The Fundraising Talent Podcast
Business:Non-Profit
What do you get when you put an academic who is all about the most effective fundraising methods between two rabble rousers who never shy away from giving their opinions. That was the lineup today on The Fundraising Talent Podcast with Dr. Russell James, author of The Socratic Fundraiser, and Greg Warner, founder of MarketSmart. The essence of our conversation was whether fundraisers both desire and know how to have genuine conversations with their donors and whether using the Socratic method is the ideal pathway to the meaningful opportunities that are available to our organizations. Today’s conversation reminds me of earlier conversations in which we’ve talked about how the sector has seemingly confused the advantages of being great story-tellers with those of being great story-listeners.
What I found especially thought-provoking was how we ended up asking why boards and bosses are notoriously uninterested in fundraising methods that afford the fundraiser and donor opportunities for meaningful dialogue. While we can all agree on the reasons why one would allow the donor to be the hero in their own story, we must ask ourselves why we don’t design strategies that allow this to happen. Greg’s explanation for why this doesn’t happen as it should really had me thinking; more often than not, fundraising design reflects the desires of boards and bosses who want to ensure that they maintain their role as the hero in the story.
As always, we are especially grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast. If you’d like to learn more about hosting the Responsive Fundraising roadshow in your local community, email me for more information. And, if you’d like to download Responsive’s latest edition of Carefully & Critically, just click here.
#186 | How can fundraisers ensure that donors aren’t zoning out at their virtual events?
#185 | How can men be allies with women in the fundraising profession?
#184 | Why can't fundraising professionals just learn how to get along?
#183 | How can fundraising professionals better navigate radical uncertainty?
#182 | Perhaps fundraising is more about story-listening rather than story-telling?
#181 | What does it mean to be a Black woman in fundraising today?
#180 | To ensure more diversity among our donors, can fundraising become more exploratory work?
#179 | Can a nonprofit with a historically homogeneous culture redeem itself in today's climate?
#178 | Perhaps more automation is not what fundraising needs right now?
#177 | What are fundraising professionals thinking about the future of special events?
#176 | How can fundraising be a place where we show up as our best self?
#175 | How might the expectations for fundraising professionals be evolving?
#174 | Can the annual fund deliver on more than efficiency, predictability and control?
#173 | How do WOC show up authentically in their fundraising roles?
#172 | Will Zoom ultimately enhance or impede our productivity as fundraisers?
#171 | Have we got our approach to developing fundraising talent all wrong?
#170 | What if we’ve got the essence of fundraising all wrong?
#169 | Does fundraising really have to be mechanical and resemble an assembly line?
#168 | Is another pivot really what fundraising professionals needs to be talking about right now?
#167 | When are fundraising professionals going to get back on the road?
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