On multiple occasions these last few weeks, I’ve heard something like this: “My board member wants to throw a fundraising event but they want it to be FUN for their networks they’re inviting.”

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Now, I’m NOT suggesting that we should plan boring fundraising events.

But, I AM suggesting that your mission is worthy of their network giving a donation to….WITHOUT getting prizes, gimmicks, or gifts in return.

If this is the case in your organization, your board (and maybe your team) has some work to do. And it starts at the root of your organization.

❓ Is your board member clear about how lives are being changed through your organization?

❓ Do they deeply believe people should GIVE their best gift to that mission?

❓ Are they themselves giving their best gift to that mission without expecting anything in return?

❓Do they need to understand what fundraising really is and how they should be spending their hours for max results?

Your fundraising team (ED, Board, Development Staff) must understand how to attract donors who WANT to give to your mission! And then LEAD them to give their best gift, every year.

Full stop.

Last thing….What I hear just as often?

“That donor always comes and buys the biggest auction item because they want to give more….and then they don’t even take/use the item!”

Right….a perfect example of a donor who WANTS to give to your mission, who ISN’T being asked, and DOESN’T need prizes.

How about you? Where is the next place you’re investing in leveling up your skills? You can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

My colleague, Rudy Flesher, shared this post from Candid & the stat DID NOT surprise me one bit. That stat?

“Less than one third of the public knew that nonprofits lost government grant funding, and 36% of them said if they’d known they would have donated more.”

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You know why this did not surprise me?

I RARELY speak to a development team who regularly leads donors through investment-level conversations. Yes, like, real relational fundraising.

[ED: Here’s the moment you check to see if your team is actually having 1:1 meetings with donors and leading sophisticated growth and financial conversations? This is where they’d explain how you’re funded. These are not just impact numbers and storytelling meetings.]

What do I find?

Teams stopping short of what major donors need to hear. And without this, donors rarely give their best gift.

This is where my clients find 6- and 7-figures of money sitting on the table.

To have proper investment-level conversations with donors your team needs the SKIILLS (training) and the TOOLS (a few support pieces to help them comfortably guide the conversation).

Securing a donor’s best gift isn’t just about site visits and stories of changed lives. That’s only half the story a major donor needs. It’s about telling your organization’s full story (mission + financial) and knowing how to invite donors to give their best gift toward your true need.

That’s when things really start to change.

If you’re a nonprofit Executive Director who knows your team doesn’t know how to lead investment-level donor conversations and is tired of leaving money on the table, you can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

In my corporate career I worked 70 hour weeks, had a 1+hour commute daily, and got into the office and most days by 6:30 am. I also loved what I was doing…And, honestly?

I was good at what I did.

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I hustled and, because of it, I climbed the ladder quickly. My clients, co-workers, and consultants enjoyed working with me, and we were true partners.

So, when I became a consultant 13 years ago I was really confused how many strangers (board members, mainly) would say…

“We don’t like consultants. They just give advice and don’t really do anything.”

Huh?

This was literally describing THE OPPOSITE of my approach to consulting. Frankly, it was the opposite of what my clients were telling me…

What I was hearing?

“I wish we would have worked with you sooner.”

“You’ve helped me gain time back in my schedule.”

“You’re always available to me.”

“Now, I find myself saying ‘what would SQT do?’”

“I know we’ve just started our work, but I never want you to leave me!”

“You’re not really a consultant, are you? You’re more like our partner.”

My experience?

Most of my clients don’t want me to go after 12 months of work. They’re making more money and desire more time with me. They want my advice and they want to keep partnering together.

To those folks who “hate consultants”...

I’m so sorry you had a bad experience at one point in your lives with a consultant. But there’s a reason I have a growing, successful, referral-based business. It’s because I’m not that person.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

A few months ago I caught up with a client from last year. Ironically our chat was on the last day of their fiscal year (March 31). I asked, “how’s it going?” . . .

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“Well, we’re ending the year $2.7M ahead of goal.”

Yes, TWO POINT SEVEN MILLION.

THIS is high-ROI fundraising!!! Congrats to this team…you know who you are! 🎊🎈🎊🎈🎊🎈🎊🎈🎊🎈

My favorite clients? Teams filled with A+ students who want to learn. They’re already doing so many things right but they also know there is a next-level.

In this case, it was equipping the entire team on what true investment-level conversations look like with donors. That meant learning new SKILLS (training/coaching) and having new TOOLS (a few support pieces to help them comfortably guide the conversation and solicitation).

