Podcasts about leifeld

In seinem aktuellen Podcast “Ein Glas mit Lars” spricht Chefredakteur Lars Reckermann mit dem ehemaligen Chefarzt der Urologie im Leeraner Borromäus-Hospital, Dr. Jörg Leifeld. Leifeld plaudert unter anderem über seinen Übergang in den Ruhestand und wie er sich an sein neues Leben anpasst. Er betont, dass man als Arzt immer Arzt bleibt, ähnlich wie ein Priester immer Priester ist, und freut sich darauf, gemeinsam mit seiner ebenfalls bald pensionierten Frau neue Aktivitäten zu entdecken. Auch zum geplanten Zentralklinikum in Ostfriesland hat Leifeld eine deutliche Meinung.

On this episode of the World Game-Changers podcast, Paul continues the mini-series based around the "Second Greatest Story Ever Told." This time he talks to World Game-Changers' Chairman, Martin Leifeld about what the topic means for him. KEY TAKEAWAYS It seems to me that the second greatest story ever told is your story and my story, each one of us as a human being has a story & it's the most important one because it's about our life, our perceptions, our life experience. It implies that we can make something great & become someone great. The greatest truth is in one sense discovering your greatest purpose. It's universal that we become the greatest, most virtuous, most loving, most generous person we can be, a person who appreciates others & is rewarded by appreciating & being grateful for those around you, even the ones that give us a hard time. Suffering is an interesting thing. It can make the best out of people or it can lead to people becoming their worst selves. It all comes down to what we do with what we've got where we are now. Faith is very important to me along with family and service. I think about them every single morning as part of my morning practice of preparing for the day. BEST MOMENTS ‘Every human being has this equally provided by virtue of being a human being, you can be poor or rich, but it's what you do with what you have, where you are'. ‘We're all world game changers'. ‘Over the course of life we acquire experience which shapes us & causes us to reflect on our lives & shapes ourselves & what we see around us'. ‘Every moment in our day is an opportunity to decide & we perceive it accordingly'. VALUABLE RESOURCES Paul's Story: Emerging From The Forest (UK)  Paul's Story: Emerging From The Forest (USA)  Mastering The Game Of Life Book (UK)  Mastering The Game Of Life Book (USA)  Speaking From Our Hearts Books: Volumes 1-3 (Available on Amazon) World Game-Changers Group ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn't get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years. While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year. Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distil the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Website ABOUT THE HOST Paul has made a remarkable transformation from existing for many years in dark, desperate despair; to now living a really healthy, happy & fulfilling life. From an early age, he was in the vice-like clutches of the demon drink & constantly embroiled within a dark cocktail of toxic beliefs, self-hate & destructive violence. Along with his empathetic and dedicated team of world-class coaches & mentors, Paul's purpose is deeply transformational: Developing World Game-Changers… He is extremely passionate about helping others to find their purpose, have a voice & ultimately, make a real difference.   This has been built on a long & distinguished history of heart-centred coaching and mentoring.  He has also been responsible for raising significant amounts of funds for many charities & good causes around the world; positively impacting & inspiring thousands of children – mainly from challenging backgrounds – within the UK & worldwide. Through this World Game-Changers podcast & books, he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. CONTACT DETAILS Tel: +44 (0) 7958 042 155 Email: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com  www.paul-lowe.com www.worldgamechangers.org  www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/ 

The Guys are back this week after a Triptofan heavy holiday of the American tradition of food and football. Apparently there's some tall tale about pilgrims and indigenous peoples that has something to do with surviving the winter. Anyways, the guys delve into the oft-maligned episode called The Core where Ed finally gets an episode full of Devestator...er Devastor. I hope he enjoys this roughly animated Leifeld-esque journey to the center of the nerd!As always, thanks for being there for us and please reach out if you like what you hear!If you'd like to contact the guys, they'd love to hear from you!Edhatestransformers@gmail.comMorethanmeetstheseguys@gmail.com@mtmtgpod on Twitterhttps://www.facebook.com/MoreThanMeetsTheseGuys/https://discord.gg/sKr8jwaAvhAlso, check out the new youtube channel!https://www.youtube.com/@MoreThanMeetsTheseGuysPODIf you'd like to toss a buck or more per episode, we'd adore and say nice things about you. You don't have to, as we'll still gladly hang out with you guys and gals every week, but we appreciate any help! patreon.com/user?u=69144181

Klinisch Relevant ist Dein Wissenspartner für das Gesundheitswesen. Drei mal pro Woche, nämlich dienstags, donnerstags und samstags, versorgen wir Dich mit unserem Podcast und liefern Dir Fachwissen für Deine klinische Praxis. Weitere Infos findest Du unter https://klinisch-relevant.de

On this episode of the World Game-Changers podcast, Paul is joined by Aimee Mosco, Kristin Johnson and Martin Leifeld to talk about the topic of leadership in action, especially with regard to the work they all do in the World Game-Changers organisation as well as in their personal lives. KEY TAKEAWAYS Every human being is a leader, you can't help but lead, even if you lead people in the wrong direction. We all have the gift of influence and by exercising our personalities and talents, whether we're aware of it or not, provides leadership, direction, or presents choices to people. What do we do with it? There are certainly lots of people leading the world in wrong, mixed or confusing directions today and there's never been more of a need for extraordinary leaders that lead virtuously as servant leaders. Servant leadership puts the primary on developing people and accomplishing goals together as opposed to old school, autocratic leadership, leading with an iron fist, it's a different model that empowers people to lead as you serve an organisation or a mission and so on. We are all leaders in our own way. We are leaders within our families, places of work, communities, local sports team, church, what have you. There are all kinds of leadership, not just being elected to office or who raises enough money, sometimes the person with the most influence is not the person with the biggest title or loudest voice, sometimes they're someone you wouldn't expect. They are the people that people look to and trust. When people trust someone that's everything. Real leadership is about trusting yourself, which is a very hard thing to do. Leadership is so important because we thrive when we're in a structured environment. That's not to say that we need to map out every single detail before we step forward because we're creative beings. But, we feel more comfortable with some sort of structure or container within which to operate. And there's a different between that autocratic structure where you can't think for yourself and challenging the status quo is not welcome, we talking about a space for people to grow because real leaders aren't threatened when people grow.   BEST MOMENTS ‘Leadership starts with a commitment to accept that you're a leader or that you can influence the world for the better and then to develop yourself so that you can have virtuous or great impact.'‘There are degrees of leadership; responsible and mindless and all of us are really looking to develop ourselves. To become a responsible leader, it requires that you expand your level of awareness.'‘To trust ourselves and more importantly to trust other people is a huge leap, it's one of the most simple and complex things that we'll ever do.'‘Great leaders want their people to grow because that's good for everyone. You can always tell someone is really insecure in their power because they are threatened by the slightest dissention.' VALUABLE RESOURCES Paul's Story: Emerging From The Forest (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emerging-Forest-Pain-Purpose-Mastering/dp/1719373272 Paul's Story: Emerging From The Forest (USA): https://www.amazon.com/Emerging-Forest-Pain-Purpose-Mastering/dp/1719373272 Mastering The Game Of Life Book (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Game-Life-Paul-Lowe/dp/1782227679 Mastering The Game Of Life Book (USA): https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Game-Life-Paul-Lowe/dp/1782227679 Speaking From Our Hearts Books: Volumes 1-3 (Available on Amazon) World Game-Changers Group   ABOUT THE GUESTS Aimee Mosco is an author, intuitive channel and co-founder of Intentional Healing Systems, LLC. Over the course of 10 years, she developed a healing system called SACRED after mapping the components of the human energy field, based on channelled communications. She conducts practitioner certification for SACRED and teaches classes based on the system, as well as her books… ‘Gratitude + Forgiveness x(Love) = Happiness' ‘Daily Agreements, Guidelines & Intentions'. Aimee is a co-host of the global community group ‘Evolve Through Love', and she works as an intuitive who specializes in facilitating healing of the body, heart, mind, and spirit. She has dedicated her journey to teaching others how to shift their beliefs, thoughts, and emotions to unearth innate personal power. Her passion for helping others to help themselves inspired the collaborative project and global healing movement, IHS Unity, created with her co-author, Donald Ferguson. www.IHSUnity.com Kristin Johnson is a prize-winning/ prize-finalist writer, blogger, ghost-writing/ creative writing consultant, screenwriter, and editor. A graduate of the former Master of Professional Writing Program from the University of Southern California, she has published/ collaborated on seven books. Her current book AIN'T “U” GOT NO MANNERS has been called ‘the Bible for social media'. She is a member of the Desert Screenwriters Guild, Society of Children's Books and Illustrators, and Palm Springs Women in Film and Television. kristinjohnson.net  Martin Leifeld advisor, author, and speaker directed the raising of over $500 million dollars during his 24 years of fundraising leadership in the St. Louis region, last serving as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Martin authored the book: FIVE MINUTES FOR FUNDRAISING – A Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. BookAuthority recently recognized the book as having reached as high as the 5th Best Fundraising Book of All Time for nonprofits. Martinleifeld.com provides nearly 125 video presentations about leadership and fundraising matters. Martin serves as a member of the board of directors of Ten10, a social impact start-up that in 2021 launched a cashback app to create a new revenue stream for non-profits/NGO's. Martin is a member of the Thought Leadership Team for The Change Leader, Inc. Martin was named the 2018 Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the AFP St. Louis Regional Chapter. He was selected as the 2020 Millard S. Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from St. Louis Public Radio. martin@martinleifeld.com ABOUT THE HOST Rebecca is an artist and designer based in the South of England. She graduated from Kingston University in London 2013 with a degree in Illustration and Animation. After a shift in direction and new challenge working as a lifeguard and in management in the leisure industry, she went travelling around the world through South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. She returned to the UK, to begin a journey working commercially in art and design. Rebecca works together with people to create logos, help with branding, design or re-vamp websites and generally loves to get involved with creative projects. She works across all industries and loves listening to people and understanding what their business is about, why they do what they do and translating this into a form of visual communication. Rebecca is a seeker of the spiritual and inspired by the power and beauty in nature; from colour, form and pattern, to how we can look to nature as a guide and teacher in life. www.rebeccawheele.com CONTACT METHODS Tel: +44 (0) 7958 042 155 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Web: https://www.Paul-Lowe.com Web: https://www.worldgamechangers.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/This show was brought to you by Progressive Media

