Connie Lewin found the funders. She wrote the emails. She sent the proposals. The response was silence.

With a $1 million goal for a small nonprofit in Rwanda and no established high-net-worth donor network, Connie had to quickly step into a leadership role and take responsibility for the organization’s goal to scale its impact and operations in three years.

What finally moved the money wasn't better writing. It was closing the distance between donors and the people at the center of the mission by tapping into donors' heads and hearts and making the case for giving by connecting business strategy with empathy. 🩵

In this Possible in Practice episode, you'll hear:

The reframe that changed everything: It's not an ask. It's an invitation — and what that actually changes about who you approach and what you say
Why an unfiltered list of hundreds of prospects feels like progress but isn't
What donors are really asking when they hesitate (it's not whether your work is good)
How a 16-year-old raised over $40,000 climbing Kilimanjaro — and what it proved about belonging

You'll walk away with one question to run before your next appeal: do we have a fundraising problem, or a distance problem? 🩵

Episode Highlights:

(2:27) Connie's origin story: a fourth-grade cleanup in New York City
(3:48) Walking into Rwanda: big vision, scrappy team
(5:30) The $1M opportunity — and the plot twist
(8:21) "The response was silence"
(9:00) The reframe: not an ask, an invitation
(10:00) Three moves that closed the distance
(13:59) Funder personas and the confidence gap
(17:47) Why an unfiltered list of hundreds of prospects feels like progress
(18:49) What donors actually want to know
(22:13) Bella's Kilimanjaro climb and the power of belonging
(25:33) One Good Thing: fundraising problem or distance problem?

Episode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/741

Join us at The Spread!

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We Are For Good is joining forces with GB to host in-person hackathon meetups on Friday, Oct. 2, in New York, Seattle, LA, Denver, and Indianapolis, so you can build alongside other nonprofits in the community.

Learn more and save your free spot today.

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741. The Fundraising System That Raised $1M: Fix the Distance Problem + Reframe the Ask - Connie Lewin

We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

741. The Fundraising System That Raised $1M: Fix the Distance Problem + Reframe the Ask - Connie Lewin