Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 204. Strategic Planning 101 + How to Help Your Board Become Better Fundraisers - Sabrina Walker Hernandez

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204. Strategic Planning 101 + How to Help Your Board Become Better Fundraisers - Sabrina Walker Hernandez · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:01
  Becky Endicott: Hey, I'm John.
• 0:01
  Becky Endicott: And I'm Becky.
• 0:03
  Jonathan McCoy: And this is the we are for good podcast.
• 0:06
  Becky Endicott: Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
• 0:15
  Jonathan McCoy: We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.
• 0:23
  Becky Endicott: So welcome to the good community. We're nonprofit professionals, philanthropist, world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:34
  Jonathan McCoy: So let's get started. Hey, Becky, Hey, John.
• 0:38
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, there's days that you can just like probably feel a smiling right as we come into the conversations, right.
• 0:43
  Becky Endicott: But I just have to say, do you know that friend that everybody has, like, all your friends are friend with this person, but somehow you're not like, we are finally meeting the friend of all of our friends today. And it's Sabrina, we are so excited that Sabrina Walker Hernandez is on the podcast today are
• 1:01
  Jonathan McCoy: so excited. So let me tell you a little bit about Sabrina cuz she has had an amazing career. She has an amazing family. And it's all threaded together in this beautiful way that she shows up and serves the nonprofit sector specifically loves on small nonprofits and giving them a path to growth and clarity of their next steps. But she's the president and CEO of supporting world hope, which I love the name of your organization. Let's be clear, it lines up with your initials. So I'm really geeking out from a branding perspective.
• 1:28
  Jonathan McCoy: But you know, Sabrina, she's a certified consultant and coach and a facilitator that like I said, she works with small nonprofits, but helps build boards, build relationships that convert into more donations. She has over 25 years of experience in nonprofit. And one of the things that I think is most incredible about her bio, she, you know, worked in one of the poorest counties in the entire United States. And you know, there's a lot of barriers, I think, to fundraising. And people just say, you know, our community can't do this. We don't have the funds here. Her story completely shows you that it's possible. She grew from 750,000 to a $2.5 million operating budget, and completed a $12 million comprehensive campaign in that county. So she is here to tell small nonprofits to empower them that there is a path and just to have a friend in the journey. So Sabrina, we're so delighted to have you on the podcast. Thanks so much for joining us.
• 2:20
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I'm so excited to be here. And thank you for getting the Swa, you know,
• 2:26
  Jonathan McCoy: I'm here.
• 2:30
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Explain it to people in the detail. Oh.
• 2:36
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Thank you.
• 2:37
  Jonathan McCoy: You bet. So okay, Sabrina, walk us through, I shared a little, tiny, tiny snapshot of your story. But give us your story. You know what made you fall in love with this sector and really pour your life into it?
• 2:47
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Well, you know, it started out. I love this question because it started out with my mama, which, you know, she was a mama's you. God bless Mama's. She's a missionary. And we grew up doing church fundraising all the time, all the time. But you know, I was very mouthy Chow. So she used to tell me, it's growing up, you should be a lawyer, you should be a lawyer, you know, because you got something to say about everything. And so when I went to college, I majored in poly side pre law. And then I did an internship with this nonprofit called abbacy Resource Center for housing, which I was mediating between landlords and tenants. And so I got to work with a bunch of attorneys. And I said, Yeah, I don't want to be one of those, like me. No offense to any attorneys out there, you know, there, you know, what I learned about the law is there is no right or wrong, there's only the law.
• 3:49
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Yeah. And so I didn't really like that because to me, there's a right and a wrong. So, um, but I fell in love with the nonprofit process all over again. And so I finished a degree poly side, which is a good degree, a liberal arts degree because you basically do anything. But then I got my Master's in Public Administration, and just been on that nonprofit track since then.
• 4:10
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I just, I just love helping people. I love giving back. I love, you know, supporting the community. Because if we don't support the community, then What world are we choosing to live in? And so I think that when you're a nonprofit, professional, or board member, volunteer, you're, you're literally changing the world.