And now? They head into their new FY stronger than ever. They are fully funded and their strategic priorities are moving forward with strength.

EDs: Securing a donor’s best gift isn’t just about site visits and stories of changed lives. That’s only half the story a major donor needs. It’s about telling your organization’s full story (mission + financial) and knowing how to invite donors to give their best gift toward your true need.

That’s when things really start to change.

VERY few organizations understand this. Too many are stuck on the traditional fundraising hamster wheel not knowing there is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT wheel they could be on.

Let me cut to the chase. Lots of Board Members are worried they ‘won’t make their money back’ working with me. I chuckle as that ROI is literally the lowest bar one could set for themselves. Wouldn’t you WANT to invest deeply in learning how to add millions to your bottom line? Let’s do that!

In the case of this client…their ROI was 30X.

If you’ve followed along for a while and are ready for your organization and team to move to your next level, we should talk. Next client spot starts this fall. With that, you can apply to work with me here.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

The other day, during a board workshop about fundraising, one of my clients said a phrase that I immediately wrote down….

He said, “We’re looking for momentum…not a miracle.”

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I loved it.

Especially in the context of relational fundraising.

If more orgs focused on momentum (and the discipline, consistency, and rhythm required) they eventually would have more miracles in the form of steady 5-, 6-, and 7- figure gifts.

Sustainable fundraising is a multi-year infrastructure project that is slow and steady. It builds momentum.

But, most give up on this approach before the momentum hits its peak. They think, “There must be an easier way.”

But, no.

The Tortoise always beats the Hare. And Momentum always beats Miracles.

If you’re a nonprofit Executive Director ready to build real, sustainable momentum, you can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

This post is directed to your Board Members. Because what I’d LOVE to tell them is that there’s a BIG difference between curious and skeptical.

And you’ve got to get it right.

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Let’s lead with the positive. Curious looks like…

“Cool idea. What resources would you need to do that?”

“I haven’t ever thought about that. What do you think is best for the organization?”

“Sounds like you need help. Is there additional training you need to accomplish that?”

☝️ And, can I be frank? I RARELY hear this tone of curiosity from Board Members.

What do I typically hear? Skepticism…

“I don’t know how we’d ever have the money to do X. Our donors are already asked too often.”

“I don’t think you have the capacity to take on anything new.”

“Organizations like ours don’t grow more than 3-5% each year anyhow.”

“I hate consultants. They never help anyway.”

“We really have to decide if we even want to grow.”

Do you know what doesn’t add up? Too often that skepticism is sitting on a new Strategic Plan that REQUIRES growth, new skills, new donors, gen-ops dollars, consultants to help build skill-sets, and multi-year revenue plans. Too often that skepticism is sitting on a 20-year organization that isn’t really growing and never has the dollars to do what they dream of doing.

You can’t have it both ways.

Board Members: Curiosity is the path to growing your organization. If your ED is asking for help, new skills, more resources, or high level training. Please listen with curiosity vs. skepticism.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

Recently I saw a LinkedIn post asking for a NEW and INNOVATIVE solution to fundraising. That tone of, “There’s got to be something I’m missing”....

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Can I be direct?

We don’t need a new or innovative solution in fundraising right now.

Organizations need to go back to the basics.

⭐Hours aligned with dollars.

⭐Relationships with singular decision makers.

⭐Teams that know how to attract & lead investment-level donors.

⭐Boards that know how to confidently engage their networks.

So, if it’s so simple, why isn’t everyone doing it?

Many reasons. But, one is that too many board members and leaders assume an increase in unrestricted revenue generation gets solved by hiring a new fundraiser, finding really connected board members, or PR-based awareness campaigns.

Transformational revenue change happens first at the organizational level.

Is your organization attractive to investment-level donors?

There is a specific plan, strategy, and approach that scales organizations and attracts investment-level gifts….but it’s not flashy. It looks more like a multi-year infrastructure investment and skills up-leveling than fundraising.

I see orgs make this practical shift every day.

Are you ready for this shift also? You can apply to work with me here.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

The other day I saw a post on LinkedIn that read something like...“A glossy deck or gift chart doesn’t get major donors to give more money.” Do I agree with that statement?

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Ummm…only, somewhat. Here’s why:

In the nonprofit world, so many fundraisers kinda found themselves in fundraising.

You know, they came up through the program side, moved over from corporate, or were really good at writing grants and found themselves leading the department.

That’s cool.

