Story

What is your Raison D’être or Purpose?

This is different from your mission, which should be the same thing but usually ends up being more about ‘place in the world’ than purpose. Raison d’être literally means REASON FOR EXISTENCE. It’s the WHY question. If you can’t answer WHY, then WHAT and HOW are irrelevant.

• Change The Way You Think

  • Change the Way You Think Overview
  • Change Your Vocabulary
  • No More’s
    • No More Proposals
    • No More Special Events
    • No More Volunteer Solicitation
    • No More Meetings
    • No More Boards
    • No More Traditional Campaigns
    • No More Sustainability
    • No More Mission Statements
    • No More Silos
    • No More Strategic Plans
    • No More Transactions
    • No More Feasibility Studies
    • No More Cultivation
    • No More Asking For Money
    • No More Fundraising
  • There Are No Rules
    • Best Practices vs Next Practices
  • Sacred Cows
    • No More Special Events
    • Change Takes 18 Minutes and 18 Months
  • You’re in Sales, Get Over It
• Story

  • Tell Your Story Overview
  • You Become What You Think About
    • You Choose Your Story
      • Old Story, New Story
        • Rewrite Your Destiny, in Business and in Life
        • If You Don’t Like How Things Are Going, Tell a New Story
    • Words Are Important
  • Power of Story
    • Make Your Story Awesome
      • Secrets of the World’s Best Storytellers
      • Is Your Story Awesome?
      • Discover Your Best Story
      • Empower Volunteers. Engage Investors.
      • Example from the Land of Storytelling
      • Great Reads on Storytelling
    • Sharing the Story
      • Selling Is Not Telling Unless it’s a Story
      • Tell Your Story Enough and You Can Change the World
  • Cast a Vision
    • No More Feasibility Studies
    • Think Like an Entrepreneur
    • What Would You Do With $1M? Or 10x Your Current Budget?
  • Simplify Your Message
    • Simplify Your Message On a Napkin
      • Simplicity Allows People to Act
      • If Effective, Then Plenty of Money Available
      • Simple Is Better
      • Napkin Messages That Create Dialogue
    • What’s In A Message?
      • 6 Word Message
      • 8 Common Messaging Challenges
      • Clarifying v. Convincing
    • The Entrepreneur’s Mantra: Think Big, Build Simple, Act Now
      • The Magic of Thinking Big
      • Thinking Bigger with your Vision, your Board, and your Funding
      • Act Now re: Massive Action
      • Build Simple: Communication
    • Message is What People Hear
    • No More Mission Statements
      • Just 3 Sentences
      • If You Can’t Explain What You Do In A Paragraph, You’ve Got A Problem
    • The Three Big (Business) Questions
    • Stop Cultivating and Start Communicating
      • Get Those Who Care About Your CAUSE, Then Sell Your CASE.
  • Storyboarding
  • Think Big. Build Simple. Act Now.
  • Think Big. Build Simple. Act Now.
    • Think Visual: Imagineering
• Altitude (Framework)

  • The Altitude Framework Overview: Video and Guidebook
  • Start With WHY
    • Raison D’Etre
      • Too Many Non Profits ‘Exist to Exist’
      • What’s the End Game – Sustainability or Solution?
    • Selling Happens at 30,000’
      • Steve Jobs Close
      • The Jerry Maguire Close
    • Meaning Before Detail
  • The 3 BIG Questions of Every Investor
    • How to Answer the Most Important Question of Every Investor
    • To What End?
  • Altitude Awareness
  • How to Apply the Altitude Framework
    • The Organization
      • No More Strategic Plans
    • On Altitude: For Your Presentation
      • Design Your Presentation
    • On Altitude: For the Visit
      • Visit Flow
    • On Altitude: For Boards
• Case For Support

  • Case for Support Overview
  • Use the Rule of 3 to Simplify Your Priorities
  • Do The Math
    • Do the Math to Simplify Your Funding Story
      • Reallocation of Resources Around Opportunities
    • Unleash The Power of For Impact Math
      • 1,000 Push Ups
    • R.O.I.
  • Create a Funding Rationale
    • How to Create a Funding Rationale Tied to Impact
      • Nobody Wants to Fund Case Management
      • The Vision Can Be The Project
      • No More Sustainability
      • No More Cash to Endowment
    • Types of Funding Pitches
    • Overcoming Objections
  • Design Your Presentation
    • Think Visual
  • Create a Funding Plan
    • Your Funding Plan Supports Your Case
    • Today, Tomorrow, Forever
  • Today, Tomorrow, Forever
    • Today, Tomorrow, Forever
• Engagement

  • Engagement Overview [Video]
  • How To Engage
  • On Engagement [Guidebook]
  • On Visual Engagement [Guidebook + Examples]
    • What is an Engagement Tool?
    • Stop Zombies Now: Engagement Tool and Use