421. How to Build Organizational Capacity in a Season of Evolution - Karen Cochran

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Meet Karen. She’s often heard saying fundraising isn’t about the dollars, but rather what the dollars can do. After leading and mentoring teams that raised more than $1 billion during her three-decade career, she launched Philanthropy Innovators to help organizations reimagine what’s possible in fundraising and advancement. We’re exploring everything from building organizational capacity to taking care of our teams. Karen is full of wisdom and we can’t wait to share her perspectives with the community 🤗

💡Learn

Evolving the sector’s mindsets, strategies and practices
The power of building organizational capacity
Overview of the MOST Philanthropy Model

Today's Guest
Karen Cochran, Founder + Chief Philanthropic Innovator, Philanthropy Innovators

“This work is a calling and it really requires you to show up as your best self every day.”

— Karen Cochran, Founder + Chief Philanthropic Innovator, Philanthropy Innovators

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Episode Highlights

Karen’s story and journey to where she is today (4:30)
Evolving the sector’s mindsets, strategies and practices (7:15)
The power of building organizational capacity (13:20)
Lessons learned from nonprofits incorporating innovation (16:25)
MOST Model (21:00)
The power of homegrown talent and sustainability (25:30)
Case Study: How University of Central Florida flexed a gift from MacKenzie Scott for an even greater and more sustainable community impact (29:25)
A powerful moment of philanthropy in Karen's life (32:30)
Karen's One Good Thing: The only thing you control is how you react to the situation. (36:05)
How to connect with Karen and Philanthropy Innovators (36:35)

Powerful Quotes

“This work is a calling and it really requires you to show up as your best self every day. Early on, for whatever reason, I didn't get the fact that I needed to take care of myself in order to be my best self.” -Karen

“I realized that one of two things was going to happen. Either I was going to leave the profession, which I loved. Or I was going to figure out how to manage my stress and how to take care of myself better.” -Karen

“One of the things we tend to do to ourselves in this nonprofit community is, we think that we're all alone.” -Karen

“How do we support the young individuals who are pursuing this career?” -Karen

“My best performance was never about me.” -Karen

“Problems find their best solutions from the people who actually encounter them everyday.” -Karen

“You lead from every seat in the organization, and the best leaders channel that and martial that energy around solutions.” -Karen

“You need to be able to reach your donors in an emotional way to make sure they understand what their dollars are doing.” -Karen

“There are five vacancies for every one qualified fundraiser.” -Karen

“Seven out of 10 of your best staff members are not only getting calls, they're actively looking for jobs.” -Karen

“The only thing you control is how you react to the situation.” -Karen