Partnership Playbook: Unlocking Revenue Streams for Consultants with Dana Snyder

I always approach things as a win-win-win. So a win for the end user. I know who my audience is, right? Is this going to be of value to them? Am I going to provide value to the partner in a creative way, and then obviously to myself and my business. So that's always like the genesis of the conversation - Dana Snyder

Partnership Playbook: Unlocking Revenue Streams for Consultants with Dana Snyder

Are you struggling to find the right partners to accelerate your nonprofit consulting business growth? In this candid conversation, Dana Snyder, CEO of Missions to Movement, shares her invaluable insights on building strategic partnerships that drive revenue and impact.

With over 7 years of experience in the nonprofit space, Dana reveals the behind-the-scenes strategies that have enabled her to generate over 60% of her annual revenue through creative partnerships, paid speaking engagements, and her highly successful Monthly Giving Summit.

Discover Dana's approach to identifying win-win-win opportunities, structuring mutually beneficial agreements, and leveraging her assets to create compelling value propositions that partners can't resist. From negotiating equitable compensation to tracking meaningful KPIs, Dana holds nothing back.

Key Highlights:

• Learn how Dana strategically builds assets like podcasts and summits to enhance her partnership offerings.

• Gain insights into structuring creative partnerships that align with both parties' goals and metrics.

• Understand Dana's approach to negotiating fair compensation for speaking engagements and partnerships.

• Discover tactics for tracking and demonstrating the ROI of partnerships to attract long-term collaborations.

• Hear Dana's candid confessions about the challenges and lessons learned from her partnership journey.

00:00:00 Introduction to the Confessions Podcast

Cindy Wagman and Jess Campbell introduce their podcast aimed at helping nonprofit coaches and consultants scale their businesses past the six-figure mark.

00:01:28 Morning Coffee Chats

Cindy and Jess discuss coffee, aesthetics, and teaching Cindy's 13-month-old to make Nespresso coffee.

00:03:07 Guest Introduction - Dana Snyder

Dana Snyder joins as a guest, discussing her business journey, niche down strategy, and current projects.

00:05:30 Niche Down Strategy

Dana Snyder talks about transitioning from a catch-all digital marketing business to specializing in social media ads and monthly giving programs.

00:08:09 The Organic Growth of Partnerships

The speaker shares how partnerships organically grew from podcast launches, speaking gigs, and digital presence, leading to sponsorships and collaborations.

00:11:31 Expanding Support and Sponsorship

The speaker discusses the success of sponsorship levels for the summit, enabling payment for speakers and nonprofits, showcasing growth and recognition.

00:12:09 Acknowledging Time and Effort

Reflection on the journey of building a platform, paying speakers, and addressing the sector's lack of equitable compensation, highlighting the importance of recognizing effort.

00:13:23 Challenges in Speaker Compensation

Exploring the mismatch in sector expectations on speaker payment, addressing the disconnect between demand and compensation levels in conferences and webinars.

00:16:34 Negotiating Speaker Compensation

Strategies for negotiating speaker compensation, including advocating for equitable pay, seeking alternative forms of compensation like travel coverage or podcast sponsorships.

00:17:46 The Importance of Creative Partnerships and Assets

Discussing the value of creative partnerships, leveraging assets like podcasts and summits, and the strategic approach to building partnerships in business.

00:20:28 Starting Out and Approaching Partnerships

Advice for beginners on starting partnerships, the win-win-win approach, utilizing affiliate programs, and the importance of asking strategic business questions.

00:27:30 The Power of In-Person Networking

Highlighting the impact of in-person interactions, sharing success stories from networking events, and emphasizing the value of creating connections face-to-face.

00:28:18 Rapid Fire Questions: Dream Partners and Summer Plans

Quick Q&A session discussing dream partners, summer plans, and recommendations for in-person conference experiences.

00:29:41 Mastering the Art of Cold Outreach

Discussion on effective outreach strategies, importance of personal connection, and leveraging webinars for engagement.

00:32:54 Building Successful Partnerships through Webinars

Exploring the impact of webinars on partnership building, showcasing expertise, and the value of personal connections in collaborations.

00:34:27 Tracking Results and Partnership Success

Insights on tracking metrics like clicks, downloads, and engagement for partnership success, emphasizing long-term brand awareness and credibility in sectors.

00:37:59 Calculating ROI and Partner Expectations

Analyzing cost per lead, subscription models, and setting realistic expectations for partnership success based on business calculations.

00:38:31 Long-Term Partnership Strategies

Highlighting the significance of long-term partnerships, recurring giving case studies, and optimizing tools for sustainable growth.

00:39:29 The Impact of Partnerships on Revenue

Discussion on the percentage of revenue tied to partnerships and the breakdown of revenue streams from various sources.

00:42:33 Business Confessions and Personal Reflections

The host shares personal struggles and reflections on balancing business growth with personal life, including becoming a mom and setting boundaries for work-life balance.

00:44:39 Acknowledgment of Business Success and Growth

Acknowledgment of the host's organizational skills and success in running the business, with a focus on continuous growth and learning from past experiences.

00:45:00 Utilizing Partnerships for Business Opportunities

Exploration of a strategic business partnership with Kendra Scott and the importance of initiating conversations to unlock unexpected opportunities.

00:46:31 Promotion and Networking

Information on where to find the host, referral opportunities, and details on joining the monthly giving program.

