Live from RAISE: Making the Most out of Conferences
It was a scary ass investment. It's a lot of money. I did the lowest tier. I just need to be there. I mean the money was significant, but it was also about - I just need to be there. I need to be with my people. - Diana Farias Heinrich
Live from RAISE: Making the Most out of Conferences
In this episode of Confessions with Jess and Cindy, Cindy sits down with fellow nonprofit consultants live at the RAISE conference.
She discusses the power of conferences in business development and knowledge sharing. Join Cindy as she chats with Sabrina Walker Hernandez, Barbara O'Reilly, Diana Farias Heinrich, Frank Velásquez Jr., and the dynamic duo Kristin and Sam from Swaim Strategies. They share their experiences, strategies, and confessions about leveraging conferences for business growth, the importance of getting paid for speaking engagements, and the power of collaboration in the nonprofit sector.
The consultants share how they approach conferences, from applying to speak to connecting with attendees and other consultants. They also discuss the importance of repurposing content and aligning speaking engagements with their business values. Additionally, they share their experiences with exhibiting at conferences and the challenges of making it a worthwhile investment.
Key Takeaways:
Relationships are Key: Building relationships with other consultants and potential clients is essential for success. Conferences provide a valuable opportunity to network and connect with people in person.
Be Selective: Not all conferences are created equal. Consider your business goals and target audience when selecting conferences to attend or speak at.
Know Your Value: Understand the value you bring to the table and don't be afraid to ask for compensation for your time and expertise.
Align with Your Goals: Make sure your conference attendance aligns with your overall business development strategy.
Authenticity and vulnerability are powerful tools for connecting with your audience. Sharing your story, owning your mistakes, and being true to yourself can help you build trust and credibility.
Tune in to this episode of Confessions with Jess and Cindy to hear candid conversations with nonprofit consultants and gain valuable insights into navigating the conference landscape and building a successful business.
Timestamp summary:
[00:01:51] Sabrina Walker Mendez shares her favorite and least favorite parts about conferences.
[00:07:00] The consultants discuss the challenges of staying in the nonprofit sector and the potential for imposter syndrome.
[00:10:49] Sabrina reveals her strategy for turning conference attendance into speaking opportunities.
[00:15:36] Barbara O'Reilly discusses the importance of balancing professional development with business development at conferences.
[00:20:30] The consultants discuss the challenge of creating fresh content for speaking engagements and the importance of repurposing and adapting existing material.
[00:29:08] Diana Farias Heinrich and Frank Velazquez Jr. share their strategies for choosing conferences and getting paid to speak.
[00:40:33] The consultants discuss the pros and cons of exhibiting at conferences.
[00:49:35] Sam Swaim and Kristin Steele share their experience hosting their own conference and the importance of collaboration in the nonprofit sector.
[01:00:04] The consultants share their confessions about running a consulting business.
Find Us Online: https://www.confessionswithjessandcindy.com
Connect with Cindy:
Cindy Wagman Coaching: cindywagman.com
Fractional Fundraising Network: fractionalfundraising.co/
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/cindywagman
Connect with Jess:
Out In the Boons: outintheboons.me
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jesscampbelloutintheboons/
Resources
Boys and Girls Club
RAISE Conference
Blacks in Nonprofit
The Ethical Storytelling Framework
The Ethical Nonprofit Summit
4DaHood
The Ascending Leaders in Color Program
Nonprofit Storytelling Conference
Swaim Strategies
Transcript:
[00:01:31] Cindy: Hey, everyone. I'm here solo. There's no Jess with me today, but I'm at the raise conference and I'm interviewing some of our consultant friends all about conferences and what role they can play in your business. How to think strategically about them. I'm so excited for amazing guests,
[00:01:48] Stay tuned. Welcome, Sabrina.
[00:01:52] Thank you. So excited for this conversation. please introduce yourself to our listeners. Well, I'm Sabrina Walker Mendez. president and CEO of Supporting World Hope. welcome back. we're at the RAISE conference and this is our first time meeting in person.
[00:02:08] It is very exciting and I just have to say I love the style. you're always, bringing the pattern and I love it. Although I have to say you're shorter than I expected. Oh yeah, a lot of people tell me that. I carry it well. You do. I'm four foot eleven and one fourth of an inch. Amazing, amazing.
[00:02:28] I haven't grown since the fourth grade. Well, I'm in the part of my life where I think I'm getting shorter, you've done your fair share of speaking at conferences. What's your favorite part about conferences from a business perspective,
[00:02:43] I think my favorite part from a business perspective, I don't even know if it's a business perspective, but I appreciate connecting with people. That's my favorite part. Right? To meet someone in person and they say, Oh, I follow you. It's very amazing because sometimes I recognize them and sometimes I don't.
[00:03:04] They hug you and they, and then you're like, Oh, it's, you know, it's from the business perspective, you think, okay, so it's true what they say about social media. Yeah. You can build community and you can build a brand and people do feel like they know you which is quite amazing, right?
[00:03:24] And so that's what I really appreciate about. I love that and I love that you kind of hinted at this, those like quiet followers. Yes. I, Lurkers, I think I've heard people call them, which is like, they follow you online, but they don't ever comment on your post or anything like that, but then they see you in person it's been interesting, and just being in community with people.
