We all want to do more good in this world, but the question is how can we use our business to raise money for our favourite causes? I’ll tell you how we do it in this episode.

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Big Ideas

How Our Business Helps Our Nonprofit [2:34]

My wife and I have our own nonprofit called Village Impact. The best thing you can do for any nonprofit is not to give them your time, but to give them your money. That’s exactly what we, as entrepreneurs, have the ability to do. In our business, we give away hundreds of thousands of dollars every single year to cover the admin expenses for Village Impact.

All of the nonprofits that are established and running around the world are doing so much good and helping so many incredible people. But when COVID hit, everybody forgot that nonprofits were also hit. Many times, nonprofits are raising money through events and galas and things like that. And since you can’t have events and galas anymore, you can’t raise money.

We were in the same boat with Village Impact, because 90% to 95% of all the money we raise for our charity used to come from live events. So we asked ourselves,”What can we do differently now that we can’t raise money at live events?” We looked at who are typically the people contributing and donating to our nonprofit, and realized that it’s the entrepreneurial community. Next, we asked ourselves, what could we create to serve that community? And that’s when it hit us. We could create a membership site.

We created a membership site that serves people in different stages of their entrepreneurial journey, helping them build their audience and grow their email list. But the nonprofit, Village Impact, doesn’t have the audience that I or our company have, so this is where this incredible partnership with our company really played a huge role. At TRIBE Live, we launched the membership site called Audience Builder Academy and welcomed over 400 members. That immediately created stability for the charity. It created tens of thousands of dollars for Village Impact that are now coming in every month. I want to talk to you about how you can leverage and use your business to create an asset that generates revenue for a nonprofit on a regular basis. And there are really three steps.

Connect to a Cause That’s Meaningful to You [11:27]

Step number one, you need to connect to a cause that’s meaningful to you. We’re so grateful because there have been some incredible entrepreneurs who have taken Village Impact under their wing and have created campaigns and promotions to help raise money for our cause. At the end of the day, your audience is going to resonate with you. The more connected you are to a cause that you’re passionate about, the more success that campaign or that promotion will be.

Sell What People Want [12:18]

Step number two, sell what people want and then donate the money to a cause that you’re passionate about. Many times nonprofits depend on or rely on donations, but donations only go so far. What we have found to be way more effective in raising a lot more money is to create something that people want anyway, and then they get the warm and fuzzy feeling that all of that is going to a cause that they’re passionate about, so everybody wins on every level.

That’s exactly what we did with the Audience Builder Academy. This membership was created. People want that information. People want to know how to grow their audience and grow their list every single month. They want that but then they get the benefit of knowing that it’s going to a great cause.

Make It Recurring [13:43]

And then step three, make it recurring. Recurring revenue is so vital for any type of business because it creates stability, so instead of all these efforts being a one-off, why not find a way to turn it into a recurring revenue stream? Imagine, this cause that you’re passionate about not only gets a check from you one time, but they get a check from you every single month.

Let me give you a few examples. For the membership we created, AudienceBuilderAcademy.com, every single month people pay to be part of it. They get access to materials from some of our most incredible donors who are big businesses. So, we get to tap into the experience and the wisdom of our donors and at the same time, we get to serve our audience by giving step-by-step tutorials and lessons on how to grow your audience and build your list.

Here’s another example. We’ve been blessed and so fortunate because Russell Brunson and Todd, who founded ClickFunnels, committed to contribute to our nonprofit, Village Impact. And the amazing thing is that they said they would give $1 for every funnel that gets launched on ClickFunnels with over 100 plus people. Over the years, they have contributed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, because they wove it right into the actual business. They use it as a way to incentivize people to create and really grow their funnels. That’s what they want as a company, and what their customers want, so everybody gets the warm and fuzzy feeling that it’s going to a good cause when that happens.

Memorable Quote

“The more connected you are to a cause that you’re passionate about, the more success that campaign or that promotion will be.” – Stu McLaren

Resources

MYB 192 – 3 Fast and Easy List Building Ideas
Village Impact
Audience Builder Academy
Secret Billionaire: The Chuck Feeney Story
The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune

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