Wir sind bei Folge 14 angekommen und damit auch bei einer ganz besonderen Absolventin: Waleska Defne Leifeld ist zu Gast, die das Aufbaustudium Film- und Fernseh-Szenenbild an der Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film in München im Bereich Filmarchitektur abgeschlossen hat. Mareike unterhält sich mit ihr darüber, wie wichtig filmischer Raum für den Film ist, wie man mit den verschiedenen Beteiligten am Film umgehen sollte, über Bereicherung durch das Szenenbild und über digitale und analoge Arbeitsweisen.Waleska Leifeld ist Professorin an der OTH Regensburg im Bereich Gestalten und Darstellen, analog und digital. Mehr dazu, was sie dort genau unterrichtet, findet ihr hier.Lest unbedingt nach, bei welchen Filmen Waleska Leifeld als Concept Artist tätig war! An der Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film unterrichtet Waleska die Seminare Filmischer Raum 1 und 2 und bereitet damit die Studierenden der Spielfilmregie und Kamera auf die Filmübungen in den ersten beiden Studienjahren vor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Risikovermeidung ist das Thema von RA StB FAStR Jan-Henrik Leifeld. „Mandant in der Krise“ heißt sein aktueller Ratgeber dazu. Was man in seinem Buch finden kann und welche Risiken durch die Pandemie besonders akut sind, das erzählt er in dieser Folge.

Paul continues his study of World Game-Changers in the company of one of the world's greatest fundraisers, Martin Leifeld, who joins the conversation to talk about why world game-changers should be celebrated on the anniversary of Martin's first appearance on the podcast, and the importance of human connection. KEY TAKEAWAYS As human beings we all desire to lead the most fulfilling existence possible. We do this by meeting and sometimes exceeding our human needs, and helping others to do the same. Conversations with others in society can take place at any time and are an exciting concept as they can lead us to all new destinations. Changing the world is no small, trifling thing. It is bigger than any one person. We are part of it, instead of being its definition. If every human being on the planet were to haver the awareness that they could change the world, it could cause society to transcend itself. BEST MOMENTS 'Our greatest hope is to have the greatest impact possible with our lives' 'This passion, this desire, to still want to do more...' 'We've all acknowledged that this is bigger than us' 'Bring our energy to the energy of world game changers!' VALUABLE RESOURCES Paul’s Story: Emerging From The Forest (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Emerging-Forest-Pain-Purpose-Mastering/dp/1719373272 Paul’s Story: Emerging From The Forest (USA): https://www.amazon.com/Emerging-Forest-Pain-Purpose-Mastering/dp/1719373272 Mastering The Game Of Life Book (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Game-Life-Paul-Lowe/dp/1782227679 Mastering The Game Of Life Book (USA): https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Game-Life-Paul-Lowe/dp/1782227679 Speaking From Our Hearts Books: Volumes 1-3 (Available on Amazon) World Game-Changers Group ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn’t get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years. While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year. Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Contact Martin via: www.MartinLeifeld.com ABOUT THE HOST Paul has made a remarkable transformation from existing for many years in dark, desperate despair; to now living a really healthy, happy and fulfilling life. From an early age, he was in the vice-like clutches of the demon drink and constantly embroiled within a dark cocktail of toxic beliefs, self-hate and destructive violence. Along with his empathetic and dedicated team of world-class coaches and mentors, Paul’s purpose is deeply transformational: Developing World Game-Changers… He is extremely passionate about helping others to find their purpose, have a voice and ultimately, make a real difference.   This has been built on a long and distinguished history of heart-centred coaching and mentoring.  He has also been responsible for raising significant amounts of funds for many charities and good causes around the world; positively impacting and inspiring thousands of children – mainly from challenging backgrounds – within the UK & worldwide. Through this World Game-Changers podcast and books, he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. CONTACT METHODS Tel: +44 (0) 7958 042 155 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Web: https://www.Paul-Lowe.com Web: https://www.WorldGameChangers.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wait!!!! What is happening here! This is a Power Pack podcast, what is this New Mutants comic doing here? This is not Halloween.....What is Mephisto up to???? ACTS OF VENGEANCE!!!! Oh....ok....that explains it. Jeff and Rick have been invited to play with a mess of other pod-casters who are all covering different issues of the Acts of Vengeance crossover from the 1990's. Luckily they invaded Derek Crabbe from the Fanholes website to help them out. Ok., the Acts of Vengeance thingy was this big event where heroes fought villains who were outside of their own rogues gallery. In this case, they used two characters who were tan gently associated with the New Mutants to fight the Vulture. That is right, Rusty and Skids, those two crazy kids from the early days of X-Factor are in prison and trying to stop a bad guy. Good on you two! Way to not let the man keep you down. But what about the real New Mutants you might task, where are they during this chaos? Are they sitting around trying on new costumes in preparation for the Leifeld run? Are they shrinking their feet? Nah.....well yeah....but they are really just on Asgard. Back on earth, we are left with the worst episode of Judge Judy. A plan that is so bad......we have a few how bad are they jokes. And we have a guy that explodes. So what does this mean to our listeners.....well probably just a lot of laughs. I mean, it is always enjoyable to watch people fall off a high-wire. A Proud Participant in the Merry Marvel MARCHing Society 2021 event!  3rd Degree Byrne Back 2 The Bins/Avengers Spotlight Coffee & Comics Comic Book Time Machine DoomSpeak Fanholes Podcast Fire & Water Podcast Presents Head Speaks Into The Weird Justice Not Entirely Dissimilar To Lightning - A Thunderbolts Podcast Longbox Crusade Make Ours Marvel   Married With Comics  Resurrections: An Adam Warlock Podcast Rolled Spine PodcastsViews From The Longbox Don’t forget to support us on Patreon, https://www.patreon.com/JeffandRickPresent.  We have started to release monthly episodes for our Energizer and greater tiers. We are covering the alternate versions mini-series that started in 2005.   To view the art from this issue, check out our website: https://jeffandrickpresent.wordpress.com/2021/03/07/new-mutants-83-bang-youre-dead/ You can also subscribe and listen to us on YouTube!  We also have some merchandise over at Redbubble. We have a couple of nifty shirts for sale. https://www.redbubble.com/people/jeffrickpresent/?asc=u Our show supports the Hero Initiative, Helping Comic Creators in Need.  http://www.heroinitiative.org/ Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3703-eighties-action License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Strength Of The Titans by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/5744-strength-of-the-titans License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

In this very special series of episodes, Paul talks to the co-authors of his amazing new book, ‘Mastering The Game Of Life’, in which twenty global co-writers have shared stories about how they have mastered this ever-evolving game. In this episode, Paul talks to master fundraiser and philanthropist, Martin Leifeld, about the importance of structuring routine in your day, how it can drive you towards greater success, and the ways in which he prepares himself to meet the challenges ahead. KEY TAKEAWAYS We are all born with an opportunity to do something valuable with our lives. By preparing for our day with intention, we maximise our impact upon each day. The way in which we approach each day will influence the way in which our day plays out. Relax, re-focus, and re-align. Prayer and meditation can serve to enhance our self-awareness and self-esteem. They aid our relationships and help to combat the onset of depression. BEST MOMENTS ‘I think life is a gift’ ‘Each day is a choice’ ’This is my purpose. This is how I define myself' VALUABLE RESOURCES Mastering The Game Of Life   ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn’t get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years.  While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year.  Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Contact Martin via: www.MartinLeifeld.com ABOUT THE HOST One thing that’s never been attached to Paul is the label ‘normal’ – something he is totally aware of.  He definitely subscribes to being one of those mentioned the iconic ‘Think Different’ Apple commercial narrated by Steve Jobs in 1977: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do!” Paul has a long and distinguished history of coaching & mentoring – particularly focusing on helping people make the transition from pain to purpose; a journey he has made himself, from the depths of a deep dark existence, to now living a life of happiness and prosperity. Through this Mastering The Game Of Life podcast, and books he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. “Remember – Mastering The Game Of Life Starts, By Embracing Our Hearts!” CONTACT METHODS Tel: +44 (0) 115 7270101 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMPaulLowe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Batman, No Teen Titans, all Deathstroke. In this new Warner Bros Animation (DC Animated Film) we get an updated origin story for Deathstroke the Terminator the heavily armed assassin that gained popularity from his position as a nemesis to the Teen Titans and Batman also since he was the template in which everyone’s favorite merc with a mouth was based on as a parody or at least that’s the way I look at it but since that Leifeld guy blocked me on Twitter (never knew I was on his radar) I guess I will never get the full story first hand. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/goingfullnerd/message

