Tayloe Clements (00:01.516)
Welcome to Mission Money Podcast. I'm your host, Taylo Clements, and I am so excited you are here. Welcome to Podcast Number One.
Tayloe Clements (00:18.688)
can't believe we're here and we're starting this. Over the last 10 years, I've gotten to help a lot of you raise support and have just been so blown away by the impact that's been made around the world. Just to give a little intro, I'm Taylo. I have been a digital marketer and fundraiser for the past 10 years.
I've helped some of the world's largest nonprofits as well as solo fundraisers and have really just found a passion for helping people tell their story through digital marketing strategies. I've seen it really be successful in raising a lot of funds and support and resources for multiple nonprofits. And I'm so excited to this same learning and the things that I've been taught over the years.
to you guys via this podcast and amazing resources. Just so you know, I have a resource for you down linked below. It's called Five Quick Wins to boost your fundraising today. Please go grab that. If you're looking to do more digital fundraising, helps with automation, as well as dives into just some opportunities, some quick wins that can help you make a difference in your fundraising today. Thought I'd give that to you guys so you have a practical way to start.
But with that being said, let's get in to our first podcast. While this podcast is focused on giving you digital strategies, tips and tricks, I thought it would be really appropriate to start with something a little different, which is defining what your vision is and overcoming the fear to raise support. Now, this is something I can relate to. I have been held back and
stopped by fear and asking for donations. But let me tell you, there are a few things you can do to overcome that fear. And one of the reasons I started this podcast, just to go into quick short story, I was in college and I was so lost. I was in journalism. I didn't know what I wanted to do. And I was just, all my film classes got pushed back to my senior year. That summer I had a
Tayloe Clements (02:32.619)
big life-changing impact happen where I found my faith and came back to school. had been praying, hey, what am I supposed to do? What's this bigger thing that I'm actually called to do? And I went into these film classes that were all pushed back to my senior year. And guess what? They had built this $2.5 million film studio at Longwood University on the East Coast. It was just one of the best state of the art, just
beautiful buildings with all this high-tech wiring. I just geeked out that whole year. I could not leave that building. I studied and studied and studied and I found a passion for filmmaking. In that moment, I knew I was called to help those that don't really have the ability to storyteller the knowledge and know how to storytell, tell their stories to help get funds behind the mission and impact they were wanting to make. Now,
Out of being out of college, fresh out of college, I started my own business. I went right into it. I'm like, hey, yeah, I'm young and I have my camera. And I just started helping anyone and everyone I could. I launched a church. I helped some families adopt kids where they had to go and raise their support to live over in Africa for six months to be able to adopt. With that, I just grew more and more of a passion for helping missions, helping people fulfill these big visions they had.
people would come to me and say, hey, can you help me tell my story? don't, you know, we're raising this support. Where do we start? And I just, the dream started there. Little did I know where the next 10 years would take me. I did a deep dive into marketing, social media, paid advertising, website, SEO, everything in the book. I would just dive in and learn marketing. Then later to go back.
to the nonprofit world, working for some of the world's largest nonprofits and learning even more about how to scale what was on my heart to do, which was to help, you know, make up impact. Honestly, I felt a passion to be alongside and join these passionate people and making a mission. But if you're on the other side of this, you're not a digital marketer, you'll know that and I've seen exactly where you're at, right? You have this huge passion, this project, this thing you want to do.
Tayloe Clements (04:54.519)
But little did you know you'd have to be an expert digital marketer too, or an expert fundraiser at that. That's where I wanna come in. That's where I wanna make digital fundraising easy to take away those fears and to really come alongside you and show you some just quick wins, quick ways you can raise support. And it all starts with a vision. So without a clear vision, we can get set back.
by fear and never move towards the big thing we're know we're capable of. Personally, I've experienced this firsthand. Right now, I'm working on a project in Cameroon. And when we started, this group that I'm helping, I'm on the board as well, they were so hesitant to ask. And it turned into something really incredible though. In just the past month, we've raised enough money to send dozens of kids to school.
build a well, provide school supplies, and even lay a foundation at a home nearby. And in the last week, we raised $10,000, just one check, someone that saw the video we did that told the story of the need, and a check came in the mail for $10,000, all because this group had the courage to ask and dream big. Now, at first, they were thinking, let's go small.
And I said, no, you have a heart. I hear it. I hear your passion for this vision. I know you know that there needs to be impact. You're called to do this. Let's dream big. And boy, have people just come alongside them and wrap their arms around this mission. And this is what I want to help you achieve today is really getting clear and to dream big. Today, we're going to talk about overcoming the fear of asking for donations because whether you're
a solo fundraiser or a part of a larger nonprofit, fear can be the biggest thing holding you back from realizing your vision. So let's jump in. Now, first, let's start with what is holding us back. It's usually fear of two things, fear of judgment and fear of rejection. Maybe you're worried that people will say no or worse, you think that they're gonna think that you're only after their money.
Tayloe Clements (07:13.099)
That fear can stop us before we even start. But here's the thing, fundraising isn't about begging for money, it's about giving people the opportunity to make a difference. Fear comes from focusing too much on ourselves and what people think of us, but when we shift that focus to impact and the people we're serving, it changes everything. Here's the mindset shift. It's not about you, it's about them.