Find Us Online:  https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.com

Connect with Dana:

Website: https://positiveequation.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danarsnyder/ 

Monthly Giving Mastermind: https://positiveequation.com/mastermind 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/positivequation/ 

Connect with Cindy:

Cindy Wagman Coaching https://cindywagman.com

Fractional Fundraising Network https://www.fractionalfundraising.co/

LinkedIn:  https://ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagman

Connect with Jess: 

Out In the Boons: https://www.outintheboons.me

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jess-campbell-outintheboons/ 

Transcript:

[00:00:00 - 00:00:03]
Welcome to the Confessions podcast. I'm Cindy Wagman.

[00:00:03 - 00:00:11]
And I'm Jess Campbell. We're two former in house nonprofit pros turn coaches and consultants to purpose driven organizations.

[00:00:11 - 00:00:20]
After years of building up our separate six figure businesses from scratch, we've thrown a lot of spaghetti at the wall and have lived to see what sticks.

[00:00:20 - 00:00:30]
We're on a mission to help other nonprofit coaches and consultants looking to start or scale their own businesses past the six figure mark by pulling back the curtain.

[00:00:30 - 00:00:51]
Whether you're still working inside a nonprofit and thinking of one day going out on your own or you've been running your consulting business for years, you understand that working with nonprofits is just different. We're giving you access to the business leaders who serve nonprofits as their clients. You know, the people who truly get it.

[00:00:51 - 00:01:10]
No more gatekeeping, no more secrets. This podcast is going to give you an inside look at what running a successful nonprofit coaching and consulting business looks like. Basically, we're asking people how much money they make, how they get paid, and what has and hasn't worked in their businesses.

[00:01:11 - 00:01:27]
Listen in as these leaders share their insights, their numbers, and the good, the bad, and the ugly. When it comes to building a nonprofit coaching or consulting business, we're going to empower you to make the power moves that give you the income and freedom you set out to create from day one.

[00:01:28 - 00:01:33]
You ready? Let's go. Hello, Cindy.

[00:01:33 - 00:01:35]
Hey, Jess.

[00:01:35 - 00:01:38]
Can you tell I'm caffeinated? I just had my first cup of caffeine.

[00:01:38 - 00:01:40]
Oh, my God. We just got a new coffee maker.

[00:01:40 - 00:01:41]
Yeah.

[00:01:41 - 00:01:46]
Total aside, I actually channeled you, Jess, and I wrote an email about it.

[00:01:46 - 00:01:49]
Because, oh, I was like, I don't even drink coffee.

[00:01:50 - 00:02:04]
Well, I don't either, but I wanted a really pretty one. And my husband was, like, doing all the research to make sure it had all the functionality, and that, like, decision making process inspired an email, so.

[00:02:04 - 00:02:14]
Oh, I love that. I also love, like, an aesthetic girly who thinks it looks versus function. That's also something I would do.

[00:02:14 - 00:02:18]
So really don't drink coffee either. So I just wanted to look pretty in my kitchen.

[00:02:19 - 00:02:27]
So, yeah, intruding the conversation, I've officially taught my 13 month old how to help me make my Nespresso coffee in the morning already.

[00:02:27 - 00:02:28]
Wow.

[00:02:28 - 00:02:33]
She knows how to push up the little top. She knows how to put it in, push it down, and then press the button.

[00:02:33 - 00:03:06]
She sounds like the genius queen that she is. Stanford, here she comes. Rule the world. All right. If you couldn't recognize her voice. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow nonprofit consultants. We have the one and only Dana Snyder of missions to movement, the host of our, one of our favorite podcasts. She's also the creator and extraordinaire around the monthly giving mastermind. She's our friend. She's a speaker. She's all the things back for episode number two. And this doesn't happen very often, I think you're only.

[00:03:07 - 00:03:10]
We've all met in person now, which is amazing.

[00:03:10 - 00:03:11]
That's the best.

[00:03:11 - 00:03:56]
Yeah, that is definitely inspired by. So a little background. We were all together at the make it happen conference, which took place in February of 2024, depending when you're listening to this. And because so many consultants were asking on LinkedIn in private conversations about partnerships, I tapped Dana to do a rapid fire session, which was a fan favorite for everyone in the room. And so for like, 1520 minutes, she laid it out for us, and we were so grateful. Everyone was so appreciative. And so that's going to be kind of the theme of today's conversation. But let's start with just who you are, where you are, for the folks that maybe don't know who you are.

[00:03:56 - 00:05:30]
Literally sitting in our guest room slash home office. What's my zip code? 30097. I don't know my gps coordinates. But, yeah, I've been at this business, which I think plays into our discussion today for seven years. This is not a over night success situation that I think sometimes people look at and we're like, wow, you just, like, landed all these deals. I'm like, this has been a long time coming. I have niche down. I don't even know if the last time I talked to you guys, I think it was more niche down, because in 2021, yeah, 2020, 2021, I really, like, did a whole refresh on what my business was. And then 2022, when I launched my podcast, I really dialed in on being known for social media ads and building monthly giving programs. And so that's what I do. And the ads is really, I do two challenges a year that I launch with a group of 20 people. I have my mastermind that I do two times a year with three to five orgs at a time where we literally, soup to nuts, are your mini agency. We build out your monthly giving program. And then now I'm writing a book that's due when we're recording this literally next week and launching my first monthly giving virtual summit, thanks to encouragement and inspiration from you, Jessica. And that's gonna be in September and just speaking and running the podcast, and that's. You're busy nope, none. And raising a baby.