• 4:35
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And so that feels good. It's a selfish motivation, but it feels good to me. So
• 4:41
  Becky Endicott: it's the most selfish for good motivation of all time. And as someone who married a person with a political science pre law degree, I can tell you that the joke in our house is that my husband makes the living and I make the difference. So as a lawyer, he As a lawyer,
• 5:01
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: preface that with lawyers I know, right?
• 5:06
  Becky Endicott: We all have, we all have good lawyers in our life that we love. And we, every single one of them need to be able to take a lawyer joke.
• 5:12
  Becky Endicott: There's a reason they're a lawyer jokes out there. But I love that you're just such a beacon of hope in this space, and I and you clearly have such passion for it. And I'm already having the best time visiting with you. But I think that one of the hallmarks of what you do as an expert in our industry is around how you vision and you do this strategic planning. So well, you and John have this gives you the ability to come up at the 10,000 foot view, and see something and kind of align those pieces. So we're gonna have like a little mini strategic planning session with you today. And so we're moving into the new year. And even if you're someone that's listening to this conversation later in the year, we just think it's great to take a step back and just think about strategy. So Sabrina, Could you walk us through this like little mini strategic planning session and just set the scene for the listeners about where they should start?
• 6:05
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Well, I always I love getting together with boards around strategic planning. I like to start with, personally, I like to start with a survey of all your stakeholders, whether they are and I really like your board, your staff, your vendors, your clients, I like to get all of that input, and get that information and really digest it and provide a report to people so they'll know exactly where they're standing. Because I think sometimes people go into strategic planning, and they don't take the time to prep for it, they bring their own viewpoint without actually getting the input of the people around them and the stakeholders around them. So starting off like that, and it actually saves you some time, if you do it. If you do that part, you know, using Google Docs or using some type of survey. And I always, in those surveys to always ask, okay, which part is this? I break down the mission and say, okay, which part of your mission resonates with you? Which part do you agree with? Which part of the vision do you agree with?
• 7:08
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Which of these core values, you know, rate these? How do you agree with that? How do you see it? Are we living up to the expectation? What are some of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and I like to get all of that before I go into a session, give them usually I give people like a 30 page report, I hope they read it. I know they don't. The first part of the strategic planning session is usually I go through the report with them. Because it's important, you know, I'm not doing it for my health, I really want them to see what what their stakeholders think of them. If I have the time or not the time, if the organization chooses to do this, I love doing in person stakeholder interviews with donors, like with their top donors, I love that. But sometimes that does not make itself available. So they'll do the electronic survey. But that's how I kind of set the stage. And then once we get in a room in the room, we go through that report. And there's some there's sometimes shocked that people say, you know, you're not living up to this vision, or you're not living up to this part of the mission. I love the conversation around core values.
• 8:21
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Because sometimes I think the core value conversation is like, when they came up with those core values, it was kind of like a brainstorming session, and nobody really put any thought into it, actually. And so I'd like to delve down into core values. And I talk about, okay, name that ideal employee, who is that person or persons that you would duplicate? If you could, okay, what do they bring to the table, and usually Mel it down like that for the core values.
• 8:52
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: So that's kind of how
• 8:54
  Jonathan McCoy: that is so smart. Everything you're saying, I'm just like nodding put exactly my heart, you just you get this so deeply, because we just came out of a series talking about kindergarten principles. And we think listening is like the most important skill in development.
• 9:09
  Jonathan McCoy: And that's where you're starting here is listening to stakeholders. The idea is not yours. It's all of the people involved in the mission. And I think that's just such a beautiful, perfect place to start. So thank you for walking us through that. So okay, how do you draw it out in people?
• 9:25
  Jonathan McCoy: Because I do think that sometimes people are afraid to talk or you get in these sessions, how do you really drive robust, deep, good conversation that, you know, leads to really transformational plans?
• 9:36
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Well, you know, it's having those hard conversations and using some of those facilitation skills. You know, when you notice that you have the shy one in the room who doesn't speak up or you have the one who dominates the conversation, usually as the CEO. I can say that because I was a CEO. And I'm like, Girl, should
• 9:57
  Becky Endicott: I say the same thing to myself. That's what happens. says Chatty Cathy. I know that self awareness to ourselves
• 10:03
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Exactly.
