We were lucky to catch up with Emily Mcclure recently and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard
Fundraising in the nonprofit world can feel like a never-ending cycle of raising money, needing to raise more money, and ever-growing budgets spurring the need to raise even more money. My career in the industry shifted when I finally realized that the scarcity mindset would never serve me in my life, and I had to get change my mindset and create a new path forward – a path filled with abundance and joy.
I have built my nonprofit consulting business on an abundance mindset – that there is enough for us all to thrive. Now more than ever, this idea is counter cultural. All around us from the news, politics, consumerism, etc. we are told that it is a zero-sum game. If someone else wins, we lose. That there isn’t enough, and we always need more. This mindset keeps us focused on the negative and compounds anxiety and fear – but I don’t buy it.
Throughout my fundraising career I learned so much from the shoulders I stood on – how to craft an impactful appeal, how storytelling is at the heart of philanthropy, how to connect authentically with donors, and how to write winning grants. I also became frustrated by peers and others when they would look at me as if I was crazy when I suggested partnerships and collaborations, or if I told individual donors about a different organization that I thought they would love. Fundraisers at times were guarded and protective about their work. There was a prevalent and pervasive scarcity mindset that seemed to me to be counterintuitive to the industry I was in.
In my experience as a fundraiser and as a human, individuals and organizations almost never have a singular focus. People have the capacity to care about various organizations, causes, people, and missions. I can’t think of one donor I’ve worked with over the years that only gave to one organization forever and always. I just believe that we as people have the capacity for so much love and generosity – more than what some fundraisers give them credit for.
In the spring of 2022, I had had enough. I was miserable at the organization I was at. I dare say, it was toxic, although that word has been overused of late. I gave notice with no idea of what I would do next. I just knew that I had to do something different. I couldn’t continue to spend my days in that environment. That summer I spent my last days employed by a prominent nonprofit organization in the region, daydreaming about what I would do next. I was confident in my skills as a grant writer – I had honed so much experience during my career. I also knew that organizations often outsourced their grant writing services. It was an option at least.
I took a month off to think, rest, and contemplate the next steps. In October of that year, I launched Focus Shift – a nonprofit consulting organization. The name comes from my personal need to shift the focus in my life – from one of scarcity, to one of abundance. I shifted from placing my emotional energy into outward things, to knowing that the most important thing in my life is my family, and staying true to my personal goals and values. I was scared. It was a big jump going from a lifetime of being employed by others. But, within a month I had two clients and in the first year I had grown the business to make almost the same amount of money I was making previously.
I continue to cultivate abundance and joy in everything I do for my clients. I refuse to live in a world that is limiting for them or for what I am able to achieve. The only way to combat the scarcity mindset that keeps us all down and fighting over what we think is available, is to build a world around us that is full of possibility and abundant resources.
Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My career was in the nonprofit industry here in the Greater Philadelphia Region. I was born and raised in Chester County, which has a uniquely large philanthropic landscape with registered nonprofits currently at about 800. At Drexel University I studied International Studies and Political Science, wanting to further my love of travel especially in Latin America. In those days, there weren’t educational tracks for non-profit work, at least none that I knew about and I don’t think I would have told you that was want I wanted to do. I just know that I had these notions of ‘doing good’ and ‘saving the world’. Notions that as you get older and, hopefully wiser, seem more and more idealistic and naïve. I spent time in Venezuela in my teens and in my twenties worked on a project in Mexico City. By the time I was 29, however, I wanted to get my head out of the clouds. I obtained a Masters Degree in International Marketing thinking that I would get a real job and begin my life in corporate America. Life had other plans, though, and I ended us as the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization working in Honduras. This experience, although very challenging, taught me the basics of fundraising in a unique way. As a faith-based organization, fundraising was seen as an invitation. Often times people have said throughout my career things like, “I could never beg for money all day”. This isn’t how I learned to fundraise. I learned that all it really was, was telling a story about the work you were doing, the incredible impact it was having, and allowing people to join in the joy of it all. It is an offering, an invitation to experience the mission and be a part of something bigger. That is it. It’s not twisting arms, begging, convincing people that don’t want to be convinced. It’s connecting with people that have a heart for your mission and allowing them into the joy of it.
After serving for five years at that organization, I went on to work at a small nonprofit organization working with children with special needs and physical disabilities. I, along with the Board President and many generous donors, volunteers, and staff, took an organization that was in dire straits and turned it around; successfully navigating challenges and budget deficits to create a healthy thriving organization that even now has a firm place in the community. I learned how important the organizational structure of a nonprofit is. Setting up systems that are the skeletal structure of the work and the foundation for success is of utmost importance.
After serving for over four years at that organization, I went on to develop major giving platforms and honed skills in that niche area of fundraising. I eventually ended up as the Chief Advancement Officer for a mid-sized organization and served there during the pandemic – a particularly trying period for social service organizations. During the pandemic, I developed very specific skills writing government grants. Although I had extensive experience writing grants for private and corporate foundations, I hadn’t had the opportunity to work on many government applications. Thanks to COVID, that changed.
This would be my last position and the one that became the catalyst for the creation of Focus Shift. All of the experiences I have had in fundraising and development, organization building, and change management, have all played a part in the creation of my business and are the reasons that I can be such an asset to my clients.
I have intimate and deep knowledge about not only the regional landscape but can empathize with where they are and the challenges they face. My company offers grant writing services, organizational development, strategic planning, and fundraising support. Having worked in small to mid-sized organizations throughout my career, I prioritize my services so that they get the most out of what I can offer. I bring them an abundance mindset and help them cultivate the resources and structure they need to successfully live out their mission in the world.
At heart, I am a writer and a strategic thinker. I love brainstorming ideas and thinking outside the box. When it seems there is only one way – I push myself to think of another. My abundance mindset leads me to know that there is enough not only for my clients, but for me as well. I am empowered by the fact that I can take on clients by whom I feel inspired and in whom I have respect. It has been life changing for me to work for myself – a feeling that I’ve come to appreciate more than I could have possibly known – one of abundance and joy.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
While I continue to cultivate my mindset of abundance, the one area that has been especially difficult for me is time. I, by nature, often feel anxious and notice that for work this comes up with feeling like there isn’t enough time to get everything accomplished that I’d like to. For years, I felt like I needed to respond to every email within hours if not minutes. I pride myself on getting things done quickly and efficiently – especially now when I am charging my clients an hourly rate. However, there is a balance between doing my work quickly and efficiently and cultivating the mindset of abundance around time. These are different things, and I am learning and unlearning this continually.
I am learning to take things as they come, to slow my mind down, and to pause when I am feeling anxious about the time. I am learning to breathe. I started a practice about a year and a half ago that has been life changing. I started getting up an hour earlier than I used to. I use the time to sit quietly. I meditate – although I’m awful at it. I journal. I listen. This is now my favorite part of the day and my most creative. There is something special about this time, the slowness, the quietness of the morning. It helps me stretch time.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
In the first six months of opening Focus Shift, I set up a website, created a logo, and printed business cards, however the best source of clients for me has been cultivating my own personal network and referrals. I underestimated how powerful my own network would be starting this after having been in the industry for over fifteen years. I continue to receive referrals from clients and consistently have people reaching out to me inquiring about my services. I am continually grateful and inspired by every one of the organizations that I work with and have confidence that the work that is meant for me, with come to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.focusshiftconsulting.com
