What do you do if fundraising is in your DNA?

Miriam Barnett was born to raise money. In high school, she led a group in establishing a recycling center. When asked how they would afford it, her answer was, “We’ll get the money; we have no other options!”

Ten years ago Miriam was asked to join the YWCA of Pierce County, an organization that had seen its share of Executive Directors come and go. During her tenure, the organization has built new facilities, introduced new programs, and created more impact. All of these things require capital infusions, and each time Miriam and her team have appealed to the community. Each time, the community has responded.

Through her years of service to the nonprofit sector, she’s worked at small organizations and big organizations. She’s worked for arts groups, human services, and community foundations. Wherever she’s gone and whatever the cause, this much she knows: as nonprofit executives, we have the privilege of connecting donors who care with causes that matter.

If you’d like to learn more about Miriam or YWCA of Pierce County, check out their website, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter! Feel free to reach out to Miriam via email.

Click here to download as an MP3 (right click and choose “save as”).

In this episode, Miriam and Darren discuss:

Why giving away money is harder than asking for money.
The one thing you need to do before you ever ask even one person to give to your organization.
The biggest challenge in raising money for your nonprofit.
The value of having a support system of trusted colleagues.
Creative ways to get your board engaged in fundraising.
What she learned from a Jewish immigrant cowboy!
Her book recommendation: Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.
Her advice for new directors: listen to the people surrounding you AND be sure to be fully present in the conversation.

Miriam’s Magic Moment challenge: tell one person about the good work your organization does…and them ask them to make a gift!

We’re so glad you joined us!

We appreciate you stopping by and giving us a listen. Have a question? Want to suggest a future topic or guest? Go to Ask The Nonprofit Wizards.

We’d love to hear your feedback! Head over to the Nonprofit Wizards Facebook community or send us a tweet @NPWizards.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the buttons below.

Finally, please leave an honest review for the Nonprofit Wizards Podcast on iTunes! Not only do ratings and reviews help the rankings of the show, but (more importantly) they help us ensure we are providing value to you.