• 10:03
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: So you know, pulling that out and facilitating and coming up with some nominal meeting some nominal meeting activities like sound and meetings, where you put your thoughts on sticky notes, and everybody puts your thought on sticky note and then take it up to the board and put it there and then come up with some consensus without talking, say that kills that kills people like me. So you know, but doing little doing that kind of thing during the strategic planning process. To get everybody thoughts on the table, what I do struggle with is once I'm in the room, and I'll be very honest, because Jonathan, I want to hear from you about this. So I get in the room, we get it done, get back type up, here's where we're going, you know, here's where we're at. And then you wait for a response, Okay, I'm ready, I'm ready. And they dragged their feet on getting that response, or they don't I have a client right now, who's at the very end, I met with them in August, to facilitate plan gave them their their first version of the document met with them, and they haven't pulled the plug. So you got to finish the strategic planning process, you know, it's good to have this skeletal, you know, but you can't you can't jump from the, from that, from that framework, you have to finish it. And I think sometimes some people get into and it's like, this is enough, we haven't we got the general idea about where we're going. But you really need to finish it so that you have all your performance, all your activities, and all your goals, so you exactly know where you're going so that you don't get sidetracked by mission creep, because that is the worst thing. start chasing this or chasing that. And it doesn't relate to where you said you want it to go.
• 12:38
  Jonathan McCoy: Yeah, I mean, I think I've experienced this inside a nonprofit, you know, working with consultants to come up with strategic plans. And offline talking to them. They've said, the most frustrating thing is you build this plan, and the no one does it, you know, yeah.
• 12:50
  Jonathan McCoy: But on the on the flip side, Becky, and I have worked as a consultant to help organizations step through this. And we feel the same way on this side, you know, you just, it has to, it has to be involvement with the whole team, because there has to be ownership. And I feel like if it feels like it's the consultant plan, if it's a Sabrina's plan, even it's the best plan, people have to see their responsibility in it, or their essential Ness in executing it, you know. And so I think that the way you have collaboratively taught to walk through it together, people will have that buy in when it rolls out. So I hope they get over that hump of accepting so we can start making it happen.
• 13:25
  Becky Endicott: I mean, I just feel like there's an empowerment component that comes from seeing your voice reflected in the plan. You know, when you see something in, you know, in the strategic plan, I put that in there, that was my sticky note, that was my idea. There's something about the way that you feel loyalty and ownership to seeing it activate. And that is the thing that you know, our little company is always firmly stood on is nonprofits. We've got to activate, it's not enough to come and learn and see or ask around, you got to do and you got to try that stuff. So I want to ask about what I think is kind of like the elephant in the room for probably most of our listeners on this topic, which is, we just went through like almost two years of just this rapid response, and everyone's kind of feeling the whiplash of did that old strategic plan. I mean, is there any value in that? Do we need to scrap it? Do we need to move forward with a new one? And so I would love to share feedback on how can nonprofits start to move forward with their planning implementing these strategies, while still understanding that the world is still changing around us, and we need to continue to be nimble.
• 14:35
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I encourage nonprofits to build their board agenda around the strategic plan. Smart. So that way, you're constantly talking about it. Like I truly believe, especially if you're meeting on a monthly basis, your meeting should be about an hour and a half. But 40 minutes of that should be around those strategic topics. And so if what you see it and focus on that's what you're going to do, if you take that strategic plan, and you put it on a shelf, and you don't talk about it again, then that it becomes a part of your shelf, but it should be elite living, yeah, dust catcher. It should be a living, breathing document.
• 15:16
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And so again, I say like a board agenda, I say started mission moment. The information mom takes five minutes to do a mission moment. Then go into consent agenda, 20 minutes for Board education, and then 40 minutes of that Strategic Plan, because usually any kind of topic should fit under those goals that you have, especially if it's three goals. Everything that you do should be revolving around those goals. And you spend 40 minutes of your board meeting, delving into the into that. And then in that board meeting with a generative question, and and depart, I think that's the best use of your board time the best use of you know, intentionally adding that strategic document into your organization's lifeline.
