EPISODE 18: Hosting a focused nonprofit fundraising event, with Lane Strickland

(Episode transcribed electronically)

Matt Pearl: Hello friends. This is episode 18 of DOT ORG, the podcast all about how nonprofits tell their stories. I'm your host, Matt Pearl. I was a broadcast journalist, a TV news reporter for 20 years. Now I run Pearl Impact Media, where I craft videos for nonprofits that get used and remembered. In addition to that, I also host this podcast where we help you build your nonprofit's storytelling strategy.

First, an apology. I took a month off from the podcast. I am so sorry about that. My family and I went on a two-week vacation in July, combined that with a variety of great video projects that I'm working on for Pearl Impact Media, and I had to pull back on the pod, but just for a month, I'm back now. And not only are we recording this episode today, but just before I recorded this episode, I recorded a separate episode, episode19 of DOT ORG, and that's going to go in the queue for September.

So we are back and what an important time to be back. End of year game planning is afoot. Galas are drawing near. Giving Tuesday is three months away. And my guest is a super skilled development director who I met last year and got to work with this year. And from the jump, I've just been so impressed with her clarity for fundraising and specifically around events. So that's what we're going to dive into today from Global Village Project in Atlanta, Lane Strickland. Welcome to Dot Org.

Lane Strickland: Thank you so much and thanks for having me this afternoon, Matt. Good to see you.

Matt Pearl: Good to see you too. Question number one, Lane, always the toughest. Tell us about GVP in 30 seconds or less.

Lane Strickland: 30 seconds? You have to put a time limit on me, Matt?

Matt Pearl: It's not that real, but yes.

Lane Strickland: All right. Global Village Project is the only middle school in the United States for recently arrived refugee girls. Our girls have been in the United States on average for less than three years. And what we really do is catch them up academically so what they can do is really build this bridge and be successful in high school and beyond.

Matt Pearl: And obviously there's so much more to the GVP story. I got to witness it when we worked together and we could talk all day about GVP. We will get more into GVP, but right now, before we dive into everything, I'd really like the audience to meet you the way that I met you, which was at a terrific event in 2025, an all day nonprofit summit run by AFP Greater Atlanta. I was the video partner for that event called Southern Impact. I'm the video partner again this year as well. And I interviewed at that event several attendees about why they came, what they were looking forward to, and everybody gave very well thought out, measured, strong answers. And then came Lane. And you at 8:15 in the morning -

Lane Strickland: I was going to say pre-coffee.

Matt Pearl: Pre-coffee, which I've got my caffeine here and I really appreciate it because that early, not only did you have so much energy, but you just had this vision about nonprofits and nonprofit fundraising in particular that I thought was just so refreshing. You said something that I put into the video and that I always remember you said, "Fundraising is supposed to be fun. Let's put the fun back in fundraising." Now, from a different person, if I went on camera and said that, it would probably come off as corny. But

Lane Strickland: I could tell - So corny when you say it like that.

Matt Pearl: When I say it like that, it's so corny. When you said it and throughout the interview, just the energy that you were emitting, I could tell that not only did you mean it, but it actually made me think in a broader sense, those of us who either are with nonprofits, I'm on the board of one and obviously I work with them, but any of us in the nonprofit space, we really could do a much better job of celebrating what we do because it is essential work and it's great work that I know how fulfilled I feel doing the work that I do. And when I spoke with you that morning, I just got the sense of that same sense of fulfillment, that same energy, that same just joy that you get doing this work that is important work.

Lane Strickland: Yeah. And that's so incredible that you actually just brought that up. I really try to instill on my team, we have to celebrate all of the wins from the small wins to the big wins, because if we don't take a moment to sit there and bring joy and fun into the environment and really celebrate the wins and fundraising, they can be taken away really quickly from a donor phone call saying, "I couldn't find this on the website or couldn't find this." So I always try to really ingrain that in the team of we need to always make time for fun and bring joy into the office and make sure that we have fun doing what we love to do in fundraising.

Matt Pearl: Lane, your resume runs so long for the folks that are listening to this. HIV and AIDS outreach coordinator for the Peace Corps, development stints at AIDS Services of Austin, Out Youth, also in Austin, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, and now Global Village Project. So more than a decade as a leader in development, what would you say is your general philosophy to this work?

