735. Case Study: How a Grant Rejection Turned Into a $223,000 Yes - Katie Hannah, Momentum Leaders

Innovation
Written By Jon McCoy

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About This Episode

Katie Hannah printed out her rejection email and brought it to the interview: "your application does not make the case for membership at this time." Most fundraisers file that away and move on. The Director of Development at Momentum Leaders sent back one open-ended question — and it turned into a $223,000 yes. 🩵

This is This Is Possible in Practice, a limited series of case studies from the We Are For Good community: the ask they sent, the risk they took, and what happened next.

In this episode, you'll hear:

  • The exact email reply that reopened a closed door, and why an open-ended question is a near-guaranteed way to get a response

  • Why a "no" often means your mission didn't survive the 100-word box, not that the funder isn't interested

  • How to treat a rejection like a major donor visit: seek to listen, not to convince

You'll walk away with permission to get curious about the next no that lands in your inbox. 🩵

Episode Highlights:

  • (2:22) Katie's path from broadcast to Birmingham fundraising

  • (5:34) Inside Momentum Leaders: eight staff, $10.5M in salary gains

  • (7:56) The no: driving 90 minutes to a panel, then getting rejected

  • (11:44) Why your mission doesn't fit in 100 words

  • (13:40) Get curious about the no: perseverance as a fundraising skill

  • (15:34) The toiletries donor and the $100,000 check

  • (19:15) "No means nurturing oneself"

  • (20:05) One good thing: lead like a child

Episode Transcript

Meet Katie: The Fundraiser Who Treats “No” as an Open Door

Katie Hannah is Director of Development at Momentum Leaders, where she cultivates individual and corporate support behind the organization's mission and statewide expansion. Before Momentum, she built the giving programs at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama and led marketing, PR, and development across a 38-county territory at Alabama Goodwill.

A University of Alabama graduate and Birmingham native, Katie first came to Momentum Leaders not as staff but as a scholarship participant in the Upward program — while navigating a new role and two babies born back to back. She now raises the money that sends other women through the same doors.

Powerful Quotes

"We were given the invitation to apply, and it unlocked over $220,000. And it all started with a no." — Katie

"In this age of AI and automation, it is still deeply important to listen to your gut." — Katie

"I love answering an email with an open-ended question, because it is a near guaranteed way to get a response." — Katie

"Instead of just seeking to ask and ask and ask, seek the opportunity to listen — just like you would on a major donor visit." — Katie

"It doesn't mean that they're not interested in funding your work. It just means that it's an opportunity for a deeper conversation." — Katie

"She made every person feel like their gift, regardless of what it was, mattered — because it did." — Katie

"You simply never know where a relationship is going to lead." — Katie

"No means nurturing oneself." — Kathy Moore, via Katie

"Well, mommy, why do we have to be a thing?" — Katie's six-year-old

"Think about how you want to show up, not what you want to show up as." — Katie

Resources Mentioned

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Jon McCoy

Founder + CEO, We Are For Good

http://www.weareforgood.com
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734. The Planned Giving Multiplier: Why Your Most Loyal Donors Are Your Biggest Opportunity - Tony Martignetti