you are worth it. Jackalotto, you're right. Like shout out to him. Yes, major shout out. He just did a session with Fundraising Academy. If you all missed that session, go to the portal to check it out about, you know, the 10 secrets to successfully passing the CFRE. We also have a tracker too for all of the professional development that's available. I love it. And then I've heard too that there are some scholarships perhaps being built. And I believe in particular for people of color to really raise professionals in that sector. There is so much out there, so much opportunity, so many I should say opportunities available. I mean, it's just wonderful. So yes, you're worth it. And that's what I love, LaShonda, like you're worth it. You're definitely worth it. And I tell everyone all the time, you know, that's my thing. I believe in paying it forward and pulling someone else up to the next level. 100%. Samuel, reach out to us in particular LaShonda. She can talk more, as well as Jack. Jack would love to hear from you. Yes, he would. He has a session going on. I want to say right now for those that are preparing to take exams around March. So definitely their resources out there. They're out there 100%. So, well, this has been amazing. I, again, bestowed upon you the nonprofit nerd glasses, LaShonda, because you were just on fire. These are my fireworks. And it's just been a wonderful conversation. So thank you for sharing your valuable time and expertise with us. For those of you that are watching and listening and you're not sure who Miss LaShonda is, you need to know her, LaShonda Williams, MPA CFRE trainer at Fundraising Academy with National University. Now you mentioned the portal. Tell us a little bit more about the portal, LaShonda. Yes, so the Fundraising Academy offers a variety of trainings that is free because we know in the fundraising space it can become quite costly to attend a variety of conferences. For your convenience and your easy access, the Fundraising Academy has a portal that consists of a lot of webinars that we do throughout the year that support the cause selling cycle, which are the three different phase, the eight steps and the three phases. And you can learn more on a variety of different topics ranging from prospecting and prediscovery through preparation for cultivation and engagement. And then the ask, which is very important, tips on how to overcome objections, but most importantly, how to secure that gift and to maintain that relationship through stewardship. So a variety of trainings made available and we're also preparing for our Cultivate Conference 2024. So I'm very excited. That's in May. Can't wait for that. That's in May, yeah. Go to the website fundraising-academy.org. You can find from there the link to the portal, the link to Cultivate, all kinds of good stuff. So LaShonda, you're a rock star. I'm so appreciative. So thanks for joining me as a representative with Fundraising Academy at National University. Again, more gratitude to our amazing presenting sponsors that allow us day in and day out to have these high level conversations for you, the other non-profit nerds. So thank you to Bloomerang American Non-Profit Academy, non-profit thought leader, Fundraising Academy at National University. Shout out to LaShonda today. Also 180 management group, your part-time controller, staffing boutique, JMT Consulting, non-profit nerd and non-profit tech talk. We are so grateful to have their ongoing support. LaShonda, this is year four as we move into the conversation. So we are, as Julia has said before, a going Jesse. And I am thrilled because we've got a lot of our same sponsors. We've added some sponsors. We're getting some new guests and voices and perspectives in. And then I have asked you to please, if you know anyone, contact us because we want to elevate different voices and spaces in this conversation. So LaShonda, homework, my friend, send to all the amazing people you know. And all the network that I shared with Samuel earlier about the importance and the value of CFRE, I have definitely passed it on. And I'm happy to say that a couple of my dearest distinguished colleagues, not only have been on the show but have subsequently secured their CFRE. Shout out to Jeff. Shout. Love it. Congrats, Jeff. That's fantastic. Well, hey, we've got a big weekend ahead. Monday is a holiday for many of us. So we hope that you have a restful and recharging weekend if you are honoring Monday as a holiday. Thank you for doing so. And LaShonda, we have a little bit of time to tell us, if you would, what you're doing on Monday. So Monday I'll be working with my sorority. We'll be completing some service for women of color. I'm very excited. The Martin Luther King holiday is released, special to our organization specifically because of the advocacy for women of color. For those of you who may not know, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Faternity, which is the brother of fraternity to Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. So we are definitely looking forward to an opportunity to serve mankind as we do throughout the year. And then we're also preparing for our sorority anniversary. So it's a wonderful time, it's a wonderful week, and we're looking forward to all of the wonderful things. And if you have a little time, don't forget to just kind of jump on the portal, set up your sign-in, and give yourself a little moment to do some professional development if you can. Invest in you, Samuel. Invest in you. And all of you invest in you because you are worth it. Well, hey, LaShonda, as we wrap up today, we end with these closing words that we have said from day one. So almost a thousand times that we've said this, but it always rings a little different. And that mantra is to please stay well so you can do well. Thanks everyone for joining us. We'll see you Tuesday.