Kevin L. Brown

You thanked the donor.

But did they thank 𝙮𝙤𝙪?

They should.

“At the deepest level, there is no giver, no gift, and no recipient... only the universe rearranging itself,” says Jon Kabat-Zinn.

So rethink your fundraising communications.

Handshakes, not handouts.
Allies, not applicants.

💪🏽💛

The marketing myth: more is better.

What’s the fix?

The minimalist communications playbook:

✔️ Monthly email newsletter
✔️ Three-line elevator pitch
✔️ Five-page website
✔️ 10-slide deck

Brands that chase all channels,
chase away funding.

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You have 3 seconds.

Lose them, lose the gift.

So here are the two most critical rules in your #communications:

1️⃣ 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆
2️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆

“Genius can be recognized by its childish simplicity,” says the Chinese proverb.

Be simple.
Be consistent.
Be funded.

💪🏽💛

Donors don’t want 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 words.

Or 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 fundraising #communications.

“No one likes their time wasted,” says investor Morgan Housel. “It’s a universal annoyance. Make your point and get out of the way.”

Your donors fund purpose, not paragraphs.

Value, not volume.

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I’ve waited 18 months to say this:

My book is officially launched!

Dozens of interviews.
Four writing retreats.
273 beta readers.
400 final pages.
33 illustrations.
61,309 words.
Seven drafts.
20 chapters.

One result:

Help you maximize funding.

Get your copy at fundablefindable.org

💪🏽💛

Elon Musk is now wealthier than 152 countries.

He’s Bill Gates richer than Jeff Bezos.

But 88% of nonprofits operate on crumbs w/ annual budgets under $500k.

Power hoards.
Nonprofits endure.

“When 26 billionaires have as much wealth as half of humanity,” says Shawn Fain, “there’s a crisis.”

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Your brand is not a fundraising function.

And brand doesn’t belong to your comms team.

Here’s the difference:

🧬 𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗
Identifying your distinctive DNA in a crowded world.

📢 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
Broadcasting this DNA to your audiences.

💰 𝗙𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗚
Ensuring the resources to carry out your DNA.

💪🏽💛

19 laws of fundraising I’ve learned while:

✔️ Working with 340 clients in 50 countries
✔️ Writing 200,000 words about funding
✔️ Getting 38,000 LinkedIn comments
✔️ Reading 100+ social sector books
✔️ Failing often at our own nonprofit

What would you add to this list?

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People aren’t calculators. They’re storytellers.

That’s why in #fundraising:

Data wrapped in a story is 22x more memorable.

Donors want a story they can remember.
Not a fact to memorize.

Speak in totals 𝘢𝘯𝘥 tales.
Paint pie charts 𝘢𝘯𝘥 pictures.
Shape spreadsheets 𝘢𝘯𝘥 sagas.

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How you (finally) win the funding race in 2025:

More funding, less fundraising in 2025.

That’s your New Year’s resolution.

But how?

Be fundable and findable. That’s how. Next year, fundraise smarter (not harder) with these 17 power-move resolutions.

Repost ♻️ to help your network.

You got this.

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Are you ready to launch? Probably not.

New Year’s resolution:

Do it anyway.

As you become more fundable and findable in 2025, you won’t start with the perfect fundraising message, marketing strategy, or pitch deck.

But perfectionism kills more dreams than failure.

And launching is learning.

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🏹 A cheat sheet to position your fundraising. 🏹

With 10 steps to help you show donors:

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩.

That’s your positioning strategy.

Difference = donations.

Emphasize it.

💪🏽💛
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Follow Kevin L. Brown to get fundable & findable.

Fundraising is tough if you’re not tough.

So is nonprofit #leadership.

These five mental models from Ben Meer help you communicate boldly, process negative donor feedback, and constantly improve your #brand.

💪🏽💛
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Follow Kevin L. Brown

𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: ‘We won a new grant.’
𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲: ‘They won a new grantee.’

𝗢𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘁: ‘We both won a new partnership.’

“Nonprofits need the funds, but the donor also needs results and impact,” says Mickness Aeschlimann. “It’s a win-win situation for all.”

Flip the script.
Be the prize.