• 16:10
  Jonathan McCoy: We're taking a quick pause today to thank our sponsor, neon one. Our friends over at NEON one provide software that connects organizations to what matters most their people and their passions. With the urine giving season here, there's a lot to learn about the results from giving Tuesday that could help your urine campaigns. Like would you have guessed that over 45% of all donors were new to the organizations that choose to support or that 55% More of neon ones clients participated in Giving Tuesday compared to last year, Giving Tuesday was a huge success. With over $22.2 million raised on neon one, and Indivior appeals are still on the horizon? Are you getting ready for the final days of 2021? Get support from other nonprofits like you by joining neon ones here and giving connections community today, visit neon one.com/ We're for good, or follow the link in our show notes.
• 17:05
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• 17:26
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• 18:21
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Yes, I love I love that it helped me focus when I when I was a CEO of an organization because it's so easy. It is so easy to get sidetracked, it is so easy to put that document on the shelf and not think about it again.
• 18:36
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And then if you're trying to go somewhere, then you have a retreat. And then that's when you pull out the document a year later. And it's like, well, what do we do? You're not always so you need to be talking about that continuously.
• 18:48
  Becky Endicott: I love that. And I and I just think that what you're saying is just a different mindset and a way to look at how you use the board.
• 18:54
  Becky Endicott: And it's also if you follow that model, everybody is on the exact same plan or on the exact same page every time about the strategic plan. And where we are in the process. We are literally moving the chess piece every single time we meet and we all have a part to play in it.
• 19:13
  Becky Endicott: Really, my mind is exploding really,
• 19:15
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: really key. And I love also adding the Razzie to the strategic plan.
• 19:18
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: That's the roles, the accountability, the support and the influence. So I have a little chart, I'm really I'm really chart oriented. And I just like to know what I'm responsible for. So I feel like other people should know what they're responsible for. Right?
• 19:37
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And so I take taking those strategic actions and saying, Okay, who's responsible for it?
• 19:42
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Who is the point of contact for this specific task? who's accountable for it? Whose support do you need to get this done? Who whose influence do you need to get this done? And actually, you know, using that also as the CEO to make sure that things are moving. Because if there's something there in the strategic plan, and I said, Oh, board member, usually, let me be honest, I'm gonna live in a real world here. So usually, it's the CEO who's responsible, right? But then I'm the support board member. That's the one you need to activate around that that activity. And so really looking at that support column, and making sure that board member understands that this task, I'm not going to get this done unless you You actually helped me get this done. So I love a good Rassie.
• 20:40
  Becky Endicott: Love that phrase? Well,
• 20:43
  Jonathan McCoy: I mean, there's no way that you were able to raise $12 million without activating your board around fundraising. Right. So talk to us about how you are mobilizing.
• 20:52
  Jonathan McCoy: How do you get a board interested in that aspect of the organization if they're, if they're struggling? Well, if
• 20:58
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: they're struggling, I think the first conversation starts off with that fundraising is not about asking for money. I think that's where a lot of people's fear comes in, because they think they're going to have to ask for money. When you break down the fundraising process, only 5% of the fundraising process is about asking for money. I like to focus on all the other big pieces of the pie. So I like to focus on the 10%. That's identifying donors 10% of qualifying donors, I love personally the 60% of cultivation and building relationships, then you get the 5% that is asking. And then it's 15% thanking, right. And so when you break for me when I broke it down like that, I said, Okay, less less part of our retreat, let's see where you want to be.
• 21:52
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: What are the activities that may be follow up under identifying?
• 21:56
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: What are the activities, the follow up on the qualifying cultivation, so forth? And so on? Okay, let's board let's talk about who wants to do what, where's your strength? Where do you want to lean into, you know, and I also had to do a mindset change. And I still struggle with this, because I serve on a board, I try to serve only on one fundraising board at a time.
• 22:19
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: But I struggle with this too.
