But when the staff went home to put their shiny new techniques to work, they couldn’t get their boards and volunteers interested. So instead of the great success they’d been expecting from their training, they hit a brick wall.

The national organization that was stuck was the 4-H — you know, the folks who teach kids about agriculture. And they asked me for an answer.

Yep, there was a piece missing all right, a key to getting results that nobody was teaching. Something mysterious about how to gain acceptance of ideas and how to influence people, especially leaders.

What was great about this query was this bonus: Getting people to accept ideas is the same thing we’re doing when we’re raising money. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

That first question of theirs got my attention. I’m all about how you get peak performance, and I do love a puzzle. So I sort of went into hiding … to give myself time to figure out the question of influence (and what truly inspires people to give their all for the causes they believe in). I even dropped off the lecture circuit and started turning down consulting clients.

Little did I know this would turn into a decade-plus quest. In fact, what I ended up doing was so extensive I could call it my “Ph.D.” … but it was way more practical than any academic program I had come across. I invested in dozens of courses and workshops on change management, social psychology, personal development, organizational behavior … and paid dearly for one-on-one learning with some of the best minds on the planet. Even though I had a consulting practice of my own, I humbly “apprenticed” myself to other top consultants who were doing work I could learn from.

At the same time, I tested everything I learned — in consulting projects with a few carefully chosen clients, and with students in my own workshops (who went home to do things that amazed even me).

In the end, I saw results beyond anything I’d ever expected … results that went far beyond just raising money.

And that’s when I saw that raising money isn’t an end, but a path.

When you do it the right way, the authentic way, and allow people to do what they already want to do, that can really unlock the potential of your cause … and change the world. And that larger picture thinking became key to the work of those who’ve joined me on this quest.

(That’s when I began to find donors, civic leaders and board members wanting seats in the workshop. They came because they wanted to realize the aspirations they personally cared most about.)

So now, thanks to going outside my routines, I know much more about influencing people (based on their desires). And I’m still learning.

Mind you, not everybody has the time, the wherewithal, or the sheer obsession (smile) to do what I’ve done. But now you can tap into what’s taken me years to discover … and propel your cause forward.

That’s why I’m giving away as much as I can here. I’m on a mission. You’re trying to make all the difference you can, so you deserve all of the support I can give you.

And I’m making a concerted effort for the first time in years to return to my roots, and to turn the workshop that’s about the management of change directly toward those who seek to raise (significant) money — and to invite the professionals who have wanted to come. (Here’s more on it, and who’s benefited so far.)