Lane Strickland: Oh, goodness. I don't think I've ever really been asked this, and I can think of so many different philosophies that are important in fundraising and mission-driven events and all of this. I think a really strong philosophy for me as a fundraiser is to be ethical. Make sure that you are collecting the right data and presenting it so people can really trust where their dollar is going and also really be ethical in what you're saying. Where is the donor's dollars going? And also be ethical in the stories that you're telling. The people that we highlight, our students, our girls and their families, do they want to want to be on camera? Do they want to want to share their stories? And if so, how do you do that in an ethical way?

So I think that's a really important philosophy in fundraising. And then you might see this behind me, there's kind of a glare, but it says, "What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?" And I tear up because I just love that. And I think a big philosophy in fundraising is go big. Just take the chance. Donors want to help, and if you don't ask for what you don't need, you're not going to get it. So the worst thing you can get is a no or maybe half that answer, and then you can be grateful and laugh it off. But no matter what, just go big in fundraising. Take the chances and do the ask. Ask people to get involved and ask them for big amounts of money.

Matt Pearl: Yeah. Looking at the organizations where you've worked, they all come, even though they cover different communities in some ways, they all come with what I would assume are distinct advantages and also challenges when it comes to the storytelling part. I mean, you look at the communities you've covered, probably a lot of folks who you've served and you serve now, probably a lot of folks have experienced trauma. Some of the subjects you cover can be controversial in certain communities, and you've got to navigate that.

And I'm curious how storytelling fits into all of that. As you're going through this very calculated work of fundraising and development, how do you make sure that the storytelling you're doing is not only ethical, but also conveying the challenges, leaning into the challenges maybe, and making sure that you're representing this community the way it should be represented?

Lane Strickland: Absolutely. So storytelling can vary in all different missions, in all different types of platforms. It really just depends. But in my life, I've really been in a lot of progressive fundraising. So I really have to make sure in this progressive fundraising model, kind of what you said, Matt, that our story stays clear and ethical, but also has emotions and feelings in it. People don't really remember data. I think it's important when you have your annual reports and things like that and can prove the impact that y'all are making on the mission.

But what donors truly remember is how you made them feel and how the stories made them feel. So to me, that is really, really important. You'll know, Matt, when I hired you, I was like, number one rule, make everyone in the room cry. They all have to cry at least once because they'll remember that emotional impact of what they are supporting and they will feel like they're part of a mission and part of that piece of it.

But what's really important in ethical storytelling is at GVP, we really make sure in our trauma-based model, we don't bring up questions about their past that we might know from their applications, from their stories, or maybe what they did in some of their schoolwork. When we work with them in their storytelling, we really want them to open up on their own.

I want to make sure that they understand why we're interviewing them, that they want to be in it, and I make it very clear of where the interview or story is going to be, such as social media or at a gala or on YouTube. And I will get their permission, especially if they're under the age of 18, make sure to get their parents' permission. And here we actually do a really good job using interpreters too, because at our school right now, we're speaking 10 different languages.

So we do use interpreters to talk with the parents. And that to me is really key that the parents also understand where their story is going to be from an ethical viewpoint. But the power in storytelling to me is really when you just sit down and connect with the people, I always want to make sure that usually I'm in the room when the interviewer is there as well, just so the person can feel safe and comfortable. And then when they start to open up, lean into that and see what they talk about.

Matt Pearl: And that was actually something I noticed, and I hadn't planned on getting into this part of it, but we'll talk about the video and its relationship to the event that you hosted earlier this year. But what I will say is there was a nice balance where when I would interview one of the students from GVP or one of the alumni who came back to do interviews, not only would I be there, but I was with one of your colleagues.

And a lot of times I always come in with a philosophy of I might broadly approach a subject that could potentially be traumatic and knowing that individuals have been prepared and they've been prepped and knowing that they know that those questions might come. And I really don't push it beyond that. If they want to talk about it, then I'll happily lean into it. And I might not use it depending on how it goes, but I'll lean into what they want to talk about.

And if I get the sense that they don't really want to go into that, I'll lean away. What I liked about working with you guys too though is that your teammate, Luisa, who I worked with and would be there during these interviews, she would also know in those moments where I would be playing it very safe, she would know how to approach certain subjects in ways that the students or alumni felt comfortable with. And not just felt comfortable answering in a way that told their story, but also just felt comfortable knowing that they were in a safe place.

And they were just meeting me that day, but they see Luisa all the time. And so knowing that she was there, knowing that she was that one asking the questions in those specific cases, I think went a long way. And I think that's something that I know as a video storyteller, it's never an affront to my ego or something to have somebody else ask a question.

I think that's a great resource and a great asset. And when you have folks who, like you and like Luisa, who are engaged with the people you serve and know them on that level, I think that goes a really long way towards their being able to trust putting their story in your hands.

