How to Raise $40M and Change the World
What's inside?
LESSONS:
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3 critical skills that made high raises possible
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disruptive technologies changing fundraising forever
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how to make it a no-brainer for your partners, investors, sponsors, everyone!
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how to build authentic relationships that move your mission forward
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how to avoid emotional mistakes and identify costly blind spots
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steps to stay clear, grounded and blissful along your journey
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expand your network of high performing change makers
GIFTS:
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Over 100 funding databases
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Grant and Proposal Templates
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Sponsorship Package template
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ShareFund Founders Opportunity
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Unblinded Mastery Free Attendance
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YayStack Opportunity
An introduction to raising over $40M
$47 Million Raised
$2M
$14M
DCCBSP
$27M
$4M
KEY 1:3 PRESENCE
WHY IS PRESENCE IMPORTANT?
COMMON THREAD IN MOST SYSTEMS. Whether counseling psychology, coaching, scientological auditing, meditation, therapy, or mindfulness based stress reduction, even belief systems like Buddhism and Christianity and others that promote self inquiry, the all emphasize presence with oneself. When Dr. Richard Davidson of the Center for Healthy Minds was asked about a framework of wellbeing, Presence in the now was a foundational element.
WHO IS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT? Have you ever seen that jerk in traffic, or that contrary person in the meeting making everything worse for everybody else. They probably didn't know the role they were playing. They may have even thought they were the only sensible one. They were blind to themselves - and so were you when you were them. Without a working awareness of ourselves, we can't see how we are standing in our own way on a less clear path toward our dreams. We become our negative emotions and habits and see the symptoms reflected in our outer world as causes. Presence is the difference between being aware and steering through life consciously, and if we're not in the driver's seat, who is - and are they taking us where we want to go?
CLEAR DECISIONS. It's no secret that we do our best to make rational decisions - or rather, we do our best to rationalize our emotional decisions. What is the emotion and rational based on? In Marketing 101, we're taught that there is a preference for familiarity - meaning we're more attracted to what's familiar to us even if it's not what's best for us. The same goes for our surroundings, including the people, their views, customs and opinions. These can cloud our decisions, along with emotions, habits, traumas and other needs we're attempting to meet through the vehicles of our decisions. Presence opens awareness to these layers and gives us the ability to see through them.
MORE FULFILLING RELATIONSHIPS. When you show up fully as you are, aware and connected within yourself, you are more you. This makes all of your relationships, partnerships and connections that much more aligned with you because you are present in them. It's you instead of all of the layers to you.
SOMETHING MORE. INTUITION. MAGIC. BLISS. Our layers are seemingly endless and as we become more aware of them our inner wisdom grows and we touch what sages have called the essence of our being. It may be easy to notice if someone is angry or happy. These emotions manifest in big ways on our surface layers; but the more we're able to be aware, we notice more subtle experiences that are vast, and encompassing. With less in our way, the intuition shines as gifts of truth; the will and intention is clear and felt, and at a root level, there is a connected stillness that is whole and simple and complete.
AWARENESS + INTROSPECTION
THE JOYOUS DANCE. The diligent and intentional sway between being aware and introspective eventually strikes a beautiful balance that is the joy and fortitude we aspire to embody in life. It is a constant practice that grows ever more fulfilling on the journey toward self-mastery.
AWARENESS. Our capacity to be conscious of our experience is our awareness. We can be aware of the noisy crowd around us and train ourselves to hear our name through all of that noise. The more that we practice being aware - conscious of our experience - witnessing with attentiveness, we become more aware, more conscious with more of the experience of our existence.
INTROSPECTION. When we check on our awareness, we're being introspective. It is the knowledge that we are not our experience of our thoughts or emotions or even of our awareness. These are all just tools with which we experience. We can use them or be used by them.
IMPROVING YOUR PRESENCE
PRESENT WITH WHAT NOW? Improving Presence means improving our awareness of what we're Thinking, Feeling, and Doing (with our body). This means observing our Perceptions, our wants and intentions, and our reflexes.