Nonprofit Fundraising in our COVID-19 World with Martin Leifeld Martin Leifeld, author, coach, consultant, and public speaker directed the raising of over $500 million dollars during his 24 years of fundraising leadership in the St. Louis region. Martin authored the book, FIVE MINUTES FOR FUNDRAISING - A Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. MartinLeifeld.com provides nearly 125 video presentations about leadership and fundraising matters. Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at UMSL for 10 years. He led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year. University Advancement had 140 employees and a $16 million budget focusing upon alumni engagement, community relations, fundraising, marketing and communication, university events, and St. Louis Public Radio. Previously, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University and director of development for the Diocese of Belleville, Ill. Martin was named the 2018 Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the AFP St. Louis Regional Chapter. Martin was selected as the 2020 Millard S. Cohen Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU).   Read the Interview Hugh Ballou: Greetings. This is Hugh Ballou. Welcome to The Nonprofit Exchange. Every week, we have a guest who has knowledge and wisdom, and experience in a topic. They have been there and done it, and they have some things to share with you. You're sitting in the seat as clergy, nonprofit leader, or board chair. Maybe you're a business person thinking about launching a nonprofit. This series is here to help you think out of the box, think of some new paradigms, and learn from some people who are experienced. Today, my guest is from St. Louis, Missouri. He is the author of this book, Five Minutes for Fundraising: A Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. Martin Leifeld, welcome. Would you tell people a little bit about yourself, and why is it that you do what you do? Martin Leifeld: First of all, it's an honor to be on your program today, and I appreciate your audience. I hope I can be helpful. I've been in various leadership roles for around 45 years. 25 years of those were in small and larger universities. 25 years, although they didn't overlap exactly with the universities, I have been involved in fundraising. About two years ago, I retired after 10 years as vice chancellor for advancement at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, which is our local urban land grant university here in St. Louis. I had a wonderful run there. Long story short, here in the St. Louis region, which is where I spent my 25 years of fundraising, over $500 million raised, that's a lot of money for St. Louis. It's not about the dollars raised; it's about the involvement, the lives changed, and the impact because of the dollars raised. Two years ago, I retired. It wasn't my timing, to be honest with you. I had health issues. My handle in the last couple of years has been author, coach, consultant, and speaker. A little bit of everything. I think you know what I mean. I have a website, MartinLeifeld.com. There are over 120 videos there on fundraising and leadership. You were kind enough to point out the book. I have been doing podcasts, a couple dozen of them, and regular postings, particularly on LinkedIn. I am trying to give back. This is all about trying to give back to a profession that has been such a blessing for me, so good for me in so many respects. Certainly developed professional skills. I have grown as a person by doing this extraordinary work of fundraising. Hugh: We have in the audience two fundraisers who are CFRE. They're here because they heard about you. We'll let them ask questions later. Martin: I'm beginning to sweat, Hugh. Hugh: They're very nice people. Martin: I hope so. Hugh: I had a funding professional last month. He said he reads a fundraising book a week. My area is transformational leadership and the conductor. The best leaders I worked with in corporate or nonprofits are the people who are always working on themselves. The famous speaker Jim Rohn always said, “Work on yourself harder than you work on your business.” I wrote that down and have been working on it ever since. 73, and still working. Martin: I'm impressed by somebody who would read a book weekly. There is a chapter in the book called, “The Three C's of Fundraising.” The first is competence. If you want to be involved in fundraising, being somebody of impact who makes a difference, you have to develop competency. There are two ways to do that. One is lifelong learning. You are a student of the game, of the practice. That can include certifications and the like. You mentioned CFRE, which makes me nervous. You go to webinars like this, podcasts, so on and so forth, to remain educated and current in the field. But book-learning alone doesn't make you an impactful person in the work of philanthropy. You have to add to that experience. In any profession, if you're working diligently and are learning, being humble as you work your way through successes and failures, you should acquire the kind of experience that makes that study you do come to life and be most virtuous. That's just competence. You have to have confidence. Confidence is not bravado. It's not fake it until you make it. Real confidence grows alongside the development of competence. But to get to your point, the third C is character. What donors want is someone who is competent. They want to recognize a competent professional who is doing their work with excellence and to have that quiet confidence that comes over the course of time. But what they are really looking for is people with outstanding character, people who are virtuous and trustworthy, people who you might say they know they can do business with. They can shake hands and make something happen. If you don't have all three operating, I don't think you can be a master in any profession. Hugh: Absolutely. I have earmarked a few things. I want to talk to you about the correlation between leadership and fundraising. Did you just sit down and say, “I want to write a book?” What was the inspiration, and how did you connect with the people in there, who are all experienced fundraising professionals? Martin: You might find this story curious. Since I turned 30, every consecutive decade since, on the 9th, the 29th, the 39th, etc., I would use that year very deliberately to reflect on my life up to that point, trying to look at success and failure, places for improvement. To look at the next 10 years and try to project what I can do to have an impact. I should say every decade, I got more intense about this, too. Six years ago, when I was 59, I was really working through that year. I decided in that spring to take 100 days and really drill down about the future. Every day in my journal, Day 1/100, Day 15/100, I began my journal. Journaling is part of my morning ritual. Seeking ahead, you might say. Believe it or not, around day 72/73/75, I have what I call a small I, inspiration. The inspiration, as I referred, was to give back to the profession. I wanted to start there. I thought, Well, I had done so much mentoring and coaching and fundraising with staff and volunteers. I was very good at doing something briefly. Somebody asked a question, as you can tell, I can go on for five minutes. Five minutes, I can give a good answer that would be appreciated. Maybe I could do some brief videos. Then I thought, Well, not everyone wants to watch a video, let alone look at me for a few minutes. People prefer to read. Let me do both. So the genesis of the book logistically was transcribing my first year and a half of videos on these very subjects. Hugh, you may know this, and your audience may also. Seven minutes of video, especially the speed at which I talk, only translates to a few pages. I got into this and thought, I am not going to have a book. The other part of this was I never tried to give a comprehensive answer about something. It was more stuff I noodled about, experimented with, discovered that I thought was helpful. That is what prompted me to go out and recruit 26 others to join me as collaborators in this. It was a fun experience because maybe 60% of them I knew, some very well, but the others I went out and recruited based on word of mouth and reference. I had to establish a relationship with them, like a donor, and ask them for their assistance. I found overwhelming willingness to be supportive. Hugh: Wow. 26 of them here, all by name. Each chapter says, “Collaboration.” Speak a little bit about how collaboration works for you, and how it manifested itself in the book. It's interesting how you have each section with dots and italics to stand apart, where there is a dialogue. Martin: What I was trying to do was say something about the particular subjects, insight and angle. I had come to realize through experience and effort and training. Then I wanted to enrich it. I tried to find people. I called them collaborators. In other words, I wanted to start with what I had to say about a particular subject and ask them to add to it. Nobody really directly contradicted me as a collaborator. But they collaborated in the sense that they took the content seriously and enhanced it with their own reflections. Many of them added stories that put the flesh on the bones of the point of the chapter. It was interesting. If I had asked people to write it, they wouldn't have written it because they were too busy. I had somebody help me interview them. We came to it in different ways based on the needs and availability and interest of my collaborators. I tried to collaborate logistically and practically in order to have them help, but they were generous about their time. The thing about this word “collaboration” is the goal is a joint thing we do together. The goal is to bring the best of more than one person to bear in order to, as you talk about with synergy with your organization, to get that synergistic gain, to get that exponential gain that you can't get with just yourself necessarily. Even if you have the authority with CFRE. Hugh: People introduce me sometimes as Hugh Ballou, an expert in leadership. I say, “I'm Hugh Ballou, a serious student of leadership.” Martin: Hear, hear. Hugh: The title of this episode is, “Fundraising in COVID-19.” And the post-COVID-19 world. There are some consistent things and some new thoughts. That chapter with leadership, the Three C's, your collaborator said, “ABC: Authenticity, belief, and confidence.” You and I were talking before about how fundraising is terrifying for a lot of us. I don't want to go. It's like when I was a teenager calling a girl for a date. I didn't want to get turned down, so I stood by the phone and sweat. Is that like people wanting to make a money call? What is it about trying to raise money that is so fearful? Martin: I don't know. It's all about fear. It's the fear of the unknown. It's the fear of being rejected. The fear of fumbling your way through it. The fear of someone being rude to you. If you will be embarrassed in front of them or embarrass them. It's something new. I haven't done it before. For those in religious work, it's unseemly. I shouldn't have to do that kind of thing as a pastor. Leave that to someone else to do. There is a lot of things. When I first got into major gift fundraising, in the St. Louis area, I would criss-cross southern Illinois, a larger rural area, sometimes driving an hour or an hour and a half to see someone. Talk about sweating bullets. I would rehearse half the trip, “Hugh, would you and Mary consider a gift for the education of poor elementary kids, a gift of $10,000? You could even pay that over three years.” I would say that over and over again because I couldn't trust myself. When I first began to do it, and I fumbled, it was a long drive back, knowing I hadn't done what I set out to do. I began to rehearse very seriously. Once I got in the home or the office, who knows what might happen? It might be something I couldn't predict. All I had to do was say, “Hugh and Mary,” and out would come the rest because I had rehearsed it. For those of you being called upon to raise money, practice makes perfect. You can do it. But let me shift into something more serious. Fundraising is a privilege. Fundraising is the most honorable of work. Fundraising is a spiritual work. Fundraising is actually a vocation. I came to this once I was talking to a very wise woman about fundraising and the struggles. She said, ‘Martin, you're in a helping profession.” A helping profession? I had never thought of it that way. I thought, Especially now, physicians, nurses, first responders, educators, oh my gosh, the young families. Two of my kids are educating kids at home. They have a manifold of appreciation of what it takes to be an educator now that they are trying to do that in their living rooms and around the kitchen table. But I hadn't thought of my profession of being something that was actually about helping. That's what it is. What we do as fundraisers are facilitators in effect. I like to refer to myself as a facilitator of philanthropy. What we do is on behalf of worthy causes. In effect, what we want to do is come alongside, almost put our arm around someone's shoulder, and say, “Look, there is an opportunity that makes sense to you as I have gotten to know you, and through which you can demonstrate great impact on this world. Here is the idea. Would you consider it?” That kind of work is very powerful and honorable work. I have had the privilege, as many of your audience have had, of interacting with some people of extraordinary success, Fortune 25 executives. I have had some of those people say to me, “Martin, I could never do that job. That is too hard a job.” Some of them knew it first-hand because they were chairmen of nonprofits or board members. They were called upon to go out and do it. They knew first-hand what I was doing full-time. They respected it. We underestimate the value, the contribution we are making in this work. Hugh: Wow. That's a paradigm shift. Somewhere, and it may be in this chapter, “Five Generous Fundraisers,” before we talk more about donors, let's consider you as the fundraiser. Somewhere, you talk about the impact it has on donors to actually donate. There is a point of philanthropy that releases something in you to make that donation, to see something happen. Talk about that. That is an inspiration that we don't think about, the impact that it has on the donor. Martin: First of all, it's all about the donor. What we tend to do is focus on ourselves. In one sense, we should because we want to be professional and effective and do the job with excellence. We also want to represent our organizations with integrity, as effectively as we can. It's all about the donor. What we're into is a business of building lifelong relationships, not just after a transaction. We want to build and support the relationship that the donor has with the organization for their lifetime hopefully. In that relationship-building process, there are opportunities for financial exchange. What this is about is not a transaction although writing a check or giving away stock or a document with a commitment is part of it. But what it's really about is helping people to influence the world for the better, and to demonstrate their values and what matters most to them. In that process of a donor taking their eyes off of themselves and looking outward, looking at, “Okay, I have been fortunate enough to have accrued these assets,” rather than being preoccupied with how I could take care of myself, I am going to give it to others or to the world to improve it. As they do that, they become greater people. Biochemically, by the way, we change. Enzymes are released. One person called it the family bonding enzyme. I used to notice that somebody would make a big gift to one of my organizations and suddenly they would be everywhere. They would be at every event, bringing friends and colleagues, talking about the organization with great enthusiasm. What's this all about? By their making a serious commitment, a gift of greater significance, there was something that happened within their entire being. A wise man, as you know, once said, “It's better to give than to receive.” There is something we receive as an internal, spiritual, reward by giving of ourselves generously. One of the ways we give ourselves generously, certainly in this contemporary age, is with financial resources in addition to our time and talents. Hugh: That's so good. The other thing I earmarked is you wrote this chapter about the donor development cycle. There is a transaction, and there are those who never ask for the sale. I have been there many times. One higher net worth person asked me, “You didn't ask for the sale.” It was my first conversation to get acquainted. But he was a businessman, “What do you want?” Another one, I am packing up to leave after I told him about what I was doing. He said, “Don't you want a check?” Then he wrote me a check and handed one to me a lot bigger than I thought. That was about relationships. But this cycle, you go through steps, identification, qualification, and more. Talk about the process. There is a transaction, but there is a lot more to this process. Martin: The bottom line is this is about a relationship. In the course of a relationship, you go through seasons. In this particular cycle that we use in our fundraising business, you identify. Then qualify, which means are these people of capacity? Are these people who have an interest or potential interest in what we represent? Then we cultivate, which is about building a relationship and involving them in the organization. That can include charitable giving, but not a gift of greater significance. As we get to know them, we are able to think about, Okay, given what they are interested in, how does that align with what we are about as an organization? What dimensions of our organization would be something that would make sense to them, that they would desire to support? Then we have the conversation about asking. Some people are proponents of never asking for money. They just listen their way to a gift. I have always believed to have conversations about money, about scale, about impact, about size. That might be, with this amount, you can do this and that. Provide some options. But I always want to be working with numbers. People want to know what we would like them to do. My experience has been perhaps more often the opposite of yours. If I don't ask, I get something smaller than what I had hoped for. I have always been one to say, “Let's talk about money.” It's a part of life. It's how we carry on in this world. Most people want to get to the bottom line, “How much do you want?” They can say yes, no, maybe so. They want to make that happen, but they can't make that happen now, or they will have to think more creatively about it. They can't write a check. I have always taught our people the 80/20 rule. Listen 80% of the time. COVID-19 has brought us to a hard stop here in some respects, but when you think about the frenetic pace of life that has only gotten faster and faster during our adult years, it has reached the point of sheer lunacy. Was anyone listening to anybody? One of the reasons we are such a divided nation is we completely lost the ability to listen, and listen with respect. What I found in fundraising, and I think many professionals in other fields would say the same thing, if you want success in your life, in your business, in your endeavors, you listen. It wouldn't be that I would listen 100% of the time. But what I found is people desperately wanted to be heard. They wanted to be listened to attentively, appreciatively, and respectfully. Honestly, when I think about to what extent I was a great fundraiser in my career, it's because of the power of listening. I have to ask for money, too. But listening puts us in that best position to understand. What I would do is retain, record, and retrieve. Three R's. Retain. Somebody had something to say during the course of the conversation. I was listening closely and thinking, That's important. Record. I would get in the car, call my assistant, and tell them, “Start taking notes.” Or I'd get back to the office and start typing at my computer. I would record all the various things I thought would be insightful and helpful, not just for me, but for anyone in my organization who would have reason to engage with those people. This is all about preparation. When I would prepare for my next visit, I would retrieve. The thing is in work like this, we are in front of different wonderful people each day. If a month has passed, there is no guarantee I would remember what someone said was important to them a month ago. One way I would respect them is I would retain, record, and retrieve, so that when I would return to them, I could say, “Hugh, so how's Mary Alice doing? You were talking about her facing that surgery.” Or, “Hugh, how's that billy goat dog of yours doing? You were worried about this.” Or, “Hugh, you said you were going to be marrying off your son Charlie. How'd it go?” People know I am representing the organization, but they love the fact that I listened to them as people. I cared about them as people. Do you think when it came to talking about a gift eventually, that put me in a better position to be taken seriously? Without question. It seems like, Geez, this is common sense, isn't it? We have lost a lot of common sense. Hugh: The problem with common sense is it's not very common. *Sponsored by EZCard* Let's pivot. You talked about some brilliant reframing of some old scripts we tell ourselves that minimize ourselves. I am guilty as anybody else, maybe more. That's not my job. I teach leadership. We have been in an era of lockdown. We are going back to work in Virginia. Churches are a sort of meeting with very limited engagement. No children. No singing. There is a new paradigm of how the exercise classes are in the parking lot with rain all week. People are getting paychecks from unemployment. What if that money runs out? Then what? We are facing some new challenges. How does that impact fundraising going forward? Martin: If you look back to the great recession, some sectors did better than other sectors in terms of fundraising. In the great recession, I had just come to the University of Missouri to take a campaign that was already underway public. I was there a month, and the economic sky fell. The world was thrown in the craziness. It doesn't exactly line up with our situation today, but there are some similarities certainly. Long story short, we decided to go ahead with our campaign. In my first year there, we raised 54% more than any other year in the history of that institution. When I hear someone say, “Boy, we can't ask for money now. People don't have it,” I immediately say, “That's not necessarily true.” One thing I would say is this: If somebody is philanthropic, and they have less money, are they less philanthropic? I don't think so. Philanthropy is a part of a value system. Let me ask you this about the organization you represent. Has its value proposition changed because of this pandemic? No, it hasn't. Now, if you are a food bank, there might be more urgency, immediacy. Crises bring out people's desire to try to do something for others, whether it's by cutting a check or by cheering on the streets for the first responders and nurses. People want to be supportive. One way they are supportive is certainly with their philanthropic support. Hugh: Love it. Would you like to have some questions from our audience? Martin: As long as they're all soft balls. Hugh: No guarantees. There's Jeffrey Fulgham from Richmond, Virginia. He is a CFRE and has done many good things. Used to be in Lynchburg, but moved just a couple hours away. Do you have a particular observation or question for our guest today? Jeffrey Fulgham: I don't really have a question, but I love what I'm hearing, Martin. The first thing when I came on (I missed the very beginning) is the part you were talking about studying, and that's only part of the equation. You can glean all this information, but if you started moving through your presentation, you were talking about relationships, which has always been the meat of this business. It's never more important than it is right now of letting folks know we care about them, and you hit that nail right on the head. That's what I have been preaching to my clients and associates: how important it is to stay connected to people and let them know that this relationship is a personal relationship before a financial relationship. I really liked what you said about character because I think that's the core of what we're doing. It's the core of leadership. If you don't have the character, you probably shouldn't be a fundraiser or in leadership either. The other thing that you mentioned about evaluating, that was so good. I didn't start doing it early enough. I wish I had done it the way you did it. The last five years, I have taken the month of December, or January because we are so darn busy in December that we don't have the time. I did a post-mortem on the year and on my life. How could I be better? This is great stuff. I'm glad I connected today. Martin: Jeffrey, pleased to meet you, and thanks for your great comments. I'm glad I'm in the ballpark with mine. One of the things, in fact, I just did a podcast on this, writing a chapter on someone's book on morning rituals. Every morning, as part of my morning ritual, I have one page in my personal/professional planner (I call it that), and I review what matters most about my life. That is a way for me to get locked and loaded for the day, in order to go forth and have the greatest impact possible, as a professional, but as a person. What am I all about as a person? Being able to define that, have it clarified, reviewing it every day has been amazingly powerful. One other thing I would say around the word “authenticity” is people want to be authentic, and they want authentic people in front of them. We don't have to be perfect in our work, but we want to be respectful, thoughtful, and do it the best way we can. Fundraisers come in all shapes, sizes, and abilities, and they understand that. But they don't want a fake, a snake salesman. They want a human being that they can respect and look up to. That's what they want from us. Jeffrey: I definitely agree with that. That authenticity and character and genuineness, people would ask me about having these relationships with people. I said, “You have to be in a genuine relationship. You can't have a relationship where you want someone to think that it's about the fact that you like them and want to be in a relationship, but it's really about the money, so you are clocking it so that it looks genuine. It might work for a little while, but it won't work for you forever. If you really want to have successful fundraising, it's about long-term relationships with people.” I'm fortunate that I am connected to people who I am three or four organizations removed from now. I still have relationships with them, and I still talk to them, especially right now with everything going on. Staying in touch. That's the fun part of this business. It's the most fun. Martin: The relationships is the most gratifying part of the deal. It's not about the dollars raised although that's great, too, because it can accomplish great things. In our business, we get to meet the most wonderful people. Phenomenal people. When I think about my own personal and professional development, a lot of it was profoundly stimulated by the people I have gotten to spend time with in this work of fundraising. Hugh: And I have gotten to spend time with Jeffrey and Bob Hopkins. Bob, you've been quietly listening. Do you have a question or comment for our guest today? Bob Hopkins: I'm in my backyard outside. Didn't know I had any airwaves back here. Beautiful day in Dallas by the way. I am loving listening to you. After 40 years of doing this kind of thing, you think you know it all. While I might say I do, it's so much fun to remember some of the key aspects of the fundraising process. When you first started talking, I thought, Why doesn't he talk about listening? Sure enough, 15 minutes later, you talked about listening. I am so grateful for that conversation. I teach speech, and I'm teaching people how to talk. But there is a chapter in my book called “Listening.” I spend about five minutes on listening because I don't think people need to know anything about it, and I am so wrong. As you said, the 80/20 thing is so true. I have so many great stories of when I didn't listen, and you know what? I didn't get the gift. Or when I listened and waited and patiently took my time about receiving, that I got about six times more money than I would have gotten had I asked earlier when the person wasn't ready. Martin: It's such a great comment. Pleased to meet you. We talk about this in a lot of fields, the blending of art and science. As I said, developing competency is about education and experience. Maybe that's the better way. This is a work you learn on the job; it's on the job training. As we stick with it, it saddens me when I think about the turnover in the profession. If something is willing to stick with it and keep at it, as you all know, the satisfaction is phenomenal to be in this work. To become competent at it over time is immensely gratifying. Beautiful horse by the way, Bob. Hugh: That's not his current one. He has one he is really proud of. That's his passion. One day, I was having lunch with him in Dallas, and he went off on this horse thing when I asked him about his passion. The principle is 80/20. 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your people. 80% of your inventory only produces 20% of your profits, but 20% produces 80% of your profits. It goes with donors; it's a repeated principle. When I wrote my first book, Moving Spirits, Building Lives, it's about church musicians and transformational leaders. That is when I moved into leadership. It took me 40 years to write this and 30 days to put it on paper when I was leaving the profession. I determined in that book the Ballou 10/90 principle. As a music director, 10% of my job was music; 90% made that possible. I am thinking as far as a professional fundraiser, the 10% is what people see, but 90% is under the iceberg. 90% is relationship, staying in touch, that allows that 10% to happen. There is a lot that happens that is invisible to most people, but that is where the hard lifting is. Let's hit real hard on this. We still have money in the economy. The fed printed more digital currency. Money didn't go away. Some people are struggling to make ends meet, but some companies are doing really well. Google had a record-breaking quarter. Grocery stores are slammed. There are some ministries that are challenged. Some restaurants are out of business. There is still money out there and people who want to make a difference. What is the change of mindset for addressing the new normal here? Martin: In some ways, the mindset hasn't changed. In other words, we have an organization worthy of support that is doing important work in this world. We are engaging with people who want to make a difference with their lives and resources to the extent that they can. They may have taken a hit financially, so they may not be able to do something right now. They may have to structure it differently. Back in the great recession, we mentioned we raised 54% more than any other prior year in the institution's history, that wasn't people writing a bunch of huge checks. People were writing smaller checks, making pledges over longer periods of time, putting gifts in their estates, and so on. Bundle it all together, and it would be a number that was not insignificant for them, but they couldn't do it. Even today, a year ago, someone might give you a large number with checks over a couple of years. Now, they still want to give you that number, but it will be put together in a different kind of package. What we need to do is be sensitive to people. We are all talking the same talk here. We have to put the concern for the people first. There are relationships. If we treat them that way, whether they can make a gift now or later, we are building the relationship for the long term. We are doing our job with the relationship by putting them and their concerns first. We all have stories and connections, a degree or two away from us, of people who have been profoundly impacted by this. We should know it firsthand, and be sensitive as we engage with others. To raise major gifts, it's typically a face-to-face, labor-intensive business. Up until very recently, there hasn't been any face-to-face work. Difficult to have a talk with a donor ten feet apart. Tools like Zoom, even my sister who just turned 80 years old knows how to use Zoom. We can all use Zoom. People welcome Zoom calls or the equivalent. They desire that human interaction. If we get on a call like this, we just have a conversation, and we listen to them, that's powerful. Hugh: whoever thought of this term “social distancing,” it's physical distancing. We are still social. Anti-social distancing. This book is chock-full of stuff that is not rocket science. It's a solid experience when people have been there and done it. Stuff that most of us don't know. You have been around and done this for years; you've practiced this. I'm a musician. We rehearse. You have rehearsed a lot. What I am so appreciative of is you put it in a book to share with people. Why should people have this book? Where can they get it? Martin: Why they should get it is it's a way of staying current in the work. If you are a beginner, it's an insightful introduction to the work. It's getting 27 seasoned professionals' input, not just one's. I call it Five Minutes for Fundraisingbecause each chapter is about a five-minute read. They are stand-alone chapters. You don't have to read it in consecutively. You can go to what resonates or what you need right now. In terms of the book, if you want an autographed one, 15% off, no shipping and handling, go to MartinLeifeld.com and order it there. You can get it on Amazon as well. Like any book, it's available on multiple channels. Hugh: It's not an expensive book. *Sponsored by EZCard* *Message about a Youth Philanthropy Conference on 6/27* This has been a very helpful interview. Lots of good sound bites. What do you want to leave people with today? What is a challenge or thought as we go into the unknown? Martin: Every day we are going into the unknown. That was six months ago, too. It's new every morning, as it says in the Book of Lamentations, for those of you who look at the Bible. What we're after is helping people become greater through philanthropy. We're doing that through putting them first, respecting who they are, helping them to demonstrate their value system to the world. Hopefully, by working with our organization as part of their way of doing so. We are privileged. It's honorable work. It's worth people devoting their lives to. Not to highlight myself, but this is powerful. When I retired two years ago, they had a party for me, which was very nice. A number of the donors were there who I had worked with for years. Unbeknownst to me, they had a video. If you go to YouTube, it's there. This couple who were the first alumni in this young university to reach a $5 million-level gift of cumulative giving was on the video. This is what they said, and I think it pulls it together and certainly represents so much my gratitude for the work of philanthropy in my life. They said, “By teaching us about giving, Martin, you have given us a great gift. Our philanthropic involvement with the university has enhanced our lives on many levels. We owe that to you. Martin, because of your professionalism, expertise, and friendship, you made something that is truly enjoyable even more rewarding. You showed us the way to contribute in a meaningful manner, and this resulted in our receiving so much in return.” Hugh: What a great summary. Martin: Isn't that amazing? That's what it's about. Hugh: It is amazing. You have touched people's lives on both ends of the spectrum. Martin, thank you for sharing your wisdom and time with us today. Martin: Thank you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul is joined by returning guest, Martin Leifeld, one of the most successful fundraisers and thought leaders in the world, to discuss leadership, and how the first hours of the day can determine the day ahead of us.  Martin talks about the ways in which he prepares himself to meet the challenges ahead and how focusing on his morning rituals has driven him to success. KEY TAKEAWAYS Our mood, temperament and mental agility are determined by how we begin each day. By focusing on positivity and productivity straight away, we set the compass of our day. Journaling and reflection are empowering ways in which to focus our minds on our achievements, and by doing so, inspire us to achieve more. Preparation creates certainty, and adds to a solid foundation for your day ahead. It helps to remove the doubts about where our time will lead us. Leaders are not so because of their wealth or position. Leaders can be found at all levels of life, even in the home. We are all responsible for something. Always remember that one day we will be living through our final moments. Will there be parts of your life you regret, but more importantly, what will you take pride in? BEST MOMENTS ‘How we begin our day has everything to do with the kind of day we have’ ’The fruit of preparation is peace’ ‘We are all leaders’ ‘Live your life with the end in mind' VALUABLE RESOURCES Mastering The Game Of Life  ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn’t get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years.  While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year.  Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Contact Martin via: www.MartinLeifeld.com ABOUT THE HOST One thing that’s never been attached to Paul is the label ‘normal’ – something he is totally aware of.  He definitely subscribes to being one of those mentioned the iconic ‘Think Different’ Apple commercial narrated by Steve Jobs in 1977: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do!” Paul has a long and distinguished history of coaching & mentoring – particularly focusing on helping people make the transition from pain to purpose; a journey he has made himself, from the depths of a deep dark existence, to now living a life of happiness and prosperity. Through this Mastering The Game Of Life podcast, and books he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. “Remember – Mastering The Game Of Life Starts, By Embracing Our Hearts!” CONTACT METHOD Tel: +44 (0) 115 7270101 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMPaulLowe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/ 

