Interview with Kirsten

Interview with Kirsten Bullock, CFRE, MBA

Nonprofit Fundraising Expert

How long have you been doing what you do and how did you get to be a Nonprofit Fundraising Expert?

As many fundraising consultants, I started working ‘in the field’ in 1995 as a fundraising professional. But my calling in to nonprofit work really came a long time before that. There are two things that were key in directing my life.

The first was spending about 10 summers (from age 2 to age 12) at a camp for kids who had physical disabilities. The camp was started by a group of Kiwanis chapters in the Chicago area in the early 1900’s. My dad was the camp director and my mom was the camp nurse. It was a great time in my life and allowed me to get to know people for who they really were – not just what they looked like or how they acted.

The second life experience that was instrumental for me was having a brother with muscular dystrophy. Frits has been my inspiration in so many ways. Doctors told him that he would not live past his mid teens. Then he was told that he wasn’t ‘college material.’ He showed them – graduated with honors from a Business Finance program and then went on to start his own nonprofit – a shared home for young adults with physical disabilities. In fact, I served on his board of directors for a time.

My first fundraising job was in 1995 at a hospital foundation. I was working on my undergraduate degree in social work and needed to complete an internship. Through a series of events I was placed at the hospital and started learning about the joy of giving – and about the possibility of working as a fundraising professional. That internship led me in to a position as grants manager for a large hospital system. Through that, I developed a training program for people in the hospital system who wanted to apply for grant funding. From that point on, I know that I wanted to coach and train people. There was something so amazing at seeing those ‘ah-ha’ moments – and to helping people find the funding they needed to, quite literally, save lives.

I realized, though, that I needed a Master’s degree if I were to consult and coach, so I went back to school for a Master’s of Business Administration degree. After finishing that degree, I started as a Grants Manager for a local healthcare organization and convinced them that they really needed a full-fledged fundraising program. Having never started a fundraising program before, I also convinced them that we needed to hire a consultant for the first year to help us get started. Over the course of the next three years, I grew the office from just me, to a team that included a full-time administrator and about three contractors. Together, we increased non-government grant funds from $200,000 to $1,378,249. In addition, we recruited new board members who were open to, and excited about raising money for this worthy cause.

Over the next several years, I was able to take what I learned in that position and develop a system to help other organizations accomplish the same thing – more money to change lives. While some people think raising money is about money, I’ve learned differently. Money is about the mission – it’s truly about changing lives. Both the lives of the people you are serving, AND the lives of the people who are giving money to help make it happen.

Who are your clients exactly?

I work with people at organizations, just like yours, who are really good at what they do; however, have never been taught exactly how to attract (and keep) donors or set up systems to support the process. That said, the nonprofits I’ve worked with run the whole spectrum:

Ministries (local and national)
Membership (local, national and international)
Health
Homeless
Character Building
Disabilities
Inner City
AIDS
Rescue Missions

Typically I work with the Executive Director and/or Board Chair to help the organization get starting with fundraising or with a major gift program.

What happens if you haven’t yet worked with a similar organization?

I have worked with a wide variety of groups, so most likely I’ve worked with one similar to yours. But if I haven’t, you’re not at a disadvantage. Oftentimes, I’ve seen similar groups all trying to raise money in the same way. So I can help bring a fresh perspective to your fundraising efforts, and you can benefit by standing out.

How are you different from other fundraising consultants?

There are several fundraising consultants you could choose, however I work primarily with small to mid-size organization specifically on finding and growing donors to support your operating needs. I do not work on capital campaigns or endowment campaigns. What that means is that I am very focused on anything and everything that works for integrating major giving in to annual giving programs. Because of that, my clients get to see great results in their fundraising and awareness raising programs (throwing in a healthy dose of tact, compassion, encouragement helps too!).

I’m a little hesitant to share this, because I think giving is a very personal decision. But since starting my business in 2008 I have put my money where my mouth is and have, from the beginning, contributed 10% of my gross billings to worthy causes. For me, it’s not enough to just talk about other people giving. The causes that I support are typically ministries and range from local organizations to groups serving internationally.

What type of personality do you work best with and what is expected of me?

This program, ‘Major Gifts for the Small Shop’, was created for organizations and individuals who are serious about expanding the reach of who they are able to serve and making an impact in the community they serve. It was created to help you put systems in place that will help you get the donors you need in, on average, 6 – 18 months (as opposed to 3-5+ years if you were to go it on your own).

Being a driven person myself, I work best with other driven, type-A personalities who are ready to do what it takes to get results. If you are not able to invest the time it takes to implement this program, you’re not ready yet. That’s okay. I’ll still be here when you are ready.

If you are the type of person who already knows it all, or is not willing to try something new, please continue your search for another fundraising coach / consultant. We will not work well together.