• 22:19
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Sometimes we judge people by their ability to ask and bring bring that money that monitoring in you, we can't do that out of a border 21 I had three women who were not afraid to ask for money, right. And so the other board members in the asking process, they went with me on the face to face visits, they were there, they limit their credibility, the potential donor knew them because they were community face, they talked to the organization up, they acknowledged that they gave to the organization. Now, there's different schools of thoughts around this, I'm gonna put a pin in this one and talk about it. I feel what worked for me 100% of my board members gay period, no discussion. This is this is what it is, you are family to the organization. And therefore, by being a family to this organization, you make an investment of your treasure in this organization. If you don't agree with that, and you only want to do your time, then I think you will make a great volunteer program volunteer, but to be elevated to the top governing position in this organization. You have to give your time, your talent and your treasure. Okay. So anyway, yeah.
• 23:42
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: So going back to, I'm leaning into their strengths. At my one of my top fundraising board members raised over a million dollars, but she never asked for money. She was a door opener.
• 23:55
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: She introduced us to the bank owner, they actually flew me to Oklahoma. That's why Oklahoma is on the brave.
• 24:10
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: The maybe foundation? Oh, yes.
• 24:10
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: When we were doing our capital campaign, they said no. And we were like, oh, no, they can't say no. So we called and we said, we set up a meeting, I remember going through the process, and they're saying, well, let's just fly up there and talk to him. In my head. I'm thinking, Okay, how are we going to pay for these flights? You know, this is I'm budgeting, you know, you're going through all of that. And then I said it out loud. Okay, give me your birthday. So I can book the flights. And I can do all that.
• 24:39
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And they kind of looked at me and it was like, a the bank has a plane. And I was like, Oh, it was the best meeting I walked in, in there to the maybe Foundation. And sometimes, you know, things just come across better in person. And we walked out of there were $350,000 check from the maybe foundation. Yeah.
• 25:01
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And and, you know, the the bank president was the co chair for a capital campaign. And then they appointed two members, to our board of directors from the bank, and they've been on our organization board forever now.
• 25:14
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And they each have to raise$5,000 So times at times, two times as number of years. I mean, this was a relationship started by door opener, who said I will not ask for money, and it turned into a million dollar gift. Find that role, and have your board members lean into that Roll to make a long story short, that's how you get your your board members involved in fundraising, change your mindset. It's not just about asking for money. And if you do that 60%, right, building relationships, a lot of times you don't even have to ask people understand what you're doing. They value what you're doing. They see you as success, and people want to invest in success, and they will invest in that without you even asking.
• 25:59
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: That's what I say,
• 26:02
  Becky Endicott: Walker Hernandez. Yes, ma'am. Where have you been all my life. I mean, I want everybody to take your little scroll bar, go back eight minutes. And listen to that, again, because this is evolved thought leadership about what is going to move the sector forward. And I wanted, like highlight a couple things that I heard you say that were such genius drops to me, one, your communication and your I mean, constant communication with your board member and actually asking them what they feel comfortable with. We keep saying this over and over the new wave of interfacing with our donors in our community, our corporate partners, is understanding that you have something to bring to the table. And you need to use your education and your expertise to make that board member feel comfortable about coming in to we're talking about a new way to use board members.
• 26:57
  Becky Endicott: And we've always had the peer to peer and the peer to peer fundraising is still so powerful. But there's a lot of people who don't want to ask, and there's a lot of people who can't give at that level. And the idea that there are philanthropic influencers out there is something that I am very geeked out about right now.
• 27:17
  Becky Endicott: And I think our board members can be those influencers. And third, I just think thinking about how we can use the people who are rabid fans, and I'm saying that about boards, I'm saying that about volunteers, I'm saying that about donors, finding out how your rabid fans want to translate their passion is how we're going to bring them along. And you just gave so many great examples of how someone could do that comfortably. And the 60% is such a sweet spot. So bravo loved every bit of that.
• 27:48
  Jonathan McCoy: I mean, I would continue I'm totally loving this conversation, Sabrina and you make me want to go raise money and cultivate people like I'm feeling amped up just sitting here.
• 27:56
  Becky Endicott: I want to talk a transition just real quick, because the thing that we haven't talked about yet is goal setting. And how do you set that goal setting around? You know, understanding, we've talked about planning, we've talked about engaging boards, can you share some advice with us around goal setting? And what goals can our listeners put in place today, that can actually start to do what we talked about initially, which is get activated and start moving that needle,
• 28:19
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I think that you need to really, when it comes to goals, don't hate me, for this one, I think you always should have a financial goal. I just I mean, as a nonprofit, you should always have a financial goal. So that one should like be almost a given, because that's what you need to have her mission. And then really thinking about what is going to move the organization forward is no different from what we do here.