[00:05:30 - 00:05:39]
Oh, all the things. Okay. Amazing. And what did you niche down from? Like, what would you say you were known from for before 2021?

[00:05:39 - 00:06:45]
I mean, that's kind of the comical problem. I think I was known for digital marketing, but what does that mean? And I think that was the problem. I was this catch all. So it was, I'm going to send Dana this for influencer marketing. I'm going to go to Dana for organic. I'm going to ask Dana for paid. I'm going to ask Dana to run this. And then I was like, I don't want to be doing all of those things. And so the, like, pre pre of my business, when I first launched it in 2017, was an agency specifically in social media. And I wasn't specific because you're starting your business. You just need to make money to survive. And I was not married. I was by myself. I was in Los Angeles, and I needed to figure out how to pay a $1,700 rent payment every month. Right. And so which, gosh, I don't even know what they are now, which would be wild for. It was a 400 square foot studio, you guys. I basically took 2ft out of my bed to sit on my desk. But that was the niche down I just got. I was like, what do I want people to be like, oh, do you know my friend Dana? She does blink, and it's very explicit.

[00:06:45 - 00:08:09]
Yeah, I love that. I always tell people it's actually easier to make money niching down and getting really specific because then you are the person to go to four x. It's so clear for your audience. Okay. We wanted to have you back on the podcast, obviously. Like, I feel like we could talk about so many things and forever, but you, like, lit up the room at make it happen when you were talking about partnerships, and I think you are, I mean, I want to say killing it or dominating both of those really talented words that I don't mean, but, like, you are just nailing it. That's a better word. You're nailing it, and it's not easy. One of the things I like we've had offline conversations about is that there's a lot of inconsistency in partnerships and paid speaking and all of these things, and you're doing a really good job of navigating that space. So let's talk a little bit about what role partnerships have in your business to start with. Like, let's set the scene in terms of why is this something you're pursuing, and how do you see it fitting within your other revenue or not? Not just revenue goals, but other goals or other outcomes you might have from it.

[00:08:09 - 00:11:31]
Yeah. So it originally started with the podcast. Before the podcast, I had, I think, one, one partnership with fundraise up, and it's like an affiliate partnership, and so that's just, like, ongoing. And then when the podcast launched, I think I'm going to share this feather came in before I even launched the show, saying they wanted in for like, a two month, three, three month agreement. And I was just like, wow. Because at first, I was like, if I can just cover the expenses of this show, that would be amazing. And highlight some of the tech platforms that I really think organizations should use, and I like them and the people. And from there, it just organically grew. In 21 2021, I started to do a lot of in person speaking gigs, and at every one of those conferences, there's vendor booth areas. And because I had grown a digital presence and had been seen through doing lives, even though, like, I'm telling you, listener, I swear I felt crickets on a bunch of them that, like, nobody was watching, but people are watching when you don't know it. And I would show up to these events, and people would just say, can I connect with you while I'm there? I see that you're speaking and sending me LinkedIn messages, and so I got to have these in person relationships build. And then that just continued to grow because most of these vendors are attending all of the same things. So I would see them multiple times a year, and then it would be like, let's do a webinar together. Let's do this. Let's do this. And then now it's honestly, like, I'm so fortunate. Our space has some wonderful people at these companies. There's been a lot of shifts in moving around recently, and, I mean, know if you noticed that on LinkedIn, and there's, I think, in the same way that that was just happening organically, there was also this shift with, I think, the nonprofit space, picking up on what the influencer economy is and understanding that we, as consultants have this third party recommendation, like a media outlet that you can't buy. And I just got an email from somebody else that was saying that they're not realizing this, and that they're like, we know there's trust built with you. And so then it just kind of took off into, what can we do together? What would you like to do? We'd like you to do our whole Q two content partnership plan. What does that look like, and then I get to build it out. And there's, I mean, conversations, obviously, about what they're looking for in the context, but that's kind of the origin of how it all has grown. And then now what's amazing is having the summit. And I'm happy to dive into details on this, but within a couple of weeks, like, nearly all of the sponsorship levels are sold out. And which is. Yeah, which was amazing because I'm paying all of my speakers double.

[00:11:31 - 00:11:32]
Woohoo.

[00:11:33 - 00:12:09]
All of the moderators, all the speakers nonprofits are going to be on there. They're going to either get a donation or they can put it in their own pocket, whatever they want to do. And I, and then with my mastermind, I now have two people have reached out to say, can I sponsor a spot in your mastermind for a nonprofit? That's never happened to me before. This is the fifth round that I'm launching it. I just got a LinkedIn DM today, and so I'm jumping on a call tomorrow with that person, and I'm like, this is cool. For a long time, y'all. It's a push. It is a push, push, push. And, like, it still is sometimes, but there's definitely more traction now than there ever has been. But it took time.

[00:12:09 - 00:13:23]
I love that. And also, I love that you have identified or called out that it took time, because I think for a lot, I mean, you have a platform, you have an audience, you have that sort of virtual stage that I think is part of what is important. But can you talk a little bit about the, let's call it sweat equity or things that you did building up to that? Because part of the problem is our sector does not pay for people's time a lot, and that is perpetuated in partnerships, a lot like doing webinars with tech companies or speaking at conferences. And I think that there's this really crazy disconnect that's happening right now as we see more and more people demand speaking, but the conferences, the webinars, that all these people haven't caught up yet. For the most part, both you and Jess both pay your speakers and do amazing jobs with that. But there's like, I feel like there's this expectation now of people who are like, yes, I want to do this. I want to grow my list, and I want to get paid to do these things. And there's not, it's not happening at a mass level in the way that we want it to. Oh, my gosh.