In this program, you will be expected to try some news things and to take action. No excuses, just a system to follow that will get you the results you want: more donors, repeat donors, who are committed to your cause for the long-term – not just a one-time gift to get you to leave them alone.

For what type of organization is this program NOT going to work?

Please know, I won’t take you on as a client unless I’m convinced that I can help them. I prefer to (gently) turn away those organizations that are either not ready, or not suited to these programs.

This program is not suited to organizations that aren’t willing to try some new ideas – or spend some more time on old ideas. If you’re already convinced you know everything you need to know, we are also not be the best fit for each other.

If you fall in to this category, it’s OK. Here are some things you can do to get through this time and prepare to work with me in the future:

Sign up for my free newsletter via email (Click here to subscribe). The free information will help you get started towards your goals.
Sign for one of my FREE webinars typically these are offered every 6-8 weeks). This will help you get started and give you some direction in getting started. This will give you A LOT to think about.
Visit my Diigo page with links to other resources that will help you get some basic pieces in to place.

Doing these three things will really help you get ready for our work. When you’re ready, call me and we’ll get you started. (I’m in no rush and really prefer waiting until the time is right.)

But before you make that decision, let me ask you, where will you be one year from now? Do you want to be in the same place as you are now, or are you ready to start moving forward by investing in yourself and your organization?

What exactly is ‘Major Gifts for the Small Shop’ and what does it include?

Attracting donors begin with understanding what interests your potential contributor. Then, it means taking serious action on it. Here’s what the Program helps you do:

Understand the Environment. In this first section, we’ll start with an overview of charitable giving in the United States. We’ll also look more specifically at the keys to building a long-term, sustainable fundraising program for your organization and provide an outline for a major gifts program. The good news is, you don’t need to do this on your own, so I’ll also walk you through identify your core team to work with you to help you get started.
Clarify Your Vision. Through this program, you’ll come to see your major donors as partners in your work. It’s a great partnership – you have a great program, and your donors have a passion for helping people. But, for many organizations, this means changing your messaging to be more centered around the cause you are addressing, rather than the needs of your organization. To help you accomplish this, we’ll talk about vision: how will your community be different as a result of your work? We’ll also revisit your mission statement to see if it clearly reflects your vision.
Tell Your Story. Your case statement will clearly articulate everything that a donor needs to know before making a decision to giving a large gift to your organization. It should be compelling, visionary, easily read, and packed with information. That’s a huge task for one document. I’ll help you develop your case statement step-by-step.
Identify Your Primary Audience. One of the big questions that comes up is, who do I ask? Some people might tell you to ask everyone you know – to twist arms and cajole people to give you a gift. That might work once, but it won’t help you build a long-term partnership with a donor or build a sustainable giving program. In this session, I’ll review some general information about potential audiences and help you target in on 3-4 which will be most receptive to your message.
Raise Awareness. People won’t give to your organization if they don’t know about you. And they won’t give if they don’t know that there’s a need. Social media has expanded the ways we have of getting our message out, but there are many more traditional, proven methods as well. I’ll cover the major methods of raising awareness and help you select just 3-5 avenues to start with and to develop a plan based on goals you select.
Start Asking. This is the one topic that generally leaves most people shaking in their boots. Asking for a gift. Please know, this is not begging. Rather, it is inviting people to participate in a cause that they are already passionate about. It’s about providing a vehicle that will help a donor accomplish one of their life goals. That said, there is a standard format you can follow that will help you cover all of the information you need to and ease in to asking in a way that feels very natural. This is the section of my in-person trainings that I typically get the most positive comments from. It’s a lot easier (and much more respectful) than you probably think!
Put It All Together. There’s nothing worse than having all the pieces, but not knowing where to get started. In this section, I’ll walk you through developing a timetable with you plan that will make implementation as simple as following a step-by-step guide. You’ll be able to map everything out by month – and have a document that will work as an agenda for your meetings as well.
Recruit Others to Help. As we talked about in section 1, you don’t need to do this on your own (and you shouldn’t try). Now that you have a plan in place, I’ll help you develop a fundraising committee who will assist in implementing it. I’ll also share some tips on how to re-engage a board who may not have a history of being involved in fundraising.

These are the steps of ‘Major Gifts for the Small Shop’ System that I’ve created after working with dozens of nonprofit organizations over the last 10+ years to help them find new donors and building a sustainable fundraising program.

Does this really work?

Yes! The result of this program is a systematic approach to raising large (repeat) gifts for your organization. While it’s a simple, proven program, it does require significant commitment on your part to develop and implement. It will work consistently to raise awareness and money for your cause. (See Client Testimonials)

What results can I expect?