This is actually WHY I suggest many of my fundraisers use decks and gift charts.

Proof? Here’s the email I got from my client the other day:

“The CEO of X Company pledged $250K over 5 years to [OUR ORG] ($50K annually). He gave $5K last year so we literally 10xed their gift. The gift chart is very helpful.”

And, to be honest, my clients who use them CORRECTLY to facilitate a warm, relational conversation regularly 10X their gifts. They simply have better results.

Why?

✅Well, often leaders are experts at something other than fundraising.

✅So, despite deeply knowing about the mission, they need help smoothly transitioning into solicitations.

✅ In essence, they need a crutch leading donors through investment-level conversations.

✅ When my fundraisers learn how to use tools as simple prompts in donor conversations, they build their confidence (and the relationship).

✅ With confidence they naturally pivot into wealth conversations and stop leaving money on the table using my customized gift charts.

✅ Then 5-figure donors become 6-figure . . and 6- become 7-figure donors.

So, glossy graphics get major donors to give more money?

NO.

Do confidence-building tools that assist fundraisers through investment-level conversations and to concrete solicitations lead to more money?

YES.

You might just need better tools? With that, you can apply to work with me here.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

One phrase I often hear is, “But, our fundraisers can’t add another hour to their days!”

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I don’t mean to be harsh, but TIME is not the issue your team has as they struggle to reach their annual fundraising goals.

It’s your revenue model and strategy.

👉The real villain is a strategy that isn’t rooted in an hours-to-dollars model.

And in the nonprofit sector, there is no shortage of ideas for fundraising activities that take up your team’s schedule. You know…things like raffle tickets, races, mailers, competitions, or applications.

➡️ But when your strategy isn’t rooted in an hours-to-dollars model, your team will always be pulled off course. They’ll always say ‘yes’ to activities that take too much time and yield too few dollars.

There are root shifts that need to be made in the business behind the fundraising. These are core shifts in your revenue-generating engine that change the way you’re funded (gen-ops), diversify revenue, and propel you to reach your true need every year.

This is the methodology I teach to nonprofits all over the country. If you have plans to diversify or scale over the next few years and need that growth to come in the form of more gen-ops dollars from relationships, we should connect.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

I heard my colleague, Tracy Goodwin, once say, “Stop fighting for your limitations.” I stopped in my tracks…as I see this way too often in the nonprofit sector.

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Let me show you some examples…

⚠️ Limitation I often hear…

🗨️ And a recent quote I heard busting this…

⚠️Our Board Members says Corporations in our state give $10K checks max.

🗨️”We’ve decided to give you $25,000 this year.”

-Corporate Donor who willingly gave a larger gift after shifting to an investment-level conversation

⚠️Donors only like to fund projects.

🗨️“If you really need an unrestricted gen-ops gift, I can shift mine.”

- Donor who willingly shifted his $25K project-based gift to gen-ops.

⚠️Funders don’t like us to email them that often.

🗨️“I encourage fundraisers to send follow-up emails. I’m human and just busy. The follow up shows me who is serious about partnering with us.”

- Foundation Funder

These are just invisible scripts on autoplay.

STOP playing the scripts. Stop creating the ‘everyone does this’ story in your head. It’s leaving millions of dollars on the table.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

I started working with a client late last year to grow their annual fund. I work with organizations for twelve months and we’re at month six of our engagement.

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I recently asked if this ED would mind being a reference for a prospective organization who was considering hiring me….

Here’s what she reported back…

Yes, we spoke on Monday... I raved. She’s mostly concerned about time investment and board support. [The board has] been ‘burned’ by consultants in the past. She seems in a similar place to us, lots of fundraising events, similar budget size, etc. I told her my biggest regret is not doing it sooner and that she’ll figure out the time thing because it’s worth it to have this eventually free up time!

Here’s the thing I chuckled about!

This is EVERY board’s concern when hiring an outside consultant: How will the ED and Fundraising Team have time for this work? They are already SO busy.

That’s actually the wrong question to ask….

The right questions look more like this:

What can we take off your plate so that you can learn how to build a sustainable, fully-funded organization?

What resources do you need so that you can start doing higher-ROI revenue-generating activities?

You see, too often leaders and fundraisers are spending too many hours on the WRONG fundraising activities in the first place.

Scaling your revenue is not adding more tasks or hours to your already-full plates. It’s changing what’s on the menu.

