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Building a Culture of Giving: Development as Parent Partnership with Susan Mangels

Familiaris Podcast for Catholic School Leaders

Susan Mangels, PhD, Senior Vice President of Consulting Services at AC Fitzgerald, joins Jaime to unpack what it really means to build a culture of giving in a Catholic school, and why it’s far more than hitting a dollar goal. What We Cover: * Why “fundraising happens at the speed of trust” and how reframing donor relationships transforms the ask * The unique challenges and opportunities of development work in Catholic and faith-based schools * How a school’s mission and vision language forms the foundation of every donor conversation * Practical tools for storytelling, one-pagers, and building a multi-channel donor communication plan * Alumni engagement, participation goals, and the green flags of a healthy development culture Chapters * 00:00: Welcome and Guest Introduction * 03:34: Defining Development, Advancement, and Fundraising * 05:55: What Makes Catholic School Fundraising Unique * 08:38: Mission and Vision as the Foundation of Development * 14:04: Inviting Donors to Invest * 21:06: Balancing Urgency with Relationship-Building * 24:15: Storytelling and the Donor One-Pager * 31:56: Building and Evaluating a Fundraising Game Plan * 39:31: Alumni Engagement and Building Long-Term Donor Culture * 43:39: Lightning Round Q&A * If a school leader feels uncomfortable asking for donations, what is a mindset shift? * How important is it for a small team to be ready to accept gifts in forms like stock, donor-advised funds, and planned giving? * What is a small communication habit that could strengthen relationships with donors? * What is a green flag that a school has a healthy development culture? Join the conversation * Leave a comment and subscribe at familiaris.substack.com * Become a paid subscriber at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe Paid subscribers gain access to monthly collaborative office hours. Office hours are hosted on Zoom and are not recorded. Pop in to ask a question, get feedback on what you’re working on with families, hear what other leaders are doing in their schools. Upcoming dates: * Monday April 27th at 3pm CDT * Monday May 11th at 3pm CDT Resources: * AC Fitzgerald * AC Fitzgerald Nonprofit Partner Newsletter * The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri J. M. Nouwen (Amazon, Thriftbooks) * Follow Susan on LinkedIn Visit familiaris-consulting.com to learn more about consulting, workshops, and speaking engagements God bless! Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios Get full access to Familiaris at familiaris.substack.com/subscribe