• 28:44
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: As far as like our consulting establishing what do you want to be next year? And then what is it going to take to get there?
• 28:52
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And what how does that translate? Who do you have to surround yourself with what is the goal to who to bring on the board, it's really mapping that out and seeing that that vision or that future, and then aligning those goals around where you want to be, is how I say to get started on it. And that's you as the CEO, but at some point, you have to bring in those around you, your board, your staff, because it's not just you who can get those goals done. And they have to be on board with those goals. So that was one of the things I say if they ask you what is your weakness and, and you know, I interview that's one of my things. I'm an activator. So sometimes I will leave the people behind me in the dust, right? I already got my goals, I'm moving forward, y'all can catch up. You can't do that. And I had to learn to like slow it down, get the people around you involved in this. Yes, this is what you want to do. But they also need to want you need to communicate with them. Right?
• 30:01
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: You need to get their buy in, you need to get their perspective, because sometimes they'll bring a whole different perspective to the table. And you're like, Yeah, I didn't think about that. Um, so that's the way I would say working, working with goals would
• 30:13
  Jonathan McCoy: be I mean, everything I keep thinking of your analogy of not putting it on the shelf, you know, the strategic plan, and I'm like, it's just active. It's got to be part of just how you show up and how you talk with your team.
• 30:25
  Jonathan McCoy: It's just got to be this present thing if you really want to move the needle.
• 30:29
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Yeah.
• 30:29
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: So I serve on this board for this new organization. And we did that strategic plan last year, took us three days, three days, we really put the time in it. But now it's one of the hardest things to do is to keep that document alive in January is going to be very interesting because we're going to have a one year review. And so we're going to revisit and see which ones we actually accomplished.
• 30:55
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And we're not the necessarily the goals, which objectives and the strategies that we accomplish. It's more about those strategies. What strategies did we accomplish?
• 31:06
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: And which one will be a little bit too ambitious with that? I think that's probably the piece that a lot of organizations miss. You know, it, like I said, just sits there. And you really don't talk about how are we accomplishing this? Because even if you're talking about it in your monthly meetings, right, there still some things that you're just not going to get to, is you're just not and it's okay, it is okay. Trust me, you've gotten further than you ever would have gotten with without having a plan. You know, what I'm saying I plan to get you moving forward. So well, you
• 31:41
  Jonathan McCoy: know, we fully believe in the power of philanthropy, obviously, it is a thread of your journey. Is there a story a moment in philanthropy that stuck with you after working with so many interesting missions over the years?
• 31:52
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Yes, there is. And it's one where I got told No way I know, you know, I, I should have sight coming. But I remember setting up a meeting with a donor. And he was actually very good donor of ours, who was actually the one of the co chairs for our capital campaign. And I thought, this year, I'm gonna try something different. I'm going to take a client with me on this visit, there's no way they can say no, what a client sitting here, right? That's, that was my fault, right? I got this great relationship. I should have known better. But yeah, he said, No, I asked him afterwards. And he actually thought it was very manipulative to bring the client with me. And I'll say, okay, I can see it, I can see it from that point of view. Thank you learning opportunity. in advance, I'll get permission to bring a client along, so that the donor is more prepared for that. But I thought that was a great learning moment for me, and a good story, because it's always a discovery process with donors. And if you're going to bring someone with you always take two people. And if it's not going to be you on a board member is going to be unique client, make sure the donor knows. Because they might take offense to it. It's what I'm saying.
• 33:15
  Becky Endicott: Does that tell you everything you need to know about Sabrina that the philanthropic story she shared was one of her like what you said, this is such a humble thing. It was like a failure and something you learn from it, it really speaks to humility. And you know what, every single gift officer out there, you know, myself included, has stories of solicitation failures, and it's like I am somebody who really enjoys when somebody tells me, you miss stepped right here. And it's and I love a straight shooter, and we can all learn something even the greatest gift officers can learn something about how to show up for someone making them feel like a respected, trusted, dignified individual. So that was an awesome story. Thanks for sharing, you know that we finish all of our conversations out by sharing having our guests share one good thing, what's a one good thing that you would share with our community today, Sabrina?
