Fuel Series

OUR DYNAMIC REVENUE WORKSHOPS

Revenue Framework

The Fuel Series guides senior leadership teams to make the foundational and strategic decisions and priorities from which an organization builds revenue capacity.

The Fuel Series is a structured series of workshops grounded in revenue modeling, revenue strategy, organizational design, resource allocation, and revenue culture. Fuel Series allows teams to dig in, set action items, and build upon their work. Up to five members of the organization’s leadership team participate to ensure that key decision-makers are present, invested, and aligned. Workshops are held in cohorts of six to eight similar organizations, which are thoughtfully grouped to promote the sharing of ideas

FUEL

How it Works

Using our proven framework, RevJen’s Fuel Series
Workshops help organizations:

Reframe the team’s approach to revenue

that may be contributed, earned, government-funded, or any combination of these categories.

Identify root causes

of revenue challenges – not just symptoms.

Build a solid foundation

upon which sustainability (and thriving) can be achieved.

Fuel Series WORKSHOPS

Proven Results

say, "Our long-term revenue health has improved".

say, "Our organization is more strategic in regard to revenue development."

The concrete examples of what other orgs are doing on a topic I am struggling with allows me to properly set expectations and come back to my org with solutions and context

It's like going to the eye doctor to update your prescription, you don't realize you need an updated lens until you see it from the other side... Fuel Series gave us a new lens.

Is Fuel right for me?

What size organization is a good fit for Fuel?

We offer the Fuel Series in two formats, based on budget size. Our 6-week series (Fuel-6) is best suited for organizations with budgets over $1M. Our 4-week series (Fuel-4) is typically the best option for organizations with budgets of $250k-$1M.

We have multiple types of revenue streams, is that okay?

Yes! One of the unique things about the Fuel approach is that we talk about revenue comprehensively – every dollar in the door – instead of focusing on one stream.

When is the right time for our organization to do this work?

For most organizations, the right time is now (or 2 years ago!). Ideal times to do this work are when you are looking to scale the organization, you’re facing persistent revenue challenges, or you’ve got a recently completed strategic plan or new initiative. So, is there a wrong time to do this work? It can be more challenging to do this work when there are open positions in senior leadership, someone is transitioning out, or when an organization is in the middle of a capital campaign.

We are working with a consultant already, can/should we do this too?

The Fuel Series often works great alongside other consulting work, especially if the consulting is around strategic planning or fundraising. Most initiatives can benefit from the leadership team being aligned around the revenue model and strategy.

About Participation

Who should participate in Fuel with me?

The team that should participate in Fuel is the 2-4 people around the table when strategic decisions are being made. That means it depends on the way your team is organized. The teams that are most
successful have full participation from the CEO/ED and the person or persons who head up revenue (fundraising and/or sales) for the organization. Additionally, many senior leadership teams include heads of program, operations, and/or finance. For smaller organizations with fewer staff, board members who assist the CEO/ED with these decisions may be able to attend and support the CEO/ED.

How many organizations are in a cohort and how do you group the Fuel cohorts?

Most cohorts include 6-10 different organizations with varied missions. RevJen is intentional in the groupcohort design to create an environment where leaders can be transparent about their challenges and opportunities in revenue.

Can a board member or volunteer join us?

Yes. In some cases, a board member or other volunteer is so deeply involved in the strategic leadership of the organization that it makes sense for them to participate in the sessions. This is something to discuss during your enrollment meeting.

If I can’t make every session, should my team still participate?

Organizations get the most out of Fuel when the team participates together all the way through. Still, we know things come up and it isn’t always possible. To honor the investment in your organization, we ask you to let us know if a team member will be missing a session and to schedule time with your team outside of the workshop to talk through the work done during the session.

What should I tell my leadership team to get them to buy into this? It’s a really big time commitment.

We often ask leaders: What would it feel like if your leadership team was aligned about where the money to sustain and extend your mission was going to come from and what you were going to do to get it? This is what leadership teams consistently report as a major takeaway from the Fuel Series. In fact, some leadership teams find it such a valuable investment of time that they go through the Fuel Series again when their organization is at a different stage and needs to answer the same strategic leadership questions.

