Learning From Leaders Series Kicks Off with ‘Reimagining Fundraising’

Raising funds for non-profit organizations and other worthy causes can be difficult in the best of times. In a time of economic uncertainty and fiscal challenges it can be even more daunting. The solution for non-profits is to take a different approach to the task and reimagine fundraising.

That was the message at the inaugural Learning From Leaders Series event from EVOLVE Communication Group. Presented by Halifax Health and held at the Mori Hosseini Center on the campus of Daytona State College, the event featured Bill Crouch, known as “The Fundraising Analyst,” who spoke about rethinking fundraising efforts to ensure long-term sustainability and growth for a variety of public and private nonprofit organizations.

Howard Holley, EVOLVE News publisher and host of the event said the Learning From Leaders Series is designed to bring people together in the post-Covid 19 pandemic world.

“This is the first in a series post-pandemic,” he said. “It’s time to get back with each other.”

Holley said Reimagining Fundraising was selected as the topic because while many other businesses have come back strongly after the lockdowns and economic turmoil of the pandemic, fundraising and non-profits are one industry that hasn’t really bounced back.

Crouch said fundraising “is all about helping people in order to share some of their resources” and that requires understanding certain truths and taking specific actions to accomplish that goal.

“It’s not about strategy in 2025,” Crouch said, referring to the challenges facing fundraising professionals. And the first rule is “You have to lead yourself” to succeed.

“Leading yourself is all about controlling your emotions,” he said. One of the emotions that can challenge fundraising efforts is fear.

“Fear can destroy us if we don’t deal with it,” Crouch said. “Our emotions can control us. If we’re not able to control our emotions, then you’re not going to be successful fundraising in 2025. You’ve got to lead yourself.”

The decision individuals face when following that first truth is undergoing an honest assessment of past efforts, he said.

“You can’t lead yourself unless you’re honest with yourself,” Crouch said.

The second truth is recognizing the conventional wisdom that 80% of funds raised in a campaign will come from 30% of donors no longer applies. Instead, according to Crouch, it is a 95-5 rule acknowledging that 95% of the wealth in a community is held by 5% of the people who live there. And those are the people to focus fundraising efforts on.

Crouch said high-wealth people want direct communication in the form of bullet points rather than long descriptive paragraphs. They also “love” visuals and when sitting down for a meeting with fundraisers usually listen to the beginning and the end of the pitch.

Crouch’s third rule is embracing a new paradigm in fundraising and being creative.

“You’ve got to have audacious confidence,” he said. “Be creative in how you connect with people.”