• 34:08
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Well, you know, it's the end of the year. So the one good thing I am going to share is just encouragement to the community.
• 34:14
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: This is your time. I know you know, I struggled with the end of the year, just on an emotional level. I know winter maybe fall or whatever you want to call it, you know, my energy always went down and it is down.
• 34:32
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: This is me down right now. It goes down during this year and it was hard for me to activate for end of the year. And so I'm just gonna encourage you to hang in there. You can do this send those emails, send those texts sent you follow the plan posts, the social media, just keep doing it. Even if this is not your year. Next year you build on it, it's called you know, it's building relationships.
• 35:00
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: It's stacking it up, stacking it up, keeps stacking it up. It's gonna be my message to you get in there do it each year and to get better but just get activated.
• 35:13
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, who doesn't feel like so boosted?
• 35:16
  Jonathan McCoy: You have just given us so much today? Well, Sabrina I know you show up in lots of ways serving your clients and just the community maybe people that you never meet and a lot of different ways we you kind of tell our listeners how to find you online how to connect with all the good stuff you're putting out in the world.
• 35:32
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: You know, they say only do One call to action, right? Because then people get confused. So this is what I'm going to say. If you go to my website at WWW dot supporting world hope that will give you access to all of my social media, which I'm very active on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• 35:52
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I try your with Instagram. I'm too Oh, yes, I don't want to stand it, go to my website, and you can find me, you know, my YouTube channel, you can set up a meeting with me all via my website, and it's www dot supporting world whole.com.
• 36:11
  Becky Endicott: Well go check that out. I want to give one more plug because Sabrina does have an amazing Facebook group, and there's over 2000 Nonprofit Professionals in there. You know, we got a community, but we don't think our community is the only community there's so many vibrant communities. So if you're looking for a space to connect with like minded professionals, that's a space you can always come over to the we are for good community. The thing is we just want you in community. We want you lifting your questions, we want you lifting what's, you know, staining you installing you, we want to get you up and activated. So go gather somewhere and go check out Sabrina's Facebook. Yep. To which I'm going to be joining, by the way. Yeah. Yeah. And
• 36:51
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: that one, thank you for the segue.
• 36:53
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: That one is Nonprofit Professionals exchange.
• 36:57
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, thank you.
• 36:57
  Jonathan McCoy: We just feel so buoyed and so grateful for this conversation.
• 36:59
  Jonathan McCoy: Thank you so much for being here.
• 37:02
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Thank you, Jonathan. Thank you, Becky.
• 37:04
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: I've had so and Julie. I know you're off camera. But I've had such a great time. Yeah, I love conversating. with like minded folk, it just makes you feel good. So thank you too much.
• 37:16
  Becky Endicott: We're adopting you forever into our family. You are just a wonderful light and just appreciate everything you said today.
• 37:22
  Sabrina Walker Hernandez: Call me if you need me.
• 37:23
  Becky Endicott: That's what I always say call me. We're calling.
• 37:27
  Julie Confer: Hey, friends.
• 37:27
  Julie Confer: Thanks so much for being here.
• 37:29
  Julie Confer: Did you know we create a landing page for each podcast episode with helpful links, freebies and even shareable graphics. Be sure to check it out at the link in this episode's description. You probably hear it in our voices but we love connecting you with the most innovative people to help you achieve more for your mission than ever before. We'd love for you to join our good community. It's free. And you can think of it as the after party to each podcast episode.
• 37:48
  Julie Confer: You can sign up today at we are for good.com backslash Hello.
• 37:52
  Julie Confer: One more thing If you loved what you heard today, would you mind leaving us a podcast rating and review? It means the world to us and your support helps more people find our community.
• 38:00
  Julie Confer: Thanks friends. I'm our producer Julie confer and our theme song is sunray by Remy Boris
• 38:06
  Unknown: boom