I’m a huge believer in goal setting. Especially in the power of writing down goals.

Every December, I write a list of 100 things I want to accomplish in the next 12 months. This technique isn’t for everyone, but it’s fun to see how well received it is for people who push through (like Jon Swanson).

A few years back, my friend Spring Gouette did the list. 8 or 10 weeks later, she sent me this:

Hey Marc,

Just had to share a funny thing. I did the magnet goals form this year (not putting them into my planner, but creating the lists and asking myself the suggested questions) and I read the comment you made that even just writing out 100 things you’d like to accomplish would have an impact, if I didn’t do the rest of the steps. Well, I totally agreed with that, but I didn’t expect the way it worked out.

Yesterday I made my first trip to a recording studio to start my CD (you can read about it on my blog). Preparing for that the last week, I began to do some searching for things to help my vocal health–my allergies have gotten bad so my voice is weak. Well, anyway, I ordered a couple things and it has been my focus all week.

Last night I came across my “100 Goals and Dreams.” #2 was “improve vocal control/range/support”! I do NOT remember writing that at all! It was apparently the SECOND thing I came up with, and I don’t remember it, but it has become my focus for the spring. That is too weird! So I decided to read the rest and see what else I had written, and I was so excited to find I had done 9 of the 79 things I came up with! I don’t know that they will all happen–like “ride a horse 3 times,” but I put dreams in there too. So who knows!

I figured that having written the list would keep those things in my mind, what I didn’t anticipate was that even NOT remembering, I would accomplish them… must be my subconscious!

Anyway, just wanted to share!

Thanks for making that available!

Spring

Spring’s experience is much like mine. Writing down goals is sort of like giving your subconscious something to chew on.

Four Months Left

It’s a new month. There are only 4 months are left in 2011. Why not write a list of 100 things you’d like to be accomplished between now and December 31?

If you’d like to learn about the list of 100, you can sign up for the free MagnetGoals e-course over at: http://fundraisingcoach.com/magnet-goals/

To hear some of Spring’s music, head over to: http://www.myspace.com/springgouette

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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I’ll be speaking at the Social Media FTW conference on September 22 in Portland, Maine. The organizers have asked each of the presenters to do a quick video promoting why people should come to their session.

Would you help me decide which video to send to the conference organizers? It would be great if you could click through to YouTube and vote by clicking the “like” button on the one you like most. (Please only click the like button, not the thumbs down.) But that is asking alot, I know. So you can vote in the comments here too.

This video promo is less than 1 minute:

If you can’t see the video here, it’s on YouTube at http://youtu.be/ZAU9phQUtaU

This one is slightly longer:

If you can’t see the video here, it’s on YouTube at http://youtu.be/YCfTOxyWJc8

To get a discount for the conference, go to http://www.socialmediaftw.com/ and enter the code: marcpitmanFTW

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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This summer, I’ve served on an ad hoc strategic planning committee for an organization here in Maine that’s just celebrated its tenth year.

As with any organization that survives this long, we find the environment now is a lot different than when the organization was birthed. The economy is totally different. We’ve learned more about our communities. And we have more experience living out our mission.

Not surprisingly, our by-laws need updating. They are still pretty good, but pruning is needed in some areas, more clear language in other areas. Leadership succession needs to be clarified. As do committees–some are duplicating work; others are really no longer needed.

Our facilitator through the strategic planning process has been Steve Pecukonis likened this to architects design an entire building but intentionally don’t put down walkways. Instead, they let people walk up to the building and over time see what parts of the grass get the most worn. Then they put in the walks in those places.

That’s where we are with this organization. We’ve come through much of the organizational development dance of the first 4 years. But now we have some very well worn paths. Fortunately, most of them are in the vicinity of the paths that were laid down when the organization started. But not all of them are. Some corrections are needed.

Does this sound like your nonprofit? Are there areas in you work or structure that could use revisiting?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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I’m a big fan of ongoing education, so I was intrigued to be reminded that college courses on fundraising exist online. In this post, Brandy Olson tells us about some. Brandy is an internet marketer, writer and lover of all things outdoors. She currently performs market research for 43a.com when she is not contributing her own thoughts and observations to the online community.

It’s hard to argue these days that you can’t find any information you need through the World Wide Web. If you want to learn how to build a sailboat or master the culinary trickery of a soufflé, the steps and advice is ripe and ready for you to pluck off of the Tree of Free Internet Knowledge. Therefore it can be hard to convince yourself of the importance of getting an education, especially when it comes to learning the fundraising ropes. Yet, in today’s world of limited disposable income it’ll certainly take a learned mind to master the art of fundraising. While I can’t promise free online college classes that focus on fundraising, there are a few programs available online that you should know about.

Fundraising – it sounds easy enough. If girl scouts can do it, then anyone can, right? Who needs to take classes to learn how to ask people for money?

When you’re trying to raise funds during a global economic slump, it becomes harder than just playing the averages and hoping for the best. People are far less willing to depart with their money and rightfully so – when it comes to insuring your own or handing money out to strangers, the choice is a simple one.

