Here are my slides from today’s session How to Become a Fundraising Hero at the 2010 International Bowl Expo here in Las Vegas, NV.

I really had a blast talking to for-profit businesses and helping them help nonprofits in their community without going out of business. Click through to the slides on SlideShare.net to see the bullet points embedded under the images.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

Other Possibly Related posts:

1. Development and Social Media in a nutshell
2. Fundraising Secret #44: Up your giving this year

If you subscribe to my bi-weekly fundraising email newsletter, you know I’m a big fan of 501Videos’ Movie Mondays. These short, free movies, are timely training tools and wonderful weekly reminders. Plus, they give you an inside look at how other fundraising professionals are approaching their work.

I’ve even been privileged to be in a couple of them:

• 2 Stories of Fundraising Success in this Tough Economy and
• How Nonprofits are Using Facebook

Well the 100th Movie Monday is about to be released on May 17. So 501Videos is celebrating. They’d like to give away a DVD of the top 10 videos. But first they need you to vote on the top 10 videos!

If you’re a subscriber, you received the link in today’s email from 501Videos.

If you’re not a subscriber, take advantage of this free resource by going to the Movie Monday’s site. It’ll be worth it!

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

Other Possibly Related posts:

1. How Funders are Changing the Game: Movie Mondays
2. When corporate donors attack and new fundraising dvd’s
3. When is the best time to host a fundraising movie event?

I’m pleased that my Twitterfor Nonprofits blog post is helping people venture into Twitter and other social media!

After that post, a fellow Twitter follower, Jon Swanson, recommended following Cheryl Smith of CultureSmith Consulting. I agree! Her blog has great tips on using social media in business.

And Mark Hayward (@mark_hayward on Twitter) has a list of 97–yes, 97!–people he suggests following on Twitter. (I’m flattered to be on the list!)

Check out that amazing list for yourself at: 97 Remarkable Ways to Diversify Your Network in a Down Economy.

[The other posts in this series are not so creatively named: Twitter for Nonprofits and Even MORE Twitter for Nonprofits.]

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

Other Possibly Related posts:

1. 3 reasons social media is worth the effort for local nonprofits
2. Twitter lists and branding according to Jay Baer and Wordle

I’m really excited to be offering a full day of “Ask Without Fear!” training here in Waterville, ME on Saturday, September 13.

This training will be ideal for board members and volunteers who are feeling guilty that they’re not doing as much fundraising as they think is expected of them. They’ll learn that fundraising really can be “fun”!

It’s also great for nonprofit professionals and executive directors who want to learn more about “making the ask” or just want to be re-invigorated about asking for money.

I’m pretty excited to be offering this for so low a price. It’ll normally cost $500 or $600 per person–the information will help you raise far more than that. But I’m offering it in my home town for a low $99.

Why Saturday? Board members and volunteers asked me to do it when they could come! Isn’t that great?

To read what you’ll learn, and to register for only $99, go to the Ask Without Fear! LIVE! page.

But hurry, there isn’t much space and the early registration discount ends soon!

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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I’m pleased to announce the Ask Without Fear! radio show is starting next Tuesday!

This radio show will be hosted through BlogTalkRadio.com. Every Tuesday at 11 a.m., I’ll be interviewing the top fundraising gurus from around the US (and eventually from around the world).

My first four guests are:

• Jay Love, founder and CEO of www.eTapestry.com
• Gayle Roberts, uber blogger and fundraising counselor www.gayleroberts.com
• Jeff Brooks, another uber blogger, the man behind the ever popular www.donorpowerblog.com
• David Phillips, president of CDS, a nationwide consulting firm based out of SC.

The show is geared at fundraising professionals that have been in the field a long time. (But other fundraising enthusiasts will benefit from the interviews as well.)

To join in the fun, go to: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/marcapitman at 11 a.m. Eastern time next Tuesday. (I chose 11 a.m. because it’ll be the start of the day for our West Coast colleagues and the end of the day for our European listeners.)

You can listen online or by calling the "call in" number (347) 996-5931. Long distance charges may apply for the call (just as they would if you were calling your Aunt Ethel.)

If you could ask Jay, Gayle, Jeff, or David just ONE question, what would it be?

You can reply to this email or send me one at: marc@fundraisingcoach.com

To your fundraising success!