Are you ready to change what’s on your menu? You can apply to work with me here.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

Recently, I had the privilege of being a guest speaker at a gathering where both nonprofits and funders were present...here was the highlight moment…

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Nonprofits were asked, “What would you like to see MORE of from funders?”

Funders were asked, “What would you like to see MORE of from nonprofit organizations?”

Their core answer?

It was the same.

🎯Each wanted to build deeper relationships with the other.

Yes.

⭐Nonprofits wanted to be able to get in the room with funders and have real conversations.

⭐Funders said they wanted direct and real conversations about the organization’s needs.

One funder even said, “Please follow up if you don’t hear back from me. I’m human and I’m just busy. Follow up SHOWS you really care about partnering with us.”

Please take this to heart. Let’s work together to remove the ‘us vs. them’ mentality.

We have the same goal in mind.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

You want to know the commonalities among my clients?

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👉They’re nonprofit leaders who are great businesspeople. Also…

They are decision makers.

They are risk takers.

They are growth minded.

They constantly invest in themselves and their teams.

They aren’t scared to make moves others fear.

They have tough conversations.

They confidently go against the grain.

They are thought-leaders who constantly promote their personal brands.

These characteristics?

They’re also used to attract investment level donors.

It’s why their organizations grow at a faster rate than most. It’s why they get meetings with donors more easily. It’s why they learn how to secure 5-, 6-, and 7- figure gifts at a faster pace…

If you’re a nonprofit Executive Director already scaling an incredible organization, but need even more general operating revenue or diversified funding, we should connect. You can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

I’m a podcast junkie about one specific topic: Money.

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Especially if it’s about money psychology and investing. Compound Interest is my love language.

I guess it makes sense. There’s so much money psychology involved in fundraising.

All the healthy long-term investing advice parallels my advice about healthy fundraising!

There are three main themes when investing your personal finances:

🗠Theme #1: Investing is a long-term, multi-year strategy.

🗠Theme #2: Consistency is better than waiting for the most opportune time.

🗠Theme #3: Don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you from millions in the future.

And, with fully funding your nonprofit organization every year:

🗠Parallel Theme #1: Fundraising is a long-term, multi-year strategy.
🎯Too many teams can only see as far as the next appeal or event. It takes larger donors 6-24 months to give their best gift. So, your plan and strategy should go out that far.

🗠Parallel Theme #2: Consistency is better than waiting for the opportune time.

🎯You can fund your entire organization every year by creating a rhythm and discipline of high ROI activities. Waiting for your database to be clean, your website to be refreshed, or your board to grow is keeping you small.

🗠Parallel Theme #3: Don’t let fear keep you from millions in the future.

🎯Most fundraisers tell me that when it comes to major-gift work “they kinda don’t know what they don’t know”. Spending money to learn how to do relational gift work feels risky. But, it’s not. A transactional fundraising strategy that keeps your team on the spin-cycle is way riskier. Invest in your teams’ skill sets and you’ll see the millions you’ve been leaving on the table.

🗠BONUS Theme #4: Starting today is the best option.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

Recently my client told me about a regret she had regarding our work together….

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That regret?

That she didn’t do it sooner.

When we first spoke, her hesitation was that she didn’t know how she’d add more hours to her and her team’s already busy schedules. They were in the middle of a Capital Campaign, had four annual events, and 1-woman fundraising team.

But, here we are six months into our twelve month contract and she’s actually freed up her time. <--- her words, not mine.

Freed up her time to secure nearly $1M dollars in that six months also.

You see, our work is about STOPPING the things that are taking all your time/energy away and STARTING the things that align your hours with dollars.

Fundraisers can’t add more things to their plates. But they can change the food on their plates. And that’s the key to this work.

Last thing I’ll say about this…

If you do the work, you get results. Honestly, it’s that simple. This leader did the work. And now we can’t wait to see how the next six months go! If you know your team needs help making this shift in 2026, you can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

The nonprofit sector has tried to trick us.

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It tells us fundraising looks like:
❌Tiered sponsorship packages
❌Annual golf outings
❌Deadline-driven appeals and campaigns

But real fundraising? It’s practical relationship building.
☀️Playing the long-game
☀️Taking 12-, 18-, or 24-months to get to know someone
☀️Natural conversations
☀️Reaching out when you don’t need anything.
☀️Comfortably making the ask when it’s a win/win

We chase. We create urgency. We force deadlines.

It’s salesy and comes off as desperate.

Nonprofit CEO: The key to true, sustainable success and growth?

