In this episode of Lead with Heart, I have Amy Varga, the founder of The Varga Group, as my guest. She is a fundraising expert and leadership coach who is dedicated to raising the standards of her profession, and I’m so excited to explore all things leadership, philanthropy, and fundraising together.
Amy shares some incredible fundraising tips and tricks. She provides many good insights into what it means to be a fundraiser and much more, as well as some actionable ways to engage with our board, our donors, and our organizations and build a culture of philanthropy that will make things less stressful and more joyful for you as the fundraiser.
In this episode:
- [07:39] Reframing what fundraising is
- [10:53] Why listening is the key ingredient to great fundraising
- [14:26] Strategies for first-time donors versus established donors
- [19:15] Ways to help you work smarter, not harder as a fundraiser
- [27:29] How to get everyone, including the board, engaged in fundraising
- [36:40] Why do we want donors in the first place?
- [40:10] Some practical ways to get your board to fundraise more
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“People don’t give to you because of your mission they give to you because of theirs. So, in order to understand what someone’s mission is, what impact they’re trying to make in the world, and how they can partner with your organization (…) you have to listen to them.”
“That’s a heart-centered way that’s a bit of an antidote to that burnout and that kind of swirl and stress. It is just remembering we’re not just doing tasks, we’re doing it for a greater purpose, to reach a greater end.”
“There’s a disconnect between the doing of being a board member which can be very administrative in some ways and why they got interested in being on a board. So what can happen is that people can be disillusioned.”
“If all you think donors are there for is to be an ATM, or a magic money tree, you’re having the wrong orientation to what donors are all about, what the point of having donors is. It’s not about their money.”
RESOURCES
To find more reflections and thinking like what Amy shared in this rich episode, check out The Varga Group’s blog here.
To access free resources The Varga Group created for organizations and leaders like you, go to The Varga Group’s resources page here.
CONNECT WITH AMY
Amy founded The Varga Group to support the extraordinary leaders at independent schools, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Amy is an educator at heart and is committed to empowering leaders to grow their impact, their organizations, their fundraising and most importantly themselves.
Instagram: @thevargagroup
LinkedIn: Amy Varga
Website: thevargagroup.com
CONNECT WITH HALEY
Haley is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Certified Stress Management Coach, and Certified EmC train the trainer. She is the Founder of The Savvy Fundraiser, a nonprofit consulting and coaching business. She has worked in both small and large nonprofit teams in the human services, homelessness, and youth sectors; and she specializes in the EmC process, nonprofit leadership, board development, and fundraising. Haley is a passionate, impact-driven, experienced nonprofit professional whose mission is to empower, elevate and engage nonprofit leaders to build healthy, thriving organizations.
Instagram: @thesavvyfundraiser
LinkedIn: Haley Cooper, CFRE
Website: thesavvyfundraiser.com
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