The moment you stop focusing on the fear of judgment and rejection and start focusing on inviting people into something bigger, that fear starts to dissolve. So how do we reframe the ask to overcome this fear? It's simple, focus on the mission and the impact, not on the money. Let me give you a real life example of the current work that I'm helping do in Cameroon.
They wanted to ask for as little as possible, just enough to cover the basic needs. They were afraid people wouldn't give if we aim too high. But I knew that if we were called to the bigger dream, we weren't just supposed to meet the basic needs. We were supposed to transform lives. That's big, isn't it? So we shifted our approach. Instead of focusing on the cost or the bare minimum, we started to talk about the real impact we wanted to make.
building a new orphanage, providing education, providing medical care, and creating long-term change for these kids. When we invited people into that vision and showed them the difference, their contributions would make something amazing happen. And just, we did this through a quick video that showed the story of what was taking place. People didn't just give to meet the small needs. They gave beyond
And above anything we expected, a lot of the kids now are going to school and we received a $10,000 check. Isn't that just incredible? That's the power of inviting people into a bigger vision. When they see the impact they can be a part of, they want to give. Now, some practical strategies for building confidence.
Tayloe Clements (09:33.833)
Now that we've reframed the way we think about asking, let's get into some of the practical strategies to help you build confidence, especially when it's about asking for donations online. These tips are backed by psychology and can be applied no matter the size of your organization. Number one, shift your mindset. Oftentimes when we stop thinking about fear of rejection in ourselves and start focusing on the impact,
it really does help dissolve fear. We need to be focusing on the people we're inviting in and becoming the inviter. So my first tip is to stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on them, the donors and the people that you're impacting. When we start seeing ourselves as the inviter, it takes the pressure off. So not a beggar, we're an inviter. And here's a practical tip.
When we're making an ask, remind yourself, this is about the impact and not about me. It's about the thing that I am so passionate about, the mission at hand, not about me. It's about the people I'm going to impact, right? Speak to the difference their donations will make. Number two, your fear as your fuel. Fear is often a signal that what you're doing matters. Instead of avoiding it, reframe fear as an excitement.
When I feel nervous, I remind myself that this fear means I'm working on something that really counts. And here's another tip. When you feel fear, tell yourself, I'm excited because this mission matters. Channel that energy into action. Number three, start small and build momentum. Confidence doesn't come overnight.
It's built through small wins. So if asking for a big donation feels overwhelming, start small. It doesn't mean dream small, start small. Each success builds from confidence and makes the next ask easier. So a practical tip is to set a small achievable goal for this week. Maybe ask a few close supporters or a small group and celebrate each success to build momentum.
Tayloe Clements (11:52.641)
This is gonna help build your confidence over time after you just see small wins. Number four, use visualization. Visualization is a powerful tool. My dad growing up when I was doing horse shows, he would always tell me visualize the win as I go in. And I tell you what, it boosted my confidence. I don't know what it was, but I'd go up there and I'd sit taller, because I would visualize myself winning. Now I wouldn't be bummed if I wouldn't.
I didn't win, I had a good balance of expectations, but at the same time, I was like, yeah, you know what? I have what it takes and so do you. You have what it takes, so visualize the win. This is gonna help you reduce anxiety and boost performance. Now, before making an ask, take a moment, imagine yourself succeeding. Now, as you walk in, picture the conversation going well.
or that email going well and the donor responding positively. Number five, detach from the outcome. One of the biggest fears in fundraising is rejection. I get it, I get it. I've been there and it feels so real. There feels like no way to get over it. But detaching.
is a really great tool, not only just for managing anxiety, but managing the fear of fundraising. So here is the thing, you're not in control of whether someone says yes or no. What you are control of, however, is how you ask. So detach from the outcome and focus on doing your best. Tell the story, invite the people, and let them see the impact they could make
But if they say no, just remember you did your best and just detached from the outcome. Now, after you ask, remind yourself, I did my part and the right people will say yes. Trust the process and keep moving forward. Now, just to wrap up everything, I really appreciate you listening. I wanna give you a quick recap of our conversation today. First, fear is natural.
Tayloe Clements (14:10.817)
but it doesn't have to stop you, right? By shifting your mindset and reframing the ask and using these practical tools and strategies like small wins, visualization and detaching from the outcome, your anxiety will go down and you can overcome the fear of asking and confidently raise donations online. Remember, your mission is so important.
I wish I was right there in your living room or in your car, wherever you're listening from, and I could tell you, your mission is important. I want to hear them. I want to hear what you're raising support for. And there are people out there who would just be so blessed and excited to be a part of what you're doing. You're not just asking for money. You're inviting people into a life-changing story, one that you are helping write. It's amazing.
Ask boldly, ask confidently, and trust the right people will say yes. Before we go, I have an exercise for you this week. Now want you to write down your mission story. This is really going to help in this process of getting a clear vision and helping overcome the fear. And when you're writing this down, I want you to write down what the impact of your work is. Who are you helping? Write down who you're helping, and then practice.
Framing your ask as an invitation to others to be a part of the impact Thank you so much for tuning in if you found this episode helpful Be sure to subscribe and leave a review and stay tuned for next week's episode. We're gonna dive in to storytelling and fundraising Digitally with my friend Justin Rizzo. He is a worship artist extraordinaire
filmmaker. He has been raising support to launch three films in three years and he's been raising support for him and his family for 21 years. There's so much you can learn from him and I'm so excited that he's gonna be on the Mission Money fundraising podcast. I hope you join us next week.