PERCEPTIONS
STATE + STORY + STIMULUS
WANTS / INTENTIONS
KNOWN + UKNOWN
REFLEXES + RESOURCING
MEDITATION. Self observation greatly improves your ability to be present with yourself and with others. Meditation can be any sustained focus (mindfulness). However, the kind of meditation that improves presence is that meditation on your internal experience. As a foundational step, allow the body to breathe naturally and simply observe the breath. Like this, you may witness other sensations, including the thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. Observe them without reaction and allow them to unfold into subtler parts that come and go as freely as the natural breath.
GOOD QUESTIONS. Self inquiry (asking yourself about you) and other self inquiry (asking yourself about someone else from your perspective) also bring you closer into presence. When you notice yourself in an emotion, you may ask yourself some good questions like: What am I feeling and what is it made of? What are (were) they feeling and what is it made of? Am I reacting to this or being present with it? What story am I giving myself that makes this feeling possible? What's another true and empowering story?
SURRENDER. KNOWING. NO-THING.
Surrender is releasing the tensions from your anxieties, and fears, limiting beliefs and contrasts. It is letting go in your thinking, in your emotions and in your physical body. Surrender is releasing our grip on our limitations and pressures.
Knowing is a deep honesty and acknowledging of your being and the fundamental connection you have to infinity. You exist. You are here and can be present with all of the infinite parts of you in knowing that as you exist, so does infinity because of you. You are infinite and can know all experiences, like the embrace of love from your own clasped hands, or your wealth and abundance in the endless abundance of air you can breathe. It's all honestly here right now. You can know this and in so knowing, surrender into a solid experiential knowing of your own presence and divine connection.
No-Thing is stillness in the infinite ocean of all things made of the same energy. While there may be chaotic waves on the surface, deep down, it's all the same, ALL, no separate thing, still, complete, whole. There is unbelievable relief in No-Thing, what Buddha called "Shoonya." These are a pathway to deep wellbeing and bliss.
KEY 2:3 RELATIONSHIPS
WHY ARE RELATIONSHIPS IMPORTANT?
WHAT MAKES THE WORLD TURN. "It's not what you know. It's who you know; or better yet, who knows you."
These words are easily understood by the masses when it comes to business and influence. At the same time, whether you're securing an investment or getting your teenager to clean their room, alignment in relationship is what makes it all happen. We call that a "yes."
GROUNDED AND CONNECTED. Intentional and authentic relationship building allows you to understand who you're relating to. It allows you both to be real and true, grounded and connected. With this kind of a foundation, your relationships are like fertile soil in which to plant your cocreations.
SEEN, HEARD AND UNDERSTOOD. When you've done the work of mastering relationship building, it's easier for you to open the listening of the people you're wanting to reach. Most if not all communication is an attempt to influence in some way. Too often, our ideas of this are manipulative and forceful - focused on getting someone to do something rather than finding alignment. With masterful relationship building, your understanding of the other person opens the way for you to be seen, heard and understood as well.
NOT JUST A TRANSACTION. Understanding the people you want to connect with allows you to connect more deeply than an ask or transaction. It means that the world after "yes" is still bright with opportunity, commitment, growth and fulfillment. It means that there's growing value to this authentic connection that can unfold in beautifully unforeseen ways.
BIGGER THAN NETWORKING. Have you ever gone to a networking event armed with a stack of business cards that end up being replaced by faceless names on thick paper and no context? What if you found huge value in every connection you made and what if they felt the same? No more making it rain business cards at functions and meet ups - hoping one of them strikes lightening. The connections you build in authenticity are memorable and magnetic and keep on giving.
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WHAT ARE THE METHODS?
FROM THE WISCONSIN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
ATTENTION -> INTENTION -> EXPLORATION -> EXCHANGE -> COMMITMENT
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ATTENTION. Just as it sounds, Attention is about getting someone's attention. In the movie "hitch" with Will Smith, this usually meant doing something out of the ordinary to catch a memorable eye. But here, in the real world, it can be something as simple as, "Hi."
INTENTION. This is a level of transparency about your motivation to connect. It doesn't need to be your entire master plan. At an event, it could be something like, "I'm enjoying connecting with new people and finding synergies," or, "I learned that you do [insert thing they do] and I'd like to understand that a little more." Intention is simply laying out an idea of why you want to connect and removing the question from the person's mind.
