Rainmaker Fundraising

Dr. Clark Dickerson has led more than 250 capital campaigns over 40 years. Every one of them has rested on the same three principles: * God is the owner of all * We’re stewards and not owners* We’re blessed to bless othersIn this episode, Andrew sits down with Clark Dickerson, the co-founder of DickersonBakker to talk about his new book, Growing into Generosity: God’s Call to Greater Financial Faithfulness. Clark starts at the beginning. His first campaign was a $2 million effort for a Tennessee Christian school in 1985. Then comes a 100th-anniversary campaign at Johnson Bible College. Afterward, the college president pulled him aside and said the only thing wrong with this kind of fundraising was that they hadn’t started 20 years earlier. Clark also shares how he won his first college campaign. When a president asked how many successful college campaigns he’d led, Clark answered, “When we finish yours, it will be one.”From there, the conversation goes after the hard stuff:* Why pastors, executive directors and board members avoid talking about money, and what that silence costs their organizations.* Why up to 40% of Christians give nothing at all.* Why a couple earning $600,000 a year could say “there just wasn’t anything left” at the end of the month.* Clark’s argument that the hardest stewardship principle is prayer. He believes many people don’t pray about their giving because they’re afraid of what the answer might be.Clark also explains why these ideas apply well beyond ministry. His long-time line is that “donors do the good deeds,” and the organization is simply the conduit. His advice to fundraisers is to raise money for the need, not the building.The episode closes with one of the best donor stories you’ll hear. A board chairman angrily refused a $50,000 ask: “Who in the world do you think you are?” Then he showed up at Clark’s airport hotel at 11 p.m., soaked from a thunderstorm, to say yes. The two talked until 3 a.m., and that conversation changed how the family gave from then on.In this episode:* (00:47) Clark’s first capital campaign, in 1985* (03:34) The campaign that convinced Clark this was his calling* (07:26) Who Growing into Generosity was written for, and the three principles behind every campaign* (13:28) What happens to an organization when its leader won’t talk about money* (18:18) Do these principles work in secular fundraising? Why “donors do the good deeds”* (20:18) The hardest principle for people to accept: praying about giving* (23:19) Giving first versus giving last* (25:38) The midnight knock: stories of generosity that changed lives* (29:50) When people don’t know, and when they know but aren’t willingGet the book: Growing into Generosity: God’s Call to Greater Financial Faithfulness by Dr. Clark Dickerson.This episode of the Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast is sponsored by my newest book, Rainmaking: The Fundraiser’s Guide to High-Impact Offers. This 49-page book (yeah, it really is that short — on purpose) is packed with the specific guidance and insights you need to improve your nonprofit’s fundraising offers and raise more money. It includes the exact framework I have used to guide hundreds of organizations through the offer development process over the last 25 years. And you can read it faster than you can read a Trader Joe’s newsletter. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

This might be the most important information you hear today for your nonprofit’s growth. The majority of wealth in the U.S. is held outside of cash, in other assets like stock, 401k’s, IRA’s, real estate, and closely held business interests. But nearly every nonprofit I’ve encountered (and at this point, that’s thousands) are focused on asking donors to write them a check or give by credit card. Essentially going after that remaining 3%.Why? Nonprofits that are actively seeking asset-based gifts are generating huge returns compared to those that aren’t. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

Justin Wheeler, Founder/CEO of Funraise and I talking about the realities of activating major giving behavior through high-touch direct mail outreach. Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

Every fundraiser on the planet has, at some point, wished they could have a prep conversation with a donor before they actually sit in front of them to make an ask of any kind.  But that’s silly. That’s not possible. Instead, most of us settled for half-baked role playing with a colleague from time-to-time.  And that was helpful. Sort of. But it was never exactly what we needed. It was never dialed in as much as many of us wanted. The result?  Many of us still walked into donor visits and meetings nervous, unsure of ourselves, and unprepared to navigate […]Chapters(00:00:00) - Rainmaker Fundraising: Guest Interview(00:01:17) - Practical Learning for Fundraisers(00:03:31) - Facebook's First Paying Customers(00:03:50) - Why I Launched a Tech Company(00:08:10) - How the Fear-Based Fundraising System is Changing the Way(00:11:10) - Baker Fundraising: From Friendly to Fundraising(00:15:46) - The New Way to Coaching(00:18:28) - How To Raise Money With a Board of Directors(00:19:38) - Beyond the Money Flow(00:24:21) - Fundraising Goals and Motivation(00:26:15) - The New Goal-oriented Meeting(00:28:28) - "A Touch of Mercy"(00:29:17) - Give Like a Corporate Coach(00:31:08) - Coaching of the Leader(00:33:54) - Practivated: How to Navigate the Challenging Personality of(00:38:38) - A Few More Favors For You Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe

“How are you?” Simple question, right?  If you lead a nonprofit organization, a ministry, or work inside one, this probably feels like a loaded question. A trap, if you will.  What we all know, but what so few are willing to admit, is that burnout is at an all-time high in our sector. As Nathan LaGrange, Executive Director at Oasis Rest International says, leaders don’t set out in their careers to flame out. No one wants to burn out, to harm their most precious relationships, or end up on the brink personal and professional failure. But it happens. https://youtube.com/shorts/ksKb5a8B_GI?feature=share In […]Chapters(00:00:00) - Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast: Rest and Recover(00:01:19) - Andrew McMillan on Planting His Soul(00:07:38) - Oasis Rest: A Place for Leaders to Talk(00:09:06) - Burnout in the Church(00:13:47) - The importance of caring for the leader(00:19:34) - A Sacred Controversy About Service Profit Chain(00:25:26) - How to Reset the Relationship Between CEO and Donor Development(00:29:13) - How Do You Retreat Away From Responsibilities?(00:32:57) - How to Encourage Your Pastor(00:35:54) - The Retreat Safety(00:38:04) - Life, Love, Liberty and Legacy(00:41:47) - Oasis of Rest(00:45:50) - How to Slow Down in Leadership(00:50:34) - Oasis REST: Slow Down(00:51:23) - How to Reach Out to Nonprofit Leaders(00:52:32) - The Rainmaker Fundraising Podcast Get full access to The Rainmaker Fundraising Newsletter at rainmakerfundraising.substack.com/subscribe