You can expect to:

Develop a system that will help you raise the money you need to support your cause
Make your organization stand out among other nonprofits
Create a compelling vision that will make potential donors call you for more information
Work smarter at building your fundraising program, not harder
Ask for a donation without being pushy
Build relationships with people with the ability and interest in supporting your organization
Stay accountable to your goals and achieve them
Develop interim measurements to ensure you are on-track to raising the funds you need
Get proven techniques you can apply right away
Receive specific tools for you to use
Create greater exposure and visibility for your organization
Learn time saving techniques that will dramatically cut down your learning curve
Implement systems so you consistently seek out new donors and stop struggling to find new donors every year.

How quickly can I expect results?

Obviously, this depends on how long you’ve been in business and how much you put into the assignments that we give you. That said, most organizations I work with see results within the first six months in the form of new donors. With 12 months, most organizations will begin to get calls from people who would like to get involved with the organization.

How can I guarantee myself that I will get more donors, in record time?

Make a commitment to complete this program, in its entirety. Don’t skip assignments because you think you already have that piece down. Please understand, this is not a quick fix. It takes time to build a fundraising program that is sustainable over time – where donors will choose to partner with your organization for years to come.

Will I recover the investment I put into this coaching / training program?

Yes! (Was that emphatic enough?) Think about the additional people you can help, if only you had the money to serve them. Proven systems that can help you find donors, and keep them engaged for the long-term, are priceless. Did you know that, in the average development office, 90% of donors lapse – each year?

What you’re regularly getting with this program (and my coaching) is a system that will help you find new donors who stay involved with your organization over time. I’ll also help you with tools and to help you overcome your fear of asking (for you and/or your board) and help you set up a sustainable plan to raise money for your organization. You’ll also get several resources, materials and tools you’ve been looking for. These will all help you grow a more sustainable fundraising program.

But let me point out, this does take work on your end. Before signing up, make a commitment that you will work this program. And if you ever get stuck, know that I’m here to help you through.

And be assured, during our preliminary call, I’ll be asking a lot of questions to assure that you are ready to take this step. If you’re not ready, I’ll let you know – and will also provide some steps you can take on your own to prepare.

Kirsten, based on everything I’ve read and heard about you, I know you’re the one I want to learn from. What are my options for getting started with you?

That’s great! I’m looking forward to working with you to achieve your organization’s goals. To get started with building a sustainable fundraising program, here are the different programs and products I’ve created for you:

I highly recommend that you start with the ‘Major Gifts for the Small Shop’ online training program. It contains everything you need to develop a clear and compelling vision for your organization, your case materials, and a clear step-by step plan. It will show you everything you need to be doing to attract donors who will stay involved with your organization for years to come.
With your purchase of the ’8 Weeks to Fundraising Success’ Online Training Program, you receive 12 free months of membership in the Growing Your Donors VIP Community which includes two webinars each month (one Training Webinar and one Q&A call). Recordings of each session and transcripts will be available following the calls. You’ll also have access to a special on-line forum where you can ask questions and receive feedback from other people in the Circle. After the first twelve months, members can continue to access the VIP Community at a low monthly fee.
Coaching. Monthly or twice monthly one-on-one coaching calls to help you move quickly through challenges that might come up as you are developing and implementing your fundraising plan.
Major Gift Start-Up Consulting Package. I’ll work hands on with your board and senior staff to put everything in place to help you start your major gifts program quickly. As this is a very intense, hands-on program for me, I am only able to work with six agencies each year in this format. This program includes a half-day kick-off meeting where we discuss specifics about your organization’s challenges and opportunities. I’ll then facilitate three different sessions with your board and key staff:

- A Visioning Session to develop a compelling, ‘fundable’ vision.
- A Fundraising Session to obtain commitment to specific components of your fundraising plan. The commitment of your board is essential to your success.
- An Asking Training where your board and key staff will be trained in a step-by-step system of asking for money that is both respectful and successful.

In essence, I do some of the work for you. In addition to facilitating these sessions with your board, I will develop a Case Statement and Fundraising Plan for you, and then also provide ongoing coaching (a total of one year) to help ensure your success. This requires a high level of commitment from the organization, including a staff person committed to the fundraising program at least 15 hours per week and the development of a volunteer fundraising committee. To hear more details and availability, please email me at kirsten@growingyourdonors.com.

OK, I know I’d like to work with you. How do we get started?

That’s great! Call me or email me so that we can get to know each other a little better and I can help you select the right program for you. Give me a call at 1-502-708-1020 or email me at kirsten@growingyourdonors.com and we can set a time for a FREE Strategy Call so that I can get to know you better, answer any questions you have and help you determine the right next step for your organization. I’m looking forward to working with you and getting to know you better!

If I’m not sure I’m ready to get started, how can I sample your work at low cost to see if it’s the right solutions for me?

One way to start is by subscribing to my free email newsletter. In addition to links to all the latest news regarding nonprofits and fundraising, I include tips on growing an individual donor program. Subscribe here.