EXPLORATION. This is where we ask questions relevant to the person's journey to the topic that first peaked our interest. It's not an interrogation. This is also an opportunity to relate and share answers to relevant questions as well. A powerful question in this stage is, "Why." When you ask "why," you get a chance to understand the values and reasoning of the person and potentially discover where you may be aligned at a deeper level.
EXCHANGE. Simply put, after you've understood the desires and motivations and values of the other person, you're able to offer a suggestion of ways you may be able to help each other. This could be connecting to a resource or person who can help.
COMMITMENT. This is when you set an expectation of an action and a timeframe for following through. Think action, date and time.
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FROM THE FOUNDERS OF UNBLINDED MASTERY
EMOTIONAL RAPPORT -> PAIN AND YES -> HUI -> AGREEMENT
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EMOTIONAL RAPPORT. In this step, you are being present to the other person's now, their past, their future, what's good and what's bad. This includes 5 "containers" of questions that help you understand and connect with them. Container one is questions about their present moment. Container two is questions about their past. Container three is questions about their future. Container four is questions about what's going well. Container five is questions about what's not going well.
PAIN AND YES STRATEGY. In this step, you are understanding their "why." This would be similar to the "Exploration" step in the Wi.L.D. formula. The difference here is that "pain and yes" is more present and future focused, seeking to understand what the person is truly desiring to move towards, what they're wanting to move away from, how they identify those things and how they identify people who could help them with that. One can gain access to this line of discussion through questions like, "What's got your focus these days," or "Why are you...?"
HEROIC UNIQUE IDENTITY (HUI). This step is all about you, but it is NOT your bio and it's not your resume either. Having connected emotionally and understood the values and goals of the other person, you're able to share about yourself within the relevance of their pain and yes. For example, if during conversation, you learn that this person really values transparency, you may relate a story of how you demonstrated transparency. Or, if you learn that family is very important to them, you may share a real story of how your project helped you to connect with your family or helped others connect with and help a family. Your HUI is what is relevant to the other person, not what you want them to know about you.
AGREEMENT FORMATION. In this step, you are finding alignment in the next stage of your relationship with the other person. It could be something as simple as, "I would love to set up a time to see what it could look like to work together." Or it could be, "Could we find 30 minutes on the calendar? I'd love to learn more about your goals and how I may be able to help." If you've connected authentically and emotionally, understood their values, pain and yes, and communicated how you fit that, agreement formation is natural.
SHARED EXPERIENCES! AND THE 7 LEVERS.
SHARED EXPERIENCES. Plato once said, "You can learn more about someone in an hour of play than you can in a year of discussion." This is the thinking behind shared experiences. It's the reason the Japanese industry leaders had the "real" meeting over drinks. It's what we hope happens when we test the waters of a first date, or talk business on the golf course. Relationships are built on proximity and that means sharing an experience. You don't typically ask someone to marry you without at least going out on a few dates first. In the same way, you don't ask for a big commitment without sharing an experience.
These moments of proximity can be as broad and wide reaching as a prerecorded broadcast or as intimate as a private conversation. This interactive meeting was a shared experience between Eric, ShareFund Founders, attendees and guest speakers. Shared experiences can be podcast guests, virtual meet ups, physical meetups, dates, gatherings, speeches, phone calls and more, but the best are ones that are fun and add value. Remember the play from Plato. Shared experiences open the familiarity and cultivation of a stronger relationship beginning with a very light agreement to share a small bit of time with low stakes. Shared Experiences is Lever Zero in Unblinded's 7 Levers of Marketing and Sales Mastery.
THE 7 LEVERS TO CULTIVATING MORE MONEY, TIME AND MAGIC.
shared experiences -> ecosystem mergers -> speaking engagements -> sales meetings -> sales -> disposable income -> contribution -> fun/magic.
1. ECOSYSTEM MERGERS. Shared experiences lead to the mixing of four resources: identity, relationship capital, monetary capital, unique skillsets.
IDENTITY. This is the status or social credit that someone has in a given ecosystem. A stranger showing up to the family gathering is weird. A family member bringing someone to a family gathering is not as weird. The family member lends the new person their identity as relates to the family. When Tony Robbins welcomes Eric onto the virtual stage and offers a compliment, his identity has a positive impact on Eric's perceived identity to the people watching.
RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL. This is the network and credibility someone has with the people they're connected to. As you learn to build better relationships, you will rise in the relationship capital that you can bring to an ecosystem merger.