[00:03:44] Yeah. nothing beats in person. What's your least favorite part from a business perspective? Not being paid. Not being paid. And having to pay for your hotel your flight and incur all those expenses.
[00:04:01] It's a lot. We just, we're talking about that because it is real. Cool. I mean, we're in business, even people who were in house, like their organizations are then having to pay for things and we're having to pay for things out of pocket. And it's a lot. my husband's like, why are you going again?
[00:04:23] Do you ask for compensation? I will ask if it's a paid opportunity. and then if it's not a paid opportunity, I will weigh. are my people there, right? Yeah. and if it's not, then it's, it's no benefit for me this year has been about going to different conferences to see.
[00:04:44] Or my people there, is it going to be worth it? Should I go back next year? You know, and, and it's, it's been interesting, we'll have a conversation later, About favorite and not favorite conferences. We definitely will have that conversation though, because, and obviously like your audience, your people are different than someone else's people and stuff like that.
[00:05:07] I want smaller organizations there. some people want big organizations. So, yeah. And each conference is different cause they cater to different people. Like I recently attended a conference and I think I was sharing it with you where they were saying, Oh, my budget is so small.
[00:05:21] And I'm like, well, what's the budget? And they're like 10 million. I'm like, girl, please. It's not a small organization, not a small organization, but yeah, no, it's, funny How people think about themselves versus how we perceive them. you really think you have a small budget?
[00:05:41] They were legit. Like I was like, okay Interesting. I wish I had that small budget when I was a CEO of an organization. I wish I had that small budget now. Can we do this for 10 million dollars? Yes, please. only a, A handful of people in our sector whose businesses are making seven figures, right?
[00:06:00] Like it is not that many. So not that many. And I struggle. This one of my struggles, like I actually, full disclosure, like I love nonprofit leadership. And that's my passion is. But everybody's like, you know, the business coaches that are not in this sector is like, girl, leadership is leadership.
[00:06:19] You need to be talking to corporate. Because that's where you get paid. but these are my people. I've thought about that from a business coaching perspective too. I can teach people how to build a business. It doesn't matter what section.
[00:06:29] I do feel like there's a bit of imposter syndrome I've been in the nonprofit sector my whole career I know I'm good at it.
[00:06:35] Is that imposter syndrome too? And it, and it's the people saying, you know, you start naming off all the things that you've done and like, girl, why you got that imposter syndrome? If you don't own it, it's hard to move forward do you attend conferences without speaking tell me a little bit about how you decide, to apply to speak, do you get asked to speak, when, when you decide to go, even if you're not speaking, have you tried exhibiting or hosting events
[00:07:02] I am not as adventurous as you are, okay, I have not. Well, no, that's not true. I went to the blacks and nonprofit conference in Atlanta and I did an exhibit. I did an exhibit booth it was different because I'm used to traditional conferences and this was very different.
[00:07:18] And I remember going in and I had, you know, I'm used to having to do a giveaway, right? To get people to come to your booth. Give me something. Yeah. This was so not that. I know. This was so not that. So that was very interesting. And I really enjoyed it. And I went to that conference because I wanted to support Blacks in non profit.
[00:07:38] Right? And that, that was one of the reasons. And then, I also like going to conferences because. For me, it's about staying aware of different trends and different opportunities. And I love learning. my husband was like, why are you going?
[00:07:52] I like learning. when I'm going to present and what I want to present on, I will, I look like coming even to the, to, to raise last year, I stalked them, right? I mean, that's what I do. I stalk and I go, Oh, this person spoke there and this, you know, and, and I, I hear people talking about it online and I said, Oh, this must be a cool conference because when I was in a nonprofit sector, see, here's the thing.
[00:08:19] When I was in a nonprofit sector, Okay. I was part of Boys and Girls Clubs. Mm. So being a part of Boys and Girls Clubs, I'm gonna be very honest, we were kind of insular. Yeah. 'cause we do a national conference. You have? Yeah. Like we do a regional conference, we do a local conference. It's all Boys and Girls Club all the way.
[00:08:38] I didn't ignore Other conferences, all these amazing conferences were here. Yeah. Okay. I wanna talk about that because there are so many conferences. Mm-Hmm. and like I agree about the stalking. And how do you take that stalking and turn it into speaking opportunities? Because like, are you just applying or connecting with people beforehand?
[00:09:01] Sometimes I ask for warm introductions. Like what's the whole strategy? It's a whole strategy. So, so traditionally I will connect, you know, maybe on LinkedIn. ask about their podcasts. or webinars? I know I'm good at training,
[00:09:16] I'll ask about partnering around webinars, and then I'll knock it out of the park in that area, and then I'll go in and talk about the conferences. But what I do So what I will do is I will ask also, once I find out who the contact person is like, what is the best way to leverage myself for your conference?
[00:09:35] Is it as a panelist? as a co facilitator? based on what they're looking for, I will pose it that way. first make a connection with non conference content. webinar podcast other sort of like yes I'm gonna show you how amazing I am and how Your audience is gonna love me.
[00:09:55] And then you really connect, like co create almost. And be like, how can I best serve your audience and help you with your conference. Love that. That is gold. And it's worked. You know? It really has worked I was in the boys and girls club world and was just in that world.
[00:10:11] So now to branch out of that world is like, Whoa, all this is happening. This is cool. Yeah. Love it. You know, my favorite part of the podcast is asking for a confession. These are my confessions. I, we're gonna make you sing your intro. It's gonna be your new job. Okay, so, what is a confession you haven't shared with us before?