Marc

P.S. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 a.m.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

Other Possibly Related posts:

1. Ask Without Fear! Special “Holiday Miracle” Bundle

Add this to my “15 minutes of fame”: H. Les Brown interviewed me on his Frazzled Entrepreneur Show.

Click here to listen to our interview.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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Some readers have asked where I’ll be speaking so here’s the current schedule:

• Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits, May 1 & 2 in Montreal.
• Direct Marketing Association, July 14-16 in Washington, DC
• Maine Library Association, October 23 in Bethel, ME. (The leaves will be colorful!)

If you’re planning on going to any of these, please let me know! I’d love to grab a cup of coffee.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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Here’s another question I received in my inbox from Emile Dillis:

How to propose a fund raising project to organisations, fundraisers or individuals?

The Lord has led us to a place in the mountains of Northern Italy. Here our ministry shall be hospitality. Holiday home, meeting place, courses, seminars, Bible school, evangelisation and so much more.

We are looking for support from organisations and individuals, donations to realise this project. How do we propose this project to organisations? Do we make a formal business plan? What do we include/exclude? What do we need to do and what not?

Any advice or help is gratefully welcome !

We are prepared to take steps in Faith.

And here’s my answer:

Wonderful!! Good for you!

I’d start dreaming and visioning–on paper. What is God calling you to? What is your intent?

And the hardest part: what niche is God calling you too?

Yeah, everyone. But really, who? 20 year old backpackers? 65+ elderhostel folks? Churched? Unchurched?

This is SO hard but SO important. You’ll need to market your place. And it’s FAR easier to market to a specific group.

Don’t worry, you’ll get all sorts of people. But get really clear on a people group or type that God is calling you to. A group that’s easy to find.

I’d highly recommend using a goals program like my MagnetGoals program. There’s a free version and a print out version. (Website below.)

Get books like

• Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It
• Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Jim Collin’s & Jerry Poras’ Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
• Jim Collin’s Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
• Seth Godin’s Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable and Free Prize Inside!

That should get you started!

One last encouragement, work through the MagnetGoals system and the E-Myth work of business planning and Covey’s 7 Habits. It’s tedious but the clarity it’ll bring is priceless.

While you’re at it, get to know yourself too. DiSC or Myers Briggs or Highlands Abilities Battery or StrenthsFinder. Find out what God made you good at and what you’ll need to outsource when you can.

You are going to hit a wall at some point. Anything God calls us to requires we come to the end of ourselves. That way we rely on him! But when you’re at the end of yourself, you’ll want to quit. Don’t. The clarity this early work brings will help reignite your fire and renew your faith.

And please keep in touch. I’ve only been to Northern Italy once, just long enough to whet my appetite!

Links:

• http://fundraisingcoach.com/magnetgoals.htm
• http://fundraisingcoach.com/diy.htm
• http://fundraisingcoach.com/store.htm

To ask me your question, go to Question Marc on my site or simply log on to LinkedIn.com and use the Charity & Nonprofit Answers section.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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This month’s Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants question is: “What are you most looking forward to in the coming weeks and months?”

My immediate answer is: Montreal in May!

I’ve been invited to give two talks at Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits. On Thursday, May 1, I’ll be teaching people to ask without fear!. Then on Friday, I’ll be teaching people how to share there story in ways that will actually communicate to donors.

Best of all, I get to take my family with me this time!

For more information on the conference, and to see if you can still register, go to: Blackbaud’s Conference for Nonprofits.

Looking forward to May!

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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Just read a news brief from the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s daily entitled Small Colleges Say Board Members Have Been Poor Fund Raisers.

In the article, Wesley Wilmer is quoted as saying:

“If college presidents and development staffs are unhappy with board members’ understanding of fund raising, they should take the initiative to get them trained,” he said.

Music to my ears!

Remember that oft quoted definition of insanity? Insanity is keeping on doing the same thing you’ve been doing but expecting different results.

[Shameless plug alert] Board members need training but so many nonprofits are unable (or unwilling) to pay for it. That’s what led me to write Ask Without Fear! and price it at inexpensive $14.95.

Hopefully this book will be a cost-effective way to help remove some of the tension that seems to exist with college presidents and their board of trustees.

For the entire article, go to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

(c) Marc A. Pitman, FundraisingCoach.com

Learn how you can set up a brand new fundraising program, or re-tool your existing fundraising, to raise serious money for your cause. Purchase this full-day fundraising seminar you can download right to your desk and start learning today!

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