Does anyone else struggle with explaining what it is they actually DO?

Most of my best strategic thinking happens when I'm out on sunset walks!

Does anyone else struggle with explaining what it is they actually DO? 🙇🏼
Last week, a fellow consultant asked me this & I wasn’t satisfied with how I answered.

So I did some soul-searching & uncovered:

My fear is that I’m stating the obvious & that I’ll sound stupid. 😳
(Origin: my younger brother has a super high IQ & picked up chess much faster than me–it became a family joke & still, to this day, I don’t play.)

I get frustrated, even defensive, when I have to explain my fundraising superpowers. 🙅‍♀️
(Origin: my first fundraising boss would sit our team down with leadership ONLY when there were challenges, never to celebrate our successes.)

Aware of my emotional set-backs, I sat down & worked through a clearer way to talk about my fundraising consulting.

Here’s where I am TODAY:

I empower mid-size nonprofits to grow the “messy middle” donor level through quick, authentic, & successful 5 minute phone conversations.

(“Messy middle” = community members whose gifts aren’t sizable enough for the Major Gifts officer’s portfolio, but who need more 1:1 engagement than smaller gifts that come in through email, letter, & social media appeals.)

Directors of Development (DoDs) see the fundraising potential of having a robust and sustainable mid-level giving program, but they’re frequently unsure how to grow it, what resources to use, or how to get leadership to buy into the investment.

And to address the elephant in the room 🐘:

Frequently DoDs & Leadership have some personal “ick” when it comes to using phone calls as a tool for fundraising– but they do care about results (& their eyes start to sparkle when they hear my case studies! ✨).

What do you think? Is this explanation clear to you? Is there anything you think I should phrase differently or give further clarification?

Thank you for letting me be vulnerable on LinkedIn (who would have thought?! 🤯).