Equip your team to fundraise in a way that:

📈Takes a multi-year approach
📈Secures the gen-ops dollars you need for infrastructure
📈Smoothes out your cash flow
📈Diversifies revenue
📈Attracts investment-level donors
📈Fully funds your mission every year

Yes, it’s doable. Lots of people say to me…”Well, that’s a real paradigm shift.”

Not really. It’s just practical. It’s easy if you let it be.

Honestly, I see the shift happen every day.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

I love this quote by James Clear. He’s the author of Atomic Habits . . .

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“When making plans, think BIG. When making progress, think SMALL.” —James Clear

Frankly, I see this play out for good and for bad in the nonprofit sector. Check for yourself…

Questions to ask yourself to see if you’re making BIG plans…

❓Has our org calculated the REAL financial need to your entire Strategic Plan?

❓Is your team raising to your org’s true financial need (vs. a squeak by number)?

❓Is your team consistently pipelining donors 2-3 years out?

❓Can you easily answer the ‘what would you do if I gave you $1M?’ donor?

❓Have you put a few innovative initiatives in your future plans that honestly scare you a bit?

Questions to ask yourself to see if you’re making SMALL progress…

❓Does your team confidently lead donors for 6-24 months before the ask?

❓Do you make annual fundraising plans based on hours-to-dollars analysis?

❓Do you say NO more than you say YES to fundraising ideas that come your way?

❓Do you time block your day so that your Top 30 donors yield 75% of your revenue?

If you answered “YES” to all of these questions, you’re killing it. Keep on doing what you’re doing!

Answered “No” to too many of these? It might be time for some realignment. If you want help with that in 2026, you can apply here.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

I find that most leaders want to grow, diversify, or strengthen their nonprofit organization. But, there is hesitation and fear that ‘it’ won’t work out.

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That’s the glass half empty view.

What if….

It does work.

It is fun.

You get great results.

Nothing goes wrong.

Everything is ok.

It was worth the risk.

You don’t regret it.

It takes just as much mental energy to pick the glass half full view.

Let’s do that! You deserve it.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

You know what surprises me?

The number of fundraisers that AREN’T consistently hosting 1:1 donor meetings.

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Honestly, too many fundraisers don’t know how to move donor relationships beyond the event or volunteer experience and into investment-level conversation.

Do your fundraisers know how to do this?

[crickets]

So, what happens when I coach fundraising teams on how to start doing this?

They get WAY BIGGER gifts. They get more UNRESTRICTED gifts.

Like 2X - 10X bigger.

I see it all the time.

EDs: It’s your job to make sure your team is prepared to attract investment-level donors and engage them in deep conversations/relationships. This is not a natural skill set every fundraising professional has had training in.

Last thing I’ll say about this…

👉 Your fundraising team must know how to lead every donor to their best gift, every year. If they’re letting major donors regularly give outside of 1:1 donor meetings and direct solicitations (like events or appeals), you’re leaving money on the table. Often, 7-figures worth.

If you know your team needs help making this shift in 2026, you can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY

It’s 2026. But we still need to preach that 5Ks, golf, events, casino nights, games, and prizes are simply distracting everyone from the real work of a fundraising department.

Full stop.

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The administrative load of these activities is killing development departments.

Meanwhile, there’s much work to be done to scale our organizations who are addressing such important issues.

The signs of this focus mis-alignment?

📌Not enough gen-ops revenue

📌Too few large, gifts

📌Shallow relationships

📌Donor retention issues

📌Lack of dollars for infrastructure and equipping staff

Fundraising in the nonprofit sector is not going to get easier.

The thing you can do?

Equip your team how to REALLY raise the dollars your mission needs…which will not happen if they’re focused on this list of administrative tasks disguised as fundraising.

If you know your team needs help making this shift, you can apply here to work with me.

Whenever you’re ready, here are THREE things you can do next:

1. Follow me on LinkedIn where I share insider info daily.

See the same lessons I teach my clients about attracting larger gen-ops dollars and diversifying revenue.

FOLLOW SHERRY HERE

2. Grab FREE Guides and White Papers.

Download robust resources you can use to push against the sector’s misconceptions, equip your board, and shift your team into High-ROI Fundraising.

GET THE GUIDES

3. Work with me to diversify revenue and secure the gen-ops gifts you need to grow.

If you’re a business-minded nonprofit CEO with big growth plans but need to make charitable revenue from investment-level donors a bigger part of your budget, you can apply to work with me here.

APPLY TO WORK WITH SHERRY