This podcast explores fundraising in the time of COVID-19. Contrary to what many would think, the current situation could be an important time to visit with donors. During his 24 years of professional fundraising, Martin Leifeld and his teams raised a staggering $500 million dollars. He served as vice chancellor of advancement for the University of Missouri-St. Louis for a decade. While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year. In 2018 Martin was named Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals St. Louis Regional Chapter. He is now president of Five Minutes with Martin as well as an author and speaker. Fundraising during Turmoil Leifeld joined UMSL in 2008, just as the Great Recession emerged. At the time, the institution was in the middle of a seven-year fundraising campaign. Leifeld described this time as overwhelming and phenomenally complex, resulting in a number of entities suspending fundraising campaigns while others decided to delay the launch of their campaigns. In trying to determine what to do, Leifeld read an article quoting Robert Sharpe, a nonprofit consultant, who reported that a number of organizations raised more funds during the Great Depression than before that time.  Leifeld decided to move forward to engage with donors and prospects. During that fiscal year, UMSL raised 54% more than the previous year, which was 54% more than any year in the institution’s history. Leifeld advises institutional leaders to not stop what you’re doing, but don’t ignore the current context. It’s important to stay focused on the basics--that higher education has a mission that is important to humanity and the advancement of the world. Build Relationships Relationships that are built during times of crisis may take more time, but they also tend to be more authentic. Leifeld noted that each person has relationships with themselves and with others, as well as many potential relationships with individuals we do not know. These relationships are the basis of life and do not change when there’s a crisis. When we take a long view of a relationship, we are thinking of the lifetime of the relationship which transcends this moment.  Even if someone’s investments take a hit, their value system remains the same. In fact, one’s values tend to crystalize during times of crisis because it’s time to re-clarify what matters most. Philanthropic motivations are fundamental and deeper than what’s happening in the market. Additionally, relationships often become more precious during times of turmoil. That’s because people consider what they value most. Taking an Active Interest – and Listening There are always opportunities in difficult times to learn, grow and change. Our current situation is an opportunity to engage more deeply in our relationships, which can include fundraising. Fundamentally, though, these interactions need to begin with asking how the other person is doing. What are their circumstances? How are their family and their relationships? How is their business? Do they know someone being affected by this current crisis? You then listen. And people want to be heard. At this junction with COVID-19, we have people confined to their homes. They are worried about today and tomorrow. They are fearful, anxious, restless, bored and starved for human interaction. Fundraising is about building long-term relationships. When we have moments that are hard and we listen closely, people will disclose things they wouldn’t normally share. This deepens trust, which is the oil of relationships. If you want to raise more funds from donors, developing trust within the relationship is critical – and listening to retain the information that another shares is at the heart. Leifeld encourages leaders to listening to understand and then focus on retaining that information, which is how we can manage this complex world respectfully. This kind of care translates into access beyond the checkbook -- to the individual agreeing to participate in calls and influence others, as well as philanthropy and increasing donations over time. Those who raise larger gifts for organizations rely on face-to-face interactions. However, it’s hard to do that now. Leifeld encourages using video calls to interact with donors. This gives the eye-to-eye, face-to-face contact that allows everyone to see physical gestures that aren’t seen on telephone calls. Be Sensitive Institutions, however, must be sensitive to the fact that people feel like they have fewer resources right now. Higher education development leaders have to be willing to work with them. For example, Leifeld offering a different time frame and structure for the gift. People are willing to be flexible if higher education leaders are flexible. Leaders also can and should talk with prospective donors about what the institution represents. There are a variety of areas within a university that will be of interest to a donor. Leaders can think in this context about what areas would align best with the donor’s interests. For example, student emergency funding, student counseling, community services and technology are popular right now. Use the Time Wisely This also is an educational moment for fundraisers. Leifeld encourages fundraisers to go to websites, on conference calls and find other avenues to learn more or identify unique ideas. This also is a time to support others, through giving knowledge and encouragement to others. It’s also an opportunity for fundraisers to review themselves and their own values, using questions like, “Have I been spending my time on the right things?” Three Recommendations for Higher Education Leaders Leifeld suggested three takeaways for higher education leaders: Don’t stop communicating. Find out how people are doing. Educate them about your circumstances. Ask them for their insight and advice. Think about the relationship long-term. You’re building for the future. Talk about resources with sensitivity. Use context, but also listen first to see how the potential funder. Bullet Points While it seems contrary to popular opinion, fundraising can be effective in times of an economic downturn. Higher education leaders need to focus on building relationships with donors that stand the test of time. Relationships that offer sustenance during times of crisis are highly valued. These relationships currently need to focus on listening and retaining the information that is offered. Build trust in the relationship. Since face-to-face interactions aren’t possible currently, use technology such as Zoom to foster and nourish relationships. Be sensitive that many individuals are experiencing a financial downturn at this moment. However, they may be willing to discuss a donation if the timeframe and options of how to fund a gift are different Leaders can talk about institutional areas that have current needs that might align with the donor’s interests. This could be student emergency fund, student counseling, technology or community services. Leaders should also use this time to build their own knowledge, gain new ideas and also explore their own values. Links to Articles, Apps, or websites mentioned during the interview: Changing Higher Ed Podcast with Martin Leifeld Guests Social Media Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-leifeld-07826111 The Change Leader’s Social Media Links: Website: https://thechangeleader.com Website: https://changinghighered.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdrumm/ Twitter: @thechangeldr Email: podcast@changinghighered.com

