Ep 25: Year End In T-Minus 30… (with Seth Rosen)

That feeling…

It sets in just as Thanksgiving weekend comes to a close and you wake from the tryptophan haze. It’s something like panic. Actually it’s A LOT like panic.

You are a nonprofit leader – paid or unpaid. Maybe the chair of the development committee or the lone paid development staff member. And here’s what you know: most nonprofits see 30% of their revenue come in the door in the last month of the calendar year and 10% of THAT in the 48 hours of the year.

Have you planted sufficient seeds? Will you hit your year end numbers? Are you ready? Rather than play the game I call “Coulda Woulda Shoulda,” in this episode, Seth Rosen and I will offer you tips, tricks, and practical advice so you can play the new game I am calling “Can, Will, GOTTA!”

About Seth Rosen

My guest today is not really a guest. He’s a friend and also a colleague in my firm and I’m so glad to have him back for the 3^rd time on the podcast.

Seth happens to be the happiest nonprofit consultant you will ever meet. He loves raising money, he is smart as hell, and he is addicted to the Real Housewives franchise.

This last little fact is something I do not hold against him.

In addition to blogging monthly, Seth has an exemplary career as a fundraising executive, most recently at Gay Men’s Health Crisis, the world’s first and largest AIDS services organization – with a $30 million budget. His impressive resume includes work in education and global philanthropy through Malaria No More. His passion was the law and he has a law degree but he learned after practicing law for a bit that he had a love and a gift for raising money.

Today he shares this gift with us.

In this episode:

• What nonprofits can do starting right now to make the most of end-of-year fundraising
• At this point, is it too late for 2016?
• The best ways to coordinate staff and board members around year end fundraising
• How to compete with all the other fundraising requests donors get at this time of year
• What to do if the cash is not in the door by 12/3

Episode Links:

• Seth Rosen’s Bio
• Gay Men’s Health Crisis
• Malaria No More
• More on fundraising from Joan’s Blog
• Watch Joan on GIVE on NBC
• Music by Jukebox the Ghost