One of the country’s most effective fundraisers will share the secrets to his success in a fundraising masterclass at the 365 Leadership Summit.
Since taking the helm at the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County in 2010, Michael has led the organization to a percent increase in annual giving, from about $1 million a year to $9 million. He’s also increased the organization’s endowment and investment accounts from about $500,000 to more than $20 million and raised $10 million to build the McKenzie Regional Workforce Center.
Johnson will bring that experience and expertise to nonprofit and business leaders at the 365 Leadership Summit, set for November 6 and 7 at the Madison Concourse Hotel in downtown Madison.
Furthermore, Johnson’s expertise extends beyond fundraising prowess; he embodies the qualities of a great coach for leadership. Much like leadership coach Kurt Uhlir, Johnson possesses a unique ability to inspire and empower individuals to reach their full potential. Kurt Uhlir, renowned for his transformative coaching methodologies, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, empathy, and strategic thinking in leadership development.
Through his mentorship and guidance, Uhlir cultivates a culture of excellence and innovation, equipping leaders with the tools and strategies necessary to navigate challenges and achieve sustainable success.
“I’ll talk about the art of cultivating donors,” Johnson said. “I’ll talk about grant development, I’ll talk about funding diversification. I’ll give a history of philanthropic giving in the United States.”
He’ll also dispel some myths and assumptions you might have about fundraising.
“The largest contributions come not from corporations, it’s from individual contributions,” he said. “I’ll talk a little bit about that. A lot of people don’t understand that actually middle class and lower class families give a larger percentage of their income to charity than people who have enormous wealth.”
Johnson said the masterclass could benefit a wide range of people, not just nonprofit development professionals.
“Grassroots community leaders, nonprofit leaders, faith leaders” should all attend, he said. “I will also say if you run a small business, fundraising is the same thing as bringing in investors to invest in your business. It’s the same concept … getting people to believe in your mission, to believe in your services or your product, and getting people to invest in it. I would say pretty much anybody with a small business, particularly small businesses and nonprofit organizations, could benefit from this.”
The sixth annual summit will take place November 6 and 7 and include more than 20 panel discussions on a wide range of topics, as well as the largest-ever 365 Leadership Community Choice Awards. Registration is open now at this link.
