Jimmy LaRose Blog

Holly Hall – INSIDE PHILANTHROPY Consultant Jimmy LaRose is trying to start a fundraising revolution—one donor at a time. In more than two decades of reporting and writing about fundraising, I can’t recall ever getting as many phone calls and comments, both pro and con—either spitting mad or full of praise—as I  did back in March, when I wrote a story about Jimmy’s forthcoming book.

United Way of Brevard County hosted an “advance copy” book signing event at Eastern Florida State College for Jimmy LaRose & RE-IMAGINING PHILANTHROPY. Nearly 200 leaders joined Mr. LaRose for a two day conference event featuring the Major Gifts Ramp-Up Model.

Gasby Brown, CEO & Executive Consultant of The Gasby Group who heard about the title of this blog post wrote, “Regarding his use of the term ‘crack cocaine,’ the ‘Kardashian Style’ direction Mr. LaRose has taken is not the answer.

True Fundraising…find a need and meet it…make a promise and keep it! The biggest obstacle we face in renovating civil society will not be boards, nonprofits, or consultants. The problem we’ll first have to tackle will be the misconceptions held by DONORS! Why? Because this idea that donors are a nonprofit’s primary customer will give YOU pause.

I’ve been getting in a lot of trouble lately for a recent declaration I made to a group of nonprofit executives and board members. I emphatically stated,

If a person or a thing possesses life, it is better that, for a determinate period of time, this someone or something should be alive, rather than dead. And that, during that finite span and inherent to their animation, there is a hierarchy of needs that, if met, dignifies the life being lived.