Lane Strickland: Absolutely. And I think too, one of my favorite parts of storytelling is something else I make sure I ethically always do is show them the piece once it's done. Do they approve of it? Do they like the way their voice was shown and how their story was told? And then once it is produced, give them copies, give their families copies. They love it and they are so proud and encourages.

They'll walk around the school and be like, "Look, I made this publication or look at this." It encourages other people to want to share their story as well. And I think it's just an important piece of information that that student or client can have and their family can have to celebrate that moment of storytelling because you never know too the power of their story and who that can help as well when they hear that story.

Matt Pearl: Yeah. We're going to dive into building a nonprofit gala and event because that is where I would just love to hear from you, again, having done this a little while and having a very strategic approach to this work, summer 2026, what stands out to you about this particular moment in both nonprofit fundraising and nonprofit storytelling?

Lane Strickland: It's still, I think, one of the biggest, most important parts of fundraising. But what's interesting now when you say a summer 2026 is it needs to be quick and fast and easy and also accessible to be inclusive for all types of people. So when I come to nonprofit storytelling, especially on social media, and then also even working with you, Matt, and producing our events, make sure that they are not too long because you are going to lose people. So they need to be quick, but extremely mission-focused.

Everything, make sure everything you do is always mission-focused and that the story aligns with that. And then also too, it is the summer 2026. A lot of nonprofits have been hit hard financially on especially some government grants pulling out. So when you do a story, make sure it can last. Try not to date it. Try to be able to maybe, if your nonprofit did take a hit financially, to make a strong, powerful money, invest in that story, and make sure it can last for three years.

Matt Pearl: So Lane, let's dive into the events because you just said something that I really, really want to touch on about just the length of things and keeping people's attention. So a little bit of context. Again, Lane Strickland, Director of Development at Global Village Project here in Atlanta where you and I both live. And I was very fortunate to get to work with you and your team back in the winter and leading into the spring of 2026 because you all hired me to craft several videos for your record setting 2026 gala, the Tribunal Education, which raised, I believe, $500,000.

Lane Strickland: $500,000. Goal next year is 550, but I know we'll do 600.

Matt Pearl: So between my experience working with you then and the conversations we've had since, I'm just so taken with the clarity with which you approach events. And we'll get granular on that in a second, but you talked about staying focused on the mission throughout the event. And that would seem to be, just in my experience working with you, that would seem to be your north star. Anytime you put on an event, everything has to kind of funnel back into why are we here?

Lane Strickland: Absolutely. So it starts in the beginning of the fiscal year for me wherever I work. So here at Global Village Project, it starts our fiscal years from August 1st, July 31st. So the summer was a lot of strategy setting for the team in really what is our theme for the year? What is the message or word that we really want to hammer home throughout everything we're doing? And this year we decided on Unstoppable. So the second we move into the quarterly planning of Unstoppable and what that means for GVP and how that is going to build our marketing communications through the year, then I think of what is our two main biggest events, which is the Welcome Walk and our Tribute to Education Gala. The Tribute to Education Gala is when we do utilize really the impact of storytelling and have that moment to really get a lot of new donors in our event and really wow them.

So then it goes to me like how do we have this story arc through the entire event? And I always just kind of draw a bell, a story arc to the team. And I'm like, "Here's the beginning of the event. Up here, this is the highest emotional mission moment we're going to have where we're going to make everyone cry happy tears." And then you have the end of the event in the high level when you're going for people are raising their paddles when they were giving or ever if they're texting to give and then come back down. So really I want to build it out with

How do we have less people on stage? Less people on stage is always more. How do we still make sure that we honor and thank the right people in the room in not a boring way because it's a snooze fest when everyone has to listen to the sponsors, but it's something that has to be done. But really then how does that opening message, that opening welcome tie into the theme? And how is that theme going to tie in then, that unstoppable theme, tie into the videos and what we say on stage with the client?That's hugely impactful that that's all kind of flowing throughout the evening. And my goal too is that for events, people might not even know our theme unstoppable, but internally you're going to know. And all the staff in the room is going to know. My mom at the event is going to know, but you might not know.

But that's just really important to me is how are you weaving in the theme with the mission and the story you want to tell at that event? And what is your big really wow factor? I trust this organization and gosh darn it, I'm going to invest my dollar in them.This is an amazing org making wonderful impact. So that to me is the strategy and event and storytelling is give yourself a lot of time. Plan and really think through, throw spaghetti at the wall of what you want the theme to be, the story to be in that really big wow mission moment factor, that feel good cry moment where everyone raises their paddles and wants to give.