💪🏽💛

The 100 largest grantmakers in the world. 👇🏽

Comment 𝙁𝙐𝙉𝘿𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀 and I’ll send you a high-resolution PDF with all the foundation website links.

100 funders.
A trillion dollars.
Your move is next.

💪🏽💛
______________________________________

Follow Kevin L. Brown to get fundable & findable.

Donors will remember a fact wrapped in a story 22 times more.

And data are only the condensed version of untold narratives.

“Tell a few of those stories to help make the data meaningful.” — Made to Stick

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Money has hijacked philanthropy.

Generosity doesn’t require wealth.

And people in many ‘poorer’ Global South countries give more than ‘rich’ Global North donors.

Look at the 2024 World Giving Index. ⤵

The word 𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙮 means love (𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙡) of humanity (𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨).

Not love of grantmaking.

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19 laws about fundraising I’ve learned while:

✔️ Working with 230 clients in 50 countries
✔️ Writing 192,000 words about funding
✔️ Getting 21,611 LinkedIn comments
✔️ Reading 100+ social sector books
✔️ Failing often at our own nonprofit

Download. Bookmark. ♻️ Repost.

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You don’t need more data in your #fundraising.

Numbers tell.
Stories sell.

“People would rather believe than know.” — E.O. Wilson

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The world’s top philanthropist is the Global South.
↳ For itself.

To the tune of $590B a year in #remittances.

But the Global North gets the donor credit.

So the savior mentality of some Westerners — “first they should help themselves” — is a delusional colonial relic.

💪🏽💛

👇🏽 40 AI tools to save you hundreds of hours. 👇🏽

Because your brand needs more than ChatGPT.

A litany of other generative #AI platforms allow nonprofit leaders to create text, photos, video, audio, and other content.

So download and ♻️ repost this infographic.

💪🏽💛

An expert fundraiser even admitted:

“The success of [fundraising] hinges on three core elements: brand awareness, donor retention & donor engagement,” says the veteran fundraiser Eric Streiff in Philanthropy Daily.

Build the #brand behind the grant.

Brand first, funding second.

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Good stories always beat good spreadsheets.

Donors don’t act because of your data.

They initially fund their beliefs about you. Because hearts open before minds do.

First captivate, then calculate.
First narrate, then validate.
First feelings, then facts.

In that order.

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Leadership advice I wish I had learned earlier:

To be a leader, lead.
To be a speaker, speak.
To be an artist, create art.
To be an innovator, innovate.
To be a storyteller, tell stories.
To be a visionary, cast a vision.

And to be a #brand, build the brand first.

Do the verb you wish to be.

💪🏽💛

Kevin L. Brown on LinkedIn: #socialmedia #ai #philanthropy #growth #gender #africa #esg #leadership�... Too many LinkedIn influencers are male & pale. Sadly, only 4 women on the top 30 creators list. Worse, 90% of the most followed LinkedIn accounts are in the… | 17 comments on LinkedIn

Too many influencers are male & pale.

Sadly, only 4 women on the top 30 LinkedIn creators list.

It’s past time to disrupt this patriarchy.

Here’s a list of 15 LinkedIn creators to start:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kevinlbrown_socialmedia-ai-philanthropy-activity-7084818659440779264-abyM/

Kevin L. Brown on LinkedIn: Pitch deck perfection: maximize your funding. Perfect your pitch. Fuel your #fundraising. 💪🏽💛

Perfect your pitch. Fuel your fundraising. 💪🏽💛

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kevinlbrown_pitch-deck-perfection-maximize-your-funding-activity-7084435725550530560-9ee0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

“Clear writing gives poor thinking nowhere to hide.”

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The two most critical rules in #communications:

1. Simplicity
2. Consistency

Because the average adult reads at a 12-year-old level.

And it takes seven impressions for people to remember your brand.

Ditch the gimmicks.

#Brand clarity is the key to maximized funding. 💪🏽💛

Brand vs. funding: which comes first?

✓ Theory of change (brand) precedes M&E & impact.

✓ Positioning (brand) precedes innovation & partnerships.

✓ Marcom (brand) precedes outreach & advocacy.

✓ Strategic planning (brand) precedes staffing, finance & operations.

Brand first, funding second.