[00:13:23 - 00:13:37]
I know. I literally was reading. I just sent Jess a message on this. When you had, we posted a poll on LinkedIn asking people what they want to get paid. And a lot of people were like $501,000, 2500. And I was like, cover my costs.

[00:13:37 - 00:13:38]
Yeah, yeah.

[00:13:38 - 00:13:42]
I was like, what's happening? But this is what we're used to.

[00:13:42 - 00:13:56]
It's what we're used to. And you've experienced that, right? Like, tell us a little bit about what you did used to do for free and what you're saying no to now. And I feel like we can just talk a lot about this mismatch in the sector.

[00:13:56 - 00:14:10]
So I think what's funny is I, my first in person speaking gig was in 2020, right before COVID and I charged $1,000. Now that was a person. It was with the television Academy foundation.

[00:14:10 - 00:14:12]
Oh, interesting.

[00:14:12 - 00:15:58]
It was very cool, extremely intimidating because all of the, it was a small room of all of the sponsors of the television, of the academy. So I was, I was talking about social media to them, which I thought was silly, but I had, they asked a ton of questions and I was like, what is happening? So, I mean, that just, that just goes to. I mean, I still suffer from imposter syndrome and what the price point is going to be. And Mallory Erickson also posted about this recently on LinkedIn. But I think from the very beginning, I charged money for speaking, following even that engagement, I was asked virtually to do a three part webinar, webinar series. And I charge five k for that. And so even early on, I was like, I'm doing work like this takes time. And especially when it's in person, I am driving. So I think from the get go, I was very like, free adverse because I'm running a business. And then now, like, if my media kit is free for anybody to go download and check out on my website, by the way, so feel free to do that. But I charge in person, like 7500 and up plus, plus travel and accommodations now. And that was a lot because I've done it a lot now. I know I have a certain skill at it now. At the beginning, did I go to in 2021, I was not getting paid for these for some of the in person ones, but I was always asking for travel and accommodations or some value exchange with either my podcast sponsorship or a sponsorship at their event because I knew there was value in just being in person around everybody. So does that answer your question?

[00:15:58 - 00:16:33]
Totally. And I. Okay. And I have more questions. And I know Jess has questions. A lot of places you speak traditionally might not pay all their speakers or, you know, they might not offer it up at the beginning. Can you tell us a little bit about that conversation? Like, when someone says, oh, we don't have budget for speakers, or we don't, like, walk our listeners through how you navigate that. And at the end, like, if they're. If they don't budge, what happens? And. Or how do you sort of negotiate and get to where you need to be?

[00:16:34 - 00:17:45]
Yeah, so I have had that happen a couple times this year, and sometimes they don't budge and then I say no. And I actually write this email. I'm just putting it, like, in our chat here about how it's not, we deserve equitable compensation for what we're doing, and it's not creating, like, an inclusive space, and it just needs to change. I think it's like the old regime that taught that practice. And so sometimes it doesn't work, and I say, sorry, like, I'm not budging. Like, it's not going to happen. For ones where I'm really, like, in alignment, there is some, like, travel paid for, and I can work out a podcast sponsorship where they don't have a speaker budget, but they have a marketing budget most of the time, all of these events have a marketing budget. If they don't, I don't know how. I just don't know how that would be possible. So I say, what if we did an exchange? So based upon some type of level of speaking, this is what a podcast like package could look like. And that's how I do a little bit of negotiation around that.

[00:17:46 - 00:20:28]
Okay, so super helpful. I think this is important to, like, differentiate partnerships, right? Because right now we're talking about partnerships in the context of speaking. But I think one of the things that you do excellently, like, better than anyone, actually, is, like, creative partnerships. And I do want to call out that, like, you have, over the lifetime of your business, built out these assets to be able to offer creative partnerships. Right. To have a leg to stand on, so to speak, when it comes to negotiation, right? Like, you have built an audience, you have credibility. Like, all three of us, we are white women. We even have, like, privilege and access and all this stuff. But you also have things that are really valuable, like a podcast. Now you have a summit. Like, you have assets to sell. And I just want to call that out because if you are someone starting at ground zero, the floor, as data said, at the very beginning, like, this takes time, like, so not to compare her eight year journey to your day, one journey, I think is really important, but as you think forward, I hope my question that I'm about to ask is helpful for you as you plan forward if like, partnerships and paid speaking is important to you. For example, I have yet to prioritize either of those two things as line items in my business. Like, if they happen, great. But I've never liked projected being able to cover my expenses on them because I do other things and like, that's fine too. One of the things I think you do, really super duper duper well, is creative partnerships. And you pull from all of your different assets to make a compelling case for a paid partnership. And I'd love for you to talk about your line of thinking as, I mean, you even just said it, how someone might come to you, not have a speaker budget, and then you, boom, go back and you're like, well, what's your marketing budget like? That is strategic. And I don't know that everyone is thinking that way. So I'm just kind of curious how you pull things together, how you think about the right partners for the right assets you offer. We could even use your summit as maybe an example, as I knew you're like in the thick of it right now. Like, is it one for one for that? Or are there things that, like, a sponsor for your summit also gets to be a podcast interview or ba ba ba ba. Like, I'd love. You have an email list. Like, talk us through creative partnerships, how you think about them, how you execute on them, all the things. I know it's a big question, but.