[00:10:38] Ooh, confession. I don't know. I kind of tell y'all, I don't feel like I have a confession that I haven't shared I will say this, people think I'm all about service and I am all about service. But one of the confessions that I Do have is, I was army, I was in the army,
[00:10:53] I don't think I knew that. Yeah, I was in the army. I didn't like it. I did not like it. But it paid for college. that's my confession. I hated running. getting up early. I hated it. Sleeping in the bear. Going to the field. I hate it. All aspects of it. Except they paid for college.
[00:11:18] I think the army for that. My mama said, I don't know how you're going to pay for college. She said, you're going to either draw Uncle Sam's army or get a job. So I joined Uncle Sam's army paid for college. Yeah, it got me through. I did six years. Wow. Six years. Any like, positive learning that came out of that, that you still I can do anything for a short time.
[00:11:43] If there's a contract at the end and it has a termination date. I love that. I actually think that's important advice sometimes the only way out is through. we have to go through hard stuff to get there.
[00:11:54] And a lot of people in consulting, I feel like, especially the early days, it's like You're gonna put in a little more time, we're gonna put in a little more effort, and you'll get past, and you will get to the outside, but you gotta persist. Thank you! Maybe that's why some days, you know, you don't. You just gotta go through.
[00:12:13] Yeah. And I, I've been, girl.
[00:12:18] Maybe that's where go through it came from. Yeah. Cause everybody keeps telling me that like, it's going to get better. Yeah. I mean, just got to get through it. Yeah. You got to get through it. be consistent. That's the core message in this business
[00:12:31] Yes. be consistent. Push through. Hard times get easier. thank you for that. Thanks for being part of the conversation this has been nice and even better in person. All right, Barbara, welcome to the podcast. Please take a minute to introduce yourself. Thanks, Cindy. It's great to be here
[00:12:48] I'm Barbara O'Reilly. I am founder and principal of Windmill Hill Consulting. We are based in the D. C. area, but we work with clients and nonprofits all over the U. S. working with them to give them the skills, tools and mindset shifts to raise more money and keep more donors.
[00:13:04] Amazing. Now we're here at the RAISE conference. what better time to talk about conferences as consultants. Do we go to them? Do we not? Do we only go when we're speaking? I'd love to hear from your experience as someone consulting for a while. How do you think about the business or business development side of conferences?
[00:13:26] Yeah. So, I think about it in two ways. as a CFRE, I've got professional education requirements every three years to get recertified. I have to think about which conferences help keep my saw sharpened and give me those professional credits.
[00:13:40] I'm a lifelong learner, so I love listening to other sessions and learning about what else is in the sector, seeing, research that's been happening. I just stepped out of a mid level, session that was releasing new, a new report that came out about mid level donors, and it's, you know, there's so many, we have such benefit of, Being able to, see research both in the sector and outside or sort of tangential to the sector that informs how we think about donors, how we think about our approaches, and frankly, we can learn from other sectors as well.
[00:14:14] I love just getting sort of geeking out and learning about what else, what else is out there that I can then bring back to our clients and change and maybe shape how we are thinking about our approaches and recommendations. Awesome. So that's number one. Number two. Number two I balance it with my schedule.
[00:14:33] Where is the best opportunity to be able to meet others, both professional, you know, peers, And non profit leaders. and what's the travel requirements. so, you know, I will, I will attend sessions, conferences, even if I'm not speaking. So ICON, for example, where we were just, we were just talking about up in Toronto
[00:14:53] I just love being in community with so many others and learning. So that is always kind of a must do. And another conference I really think about. Where is it? What's the time of year? will I have an opportunity to speak? And if I don't is the content enough? In terms of the calendar the schedule will
[00:15:12] it fit my schedule and I can still get that learning You know to take away from them now in terms of speaking because you have a lot of experience speaking Do you find that that leads to business development or generate revenue people struggle with that. Do you have a call to action? Do people come talk to you How have you used it to reinforce or do you just say I'm here to share good content. sometimes it's that, but, but many times, it, it does lead to new clients that will reach out to us because they've heard me speak either in that moment.
[00:15:50] or somebody else has heard me speak who then says, Oh, you have to reach out to Barbara at Windmill Hill. when I ask people who, and say, I'd love to have a conversation, I'm always asking like, how did you find us? Well, how did you hear about me? and many times it is because they've heard me speak somewhere, or they saw something on LinkedIn cause I'm very active on LinkedIn.
[00:16:09] So I'm always promoting webinars. I'm on podcasts. I'm on, conferences I'm speaking at. And so people will see that and they say, Oh, right. Okay. She talks about that. Or did a session that piqued curiosity. so it's, it is a little bit of, it's. They've heard me speak and they have a sense of who I am and what, expertise and experiences I bring to bear.
[00:16:29] But it's also, a validator in a way, because when they start to see, like on our website, they'll see where, you know, some recordings of where webinars or conferences like this, that where I've spoken, then it's sort of a validator. Yeah. Okay. One of the things I was just talking to a friend about is the content we create because.
[00:16:51] There's so much content in our sector fundraising is fundraising. So I'd love to hear a little bit about how you can build efficiency in speaking by repurposing content tweaking it and giving it longevity so that you can.
