What’s So Magical About Pat Kraft’s Fundraising?🔮

This question has been following me.

It started after reading a piece where Penn State’s head football coach, James Franklin, praised Athletic Director Pat Kraft’s fundraising:

‍“He’s doing a magical job… pushing and being aggressive.”

You could hear the admiration. As though Kraft had cracked some secret code.

Honestly? Maybe he has.

Pat Kraft has helped pull in tens of millions in a short timespan. He secured naming rights for Beaver Stadium’s field and jump-started a $700 million stadium renovation. That kind of momentum is hard to ignore.

And then I began to wonder:

Is “pushing and being aggressive” the magic?

For some, maybe yes. Sports fundraising runs on high-octane energy - urgency, vision, confidence. There’s a scoreboard. A deadline. A leader who looks a giver in the eye and says: “This is happening. Come with us.”

Kraft demonstrates the viability of this approach. Especially when givers are wired for speed, strategy, and legacy.

Yet I’ve experienced a different kind of magic.

It’s slower.
It starts with questions, not pitches.
It’s built on years of listening, not weeks of momentum.

Early in my career, I was trained to be more like Kraft. Make the ask. Create urgency. Push a little. Close the deal.

Then, a mentor offered me a different path. Before inviting someone to give, he challenged me to ask:

“What is God doing in their life right now?”
“And does this invitation align with that?”

At first, I wasn’t sure what to do with those questions. Then I decided to give them a shot. It happened when I sat down with a giver prepared to make his annual gift. I was ready to ask for $50,000. However, instead of leading the conversation with the ask, I took a moment to discover how his family and business were doing.

That’s when I learned his wife had recently become more engaged in their giving - and was drawn to causes that weren’t exactly aligned with ours.

So I responded with a question - one I would have never asked a year earlier:

“This might sound odd, but I’m not going to ask you for a gift today. Instead, I’d love to help you explore the causes your wife is drawn to.”

He was visibly moved. And over the next few years, I helped connect them to some of her passions. All the while, they continued giving generously to our cause.

Now that felt like magic.

Not because I pushed.
Not because I closed hard.
It was because I was aware of, and aligned with, what was already happening in their story.

To be clear - I’m not saying my approach is better. That kind of binary thinking can be a trap.

In fact, I have a lot to learn from someone like Pat Kraft.

Pat reminds me it’s okay to go big. That urgency can have purpose. That boldness isn’t arrogance when it’s rooted in conviction. And that not every giver needs to feel perfectly “aligned” before they act. Sometimes people like being caught up in something bigger, faster, and bolder than themselves.

I believe these aren’t competing styles, rather they’re just two different kinds of magic.

Here's how I'd frame the contrast:

Both can be considered magic. Both are effective, requiring courage, clarity, and conviction.

Maybe that’s part of the deeper magic at a place like Penn State.

While leaders like Kraft are closing $50 million gifts and driving ambitious campaigns, the students at Penn State - through an organization called THON - raised $17.7 million in February 2025 for pediatric cancer! This is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, marked by stories of transformation, joy, and collective generosity. One approach harnesses capital. The other harnesses community. Both change lives.

That’s not the result of just good fundraising.
That’s culture.

I am reminded that fundraising magic isn’t limited to high-powered boosters in boardrooms.

It can also live in gyms filled with dancing students.In hours of listening.In small, quiet invitations to be part of something bigger.

So here’s the question I’m asking of us:

What kind of magic are we called to cultivate?

Because not every gift needs to be pulled in by pressure.

Not every giver is moved by momentum.

Some are moved by trust.
By love.
By sacred timing.

And when those gifts come in something shifts. Not just in money alone, but in the story, the time, and the yes.

This isn’t magic in the showbiz sense. But it’s magic all the same.

* * * * * * * * * *

If you haven't taken advantage of some of the resources I've created to help major gift fundraisers, take a look now!  Initial calls with me are free and "no strings attached".  Sometimes folks feel like they need to wait and not 'bother' me until they have a pressing issue.  No need for that...just make the call. 🕺

‍Here's where you can access a lot of content for free:

‍* Follow me on LinkedIn - You'll get short pro-tips and reflections on major gift fundraising every day between 5-7am pacific.

* Breakthru Newsletter - As you've seen here, these are longer weekly posts (audio and written) sent directly to your email.

* Breakthru Blog - the newsletter from the previous week gets posted here each week for everyone (so email subscribers get it a week early).

* Breakthru Podcast - Interviews with high net worth givers about how we as fundraisers can get better at inviting them to the party.  And audio readings of Breakthru Blog posts.

‍Before getting to the PAID stuff: My opinion is that no small ministry with a tight budget should be spending more than $3-5k (total) for major gift coaching/consulting.  Most of you will be good-to-go spending far less than that.  This was a major issue for me when I was a frontline fundraiser - major gift consultants were an expensive 'black-box-of-confusion' for me.  That stops now.

‍Here's the PAID stuff:

‍* Online Catalyst Course - This is a full brain dump of my 28+ years of experience - good, bad, ugly.  It's built around the fundamentals, the sacredness, and the fun, of major gift fundraising.  It's infused with Henri Nouwen reflections.  Many people can take this course and they will be 'cooking-with-gas' and not need any additional coaching from me on the core systems.  I'm grateful that this course has gotten *great* reviews.

* Live coaching with me - I refer to this as "brain rental".  The ROI on live coaching, as you might imagine, is extraordinary.

Finally, be sure to connect with my colleague Ivana Salloum.  She's super awesome and can help with scheduling and access to resources, etc.

I look forward to hearing about your good work!

Blessings,