The most influential and impactful advising relationships are not built on expertise alone. You don't actually have to develop and deliver expertise in everything your donor asks you about in order to succeed as an advisor. In fact, that's often a recipe for running yourself ragged and limiting the nature of your relationship with a donor. 

 Leaning into the expert role can be tempting. It may feel like the safest path to establishing trust and credibility with your donor, especially if  your expertise in a particular issue area got you in the door in the first place.  And if you got started with a donor because you had some kind of pre-existing relationship, establishing your expertise in the advising role can feel like an essential way to validate yourself.  But constantly trying to perform from a place of expertise can be exhausting--and perilous anytime you get it wrong. And even when you're sure your recommendations are spot on,  leaning into the expert role doesn't leave you with anywhere to go when the donor doesn't see things your way. Nor does it position you to help donors identify and address the deeper questions that arise on their path to truly meaningful giving, giving that not only maximizes social impact, but also brings personal fulfillment and even joy.

Advising at its most influential and impactful is actually about guiding conversations and helping others develop insight.  And getting better at this is easier than you might think.  

 BECAUSE...

There are only so many key types of conversations that philanthropy advisors have with their donors. 

Here's the great news--the path to elevating your impact, and your influence as an advisor (not to mention your abundance and autonomy) is closer than it seems.  That's because so much of what goes on in the interactions between you and your donor  are variations on a relatively small number of recurring topics and issues.  There's the vision and values conversation. There's the proposing and enrolling conversation. There's the what and who to fund conversation. There's the measurement and evaluation conversation. There's the power, perspective and proximity conversation. The thoughtful adjustments and exits conversation. So much of what we do with donors ends up being variations on these and a handful of other themes. 

Mapping and practicing these essential conversations is an incredible accelerant for influential advising.

As a Certified Meaningful Giving Guide you learn to map out the most important of these key conversations, spot the recurring sticking points and opportunities, customize them for your specific context and then practice them with partners in a safe and confidential setting. This is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to get better where the rubber really hits the road in your advising relationships.

When you approach your advising through the lens of key conversations you quickly begin to see that there are distinct patterns, not only in the form of these conversations, but also in the way that you and your donors are habitually showing up in these moments. Mapping these patterns creates opportunities for understanding, and for improvement. That's why the certification program grounds the key conversations practice sessions in three foundational modules covering decision-making psychology, how donors relate to their wealth and 5 simple tools for communicating more effectively in high stakes conversations.

More than Just a Certification Curriculum:

Recognizing that sometimes all of us working as advisors do indeed need to get get up to speed quickly on areas outside of our immediate expertise and experience, we surround the Certified Meaningful Giving Guide curriculum with all kinds of extras and optional resources that you can draw on as needed in your daily work.

• Fireside chats with subject area experts on hot topics ranging from climate, and homelessness, to collaborative giving and philanthropy infrastructure.
• Monthly seminars for solopreneurs and small firms on business mechanics on operations, covering everything from pricing and profitability to marketing and business development
• A special series covering 7 Pillars of Personal Development for those interested in dialing in their own growth and support systems
• A comprehensive coursebook covering all aspects of the certification curriculum.
• A wide range of videos, worksheets and other practical resources on topics such as understanding the ins and outs of 7 different structural forms through which donors can carry out their giving, or how to conduct a landscape analysis or portfolio review with your donor.
• Many of these optional extra sessions are delivered live on zoom to allow for questions, conversation and workshopping challenges together. Recordings are also accessible on your own time and schedule through an online learning portal.