Can I send just one team member to attend, and let them share their learning?

The Fuel Series is built to provide common framework, common language, and the dedicated time for leadership teams to work together on revenue. Much of the workshop is spent in breakout groups where leadership teams work together on exercises and tools to build revenue capacity. We strongly believe that team alignment and participation is key to building a sustainable revenue engine for your organization. So, we never recommend a person attend the training alone.

About Process

How much of Fuel is learning and how much is doing?

The focus of the workshops is guiding your leadership team through decisions and exercises that help you get aligned around revenue. In each session, the majority of the time is “doing” with just enough “learning” to get your team ready to implement.

How is Fuel different from other fundraising trainings?

It’s different because it is about more than fundraising. We look at revenue comprehensively – every dollar in the door. The Fuel Series is about answering bigger, more strategic questions about your revenue model: uncovering revenue challenges, identifying revenue priorities, and setting revenue goals. Each of these help organizations identify root causes versus symptoms of organizational financial sustainability.

About Commitment

What is the time commitment for Fuel?

For Fuel-6 (organizational budgets over $1M), the training takes place once per week over 6 weeks, with one 2-hour session per week. For Fuel-4 (organizational budgets of $250k-$1M), the training takes place once per week over 4 weeks, with one 2-hour session per week. There is homework before each session, averaging about an hour each week.

How much work is there outside of the actual workshop?

Each week there are assignments to complete to prepare for each session. The average time commitment is about an hour, though it varies from week to week. Sometimes, teams will have additional work to finish up in-session assignments they didn’t fully complete. Many teams find it helpful to schedule a “Fuel Homework” meeting on their calendars ahead of the session. Alternatively, in lieu of scheduling time as a team to complete the homework, we have made adjustments so that it can be done individually instead. We will be strongly encouraging participants to complete the homework in between sessions, whether independently or as a team. We have found that leaders and their organizations who put the most into this experience get the most out of it. Organizations and their leaders will need to dedicate the time in session and in between sessions to get the most value out of the program.

About Logistics

What is the cost (or in-kind donation write-off, for scholarship participants)?

The cost of participation is $7,500 per organization for the Fuel-6 Series and $5,000 per organization for the Fuel-4 Series. Placement is determined by the organization’s current revenue. The availability and an organization’s eligibility for a scholarship will be discussed during the enrollment interview.

Do we meet in-person or virtually?

Right now, all of our Fuel Series workshops are delivered virtually.

What platform do we use for the meetings?

The live sessions happen over Zoom, and all of the materials, assignments and relevant links are accessed through our learning management system.

About RevJen’s Expertise

What are the qualifications of the facilitators who lead the Fuel Series?

The facilitators who lead the Fuel Series come from diverse backgrounds, but all are well-trained facilitators with rich experience in senior leadership roles in non-profit and for-profit organizations. They are professional coaches, facilitators, and consultants with full schedules who facilitate with RevJen because of their passion for the sector.

How long has RevJen been doing this, and how did you come up with the content?

RevJen began by working with organizations individually in 2004. Fuel Series content emerged from the common themes and tools from that work, and our desire to serve more organizations. We continue to build and evolve the content, leveraging experts from the for-profit and non-profit sectors to create a unique approach to revenue.

About Outcomes

What will I walk away with after the training is through?

Your leadership team will walk away with common language and common framework for revenue discussions, and you will have had dedicated time discussing and building your revenue capacity. Each session, your team will answer strategic questions. the end, you will be aligned on revenue priorities and have actionable next steps on how to build, monitor, and sustain your organization’s capacity to secure repeatable predictable revenue. Key outcomes from recent participants include:

• 88% of organizations state that their organization is more strategic in regard to revenue development.
• 76% state that their organization executed their revenue priorities as established in their Fuel sessions.
• 84% state that their long-term revenue health has improved.

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