Matt Pearl: So you give yourselves a lot of time in planning, but you don't give yourselves a lot of time that night. So I totally feel for nonprofits and the people who are in your position, because we are of course our organization's most passionate advocates. We do this work every day. We just want to tell the world about these people that we serve and the importance of what we're doing. And I think the instinct is to look at a gala and think, "Finally, I have everyone's attention. They've gotten dressed up. They've paid to come. They're in the room. This is our chance to tell everything about what we do." And that's when speeches run long, that's when videos run long. That's when the event doesn't quite land the way it's supposed to.

And you guys, I sat in that room at the Tribute to Education and it was a masterclass in staying tight and focused the whole way through. But you're doing that with a lot of different players, right? Yes. You've got your video storyteller, you've got your speakers. How do you make sure that not just the people on your team stay focused on the end goal, but that everybody stays focused, stays on time? I mean, how do you do that?

Lane Strickland: Oh my goodness. Way too many spreadsheets that are color-coded minute by minute by minute. So I run a very tight event show. So I actually learned this at Aid Servers Austin. And I actually was written up in the Austin American Statesman about if you want to go to an event that stays on time, you want to go to Aid Servers Austin luncheon. And I had it so planned out, Matt, that I was bold enough because it was a luncheon. I was bold enough to say, "Hey, come to this luncheon. I promise to get you back in your desk by 1:00 PM." 1:30, because the event's going to go from 12:00 to 1:00. I was bold enough, so much so that on the program, I was like, 12:01, we begin. 12:06, one hits the stage with the speech. So I really make sure that it's structured and organized and communicate with everyone as much as possible when things are happening, what time, and practice that.

I don't really like practice speeches too much from stage because then you kind of sound like a robot, so do let that be a little bit more natural. And also you just have to accept to you're not going to be able to fit in everything that you want to fit in. There are so many great things at GVP and other nonprofits that you just. What you said, Matt, I think director of developments get kind of carried away and speeches get too long. Focus on the two, three things you really want to share that year and get that on the stage. And then focus on what are other areas of the event where I can tell people about us? So what does that mean? What do your rolling slides look like? Could that be data or points or stories or quotes or things about programs that you're not necessarily telling on stage?

Could you build more about things into your pamphlet program about, "Hey, this is what we do, this is who we are." From the moment you come in and cocktail hour, what's the visualization that visualization. Say the word for me, Matt.

Matt Pearl: Visualization.

Lane Strickland: Thank you. That people are going to be seen through poster boards. Is that another way we can really show your holistic whole wraparound services point of view? Because you're just not going to have time to do it all from stage.

Matt Pearl: Couple of thoughts just that popped into my mind hearing that. First of all, I can definitely say that that's true from a video sense as well, where a lot of times when I'm working with a client and I know the video is for an event, a lot of times when I'm putting it together, I will ask very overtly, what else will be covered at various portions of the event? Because if you're going to mention this, then I don't need to mention that in the video or I don't need to have an interviewee mention that in the video. Same goes if somebody's going to be speaking at the event, then they don't necessarily need to be in the video because you do just have, even if it's a nighttime gala and you're not just trying to fit it into a lunch hour, you probably should be trying to fit it into 90 minutes.

Lane Strickland: That is such a great point.

Matt Pearl: Yeah. So it really does come down to that. And I would say too, and the fact that you actually got press for it in Austin, I think speaks to this fact, which is that if you think about it from a donor's perspective, probably in some way, maybe not consciously, maybe it's subconsciously, but you're probably being judged by how you steward an event. 100%. And the way that you keep that on point, there's probably some kind of internal association with how you run your organization as a whole.

Lane Strickland: Yep. These donors in this room, they get invited to every single gala and fundraising event in time. You really, really want to make sure that you are respecting people's time. I have not done this here in Atlanta yet, but I was a fundraiser for a good amount of 10 years in Austin, Texas. And I was known to be in the back of the room with three different color-coded cards. Green meant your speech is going fine. Yellow meant you need to start wrapping this up and talk a little bit faster. And red meant, get off that stage. You took way too long to say what you were going to say. Please move it on to the next person. And I'll be like, red, red. And make sure again, that's them back and no donor sees that. But it's also important to what you said too, Matt, in a way.

It's like if someone is in a video, they don't need to be on stage. Really try to get different voices and perspectives in. And through that, share speeches. So always write the bones for the person, because I always want to make sure that the person on stage does feel comfortable and has their voice in it. So I always write the bones. And while I'm sharing out the speeches, I want to be like, "Okay, this speech is being completed." And everyone does see what other people are talking about to really help us shape and form the story.