[00:17:07] Do more speaking without all of the work of creating a brand new session each time. that's the golden question I struggle with that balance of workload and client work,
[00:17:17] To be creative and think, okay, what are the topics that I really want to speak about next? And then how do I build those decks? who might I partner with to co present? I would say donor retention is probably one of the biggest soapboxes that I talk about and it comes through in every single presentation in some way shape or form.
[00:17:36] So that's kind of one of the anchor topics that I will draw from, and I've developed, when I first presented on it, I don't know, years ago, I've tweaked that presentation, to update numbers, which continue to go down, but, That's a different conversation, but it's I created and then I kind of adapted and and think about how it shows up in the sector.
[00:18:00] What else still needs to be addressed? What are those questions that are keep popping up as people are seeing these numbers? So that's I would say that's one thing. I would say though, I take inspiration from what I read and what I'm hearing other fundraisers talking about, or sometimes issues that I see coming up with clients where I think, okay, this same topic, same friction, same barrier keeps coming up over and over again.
[00:18:24] This might be something that we think about, as a, as an actual topic to bring, you know, for webinars or, or conferences. The challenge that was finding that time to then like sit with it and really think, okay, what's the, what actually are the key points I want to bring out? So I've got like a, a running list of ideas for new content.
[00:18:44] And you know, only once in a while do I have that bandwidth to be able to like and I'm going to create something that I can start to, you know, it's kind of like clay, right? You're molding it, and then, and so I have a few ideas that are in the works, but, you know, I start with, just at least one topic that I can create that's new.
[00:19:01] Yeah. When you think about the topics and what you want to, you know, Share with world and with our sector. I mean, you said your soapbox is stewardship, which I love because it should be everyone's. But do you like? Is that your soapbox? Because you see it's such a such an issue with your clients. Is it tie back directly to the work that you do?
[00:19:23] Is it something you find? Everyone needs to know more of. do you Unintentionally connect what you're talking about to warming up an audience to work with you. donor retention is one of the biggest pain points in the sector until it improves, we can't stop talking about it. and so I think that, that. Is something that I just feel so passionate about because if organizations, whether there are clients or other organizations around the sec in the sector, unless they are keeping more donors, they are going to stay stuck.
[00:19:55] And they're literally fundraising investments are like down the toilet. Exactly. Yeah, for sure. They might as well throw dollar bills out the window. another topic I see often, in organizations we know or that I see across the sector are around boards and that's the topic that generally gets the it's it's that lightning rod.
[00:20:16] People say, that's a pain point for us. when we do it on webinars, present that on webinars or in conferences, people are paying attention and they want to come and they want to listen and learn. Those are areas I've developed over time because they're still broken in our sector.
[00:20:31] Yeah. Amazing. So I maybe not. Maybe not completely broken. Maybe that's too negative. There works in progress. Yeah. There's a lot of, there's a lot of opportunity there. Opportunity spoken like a consultant. someone was joking.
[00:20:49] We were talking about, mansplaining and consultant splaining. let's, wrap up with two questions. One is like, what's your pet peeve of consultants blaming where people you find like consultants in our sector, just are constantly having to say something obvious.
[00:21:06] Like, Come on, really? Do I have to say this again? Oh, my gosh. Well, um, the first thing that comes to mind is that fundraising is an investment. It's not. It's I mean, it's a revenue center, whatever you want to say, but it's not. If you invest in it and you do it well, then you will get, you will reap the results.
[00:21:25] But if you feel like we don't have time, we don't have money to invest, then you get what you get, get right. And so that is the thing I just see over and over. And I, and it is one of those, like, well, I can't believe I have to explain this correlation between, but it's, um, it's something that pervades our sector executive directors and boards understand that correlation and if they're in business they get it.
[00:21:52] They understand they're not cutting sales because that's going to generate revenue. And that correlation to the nonprofit sector does not equate. And yeah. So that's the thing that I have to keep saying over and over again. And I am actually now at the point where I'm brutally honest with organizations when I love that, where I will say, okay, if you don't have an interest to grow, then you're going to get the same results.
[00:22:17] But this is what it's going to take. These are approximate costs and we can forecast based on, salary ranges or suggested team structures. it is a long game and I'm, often honest with organizations saying this is your reality, and if you choose to accept it, great, you will reap the rewards.
[00:22:36] If you don't, you're going to stay exactly where I found you. The podcast I co host with Jess is called Confessions with Jess and Cindy. I want to ask for a confession about running a consulting business in the nonprofit sector. What's something you wouldn't share elsewhere, or were reluctant to take people behind the scenes of the business.
[00:22:57] Share your confession. I don't have any. Everything's an open book. I'm going to be your most boring interviewee. Fair enough. I'm an open book. I share everything. Thank you so much for being part of this conversation.
[00:23:13] Great to meet you at this conference. Finally, we meet in person, which Is a benefit. I will add one of the great things about conferences that I found is connecting with other consultants. Yes, for sure. Yeah. And I think, that's the nice thing is that we, you know, we see each other face to face, outside of what you see in their feed or if you've been on zooms with them or teams or whatever it is, it's just really so nice than to be able to connect in a different way.
[00:23:37] Thanks so much. Thanks, Cindy.
