WHAT THE FUNDRAISING
146: Secrets to Fundraising Confidence & Success with Lydia Fenet
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“And I realized, like everything that we do in life, we create the words that people use around us. So if you want to be seen as the most powerful woman in the room, you have to believe it and you have to use that word to describe yourself.”
– Lydia Fenet
Episode #146
Overview
In this episode of What the Fundraising Podcast…
Our guest today, Lydia Fenet, is an inspiration in the world of charity and fundraising. Her career began at the world-renowned Christie’s Auction House, where she carved a niche as one of the few young female charity auctioneers in the sector. After 24 fulfilling years, Lydia embarked on her own entrepreneurial journey by founding the Lydia Fenet Agency, dedicated to charity auctioneering. Her books The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You and Claim Your Confidence have echoed her learnings and insights, creating ripples across readers globally. She’s driven by the core belief in the power of confidence and the need for authenticity in being successful, either on stage or in life.
Seeking to shatter fundraising norms and challenge the scarcity mindset, Lydia aims to diversify auctioneers and create an inclusive atmosphere in the world of fundraising.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Introducing Lydia Fenet
- Lydia’s Background and Books
- The Power of the Word "Powerful"
- Confidence and Power
- Building Confidence through Failure
- The Role of Auctioneers in Fundraising
- Importance of Internal Validation
- Embracing Imperfections on Stage
- Overcoming Fear and Uncertainty
- Diversifying Auctioneers for Representation
- Finding the Right Auctioneer
- The Role of an Auctioneer
- Building Real Relationships in Fundraising
- Creating a Memorable Auction Experience
- The Power of Paddle Raise Moments
- The Joy of Giving
- The Power of Community and Engagement
- The Energy of Public Speaking
- Bringing Energy to the Stage
- Finding Help with Auctioneers
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Lydia Fenet
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
- Many thanks to our sponsor, Constant Contact for making this episode possible. Our friends at Constant Contact provide nonprofit leaders like you with cutting-edge email and social media management tools. Want to craft emails that shine on every device or manage your social media effortlessly? And for those moments you’re at a loss for words, their AI Content Generator, powered by ChatGPT, delivers engaging messages in mere seconds. For a platform that amplifies your marketing, saves time, and drives growth, look no further than Constant Contact. Get started with your risk-free trial using the promo code ‘MALLORY’ for 30% off your first three months. Discover more at www.constantcontact.com/mallory.
- If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link.
- If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point
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TIPS AND TOOLS TO IMPLEMENT TODAY
- Embracing challenges and obstacles, rather than succumbing to them, is a critical aspect of Lydia's approach to auctioneering.
- Exuding confidence and wielding authority are crucial in the realm of auctioneering and fundraising.
- Lydia Fenet champions this by harnessing self-assuredness not just on stage, but also in her interactions with clients and audiences. This embodiment of confidence breeds trust within the fundraiser-client relationship, thereby bolstering the overall success of the fundraising initiative.
- A fear of failure can cripple fundraising efforts. However, Lydia encourages embracing failure, viewing it as a guide for learning and self-improvement.
- By adopting this mindset of embracing failure, nonprofit fundraisers can bounce back from setbacks, continually refine their strategies, and – ultimately – enhance their fundraising performance.
FAVORITE QUOTES
- And I realized, like everything that we do in life, we create the words that people use around us. So if you want to be seen as the most powerful woman in the room, you have to believe it and you have to use that word to describe yourself. - Lydia Fenet
- Confidence and power go hand in hand. I truly believe you feel confident and then you can step into your power in many ways. - Lydia Fenet
- People often ask me, what makes a successful charity auctioneer? And I always say it's an auctioneer who can get on stage and they're not afraid of the crowd, they're not afraid of the room, they're not afraid if they're going to talk. - Lydia Fenet
- I'm not afraid of failure. I'm not afraid of things going wrong and neither are you. Let's get involved. - Lydia Fenet
- I can't go on that stage unless I come out full throttle at 10:00 at night so that people know exactly what's about to happen. I have to wake them back up and make them engage. But that's what you're talking about. It's that pulse of we're in sync. - Lydia Fenet
- I think the biggest issue, in my opinion, about confidence is that we seek it from other places. And as a result of that, we oftentimes don't try things that we think could put us in a bad light or are going to make us fail - Lydia Fenet
- What I often say about confidence is the easiest way to become more confident is to start doing things that you don't think you can do. And in some cases, you'll prove yourself right, and then you'll survive and you'll realize you can try it again or you'll prove yourself wrong and you'll realize how strong you are. And the more you do that, the more you exercise that, the more confident you'll become in yourself. - Lydia Fenet
RELATED CONTENT
Get to know Lydia Fenet:
Lydia Fenet is the founder and CEO of the Lydia Fenet Agency, a boutique agency representing best in class charity auctioneers. Over her two-decade long career, Lydia served as the Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships for Christie’s and reshaped the fundraising landscape as the world’s leading charity auctioneer. She has single handedly raised over one billion dollars for more than 800 organizations and broken-down countless barriers for women in the auction industry. Widely recognized for her poise and power onstage, she has stood alongside celebrities including Bruce Springsteen, Hugh Jackman, Elton John, Matt Damon and Jerry Seinfeld to raise record-breaking donations for the most notable charities across the globe. Lydia is the author of two best-selling books, The Most Powerful Woman in the Room is You & Claim Your Confidence as well as the podcast host of Claim Your Confidence in collaboration with Rockefeller Center. Her first book was optioned by Netflix in 2022 for a series that will be produced by Chernin Entertainment starring Kiernan Shipka as the lead. Lydia is represented by CAA and travels internationally to speak to companies about unlocking their sales potential, empowering people in the workplace and the art of public speaking. You can follow her auctions, antics, and anecdotes on Instagram @LydiaFenet.
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I teach nonprofit fundraisers to bring in more gifts from the RIGHT donors… so they can stop hounding people for money. Fundraising doesn’t have to be uncomfortable.
- CEO & Creator of the Power Partners Formula™
- Disruptor in the funding sector, changing lives everyday
- Relentlessly committed to the movement of money into the nonprofit sector
- Focused on win-win partnerships that allow fundraisers to be authentic and empowered in their work
- Over 15 years working in nonprofits (managing director and ED of multiple fast-growth organizations)
MALLORY ERICKSON
