In this episode I visit with Mike Perkins, President and CEO of Heroic Media about his career, what he has learned about fundraising and ministry along the way and how he came into his current role with Heroic Media.

Mike began his career as a youth minister but was asked to help with fundraising projects along the way. When he was discerning how to support his family and remain in ministry, he received two recommendations in the same day to consider working as a development officer.

People sometimes equate philanthropy and sales but Mike believes they are very different. He never “pitches” prospective donors on giving to an organization, but he presents opportunities to support. Mike always believes that he works on behalf of the benefactors and not the organization.

Mike believes that if development officers who choose their organizations wisely can move up in the nonprofit world and eventually become leaders and even president.

Mike’s first job in development was with Texas Wesleyan. Later, Mike worked for Audubon Texas, the University of Dallas, Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), Petrus Development, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and now Heroic Media.

Mike recommends getting reading lists from graduate programs in development. Mike suggested:

Certificate in Catholic Philanthropy: University of Mary in Bismarck, ND
Masters of Arts in Philanthropy and Development: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, MN

Mike encouraged young development officers to remember that it is easier to raise $1M from someone who can afford it than $1,000 from someone who cannot.

For reading materials, Mike suggested the following books:

Achieving Excellence in Fundraising by Hank Rosso
Conducting a Successful Capital Campaign by Kent Dove
Designs for Fundraising by Harold Seymour
Relationship Fundraising by Ken Burnett
Give to Live by Douglas Lawson
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Woman Clothed with the Sun by John Delaney

For more information about Mike Perkins and his work and to connect with him, visit: https://heroicmedia.org/