[00:23:39] Cindy, Diana and (Storytelling, Marketing and Branding): I'm excited for this conversation. Diana Frank, welcome to the podcast. Before we dive into the juicy conversation, take a second to introduce yourselves, maybe to any first with.
[00:23:51] What your business is, who you are and your business I'm Diana Farias Heinrich creator of the Ethical Storytelling Framework, a four step process to tell stories ethically and fundraise with integrity. I'm also the creator of the Ethical Nonprofit Summit. Which as of time of recording, this is next week, but we are going to have you on the podcast to debrief about that another time
[00:24:14] All right, Frank, what do you do? Yeah, so my name is Frank Velazquez Jr. I'm the founder of 4DaHood. we help leaders authentically tell their own. That's the part that I really Like, I created a program called the Ascending Leaders In color program, which Diana is a part of, and it's a space for people of color to be real, reconnect with other leaders of color, and to reclaim every part of who we are, and it's just a matter of the higher we move into spaces, the wider they are. So how can we retain and retain our authenticity Amazing. I feel like both of you have been ramping up your speaking. we all spoke at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference last year, so 2023. And I actually heard about both of you, so I think I reached out to both of you being like, Can we be friends?
[00:25:01] These are such good things about your sessions. And so, Can you tell me, Frank about your conference strategy, so how do you think about speaking as it relates to your business and how do you start to, like, what role do you see speaking play as your business is growing or wanting to do more?
[00:25:23] the strategy is not to be outside of what you do. So I mean, there's always opportunities and you can write to that opportunity. But the lanes that I feel most comfortable in the leadership lane. And around language how we talk to donors.
[00:25:34] moving away from the donor centric principles. So my strategy is just, those are your two lanes, Frank. Those are, that's where your subject matter expertise comes in. Yeah, and so just create spaces in there. And then I would say one little piece more in regards to strategy. I always, and it takes me a while.
[00:25:51] I always try to figure out the hook meaning I've, got an hour How can I draw them in quickly? as fast as I can so they're engaged from the get go. Stay in your lanes, do what you do best. But really then practice those elements in those lanes on how to capture the audience as quick as you can now.
[00:26:11] Do you? Like how do you choose which conferences you apply to speak out? Are you invited? It's a combination. So, so this is my first year where I really started to expand going nationwide. I know we're going to talk about this in a bit. You know, I'm a growing business, so I have to be strategic.
[00:26:29] A lot of it is word of mouth. people have heard about my session so they reached out it's a combination of those things. Which ones are strategically ones that I feel are going to fit my brand, fit what I do with For the Hood. And then if there's an opportunity where they say, Hey, we want you to come, you almost feel like I can't say no to that.
[00:26:47] And it's because again, they want you. So let them know who you are, build from there. And then you hope a future session is a keynote. Yeah. All right, Dana, tell me about your strategy and how you think about conferences as part of your overall business development. I don't know. I don't have a strategy to start out with.
[00:27:03] I didn't have a strategy there, and I had a desire to just be with my people. So the very first conference that I went to wasn't as a speaker was as an exhibitor where I met Frank And the organizers. I thought that being an exhibitor, I was going to go, I was going to grow my email list, talk to people, that sort of a thing. But it ended up going in a totally different direction. So I got to know the organizers well and they invited me on their webinars.
[00:27:28] they told me, Diana, we want you to submit, A session for our next conference. I hired a coach to help me put together my first session. that's the one I presented in 2023 at the nonprofit storytelling conference.
[00:27:39] I'm curious, because I asked people, I was like, Cause I don't usually go to sessions anymore at conferences, but I like to know what people are paying attention to. And your name came up can you shout out to the coach you worked with? Lisa Powell Graham. Amazing.
[00:27:53] have you been using the same structure? If that was your first time, like, are you repeat, rinse, repeat, same kind of presentation? Are you developing new strategies? Content. How do you think about that? I am not intentionally developing new content. the session I give, is called consent is key.
[00:28:11] Revolutionize your organization's fundraising, which so important. And it goes to the Equestory framework that I developed. And that's, that is what I consider my signature talk. also I've gotten the opportunity, like Frank and I just co presented. At the RAISE conference. So, there was a little bit of new content to develop there.
[00:28:32] he and I are doing a workshop together. at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference. I like to, go back to this signature. Presentation because it's the thing that I do. It's the thing that my business hinges on. It's the thing that I'm passionate about and Honestly, like it saves me time not to come up with something new and people love it. we get used to hearing our own message over and over and over again. But every time you present it Even if someone is a repeat attendee, like, yeah, you, you got a repeat attendee, but also there's always something new that you can learn.
[00:29:07] I love that because everyone is hearing it for the first time. even if they've heard you before, they're hearing some part for the first time. you mentioned it's more efficient if you're not spending time developing new content.
[00:29:20] That is more profitable We've talked about getting paid to speak. We've talked a lot about that generally with both of you and others. So let's get into it. I, as an exhibitor, I actually tried to look for conferences that had a, we will pay our speakers policy where they pay all their speakers at least something.
[00:29:40] I couldn't find a conference big enough for us to exhibit at that did that. So. Talk to me a little bit, maybe Tiana you start this one, a little bit about how you think about, How you ask to get paid, When you decide you will do things without getting paid, what other ways you can get compensated for speaking, like, Yes.