MONETARY CAPITAL. Well, it's not a ham sandwich. ;)
UNIQUE SKILLSETS. This is a team mate or team with skills that are important for an ecosystem merger to thrive. In a new venture, it could be the skilled marketer that expands the awareness, or the back office accountant making sure all the line items are accounted for.
When you understand what you bring to an ecosystem of your ideal audience, you can have real conversations about adding value to more ecosystems.
2. SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS. Ecosystem mergers lead to speaking engagements which are opportunities for you to connect with your ideal avatar. For example, a shared experience like an interactive webinar may lead to talks about adding more value to the networks (ecosystems) of people who attended, and this may lead to actually speaking with these networks. This is one way that professional speakers stay busy: their speech (unique skill) becomes the shared experience with someone in their audience (identity, relationship capital) who invites them to speak to another audience (ecosystem merger).
3. SALES MEETINGS. The more that you find yourself engaging audiences of your ideal avatar whether 1 to 1,00,000, you open more opportunities for sales meetings (where you will no-doubt practice the relationship building formula).
4. SALES. Sales meetings lead to sales. These could be more yes's, more investments, more donations, more partnerships, etc.
5. DISPOSABLE INCOME. Logically, with more sales comes more disposable income (if your business model works).
6. CONTRIBUTION. With more disposable income, you're able to contribute more - up leveling your identity and relationship capital.
7. FUN / MAGIC. With more disposable income and contribution, you're building more fulfilling relationships and enjoying the fun and magic of life in authentic connections.
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THE POWER OF INTEGRITY!
WHY INTEGRITY. Oprah Winfrey once said to Chelsea Handler, "I knew you were going to be successful the moment I saw you, because I could tell that you were being your authentic true self - and that's what it takes to have longevity in this business."
Being who you truly are is foundational to building a strong relationship with a client, investor, or even a romantic partner. But you can't show up as yourself if you're not being present with yourself enough to know who you are - to have clarity in your thoughts and intentions.
Integrity means that you are you and you are true and that's what it takes to build anything of long term value.
ADDING MORE VALUE. Have you ever heard the saying, "leave it better than when you found it?" It's a saying because we know it will give someone a great feeling and we also know that it's something we'd want someone else to do for us. The same goes with adding value. We've all had those relationships where it seems like the other person is never willing to contribute or if they do, it's not much. They're clearly there for themselves and that doesn't feel good. To be in integrity, we need to be the opposite in our relationships - always seeking to add more value than we hope to receive and leaving things way better than when we found them. Imagine how beautiful your relationships would be if you set the standard by adding more value.
In marketing, this may be making an irresistible offer. In person to person, it could be making connections, giving advice, or performing services that really helps the other person. It could be something as simple as an introductory email to someone who can support their ecosystem, or it could be a long list of connections and benefits for attending "How To Raise $40M and Change the World" ;) . Whatever it is, make sure its a true gift from the heart without any expectation of a return. That's the way you want people to give to you. That's adding more value with integrity.
KEY 3:3 ADDING VALUE
WHY ADDING VALUE IS IMPORTANT.
MAKE IT A GIFT. When you add more value than you hope to receive, you create an easy yes and leave a much more safe and fulfilling feeling. You also reposition your offering from something you want your client to do, to something you get to do for them - and they'll want your gift. This is a powerful shift - going from someone who needs help to someone who has something valuable to offer; and you do.
INTEGRITY IS ADDING VALUE. It's easier to give someone a gift than it is to sell them on something. When you're focused on giving, those you serve are more likely to feel like you have their best interests at heart and that what you have to offer is good. When you're giving, what you have to give is genuinely beneficial to the other person.
THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY. Imagine that every time you see this one person, they have a gift for you. Imagine that this has happened consistently three times and each gift was really helpful to you. Now imagine that you find out that this highly generous person has a need that you can fulfill. Do you think that you'd be more likely to want to help them? This is the effect off the law of reciprocity. We naturally want to help people who have been helpful toward us. This doesn't mean that you give with the expectation that you should be receiving something soon based on a ledger of gifts. There is a difference between giving to receive and giving knowing that somehow it will all come back to you 10 fold.