[00:20:28 - 00:27:29]
Yeah, so I think if you are just starting out, I do want to say that you don't have to have all of these things to get started. One of the very traditional routes of partnerships is if you are somebody who is a one to one service based and you are actually helping to implement some of these tools, nearly all of them have some side of kickback, associated or affiliate. You just have to sign up and be a partner with them. So it's a great way to just start and get your feet wet with that and then become more educated, and then they'll often give you even like, heads up of like, new product features that are coming out. So that's just one way to get started before you. I have a platform, if that's even of interest, and maybe it's not, but when it comes to the creative partnerships, I mean, I always approach things as a win, win win. So a win for the end user. I know who my audience is, right? Is this going to be of value to them? Am I going to provide value to the partner in a creative way, and then obviously to myself and my business. So that's always like the genesis of the conversation when it comes to the podcast and what's grown those. And I will say this year has been more trying with the podcast, but I also have this summit, so it's kind of this. There is the podcast looped into certain levels of the summit sponsorship deck. And another big difference this year, I hired somebody, a brand partnerships manager, in January, to specifically focus on this for me, because the details, like the back and forth calls, contracts, the execution. I now have this, like, massive air table of when deliverables are supposed to go out. Like it was becoming. I could not manage it by myself anymore, especially with the summit. So that's the genesis of how I think about them. I just innately ask business questions to them. Like, I ask, how do you make your revenue? What are your goals this quarter? What's difficult for you in the sales process? I do demos of all of these platforms, y'all. I am not just, like, signed on, I ask, who's your target market? Who are you looking to help? What is your, I understand you might be a CRM, but like, what do you do rate? You might do everything good. What is your specific thing? Because with the summit, it's a good example. Like, if you go on the website, there's a wide range of, and some of the logos aren't on there yet, but there's a wide range of companies based upon who they serve. And that's also because I'm looking at my registrations, and I have pre launch monthly giving orgs that don't even have a program. And then I have organizations that have 145,000 monthly donors. So I want to make sure that I am bringing in the tech tools that will be helpful to all levels of organizations. If I was saying this is a monthly giving summit for beginners, that would be very different versus having 145,000 monthly donors. So I want to make sure that they're also getting tools that they need to scale. So those are kind of the questions that I ask. And then I think about what would a monetary exchange look like? And then what also are their in kind options? So a great example of this for the summit. Neon one way back. I don't even know when I first said that I was going to launch the summit, but Tim approached me and he's like, hey, we have a license to RingCentral, which was bought. They bought hop in. And it's really expensive. Jess, I'm sure you've noticed, like, with your research, it's like 20,000 plus for these like, platforms. And I was like, I'm only doing one of these events a year. And so he's like, what if we license it to you? He's also kicking in some monetary, and then they come in at a certain part level, but I get full access to their ringcentral platform. Plus he's kicking in support team to actually manage the back end production so that I don't have to hire people to do that. So a lot of benefits to that. So it's conversations, like, it's relationships conversations. The other thing I'll say, I just got back from the classy collaborative, and that's an event where they just do it really well. They do a bomb event, and two years ago, I spoke, I did two sessions, I did not get paid. They paid for travel and accommodations two years ago, but I met Meta, and Meta saw me speak and give a presentation on ads which talk about fear. I was like, oh my God, I hope I, like, give all of the right information. That session led to a partnership with Meta where they paid me five figures to run a workshop. So was that beneficial to be at classy? Hell yeah. Now just being there, this last time, I knew I wanted to be there. We did a podcast sponsorship exchange. I became a sponsor, so I had like a little table in their sponsor area. I also got to facilitate a community conversation on recurring giving. I'm running, wanting to raise awareness for the summit. I had this like printed QR code where I custom did a landing page for everyone at classy with monthly giving resources. There was, I don't know, I want to say probably 60 or 70 people gathered around my community conversation. Plus it was right outside where the sponsors were. So they were coming over and watching me do my thing, and I know how to like do my thing and have fun with that. And they were like, you got so much engagement. So for them to see me in person do that, it's like, yeah, I want to be part of your orbit, then. I know I'm going off on a tangent on this, but this is like, this is why in person I think it's so, so, so valuable if you can make it happen. In my book, I've interviewed the Tim Tebow foundation. They were there, so I also wanted to see them and meet with them. Years ago, I worked with the Gary Sinise foundation on an audit. I didn't know it, but their team was there and somebody referenced them, brought me over to their table, they have very. Those two organizations have very similar organizations. They have similar size, monthly giving programs, and they both have a famous liberty name associated. So I was like, you two need to meet. Then, as they were explaining a problem, I was like, oh, my gosh, you should meet this tech solution for you. And then I brought the tech solution over to the table, and then now they're going to get a client, and then they're like, oh, my gosh. So it's all creating value for everybody. And if you can do that in person, I think that's just, like, there's nothing more valuable.

