In “The View From Dave’s Barstool,” Principal and Managing Director, Dave Paule, discusses…well…whatever happens to be on his mind.

Why the barstool? Barstools can certainly be social. They’re frequently the center point of great conversation. There is no pretension, no corner office or head-of-table amongst a row of barstools. So, every month, Dave invites you to pull up a barstool and explore a topic he’s found particularly important (or amusing) recently. Because some leadership lessons show up in boardrooms. Others show up at the bar.

Dave’s Thoughts This Month: Influence Is the Job

Pull up a stool. We need to talk. 

Somewhere along the way, we convinced ourselves that fundraising was a specialized skill practiced by a handful of brave souls willing to ask strangers for money. 

That’s incorrect.

Every leadership role I’ve ever held, whether in the corporate world or the nonprofit sector, has really boiled down to one thing: helping people believe in something they couldn’t quite see yet. Sometimes that meant convincing a board to invest in a new direction. Sometimes it meant helping a skeptical employee embrace change. Sometimes it meant asking a client to trust our advice. Every one of those moments required the same three things: trust, confidence, and a compelling vision of what could be.

That’s influence. And influence is the core of the job.

The funny thing is that we tend to reserve the word “fundraising” for the very last step in the process, when someone finally asks for a gift. By then, the hard work should already be done.

People don’t make meaningful investments because someone asked well. They invest because someone earned their confidence. Long before a donor says yes, they’ve been watching. They’ve been listening. They’ve been deciding whether your organization does what it says it will do.

I’ve come to believe that’s why the best fundraising organizations don’t have a fundraising culture. They have a trust-building culture. And if fundraising is really about building trust, then everyone in the organization is a fundraiser.

This Month’s Drink: The Boulevardier

This month we’re pouring a Boulevardier. Like good leadership, it doesn’t rely on sweetness to make its point. It earns your attention through balance, confidence, and character.

A little bolder than a Negroni. Less familiar. More assertive. Turns out that’s how influence works, too.

Recipe:

  • 1½ oz bourbon
  • 1 oz Campari
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth
  • Orange twist

Stir with ice until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube or serve up in a coupe. Express the orange twist over the drink and garnish.