Have you ever had a conversation with someone who was just so good at their job, and who has made such a difference in the world, when you finish chatting, you just pray some of their skill, experience and overall goodness has somehow rubbed off on you? That pretty much sums up my conversation this week with Martin Leifeld. Martin has spent more than 40 years in senior fundraising leadership roles. In working with a number of different organizations in his career, Martin and his teams have raised a staggering $500 million dollars. Martin is also the author of the book, Five Minutes for Fundraising: A collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers. If you’ve ever wanted to gain insight from someone who has been around the block a time or 10 in the world of fundraising, this is it.  Here are just a few of the things Martin and I talked about in this episode: [5:58] How to prepare for fundraising [10:00] What you should know about fundraising during COVID-19 [12:50] How to become a successful and effective fundraiser [15:50] Giving the great gift to your donors [19:03] Advice to begin building lasting and life-giving relationships with your donors [20:17] Powerful but simple tools to help you as a fundraiser  You can find Martin’s book, Five Minutes for Fundraising, and his collection of free videos on his website, MartinLeifeld.com. Martin was an incredible guest, and I’m so happy I get to share his expertise and insight with you. Want something fun to do? Check out the brand new personality quiz, “What’s Your Secret Spice?” It will help you become more confident in yourself and as a leader in your organization with its personalized results. Click here to take the quiz now Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts “Thank you beyond words for this free knowledge…I learned soo much within just ONE hour!!” If that’s something you’d say…please rate and review this show today.  You’ll help me reach more people - like you - with tools to help nonprofits reach more people, raise more money and change communities for the good. Click here, scroll to the bottom and tap to rate five stars, then select “Write a Review.”  Let me know what you like best about the podcast! Links I mentioned in this episode:  MartinLeifeld.com Martin Leifeld's Retirement Video Remember to subscribe to Unlocking Your Nonprofit Potential wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any questions – I’m right here for you! Ask away! Send me a message on Facebook or Instagram or send me an email and I’ll happily write you back with an answer!  If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/46