[00:30:04] Tell me more about what your experience has been like. So I'll go back to Frank because Frank, this is what I learned from Frank. Ask for something. Yeah. Do you offer stipends? Do you offer travel? Do you offer the hotel room? Like, is there an honorarium? Like, however you want to say it, you've got to ask if there is money available for the speakers.
[00:30:26] it's hard because I'm still building, My business, my speaking career, sure. Let's call it a career. I like to think there's going to be another Latina coming after me.
[00:30:39] I want to make sure conference organizers are prepared that I'm not the only one who's going to ask. The other ones are gonna, the other ones that are coming, they're asking too. They're gonna expect it. Let's set that expectation now. now I've got a new perspective from organizing my own conference.
[00:30:54] it's important my speakers are compensated So all my speakers are affiliates of the conference. With. Really high affiliate percentages because they're doing my marketing for me and they're going to come and they're going to speak and I didn't have funds up front, but this is how I can do it.
[00:31:09] next time I'll have a budget to pay them up front. I love that. And Frank, we've talked, why is it important? And I want to add to that. Why is it important for. White speakers to push this issue as well. we have to advocate for ourselves Nonprofit the history of nonprofits really comes from a scarcity mindset and what I shared Statistically in America generational wealth.
[00:31:36] white folks have ten times the generational wealth than black folks do, and eight times the generational wealth than, than brown folks do. So what that says is they're more apt to be able to take a non paid, speaking engagement versus black and brown folks. So it's important to advocate and, and to really get that message across to our non profits, which are primarily led by white folks, to help them understand Why it's important.
[00:32:00] It's an equity thing. Deanna and I that's our space as we talk about Equity, how are you are people being paid equitable? And so I think it's an important message to share because then it advocates for the entire industry where everybody's getting paid an equitable amount to have these opportunities we have these are businesses as you just mentioned with Deanna and like this is a career you know, this is a career that I'm hoping that I can expand money is where you grow that career and they're gaining knowledge from us.
[00:32:26] We are subject matter experts If you want that pay fairly for it Agree as speakers. It's our opportunity to reinforce that I do that as a vendor as well, I want to talk about your experience as an exhibitor, because I feel like we often see big tech companies take up space.
[00:32:48] Mm-Hmm. in those exhibit halls and. I'm curious what your experience has been as a small business doing that. And was it good? Was it good? It was a scary investment. a lot of money. I did the lowest tier and, because it was just, I was like, I just need to be there. It was, it wasn't, I mean the money was significant, but it was also about like, I just need to be there.
[00:33:12] I need to be with my people. And this is how I was gonna get in in the door I never imagined that it was gonna lead to like me being up on the stage and speaking That threw me for a loop. But But I think that's a good loop. Yeah, I think that I've found more joy in that and it being more lucrative and because I'm not going to be able to compete with the 25, 000 sponsorship.
[00:33:39] It's still it's only me for now You know, like, I can't be at the booth, and also be meeting people, and also be speaking, like, for now, it's more lucrative for me to, be able to share my message and passion from the stage versus an exhibitor booth. I'd love to add to that, if you don't mind.
[00:33:56] I tabled at that conference. I asked for a discount, because again, and I even voiced it, I said, look, I've been at this conference for several years, I said, you know me, I said, this is a great opportunity, it's just me, I said, may I get a discount, and you just have to ask, and I know that's hard for some, but it's, for me, it was like, again, it's leveraging It's like you're, you're, you're getting, you're getting the benefit of me speaking already, I said, and I'm not getting paid
[00:34:23] can we do some level of barter on the sponsorship? I've done that at a few conferences, which has been helpful because I can't hurt by asking essentially. So true. So true. So what's your, if someone did want to exhibit, what makes it worthwhile? What makes it worth that investment for you? If somebody wants to exhibit, like what advice would you give them to be like don't just set up like do you just need to take up space or do you need to have a hook
[00:34:51] does the will tabling? that's important. Will they be able. it's your money. will they want your services? you have to be strategic I've been hit and miss on that which is okay, you know, and it's just you're trying these opportunities But I think that's the key pieces Who's coming to your table?
[00:35:09] Can they benefit are they the people that can can make the call even on on what you're providing? So I think just being strategic with that and again, like I said with me it's been a little bit hit and miss Which is fine. Yeah starting my business. I'm a year and a half into my business. Anything to add, Tiana?
[00:35:24] choose your conferences, like, be very selective. To Frank's point, if you're gonna find your people there, I think that it was the right way to go, not just because, like, it led to me speaking, but because I just really liked the people that were there. Honestly, that's something we haven't talked about, but part of my, My favorite thing about being at conferences is actually getting to see other consultants and connecting because we all work kind of like we collaborate online and everyone supports each other and then we're together and it just feels so nice.
[00:36:00] I'd love to share because you didn't share this part when Deanna was, and I was like, Hey, any tips, I said, let's just get on a zoom call.
[00:36:07] And then that's what happened. We got in a zoom call, but here we are today. We're actually co presenting imagine us on the conference track together next year. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. If anyone's listening to your programming conferences.
[00:36:20] You heard it here first. This is a power duo. I love it. Thank you. Thank you both so much. We are going to wrap up here, but I really appreciate you for having this conversation. Hey, and before we go, like, if y'all haven't seen Cindy's Exhibitor Booth, with the cupcakes and the chair and the rug. It is a total vibe.