GIVING JUST FEELS WAY GOOD! That's why you're getting so much for showing up here:
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Over 100 Grant and Funding Databases
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Grant/ proposal template
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Sponsorship Package
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Unblinded Huddle
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YayStack Info
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Founders Circle Invite
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Contact info (only for those who registered live and opted in)
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WHAT NEED ARE THEY REACHING FOR?
WHAT DO THEY REALLY NEED? Do you want a toothbrush or a clean mouth? As you practice more authentic relationship building, you'll get better at sensing why someone is headed in the direction of their goal, and what they're really after. Seeking this insight while connecting with people takes your listening to a whole new level and also your ability to add value.
RELATIONSHIPS. Something that is always in need is relationships and connections. As you plan to add value to those clients and investors and funders, you may benefit from asking yourself (and them) what kinds of relationships do they value and need and why?
EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS. What kinds of relevant opportunities can you include in your offerings that speak to what your target is really after? For example, with ShareFund, a lot of our Founders Circle members run businesses that have to do with investing, financial and business services - so they'll enjoy meeting each other and connecting and they really want to meet and connect and are so thankful for it. What exclusive benefits can you offer?
REVENUE AND RECOGNITION. Significance is a natural human need (from Human Needs Psychology) and we normally link our levels of significance with our ability to be seen as credible, valuable and therefore able to generate revenue. With ShareFund, new members of our Founders Circle are recognized as Founders of a disruptive technology that is changing the fundraising world. Founders also share revenues. What opportunities for recognition and revenue does your offering bring?
IMPACT. For some, the need is contribution to something bigger. How can you learn about the impact goals of someone and find (or provide) ways for them to get there? For ShareFund, Founders who want to have a greater impact reach their goal by creating a fundraiser with exponential impact capacity throuh referral marketing.
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TURNING GOOD CAUSES INTO INCOME STREAMS
A FUNDRAISING PLATFORM THAT HELPS YOU RAISE MORE. What if raising funds for good projects like yours could be an income stream for people who would normally just contribute to a gofundme?
ShareFund allows supporters to choose to earn a percentage of the funds they help raise - making your project an income stream for influencers, business owners and individuals looking to do good and earn at the same time.
IMPACT + INCOME + MORE RAISED
ADDING VALUE IN OUR FOUNDERS CIRCLE. ShareFund Founders are Advisors who give advice, connect to Founding Investors and help us spread the word. They enjoy a share of company profits, a growing network and first dibs on stock offerings and more.
SHARED REVENUE | CONNECTIONS | MORE RAISED
A WAY OF MEETING THEIR NEEDS.
RESOURCES THAT MEET THEIR DIRECT NEED. What resources does your ideal connection need and how can you support that? For people looking for funding, you could really benefit from the gifts we offer.
FISCAL SPONSORS. When your project can be tax deductible and add something good in the world and meet another need like recognition, the value you add with your contribution opportunity levels up. By partnering with a non profit as a fiscal agent, you can create a non-profit focused program around your project that aligns with the non profit organization (fiscal agent) and direct the contributions through them to create a tax deductible opportunity for your contributors.
SPONSORSHIPS. Raising money for a new business or any endeavor can always become a public facing journey and that makes it attractive to sponsors. Sending out emails? Making social media posts? How about videos? All of these and more can be accompanied by a sponsor logo or few from those who invest a premium to be featured to your growing audience. Spend a bit of their fee on paid advertising and you can guarantee exposure numbers in addition to reaching the same target audience you're aiming for. This kind of value add gets way sweeter if the sponsorship goes through a fiscal sponsor.
LEAD GIVING. From Russel Brunson's "30 Days," Trey Lewellen detailed a process allowing him to send a free giveaway campaign to over 2 million targeted leads for free. He did tis by partnering with multiple businesses who target the same avatar and asked them to send the campaign to their networks. In return, each business got the opt-in contact information from the networks of all the other businesses. They wanted the leads and their cooperation is what generated them. Make it a gift. What if you could offer targeted contacts to the leaders you want to partner with?
EXCLUSIVE GROUP. While raising millions for the YWCA, part of Eric's focus was on a special group of people who donated a premium to gain proximity to one another, get exclusive insights into the inner workings of the organization and have some input on the direction. It was like a "mastermind" group, only it grew itself and the high ticket "price" was tax deductible.