Matt Pearl: That's really interesting. I've never though of that and I've never heard about that. That's a really interesting tactic. And it does make sense too, that not just the committee sees what people are writing about, but that they can probably see what each other is talking about. And I will say, as you mentioned these things, I absolutely picked up in the moment when I was sitting there during the dinner hour, for example, seeing the different slides that were rotating on the screen. And yeah, everything kind of funnels into the story. And you are still telling a very full story, but you're not just using the time of the program to do that. It's an experience from start to finish. So that makes a lot of sense too. Absolutely. Lane, a couple of things before we wrap here. Well, first of all, is there anything else you wanted to add on this subject on storytelling, nonprofit fundraising in general?

Lane Strickland: Don't forget to thank people after they come to your event.

Matt Pearl: Absolutely. Love that advice. So two things before we wrap. One, I just want to say, and I've gotten to produce videos for quite a few events now, and as part of that, I often get to go to the events, which is great. You all did the most wonderful thing, which is that when you reached out to me a few days in advance and said, "Hey, we've got two seats at this table if you want to come and bring a plus one." And at the time I thought it would be a great idea to bring my eight-year-old daughter. And I reached out to my contact about the event and asked, "Would it be okay?" And despite the fact that her allowance does not allow her to be a significant donor to an organization like GVP, you said yes. And my eight-year-old daughter had the time of her life and also very moved by what she learned about GVP in the process.

Lane Strickland: And she was a fan favorite in her unicorn dress.

Matt Pearl: She was. And you had a terrific photographer on site who captured all that. So that was easily a highlight of my year, so I greatly appreciate that. But then also on a personal note for you, we do have to mention that you, after all this great work you have been doing in the nonprofit sphere for so long, you're stepping aside for a few months.

Lane Strickland: I am stepping aside for a few months. I turned 40 and I'm going to go travel the world for a little bit. I absolutely love fundraising and I love all the missions I've worked for so much, but I've decided to really prioritize traveling and then come back and see what mission I'm going to work for here in Atlanta again. I definitely want to come back to Atlanta. This is where my family is. I'll forever be a champion of GVP. They're never going to be able to get rid of me. I probably will show up at the event with my green, yellow and red papers for the next director of development and say, "Here you go. I'm judging your timeliness on this event." No, just joking.

But yeah, so I'm excited for this little next chapter in my life just to go and do some solo traveling, have an eat, pray, love moment 100%, and then get back into some progressive mission-focused fundraising for another org and see how it can help support them because I truly love just everything about fundraising, the storytelling, the events, all the different streams of fundraising, the major gifts.

I love the strategy and I love it all. And if you want my job, let me know. I'm happy to talk to you about it. It's really with the best team ever. So it's very bittersweet news, but I'm excited to go travel.

Matt Pearl: And I have to tell you, I just found out about this yesterday, so this was not something I plan on talking about with you on the podcast. But in thinking back about our first meeting and about that joy and that idea about the importance of celebrating the work that we do, equally important to acknowledge when it's time to celebrate yourself when that need is there as well and to make sure that you can keep that energy so that when you do come back, it's with that joy. It's with that sense of feeling just feeling joy to do this work.

Lane Strickland: Yeah, it's really funny. So everyone thinks the story's going to go differently, but I keep telling people because they're like, "Well, what are you going to do when you get back? What do you want to do when you get back?" And I'm like, "You guys, I don't know if I'm going to come back because I'm going to meet a really rich man and then ask him if I can run his foundation." That's what's going to happen.

Matt Pearl: And that person may become then a major donor to wherever you work next too. Well, absolutely, because

Lane Strickland: I'm just going to be running their foundation and giving them all to the missions that I care about the most. So that's my plan.

Matt Pearl: That is Lane Strickland, the current and outgoing director of development for a Global Village Project. You can find them at globalvillageproject.org. Lane, thank you so much for your time.

Lane Strickland: Thank you, Matt. It's been a pleasure, and I look forward to working with you in the next video.

Matt Pearl: And that is episode 18 of DOT ORG. If you found this helpful and want others to hear it too, a great rating or review wherever you get your podcast goes a long way. Please take the time if you can, and check out my work at Pearl Impact Media. Video storytelling can be so beneficial for organizations. I would love to work with yours. Book a free consultation right now at pearlimpactmedia.com. All right, friends, I am Matt Pearl. Thank you for listening to DOT ORG. See you next time.