[00:36:42] She is changing the Exhibitor Booth game, okay? So pay attention. if you want to talk strategy for a booth, I'm your gal.
[00:36:49] So, our favorite question, you're listening to confession. I want to hear juicy behind the scenes, something you haven't shared elsewhere, who wants to go first? volunteer for this related to your business and the nonprofit sector.
[00:37:02] It can be about you as a business owner or one of the big myths about consulting you want to bust Ooh, you may have to go first, Deanna. I have to think of something. I already tell people all the mistakes I make on stage. Oh, that's true.
[00:37:19] Yeah, it's not anything new. maybe they haven't heard it on stage, I can go first. I share this on stage often. it's the turning point. So I used to lead a non profit and Made a mistake, you know, I was taught around donor centric principles.
[00:37:32] It affected one of our students. We used her real name. We used her picture We asked her and she said sure, but we shouldn't have asked her. We didn't get her informed consent we were supposed to get her sign off on the end of year appeal letter, don't know what happened, it, we dropped the ball, and, she got back to it and she said, wow, you just made me look so desolate, you made me look this, you didn't even focus on my strengths, and that was hard because, I mean, I, I mean, it was hard, hard, where it just changed the trajectory of the work I do,
[00:38:04] bad ethics, and really the impact of it. And it carries with me because she was, trying to get to be a nursing student. And so she failed that semester and I'm not saying we caused that, but I'm sure we played a role and that was hard to accept. So yeah, that really is shifted why I do the work I do.
[00:38:23] taking a failure owning it and actually then turning it into strength and opportunity where you can help others avoid that mistake. Cause we know we all make mistakes. And so if I can share that story in front of the audience, then they know, Oh, I've made similar.
[00:38:37] Yeah. We're human. We made similar mistakes. The point is, is what are you going to do now? we're products of our environment, so it's only natural that we are going to perpetuate some sort of harm at some point.
[00:38:47] Absolutely. Yeah. All right, we're coming to you. All right, two, two things. One, I am making it up as I go. figuring things out what's made it fun is getting to know you Cindy and Frank
[00:38:58] For myself because otherwise, what's the point? when I left You know working in house for a non profit the thing that I had to do next had to be fun There had to be some element of fun to it. If it wasn't gonna be fun, like I wasn't gonna do it and So that's the thing like sometimes you're gonna try you're gonna fail I have made bad like bad costly investments To try to learn but I learned.
[00:39:24] Yeah, I love that. theme of learning from Trying things and putting ourselves out there I'm learning with this booth It's a big experiment. I have no idea if it's gonna pay off, but we're gonna try it And yeah, it's a very expensive learning opportunity But I'm hoping it will pay off Or at least, again, save me a lot of time in the future.
[00:39:45] Or lead you in the direction of that next thing. And lead us in the direction of being in this space together. see what happens Exactly. Thank you for being part of this conversation. Cindy.
[00:39:56] Cindy, Samantha and Kristin (Events-Attendee Experience): welcome. I'm excited to chat with you, Sam, Kristen. Tell our audience who you are and what you do. I look to Sam. She's looking to me. We're Kristen and Sam.
[00:40:08] we're the founders of Swain Strategies, and we work with organizations on their fundraising events. And so we consult on all things fundraising event. But we provide It in sort of three different mechanisms. We have a whole team that just produces the fundraising event. We have a whole education division that teaches the DIY sort of here's some tools go do and then we consult to get in the weeds with organizations and just advise like here's how you can make an adjustment to raise more money.
[00:40:34] We love events. nonprofits and believe events hold more potential than perhaps you do. Oh yeah. And so we're going to do it. You got to do well. Yeah, let's, let's all do it together.
[00:40:44] Amazing. Now we're at the race conference and this podcast, we've been talking to consultants about. They're sort of conference strategy, but you are in a very unique position because you actually host a conference. tell us about that and why you decided to host your own. we found there was a general, fundraising world out there, that folks were providing a lot of resource in the fundraising world.
[00:41:11] Folks were providing a lot of resource in executive leadership and communications, but we never found that the event person on the staff was getting resource. And so, I think, you know, RAISE is the exception. one of the only conferences providing inspiration and experts in the room that can speak to all the different assets of connecting your event to your fundraising.
[00:41:33] we uniquely take your event to fundraising school. bring us your event and let us know. Do the like once over and give it a little facelift and kind of make it over. I love it Yeah, I think the other piece that we really wanted to do is I think conferences can become obstacles for people in small shops because They have a personal development budget or not.
[00:41:57] They have an education budget and so we've been really committed to, hybrid as an event format for our conference so that folks can come and get the experience and be in person, but also if that doesn't work for you, you can be where you are and still have access and create community.
[00:42:14] And I want to talk a little bit like whether you're hosting a conference or doing something in your business. Like a lot of us try and put our values first and I think you've done a really good job of that. With that at your event where a lot of events in our sector don't do a great job of that.
[00:42:31] So can you tell me how you've infused your values and business principles into. Creating a conference that aligns all of those things.
[00:42:41] I think if you're going to commit to providing a learning environment, you have to commit to being in that environment with people. and I think from the jump, even from being consultants from the jump, we've committed to learning forward. Not all events work, not all fundraising strategies at events work, but we can take that and continue to learn forward.