Martin Leifeld has spent a twenty-four year career in fundraising over $500 million dollars for the many organisations he’s worked for. It’s a task that’s required bravery, compassion, and most importantly, listening to the voice of his own heart. In the second part of their conversation, Paul and Martin discuss the human side of fundraising, and why some things are far more important than money. KEY TAKEAWAYS Fundraising should never be about the number. It should never be about the amounts. It’s not a competition. It should always be about the people we help through that fundraising. Work is a place where we can discover more about ourselves, where we can reveal more about ourselves, and where can have true impact upon others. We create organisational structure in order to create good. As human beings we tend to need clearly defined instruction instead of a driving purpose. People are people, no matter how much money they have in their pockets. Fundraisers, and human beings, should always treat others with the respect they’ve accrued through life.  BEST MOMENTS ‘Work becomes a primary place through which we can express who we are’ ‘We have the most noble of goals. We have the noble of missions’ ‘You have to love people, and be curious about people, in order to do this work’ ‘Life is all about relationships, and so is fundraising. It’s what we do with what we’ve got' VALUABLE RESOURCES Mastering The Game Of Life Paul Lowe ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn’t get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years.  While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year.  Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Contact Martin via: www.MartinLeifeld.com  ABOUT THE HOST One thing that’s never been attached to Paul is the label ‘normal’ – something he is totally aware of.  He definitely subscribes to being one of those mentioned the iconic ‘Think Different’ Apple commercial narrated by Steve Jobs in 1977: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do!” Paul has a long and distinguished history of coaching & mentoring – particularly focusing on helping people make the transition from pain to purpose; a journey he has made himself, from the depths of a deep dark existence, to now living a life of happiness and prosperity. Through this Mastering The Game Of Life podcast, and books he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. “Remember – Mastering The Game Of Life Starts, By Embracing Our Hearts!” CONTACT METHOD Tel: +44 (0) 115 7270101 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMPaulLowe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/ 

