“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” —Nelson Mandela
Before you invest your time in reading this series on Breakthrough Fundraising, we encourage you to first confirm that the following two statements apply to you as a nonprofit leader:
- I believe that changing the world is possible.
- I have a vision for the future, and I’m compelled to make this vision a reality.
Still with us? Great, because you could be doing a number of things professionally, and the fact that you’ve chosen a career in nonprofit development means you are empowered to change lives, transform society, and make this world a better place, so let’s get started.
What Is Breakthrough Fundraising?
At Pursuant, we believe that nonprofit leaders are uniquely equipped to change the world, and we’ve experienced firsthand the powerful impact that comes when those leaders apply Breakthrough.
We first learned the idea of Breakthrough from our friends at Gap International®. The smart people at Gap International have spent the past four decades helping leaders transform the performance of their organizations from the expected to the extraordinary. They do this by guiding leaders to first understand and then challenge their mindset. In identifying how our current perceptions affect our current actions, we gain insights into the otherwise invisible obstacles that might be holding us back. In partnership with Gap International, we are charting a path to ensure that more leaders are successful in changing the world by taking this powerful approach and applying it to fundraising.
We’ve had the opportunity to work alongside nonprofit leaders at some of the nation’s most diverse organizations, including world-renowned healthcare foundations, universities, faith-based ministries, and multi-affiliate organizations. This collective experience gives us a unique understanding of the challenges facing nonprofit leaders today—such as limited resources, increased competition, elevated donor expectations, high staff turnover, and an expectation for annualized ROI, and those are just the ones off the top of our head. Changing the world may not be impossible, but some days it feels like it. To help, Pursuant and Gap International have partnered on this series of whitepapers, webinars, and in-person workshops, which will:
- Demonstrate how Breakthrough Thinking can help you solve the challenges facing your organization.
- Equip you to set a Breakthrough outcome that ensures you reach far enough to achieve the seemingly unachievable.
- Ensure that you define a personal stand for how you will impact your organization’s ability to achieve Breakthrough.
Embracing and applying this practice won’t be easy—nothing worth doing ever is. But we know that the practice of Breakthrough can revolutionize your organization for the better, and we believe your mission is worth it.
There has never been a better time to apply Breakthrough to your work, and we are excited to get started!