[00:43:03] So I think, You have to be able to take feedback and detach from your perspective and emotion and reaction to that feedback and say, okay, what's really being asked or what light is being shown here and what's the opportunity? And I think, We've continued to think about venue choices based around that.
[00:43:27] We've continued to think about who's on stage around that, and I think the best question that a lot of conferences and spaces can ask is whose voice isn't in the room. who doesn't, one, who doesn't have access to the learning opportunity, but who doesn't have access to the teaching opportunity? and so, Continuing to learn forward I think is the biggest piece for us.
[00:43:53] Yeah, tactically we also secure sponsors that are corporate partners that are funding, access to the event. So we have, For organizations that are serving communities of color or BIPOC led organizations, we have a scholarship that you don't have to apply for, you just click and you are in, but it's sponsored by corporate partners.
[00:44:12] oftentimes I think that culturally specific content and culturally specific audiences are not always in the forefront of the event and the conference. So, for us, it's creating something that speaks to our values, but also, we're not shy about who we are. We get on the stage, we're a married couple.
[00:44:31] We work together, we live together, we're not shy about the fact that we've been doing this work together, collectively, and that we're also partners. And so we try to live our values, otherwise it's hard to authentically connect to people. Yeah, for sure. I want to know all about your event, but a little bit later because I want to talk about your strategy when it comes to other people's conferences now too.
[00:44:54] I want to know how you leverage your conference as a business development tool. a lot of people are doing virtual. Conferences or summits as a business development tool. So can you take us a little bit behind the scenes around like, what's the financial model behind it?
[00:45:10] I could actually answer both of your questions with one answer because to me, the answer is really simple is that we all rise when we're working together. Like they're, the nonprofit sector is the fifth largest sector in the United States and is a little bit shy of that in Canada, but it is an incredibly large sector and.
[00:45:30] There is enough work, business, to go around. There's enough. Yes. And I actually find that those who are really competitive and they're like, this is my expertise and I'm owning it and branding it and I'm not sharing are not as successful as those who build a big tent and stand under the same tent.
[00:45:45] Yeah. And I think that that is our strategy, both going into our conference, but also other conferences is how are we collaborating? How are we working together? lifting each other shouting out partners if you need a tool, here's a tool. in our model, we have, sponsorship revenue attached to the event.
[00:46:00] We have ticket revenue attached to the event, and then we have a virtual ticket that's attached to the event. and in all of those, we are really intentionally designing a place where they're getting visibility, they're getting recognition, they're getting seen, they're getting presence, so that everyone can be a collective asset and all rise together.
[00:46:22] And it serves the nonprofits better, it serves us better, if we're all collaborating in that space. So I think our strategy always is like, great, how do we share resources, how do we collaborate on this? And I think a less sort of direct piece of that around business development is especially in an education setting is what does that look like for our team to step into greatness and leadership and connection and and to move into education and what that can look like and presenting those opportunities,
[00:46:52] Continues to expand the base of what we're working on together Do you? Sell your services out of the conference? Like calls to action? Is it standalone? profitable and does it drive other areas of your business? Yes, and yes. Yeah.
[00:47:08] Yeah, so we've you know We've got Prince in the background and I love it so much. I don't know if anybody listening, I don't know if anybody can hear that, but it's moving me through. so our conference we've created as a, as its own education brand. So it can kind of stand on its own. It can be accessed as its own thing.
[00:47:26] People may not know the affiliation of our core business, Swaim Strategies with that. Swaim Strategies is the presenting sponsor, not unlike here at the RAISE conference being presented by One Cause. but people can. Access pieces, but in a lot of ways, often the folks that come to the conference, that's what they know, right?
[00:47:45] Like we have clients who come to the conference, you know, us in both ways, but that's, it's a different Avenue to bring a different group of people in to have conversations with them. and there is, you know, there could be a book sale but often it's just, we have found that our best marketing is to share the The knowledge we have about fundraising events.
[00:48:07] And so that is a platform automatically does that for us in that way that it, it, it isn't this constant, like please buy, come see, we're showing what we know. we often talk, about Creating your own audience versus leveraging other people's audiences.
[00:48:23] And you've created your own space to be the experts to share in a meaningful way. And I love that. Yeah. I would say two, like, biggest recommendations for anyone consulting. The deeper your niche, the more you can be charging. Yes. Yes. And that is, like, the more of an expert you are in your specific thing.
[00:48:40] We do fundraising events. We don't do weddings. We don't do camp capital campaigns. We do fundraising events and we're an expert in that space, but also the element of easy access in that, in anyone who attends our conference, anyone who attends a session, we teach at a conference, can easily click a link and book a session with us.
[00:49:01] So easy access is as soon as you put a barrier up, people go, I don't have time to figure this out. Make it simple. All right. Gotta wrap up, but before we do, I would love to hear a confession. who wants to go first? I can go first. my confession is and this is not news, but I think it's helpful to keep saying I didn't start this business because I wanted to run a business.
[00:49:29] Great. I started this business because we have this unique value proposition that seems to help other people. So I think my confession is, I sit at this table not knowing everything there is to know about running a business. some days I probably don't do it well. you have to give yourself permission to do that.
[00:49:52] Do your work well. There are resources to figure out the business side I'm, really good at fundraising strategy and events, but not always clear on how to manage, how to run a business, how to market a business.
[00:50:06] I lean on experts to do that. Thank you both for joining us. it was fun to meet you.