[00:27:30 - 00:28:18]
Sorry, my ADHD just kicked in, and I was, like, asking you in the chat if you know someone that used to work at the curious and east foundation. And then I'm like, okay, no, back to the podcast. But if you do know Rachel Brown, you'll have to let me know, because that's, like a small world stuff happening in real time. Okay. Double score. Underline. Circle with the red pen. I think what you're saying is really important that, you know, building partnerships from behind your computer screen can take you far, but, like, it can take you so much farther to, like, actually gather in person. There's just. I'm a broken record on this. There is nothing like it, people. Nothing like it. All right, Dana, we are back for another round of rapid fire questions. You ready to go?

[00:28:18 - 00:28:19]
Ding.

[00:28:20 - 00:28:31]
All right. Ding. I know I need, like, a horn or something. Okay. Who is a dream partner at the top of your list? Who is it and why?

[00:28:31 - 00:28:48]
Canva and why? Oh, gosh. I mean, their founders are dope female woman that I would love to work with and look at what she's created. It also is very in line with the subscription economy and does amazing work with nonprofits.

[00:28:48 - 00:28:56]
Good answer. It's about to be summer where other Snyders traveling to or doing or hanging out.

[00:28:57 - 00:29:16]
We are going to Florida because we have family there, and I'm speaking, and, uh, we're gonna go rent a lake house nearby. We're actually not doing anything crazy. Daniel and I took a tulum trip by ourselves recently, so we're sticking local.

[00:29:16 - 00:29:31]
Nice. You talked about meeting in person and the power of getting in person. What are one, two, three conferences in person experiences that you highly recommend for our nonprofit consultant listeners? Yeah.

[00:29:31 - 00:29:40]
So based off of my experience of attending these top two, in person would be the one that just wrapped classy, collaborative, and the neo summit by next after.

[00:29:41 - 00:30:03]
Perfect. Okay, great. Thanks for playing. I'm listening to you speak. I also know that you've been doing this for some time, and I would love for you to, like, take us back to three or four years ago when you were doing that hustle, when you were doing the outreach girl.

[00:30:03 - 00:30:05]
I'm still doing that hustle.

[00:30:05 - 00:31:18]
Okay, let's talk about it. Because I know for me, and this has been happening constantly in my LinkedIn DM's, my inbox, my text messages, where people just come out blazing with a cold pitch. And I'm so iched by it. I'm so iched by it. Like, there's not even a hello I saw you on, or like, there is nothing. And I can't imagine that you, like, do that. But maybe, and maybe, like, it's a numbers game and, you know, a percentage, it works out. But I guess I'm just wondering for people who are like, I'm wanting to do this effort. I want to get started on this. I have assets that are valuable. Like, what's your pitch? Like, what do you lead with? Because you just said that, like, inbound stuff is coming, which you're thrilled about, but this is effort and work on your side. And, yeah, I guess I'm wondering, like, how does that go? How do you make it attractive? Or is it more actually all of this stuff you're doing in person relationship building that then leads to. Or is it introductions? Like, what does it look like to initiate these partners?

[00:31:18 - 00:32:54]
I think it's a combination of all the things you just listed. I think something that probably definitely exponentially propelled things was the amount of webinars I was doing. Still do more. So now there's a paid association to them, but I definitely did more of them for free earlier on. And then those webinars would have amazing attention from. Not attention, engagement from people. And I think that always really impresses. I've been around. It's like, the chat's just, like, blowing up and they're like, whoa, this was amazing. And they were consistently getting great show up percentages and a lot of people signing up for webinars that I would do. So I think when those things happen, plus, add on seeing you in person, like, wanting to have a good time, like, being a nice human being, honestly, people want to work with people that they like and think are doing cool stuff in the space. And, and the conversations I have, I think when you talk about the pitches, there's not as many, like, super cold ones anymore, I think most of the time, or it's funny, when I have reached out to people, they're like, oh, yeah, I know you. And I'm like, you do? That happens more now, I think, just because of, like, LinkedIn lurking, probably, but yeah, culmination of all the things, but definitely kind of like, proving myself in the hustle grind of webinars, I think was really helpful.

[00:32:54 - 00:34:27]
Okay, I have some questions about what goes. Okay, I have two very separate questions. I'm going to ask them both. You can choose the order in which you answer them. Number one is, can you give us a realistic picture of what goes into these, like, the deliverables of a partnership for you? I mean, you've mentioned that it takes time. We talk a lot about the relationship development and, like, getting those partnerships, but to have it go well, takes is a big investment for you. So that's question number one. Like, do you track, how do you know, like, what, what goes in to make it really stand out and exceptional so that you can continue having partnerships? And then the second question is around what you find partners right now are looking for in terms of tracking their results. Like, as someone personally, where I invest my money in ads and I have like, exhibit booths at conferences, I'm very, very focused on, like, the immediate ROI. And I track, like, where leads come from and all of that. And I wonder if your partners like, what they think of as success. I mean, you mentioned, like, high engagement on webinars and stuff like that, but do you talk what, what are, what's kind of going on in that space right now? So you pick which order you want to answer in.

