- What are some of the most impactful or personally fulfilling fundraising campaigns you’ve worked on recently, or nonprofits you’ve helped?
Choosing just one is tough! But Dove Creek Equine Rescue, my longest-term client, holds a special place in my heart. Founder Laurie Higgins-Kerley hired me in 2021 to clean up their donor database and integrate it into new software. From there, my role grew to include strategic planning, grant writing, donor stewardship and helping with fundraising events. And the biggest surprise? I wasn’t really a horse person before Dove Creek—but I am now! Ask me about my “boyfriend,” Boone, a big, beautiful brown Quarter Horse who has become a special part of my life through Dove Creek’s Led by Horses Equine-Assisted Coaching program.
2. How did you get into this specialized kind of consulting?
After graduate school, I worked for three large companies, building a foundation in marketing, sales, management and business finance. Eventually, I realized I wanted to put those skills to work for something I cared deeply about: helping nonprofits make a difference. My first step into the nonprofit world was political fundraising and campaign management, followed by consulting with the Amarillo Area Foundation, and then coordinating a major capital campaign at Harrington Cancer Center. But perhaps my most fun and challenging role was serving as development director for Don Harrington Discovery Center, where I put every fundraising skill in my toolbox to work. In 2016, I hung out my own shingle as a nonprofit consultant.
3. Part of your job is asking people for money. What’s the single biggest mistake you see organizations making when they reach this point?
Here’s a little secret: Asking for money isn’t my favorite part of fundraising. My sweet spot is building the systems, strategies and relationships that set a nonprofit up for fundraising success. Most fundraising mistakes can be traced to three things: not having a solid plan, asking too soon and failing to pivot after failure. The dreaded words “But we’ve always done it that way” can haunt organizations that are afraid to change and evolve.
4. Costs are rising and a lot of people may have “donor fatigue.” In what ways are nonprofits adapting to this new reality?
I’m a loud and proud non-believer in “donor fatigue,” the mythical beast that frightens fundraisers and boards far more than it should! People haven’t stopped being generous, but people don’t give if you don’t ask them. But how we ask matters. Donors want to understand the difference their gifts will make and feel connected to the organizations they support. That means nonprofits need to communicate more, not less, and find creative ways to
tell their stories. I think our area nonprofits are getting better at doing exactly that. (The Panhandle Gives encourages organizations to think outside the box when asking for support.)
5. What has your work shown you about the generosity of Texas Panhandle people?
My colleagues around the country are often surprised when I talk about the number of successful multi-milliondollar campaigns happening in a community our size. They may not know exactly where Amarillo is on the map, but many have heard of The Panhandle Gives! Its history of raising more than $10 million for 260 nonprofits
speaks volumes about the generosity of people throughout the region.
