“If non-profits cannot figure out why their important, just like pack up, go home, and do something else”
In this episode, host Simone Sloan and co-host Rich Bachelor from Your Choice Coach welcome Peter Heller, Founder of Heller
Fundraising Group, to discuss nonprofit fundraising strategies and capital campaigns. Peter shares insights from
over 30 years of experience and 20 years leading his firm.
The conversation explores the importance of relationship-building over technology, the power of community-
focused storytelling, and the six essential elements of successful capital campaigns. Peter emphasizes that
effective fundraising requires overcoming limiting beliefs, understanding donor metrics, and crafting narratives
that focus on the community's future rather than the organization itself.
Key Takeaways
- Successful capital campaigns require six aligned elements: dollar goal, story, donors, committee/leadership, staffing and systems, and timing
- The most powerful fundraising stories focus on the community served and its future, not on the organization or the donor
- Relationship-building remains the cornerstone of fundraising success, regardless of economic conditions or technological advances like AI
- Metrics matter: tracking one-on-one donor meetings per month can generate significant fundraising results when combined with proper follow-up
- Limiting beliefs and organizational low self-esteem are the biggest pitfalls in fundraising - nonprofits must clearly articulate why they are important to succeed
- Feasibility studies serve as essential on-ramps for campaigns, taking about five months to train staff, interview donors, and establish campaign foundations
- Effective fundraising is about teaching organizations to "fish” build their own capacity, rather than doing the work for them
- Even well-connected leaders in membership organizations must intentionally deepen relationships through focused conversations about mission and donor interests