[00:34:27 - 00:37:57]
Okay. So in regards to tracking results and having a successful partnership, I think there's a couple of things. There's usually always, like a trackable link associated, so the sponsor usually creates a UTM. And I'm actually shocked. There's a lot of times where they don't, but if they don't, I create a bit ly then on my end, so I can at least tell them how many clicks came through. And I will do. If there's like a podcast partnership, I'll share how many downloads there were of those episodes. I can share, like if we're doing a pre roll, how many downloads or like, listens there were of the pre roll of the emails that I sent out, like, how many people they went out to. So the trackable things, like the standard kind of like KPI's. A lot of times I always ask, like, what is a win? Like, what is success look like for you in this? And a lot of the times with a podcast, it's a long play. It's going to be brand awareness. A lot of them are just trying to get more brand awareness and association with someone that they think is doing cool stuff and has a good respect and credibility in the sector. And I think that's the invaluable part. Right. I actually put a lot of weight on that aspect where I'm not going to tout you if I don't think that you're a good partner to work with. Right. And that can be for different things. It's interesting, like sometimes people like, you're partnering with them. I'm like, gather. Customer service is impeccable, right? And their team's awesome and they're working on A, B and C. And so that's why I'm promoting them. The actual deliverables of things is currently all tracked in airtable. I do all of the podcast ads and record them myself to make them obviously feel very authentic. Some of the things that are included with the summit, I just like pulled up my deck is like a LinkedIn article from my newsletter there. I'll do a personal post on my LinkedIn, highlighting a partnership. There is sponsor things. I am giving the, if there's an opt in people opt in to the registration list, but only for the top sponsors, and that was limited, so there was a cutoff. And then I'm also putting together, which people are very excited about. I'm going to have a blog post that's highlighting my top x number of tools to scale a monthly giving program. And I did something similar to this on virtual event platforms during COVID and it was the number one Google article on it. So, and then all of those links will be trackable. So they want to be included in that blog post. There's going to be speaking things associated with that. And then what they look for is, I mean, kind of encompasses a little bit of what I said, and then they're always thinking about what's their cost per lead? And so I also ask them that, like, what is your platform cost? And then is there, are you a subscription based platform or are you based on processing fees? And then I can easily look at, if we're doing something for five grand, you can make that back like this, right? Is that two clients? Is that ten? Is that 50? Right? Like, that's very easy to calculate. And so I think that's where, where normally they're looking.

[00:37:59 - 00:38:30]
I love that you asked those questions, because in my limited experience talking with partners, they, from an initial conversation, have an outsized expectation around what success means. And then you ask them to do some verbal, out loud math. And you're like, oh, yeah, to, like, a cover. Your cost is really x. Yeah. To customers, not the 200 you are currently asking for or things like that. And so I think one thing I'm taking away is, like, you're really good at asking those smart questions, those business questions, and it's like looking down the line. So I'll share one new partnership I'm really excited about that. Wants to sponsor a. A spot in the mastermind, which is incredible. To give that nonprofit an opportunity, by the way, is because they want to have more recurring giving case studies. And so it's a long term play. It's. We want to have a good, let me quote, a good recurring giving case study, right. With, like, a professionally done landing page. And a lot of these platforms have a lot of updated tools and features, but the nonprofit's just too busy to ever update them. So we are going to be the people that give them all the new stuff right in there so that it looks good and it's optimized. And so then they're going to be able to use that case study in perpetuity. Right. To then bring on more people. So I think it's also, who's the person sitting in that partnership or marketing role? And do they also think with that same mindset?

[00:39:29 - 00:40:04]
Absolutely. So good. I know we're coming towards the end, and I want to ask you our infamous confessions question, but I am curious if you're open to sharing. Like, this is all amazing, and I'm so stoked for everything. This also sounds like a lot of work. I'm curious, what percentage of your expected annual revenue would you say is tied to partnerships? How much. How worth it is this okay?

[00:40:04 - 00:40:51]
So, so glad you asked. I can tell you breakdowns. So right now, my ads challenge, I'll just get. I'll just, like, go through like this. It's easier. It's like 4%. So that's like peanuts. The mastermind that I run two times a year is about 27%. The live summit. So the monthly giving summit, which is a new revenue stream, this year it will be about 28%. So that's like a new big chunk consulting, I rarely do now, but 6%, my podcast is 22%, speaking is eleven, and affiliate is two. So what is that? So if I literally do some of summit plus podcast plus, do you count speaking? No. You want to count that separate?

[00:40:51 - 00:40:54]
I mean. Yeah. And, I mean, even this is conversation.

[00:40:54 - 00:40:55]
Yeah.

[00:40:55 - 00:40:57]
Yeah. But also keep it separate or together.

[00:40:57 - 00:40:58]
Together.

[00:40:59 - 00:40:59]
Yeah.

[00:40:59 - 00:41:02]
What, so, like 60%, 63%.

[00:41:02 - 00:41:03]
Wow.

[00:41:04 - 00:41:13]
Yeah. And I mean, like, your summit isn't just partnerships. Right. Like, there's ticket sales and things like that, but summit. But there's a majority.

[00:41:13 - 00:41:41]
I'm not like. And the ticket sales will be interesting because that's all, like, forecasted. Right. Based upon. I did so many conversations. Right. With you, with community boosts, with virtuous. Like, I've ask everyone to, like, tell me the real, real what. What should I do? What should I not do? What's worked, what hasn't worked? Like. And a lot of people have told me that they don't see, especially with virtual events. 60% of registrations don't happen to the last two weeks.

[00:41:41 - 00:41:46]
Yeah. Like, I was gonna say the same thing. 50% will come in the last 48 hours. Yes.

[00:41:46 - 00:42:07]
Yeah, yeah. It's, like, real last minute. So. But the sponsorship revenue, um, for the summit right now, it's not fully done. Is 40, 47 in monetary and about 17 in kind, which is amazing.

