Have you ever been afraid to raise your hand and speak up? Perhaps you weren’t afraid exactly, but you wondered if you might look foolish or ask a dumb question. If you’re like me, anxieties like that can keep you from speaking out. A great trainer works in many ways to encourage everyone to participate – both the naturally talkative … [Read more...]
An exercise that raises money while you do it
Is your board afraid of fundraising? You’re not alone. Most boards find the whole subject taboo. Here’s a real-world example. Imagine that your nonprofit faced the following challenges: Most of your board members are both unskilled at fundraising and anxious about doing it. (Sounds familiar, right?) You board gathers only twice … [Read more...]
Asking When Everyone Else Isn’t
This is a difficult story to tell, because it’s about one of the hardest days in recent memory: September 11, 2001. And it’s a fundraising story – but one you’ve never heard before. You may remember the chaos and confusion that gripped the nation – not only in New York and Washington, but pretty much everywhere. People glued to their … [Read more...]
The Learning Room: How to Set Up Your Training Space
Here’s a joke I’ve used for years – I train for free, but I get paid to move furniture. Pretty much every time I show up for a workshop, the tables and chairs are arranged badly. So I push them around, trying to create a better learning space. It’s not unusual for me to break a sweat even before the class begins. This is known as … [Read more...]
How I Led A Successful Training in a Language I Don’t Speak
Last month, I traveled to Quebec City to facilitate a fundraising workshop for the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. The event was organized by my colleagues at the Institute for Conservation Leadership. Nearly everyone in the room – except me – had French as their first language, with a varying range of … [Read more...]
Icebreakers: Eight Questions to Jumpstart (or Revive) Your Fundraising Workshop
Every trainer knows the moment: Your first minute in front of the room, all eyes on you, everyone waiting expectantly. You want to get off to a good start. You want to grab everyone’s attention. The way you start will set the tone for the rest of the training. Option 1: Have them talk to the person sitting next to them Choose one … [Read more...]
How to Run a Great Workshop — Whatever the Conditions
In August, I traveled to Baltimore to give a workshop at the fourth Money for Our Movements conference sponsored by GIFT, the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training. The conference brought together 650 organizers and activists from across North America who work for social, racial, and economic justice. My session was in a hot, … [Read more...]
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