Our day-to-day overwhelm here in the US is intense.
And it’s designed to make us all feel uncertain. Helpless. Passive even.
Your overwhelm is the goal. If we give in, we find ourselves suffocating in distractions.
But the good news is you can counteract that — when you focus on the pursuit of excellence. Becoming your best — your strongest, your most resilient, your most loving, your smartest — self
Becoming YOUR best self, for lack of a better way to say this, will effortlessly snowball into the best version of your mission.
That’s where this month’s Grow Report book drawing comes in.
I’ve only just started reading Great Fundraising Organizations: Why and How the World’s Best Charities Excel at Raising Money, and I’m already widely recommending it to colleagues, students, and clients. And now you.
A personal grievance of mine when it comes to our sector has always been the lack of case studies illustrating long-term success. That’s why I frequently reference this brilliant case study on SOFII from Denisa Casement, Lisa Sargent, and Sandi Collette.
Sure, it’s easy to experience one-off successes. I can show you how a copywriting client experienced an ROI of 644% just from a shift in focus…
…only to fall back on their old “I, Me, Mine” centered copy (to predictably lackluster results) for their very next ask.
After over 25 years in the sector, I’ve seen enough fits and starts fundraising like this, along with boldfaced ignorance about what donor-centered fundraising is really all about, to last a lifetime. It’s flipping exhausting.
Don’t even get me started on staff turnover. Particularly fundraising professionals.
Times are hard and they’re not going to get any easier.
Your best solution is to apply a laser-like focus on what actually, you know, works. And apply it consistently.
That is precisely what you’ll find between the covers of Great Fundraising Organizations by our MotivateMonday guest, Alan Clayton.
As Roger Craver notes in his brilliant review:
“Alan lays out the lessons, clear and simple, like the lines of a good story.
Invest in the Long Term: Giles Pegram, a UK consultant, found that a $1 million investment in fundraising produced a 12x return over 14 years compared to traditional investments. But nonprofits often demand immediate results, tying fundraising to one-year or three-year budgets. Clayton argues for patience and vision, reminding readers that fundraising is an investment, not a cost.
Know Your Donors: Fundraising isn’t about data points or demographic segments. It’s about people. Organizations that know their donors as individuals build loyalty and trust. Clayton shares the story of a fundraiser who realized donors weren’t just giving to help—they were giving to heal, connect, and find meaning in their lives.
Align Your Team: The Red Dot moment doesn’t happen by accident. It requires leadership willing to address internal conflicts—between short-term service goals and long-term fundraising ambitions, between credibility-focused messaging and empathy-driven storytelling.”
Carve out 60 minutes to watch this special expanded MotivateMonday session, all about Great Fundraising Organizations: Why and How the World’s Best Charities Excel at Raising Money. Click the image below to be taken to Vimeo to view the presentation. Click here to download the slides. Force your ED, your board, and your entire staff to watch it.
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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