[00:42:07 - 00:42:12]
Yeah. And definitely worth it. I was just. I mean, that'll make sense, right?

[00:42:12 - 00:42:12]
Yeah.

[00:42:12 - 00:42:32]
Makes sense for a business perspective. All right, thank you for sharing. Let's move into confessions. So, what is the juicy, not talked about thing that maybe you tell yourself in your head when you're taking a hot shower at the end of the day? Like, share your confession, your business confession?

[00:42:33 - 00:44:11]
Oh, gosh. I mean, I. I think as much as, like, I share. It's so funny sharing all this and, like, hearing you guys say that I'm doing a good job, but it's. To me, it still feels like it's so hard, and I think that's in. I think we're so quick to also, like, forget a celebration of something exciting that just happened. It's like, I sold out this whole, like, top level in a week, and then it's like, oh, my gosh, I can't find the $5,000.01. Like, what is happening? And then you get really down about it. So I'm just as stressed out as you listener about whatever else working on and trying to, like, have this mastermind. And I think another big thing is, this has been a really life changing year, becoming a mom and, like, understanding. What do I want my business to provide? I mean, Cindy, you talked a lot about this. Make it happen. What do I want my business to provide for my family and then also having the time that I want to spend it with Kennedy right now in this time that I'll never get back in this sweet spot. So, yeah, I'm trying to see a year of growth, but then something that I talked about to the summit, because I think we're always, like, more and more and more and more. I don't really want. I don't want more all the time. I want to hit a certain amount, and then I'm done. Like, peace out. I want to take off. So I'm trying to, like, with this new. I hope to do this summit annually. This is a really long, hot shower conversation with me talking to myself, or.

[00:44:11 - 00:44:13]
Wait till you do it in person.

[00:44:13 - 00:44:39]
Wing wink. I. Yeah, I guess it's figuring out how to get there and it not feel, because this is all. This is new, what I'm going through right now. And obviously, once you do something, then you have lessons learned, and that's how I feel. The mastermind, right. This is the fifth round, so it doesn't feel as daunting to. It doesn't feel daunting to run it anymore. It's just fun. So getting in that place, but with the business as a whole.

[00:44:39 - 00:44:49]
Yeah, yeah. From the outside looking in, you are doing a great job. You are more organized than I will ever be in this lifetime.

[00:44:50 - 00:44:51]
Oh, God. I don't know about that.

[00:44:52 - 00:44:56]
Cindy's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. So well done. Congratulations.

[00:44:56 - 00:44:59]
And for folks to kind of share one. One last thing.

[00:45:00 - 00:45:00]
Yeah.

[00:45:01 - 00:45:16]
Okay. This just goes to, like, this is another partnership that I'm very excited about, so. And steal ideas from others, man. So I went to a book launch party at the Kendra Scott location here in Alpharetta for my friend Kendra. Ironically, her name is also Kendra. Back and forth.

[00:45:16 - 00:45:18]
Wow. You know Kendra.

[00:45:20 - 00:46:31]
That would be amazing. And she. Her company is obviously, she's a female entrepreneur, and she has an incredible philanthropy give back to what she does. And she also invests in FEMA owned companies from, like, what she's done on shark tank and stuff. So when my friend went there, she was there before the shop opened. She did, like, a private podcast conversation, and she opened up the store, invited her friends in, and did book signings. And I was like, this is so smart. And so then I got in conversation, of course, with the head of philanthropy for Kendra Scott while we were there, and I was asking her all these questions about how they work with nonprofits and how they service hundreds in the local Atlanta area. And I was like, what if I did a book launch with you guys? Lo and behold, they are opening up a store literally five minutes from me. And so we're going to do one there. I'm going to do one in my hometown in Sarasota. I'm probably going to do one in Nashville on the back of an event. So just goes to, like, have the conversation. And you might. I never would have ever thought a brand like Kendra Scott would say yes. Two tiny little Dana. And they have. And so you just, like, don't know until you ask.

[00:46:31 - 00:46:43]
Yeah. Good advice for life and beyond. Dana, tell us quickly, where can people find you? Refer clients to your mastermind to sign up for the summit. All the things.

[00:46:43 - 00:46:58]
Yes, LinkedIn for sure. Dana Snyder. And then if you have somebody who's looking to build their monthly giving program, I do offer kickback. So dollar 500 referral to anybody that signs up for the program and would love to chat with you about it.

[00:46:59 - 00:47:01]
We appreciate you.

[00:47:01 - 00:47:02]
Thank you, ladies.

[00:47:02 - 00:47:17]
Thanks so much. Thank you again for listening to the Confessions podcast for nonprofit coaches and consultants. If you enjoyed today's episode, which I sure hope you did, you can show your support in one of three ways.

[00:47:17 - 00:47:25]
Number one, post a screenshot of this episode to your Instagram Stories, stories, or LinkedIn profile and Tag Cindy and I so we can repost you.

[00:47:25 - 00:47:30]
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[00:47:30 - 00:47:36]
And number three, leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts so we can continue to grow and reach new listeners.

[00:47:36 - 00:47:42]
And, of course, make sure you subscribe so you can get the latest and greatest interviews as they drop every Thursday.

[00:47:43 - 00:47:50]
And to our fellow nonprofit coaching and consulting friends, remember, or an open book. And here to answer your burning biz questions.

[00:47:50 - 00:47:51]
See you next time.