Martin Leifeld has spent a twenty-four year career in fundraising over half a million dollars for the many organisations he’s worked for. It’s a task that’s required bravery, compassion, and most importantly, listening the voice of his own heart. In the first part of their conversation, Martin tells Paul, and you, how you can start yourself on the road to understanding humanity a little better, and by doing so, achieve staggering success in life... KEY TAKEAWAYS Don’t stop what you’re doing just because the world has stopped turning for now. We need to find alternate ways of reaching out. Do the best you can with the tools you have. Among the “do this - do that” world of business, we’ve lost the art of connection. It’s time to reconnect to values such as kindness, compassion and empathy. Prosperity should not be evaluated financially, but by the relationships we attain and nurture. Relationships are precious, and times like this create opportunities to understand what matters most. There are two primary ways of growing as a person: by embracing the gift of love, and by embracing the gift of suffering. Suffering shows us that we have many more resources than money. BEST MOMENTS ‘Fundraising is a relationship business’ ‘What matters most? Our answers today will be very different to the answers we would have given six months ago’ ’Suffering makes us better or bitter’ ‘We find courage by asking who we are, who we’re not, and who we pretend to be' VALUABLE RESOURCES Mastering The Game Of Life Paul Lowe ABOUT THE GUEST Asking someone to donate money is tough! Martin Leifeld would sit in his car rehearsing his ask with sweaty palms, praying he wouldn’t get another rejection. Determined to master his craft he learned the power of embracing discomfort and through powerful human behaviour techniques was able to raise over $500 Million for three organisations! Martin served as vice chancellor for university advancement at the University of Missouri–St. Louis for ten years.  While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising, averaging $26.4 million per year.  Prior to joining UMSL, Martin was associate vice president for university development at Saint Louis University, where he led his team raising $158 million in 3 years. Raising money became his Number One passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into core fundamental principles and a clear formula that anyone can learn. Contact Martin via: www.MartinLeifeld.com ABOUT THE HOST One thing that’s never been attached to Paul is the label ‘normal’ – something he is totally aware of.  He definitely subscribes to being one of those mentioned the iconic ‘Think Different’ Apple commercial narrated by Steve Jobs in 1977: “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules.  You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do!” Paul has a long and distinguished history of coaching & mentoring – particularly focusing on helping people make the transition from pain to purpose; a journey he has made himself, from the depths of a deep dark existence, to now living a life of happiness and prosperity. Through this Mastering The Game Of Life podcast, and books he has been involved in – including being a best-selling co-author – Paul also helps others to get their own inspirational messages and stories out into the world; as well as offering support to many charitable organisations, in their development & fund-raising. “Remember – Mastering The Game Of Life Starts, By Embracing Our Hearts!” CONTACT METHOD Tel: +44 (0) 115 7270101 E-mail: Paul@Paul-Lowe.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMPaulLowe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamPaulLowe/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-d-lowe-7a78332a/ 

Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach and public speaker. During his 24 years of professional fundraising, Martin and his teams raised a staggering $500 million dollars. Martin joins host Steve Boland to discuss the big changes happening in fundraising in a post-coronavirus world. Martin emphasizes relationships with donors as a key driver of how to respond to rapidly changing forces in the development world. Outside tactics like GivingTuesdayNow can impact donors and conversations, as well as impacts from secondary factors such as stock market fluctuations, possible impacts on employment and partner organizations and more. Martin talks about communication as a key, even in times when you may choose a different message for donors than a request for financial support.

Today, Patrick is joined by FUNDRAISING LEGEND, Martin Leifeld. Martin shares expert advice on how to stay positive through the COVID-19 crisis. Martin is an expert author, podcast host, keynote speaker and fundraising advisor. During his 24 years of professional fundraising, Martin and his teams raised a staggering $500 MILLION dollars. In 2018 Martin was named Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals St. Louis Regional Chapter.Together, let’s “do fundraising better” even in tough times!The Official Do Good Better Podcast is here to help!Learn More: http://www.martinleifeld.com/Email Martin: martin@martinleifeld.com Free Advice from Martin: http://www.martinleifeld.com/free-downloadsBuy Martin’s book, “Five Minutes for Fundraising”: http://www.martinleifeld.com/five-minutes-for-fundraising-a-collection-of-expert-advice-from-gifted-fundraisers-1#COVID19 #coronavirus #covid19fundraising #martinleifeld #nonprofits #charityLove the show? Then you’ll love Patrick’s book! Fundraise Awesomer! A Practical Guide to Staying Sane While Doing Good Available through Amazon Here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1072070359Email Patrick: Patrick@dogoodbetterconsulting.com Follow On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoGoodBetterPodcast/Follow On Twitter: @consulting_do Follow On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fundraisingdad/#fundraising #fundraiser #charity #nonprofit #donate #dogood #dogoodBETTER #fargo #fundraisingdadDonorDock.com: The #1 Nonprofit CRM Tool. Use the referral code “Do Good Better” to get your first month free!Small Town Labs: Is your hometown struggling? Solid economic growth advice at a small town price is here: https://leefromfargo.com/small-town-labs/

Today we're really going to be focusing on fundraising. Martin has a great book called Five Minutes for Fundraising, a Collection of Expert Advice from Gifted Fundraisers, one of whom he happens to be!  In this episode, he’s going to share some of his best advice for all of us, realizing these are very difficult and challenging times right now. I think his advice will be something we can all kind of look to as ways to strengthen our relationships with our donors.

You might be asking yourself, what does faith have to do with it? I am pushing the New York atheist envelope and daring to say that faith is a critical element of life right now as we grapple with the new realities of COVID-19. We are being stripped to the basics and forced to rethink what matters most. This episode is the Debrief's version of Chicken Soup for the Soul. We talk about morning rituals to set you up for success, and Martin's book, "Five Minute's for Fundraising." My uplifting conversation with Martin might ask you to think about what matters to you and how that impacts everything from personal to professional. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/devdebrief/support

Martin Leifeld is a career fundraiser, speaker and author that has raised over $500M in his career. He's the author of Five Minutes for Fundraising, a great book that features leaders from across the fundraiser world. I talked with Martin about how fundraisers navigate the path of personal growth, and what he thinks is in store for the future of our profession. Check out all of Martin's great content at martinleifeld.com

Interview with Martin Leifeld, Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach and public speaker.   During his 24 years of professional fundraising, Martin and his teams raised a staggering $500 million dollars. In 2018 Martin was named Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professional St. Louis Regional Chapter.  We discuss how to deal with the discomfort of fundraising that especially shows up in times of uncertainty. Martin talks through some of the main themes from his book, "Five Minutes for Fundraising"  Overcome anxieties and your fear of failing Learn easy and effective ways to ask for money Generate significant new funds for your non-profit Bridge the gap between your fear of asking and people’s natural desire to give    

Martin Leifeld is a consummate professional and has been a leader in the philanthropic profession for many years.  Martin learned the power of embracing discomfort, and through powerful human behavior techniques, was able to raise over $500 million for three organizations.  He served as Vice Chancellor for University Advancement at the University of Missouri St. Louis for 10 years. While there, he led a dramatic increase in fundraising averaging $26.4 million per year. Martin was Associate Vice President for University Development at St. Louis University, where he led his team to raise $158 million in three years. Raising money became his number one passion and Martin has since been able to distill the art of fundraising into some core fundamental principles and clear formulas that anyone can learn. In this episode… One of the toughest things in the fundraising space is to get an appointment with a donor. So how do you get busy donors to sit down and give you a small part of their day? And how do you maximize the time they give you? Martin Leifeld has figured out how to make donors more inclined to giving through the course of his illustrious career as a fundraiser. He says that having timelessness with donors and doing the 80/20 once you have the donor's attention are keys to getting them onboard with your fundraising efforts. Tune in to this week's episode of Philanthropy 212 and learn from another leader in the philanthropic industry. Find out how Martin solicits large donations from donors successfully, how he's able to maintain the fine line between professional and personal relationships with donors, and how patience can help attract larger donations for your fundraiser. 

Learn how creating a meaningful donor experience transforms your impact. Good For Others host John Valencia and special guest Martin Leifeld chat about successful tactics to improve and enhance the donor experience to be more genuine, transparent, and authentic. Martin is an expert in fundraising where he has dedicated four decades in senior fundraising leadership and executive roles. In 2018, Martin wrote a book called “Five Minutes for Fundraising” which includes wisdom from 26 other fundraising professionals to help readers learn about major gift solicitation, cultivating donor relations and how to make a big impact in fundraising efforts.For more information on Martin Leifeld, check out his website.

Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach, and public speaker.  Martin is a professional fundraiser who's raised a staggering 500 million dollars in his career that has spanned more than two decades.  Two years ago, he was named the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the St. Louis Regional Chapter.  Why are you so passionate about fundraising? First of all, funding enables nonprofits to pursue their missions and grow and expand their impact to improve the world and the lives of others.  If you don't have funding, you don't have much of a mission.  Fundraising is the primary way an organization can maintain its ability to do its job.  I'm passionate about working with people who are making meaningful contributions of both financial as well as time.  The other thing I feel passionate about is that our work is honorable work.  It's almost a calling.  We get to develop ourselves and help donors develop themselves and look to the bigger world.  You talk about how fundraisers are facilitators of philanthropy.  How did you come up with this terminology? It came from experience and reflection.  As I went through this experience of working with donors and watching them being transformed, I began to look at it all differently.  I realized that in one way it's about us, because we as fundraisers have to pursue excellence, but it's so much more than that because it's about the donor as well as the organization we represent.  Based on your personal experience, what do you think is holding back so many nonprofits? On the negative side, fear and ignorance.  We all feel fear and I think looking at stepping into fundraising can be daunting and anxiety-producing.  A lot of this we can address through education; better understanding what it's all about.  The other part is that there has to be a commitment to pursue major gifts.  If you want to grow your organization and sustain it, you have to grow major gifts as part of your method.  Major gifts require several things.  One, it requires your executive team being educated about fundraising and being willing to be participative.  You have to educate your board, so they have a realistic view and an appreciation of what it takes to raise significant dollars because it takes time.  What we're doing is bringing someone into a deeper relationship with the organization.  The other dimension to major gift-raising, is you have to be committed budget-wise.  You have to be willing to spend money over time.  As a result, your nonprofit begins to make more money, you're able to match and exceed what you're doing, growing what you're doing.  Celebrating philanthropy in an organization is so very powerful.  It is a way of telling the entire organization that your mission matters. What would you recommend nonprofits do to really take their fundraising to the next level – especially when it comes to major gifts? I think this is a lifelong journey.  Pursue competence in the field.  Competence consists of two basic elements, learning and accruing experience.  You can be incredibly knowledgeable, but it doesn't mean you know what you're doing because you cannot gain experience without time.  There are no shortcuts to experience.  Over the course of time, I became pretty competent.  According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something.  And that's a long time.  Wherever you are in your journey, be committed to those two things. Tell us more about the script you created for yourself for talking with potential donors. Sometimes I'd have two or more hours in the car, and back in those days, I was listening to cassette tapes on major gift fundraising.  I would rehearse what I was going to say.  First, I would think through how the visit was going to go and I would visualize it – the warm welcome, the friendly conversation, the positive nodding of the heads, the shaking hands at the end.  Then I would rehearse the actual sentence, “John and Mary, would you consider a gift of $25,000, which you could pay over 5 years, in order to help our students get the education that they deserve and should have?”  I would say it two dozen times because it helped me address my anxiety and fear.  Don't let fear stop you.  When you schedule a meeting, those folks know you are there representing your organization with a mission that matters and they are at least curious about it, otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the meeting.  Tell us more about your book, Five Minutes for Fundraising. The reason I named it Five Minutes for Fundraising because each chapter in one way stands on its own.  It came out of my video work.  I realized that my videos were being watched by some, but not everyone wants to watch a video.  It's more about noodling and reflecting on ideas.  I recruited 26 collaborators, who are experts in the field of fundraising, who were able to add color commentary to my ideas and were able to make the book so much richer than the original videos.  What does fundraising freedom mean to you? Over time, along with accruing competence came confidence.  People are free around me; they are honest with me and I can be honest with them.  I can draw upon all my experience and try to bring benefits to the person across from me.  In that whole exchange, there is freedom because I've put the time in.  I earned that kind of freedom and it's a joyful place to be.    Connect with Martin: Website Martin's Book, Five Minutes for Fundraising Email LinkedIn   Connect with Mary: Mary Valloni Facebook LinkedIn Fundraising Freedom Roadmap Nonprofit Executive Club    

Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach, and public speaker.  Martin is a professional fundraiser who’s raised a staggering 500 million dollars in his career that has spanned more than two decades.  Two years ago, he was named the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the St. Louis Regional Chapter.  Why are you so passionate about fundraising? First of all, funding enables nonprofits to pursue their missions and grow and expand their impact to improve the world and the lives of others.  If you don’t have funding, you don’t have much of a mission.  Fundraising is the primary way an organization can maintain its ability to do its job.  I’m passionate about working with people who are making meaningful contributions of both financial as well as time.  The other thing I feel passionate about is that our work is honorable work.  It’s almost a calling.  We get to develop ourselves and help donors develop themselves and look to the bigger world.  You talk about how fundraisers are facilitators of philanthropy.  How did you come up with this terminology? It came from experience and reflection.  As I went through this experience of working with donors and watching them being transformed, I began to look at it all differently.  I realized that in one way it’s about us, because we as fundraisers have to pursue excellence, but it’s so much more than that because it’s about the donor as well as the organization we represent.  Based on your personal experience, what do you think is holding back so many nonprofits? On the negative side, fear and ignorance.  We all feel fear and I think looking at stepping into fundraising can be daunting and anxiety-producing.  A lot of this we can address through education; better understanding what it’s all about.  The other part is that there has to be a commitment to pursue major gifts.  If you want to grow your organization and sustain it, you have to grow major gifts as part of your method.  Major gifts require several things.  One, it requires your executive team being educated about fundraising and being willing to be participative.  You have to educate your board, so they have a realistic view and an appreciation of what it takes to raise significant dollars because it takes time.  What we’re doing is bringing someone into a deeper relationship with the organization.  The other dimension to major gift-raising, is you have to be committed budget-wise.  You have to be willing to spend money over time.  As a result, your nonprofit begins to make more money, you’re able to match and exceed what you’re doing, growing what you’re doing.  Celebrating philanthropy in an organization is so very powerful.  It is a way of telling the entire organization that your mission matters. What would you recommend nonprofits do to really take their fundraising to the next level – especially when it comes to major gifts? I think this is a lifelong journey.  Pursue competence in the field.  Competence consists of two basic elements, learning and accruing experience.  You can be incredibly knowledgeable, but it doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing because you cannot gain experience without time.  There are no shortcuts to experience.  Over the course of time, I became pretty competent.  According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something.  And that’s a long time.  Wherever you are in your journey, be committed to those two things. Tell us more about the script you created for yourself for talking with potential donors. Sometimes I’d have two or more hours in the car, and back in those days, I was listening to cassette tapes on major gift fundraising.  I would rehearse what I was going to say.  First, I would think through how the visit was going to go and I would visualize it – the warm welcome, the friendly conversation, the positive nodding of the heads, the shaking hands at the end.  Then I would rehearse the actual sentence, “John and Mary, would you consider a gift of $25,000, which you could pay over 5 years, in order to help our students get the education that they deserve and should have?”  I would say it two dozen times because it helped me address my anxiety and fear.  Don’t let fear stop you.  When you schedule a meeting, those folks know you are there representing your organization with a mission that matters and they are at least curious about it, otherwise, they wouldn’t have taken the meeting.  Tell us more about your book, Five Minutes for Fundraising. The reason I named it Five Minutes for Fundraising because each chapter in one way stands on its own.  It came out of my video work.  I realized that my videos were being watched by some, but not everyone wants to watch a video.  It’s more about noodling and reflecting on ideas.  I recruited 26 collaborators, who are experts in the field of fundraising, who were able to add color commentary to my ideas and were able to make the book so much richer than the original videos.  What does fundraising freedom mean to you? Over time, along with accruing competence came confidence.  People are free around me; they are honest with me and I can be honest with them.  I can draw upon all my experience and try to bring benefits to the person across from me.  In that whole exchange, there is freedom because I’ve put the time in.  I earned that kind of freedom and it’s a joyful place to be.    Connect with Martin: Website Martin's Book, Five Minutes for Fundraising Email LinkedIn   Connect with Mary: Mary Valloni Facebook LinkedIn Fundraising Freedom Roadmap Nonprofit Executive Club    

Martin Leifeld is an author, consultant, coach, and public speaker.  Martin is a professional fundraiser who’s raised a staggering 500 million dollars in his career that has spanned more than two decades.  Two years ago, he was named the Outstanding Fundraising Executive by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the St. Louis Regional Chapter.  Why…Continue reading Episode 145 | Five Minutes for Fundraising with Martin Leifeld

In this episode your beleagured hosts James and James discuss their namesake, the 1990 X-Men crossover X-Tinction Agenda. After that they go deep into Detective Comics #700, by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan. We're in the pipe, 5 by 5.

Deadpool, the Merc with a Mouth. We cover the 2017 Bad Blood by the famous Rob Leifeld. Does it live up to the humor of the Ryan Reynolds movie? Guess you'll have to listen to find out. Follow us on twitter @comictradespod   Music: "Adventure Meme" and "Undaunted" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Fundraising is an art form, and Martin Leifeld has become a master artist.  Not only has he perfected the art form, he has raised it to new levels through old-school methods that include building relationships, understanding the donors' priorities, and mastering the ask.  Martin has raised over $500 million for education institutions and nonprofits, and in this podcast, he give us a tutorial on the lost art of development.  Some of the key areas covered include the psychology of development and how to build lasting relationships, how the best university presidents work with their development officers, and how the world of fundraising has changed and what it will look like going forward.

The dweebs are back and patriotic as ever. Tune in as the dweebs show their red, white, and blues while discussing the Image Comics launch title, Youngblood, written by "superstar" creator Rob Leifeld. Do 90's comic books actually suck, or do the dweebs just take themselves too seriously? Find out that, and the true meaning of freedom on this week's Lame On!

On this, the 146th episode - The Sabbat are so 90s they should've been drawn by Leifeld, Mike Furiously Recommends Jarys See Furious 7, Jarys' thoughts on the new Deus Ex, the new Daredevil costume, and what happens when Mike reveals his SJW side at work.

Proud Member of The Omega Nerds Network   Check out Joey's podcast Dudes in a Room   Follow the show on Twitter @hvpodcast   Be sure to check out Hero Movie Podcast   This week Joey joins me to discuss the feisty female with extremely good luck, Domino. As a core member of X-Force, not to mention Cable's main squeeze, she has been a part of some of the greatest battles in Marvel's 90's comics. Listen to this episode to hear all about her.

The time we discussed Body by Leifeld, entering the lair of the Tricericocks, and taking a voyage to the Spice Islands. Learn more, subscribe, or contact us at www.stuffandthingspodcast.com