But the overwhelming majority of fundraising is time spent working on leads – and it’s this aspect of the game that takes time to learn. You only have so many hours in the day, and in those hours you’ll be expected to make some considerable gains. That means you have to know what entities are worth going after and which aren’t. You need to know which levels of donations are worth what amount of time chasing after and which aren’t worth ten seconds of salesmanship.
You’ll only find this stuff out by learning it.

Assuming you have no interest in a traditional college, or don’t have one nearby that offers a quality fundraising degree program, I’ve decided to see how many online opportunities exist for fundraising. Just by executing a Google search for “fundraising online courses” I found a variety of leads.

It turns out that the overwhelming majority of online fundraising education offered is through Canadian universities. Another quick Google search provided me with information indicating that Americans not only have an easy time attending Canadian colleges, but that the costs are remarkably cheaper. While the particulars regarding online college were hard to find, I’m sure it’s no different and in fact probably easier.

Canadian colleges that provide students with fundraising learning opportunities include Georgian, Humber University, and Mohawk College. These typically come in the form of what are known in Canada as an Associate Certificate. So for all you fundraisers out there with self-professed “education allergies” keep in mind that getting a good education in the art of fundraising doesn’t take a lot of time to accomplish.

As far as American sources for online fundraising education resources New York University was the most notable institution appear. Apparently, NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies offers a series of online courses aimed at improving professional understanding regarding the ins and outs of non-profit ethics, grant writing, and capital campaign management. I don’t know about you, but the chance to receive a NYU-quality education through the web is pretty remarkable especially when it comes to such a specific topic as fundraising.

Reading the Wikipedia articles on fundraising, non-profits, grants, and tax write-off is a good place to start, but that won’t cover everything. Mastering the art of fundraising requires learning a thing or two from actual human beings who have seen success in their own efforts to fundraise. Maybe you can find that in YouTube, but you will definitely find it through online college sources if you choose to look there.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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Today I had the pleasure of being interviewed about Google+ along with Michael Hiles. I made sure to include how I thought nonprofit employees could leverage Google+ (and nonprofits when businesses and organizations are allowed on).

You can hear the whole 45 minute show at Google+ – Don’t believe the hype? or here:

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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Twitter chats can be a terrific way to meet new colleagues and get ideas for your work from really creative people.

I’m particularly excited about the #smNPchat Pamela Grow started. We “meet” on Twitter every other Friday at noon Eastern time to discuss marketing and fundraising topics related to small nonprofits. Many people that join are or have been in one-person shops.

Last time we discussed fundraising letters, testing our fundraising packages, and overcoming writer’s block. Today’s topic is “Summer time and the living is easy…or not.” We’ll look at how those of us in small shops, and those of us who support small shops, can use the summer to plan ahead and, maybe, to take some time for ourselves too.

To learn more about #smNPchat, check out the page on Pamela’s site.

To learn some strategies on participitating in Twitter chats check out my blog post: 5 Tips to Maximize Twitter Chats.

I hope you’ll choose to join use at noon today!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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I’ve just finished my final polish on my slides for the three talks I’m doing this week.

I’m so excited! These are going to be great trainings!

The LinkedBook?

Wednesday, I’m giving 3-hour training on how to effectively use social media for individuals and small organizations. I’m calling it The LinkedBook? because all the tools can get confusing. People are going to learn:

• Where social media “comes from” (it’s not the stork!)
• How to develop a strategy (If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else!)
• How a website, blog, and email list fit into your strategy (they’re central!) and how to do those well
• Practical tips for using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn (getting beyond farmville!)

Yeah, that is alot to cover in three hours. But I talk fast. I had so much more to cram in, I’ve started a book called “The LinkedBook? Marc A. Pitman’s Guide to Social Media.” The content is far better than the title and early drafts will be available for purchase tomorrow.

This seminar is hosted by the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce in Lewiston, Maine. There might still be room so call them if you’re interested: (207) 783-2249.

Ask Without Fear!

Thursday, I’m giving the 2011 Whitley Lecture for the New Jersey AFP chapter. I’ll be delivering my Ask Without Fear! fundraising training. People there will learn:

• Why fundraising is such an incredible privilege (fundraising isn’t the “f” word!)
• The simple “Get R.E.A.L.” approach to major gift fundraising (keeping it simple helps!)
• 5-7 common fundraising mistakes (we all make ‘em, might as well laugh at them!)
• and an easy exercise to help you overcome objections before you’re sitting in front of the donor (it really can be easy!)

This is also 3-hours. I’ve given this seminar all over the world and love seeing people get jazzed about it. Even people that have been in the field for decades learn things during this seminar!

For more information about this seminar, or to register if there is space, go to: http://www.afp-nj.org/programs/AFP-NJ_March2011_Whitley_Lecture.htm.

Funding Missions

Then on Thursday night, I’ll be in Ronkonkoma, NY (on Long Island) doing a brand new session called “Funding Missions.” In this blend of Fundraising in the bible and Ask Without Fear!, people will learn:

• How Moses, David, and Nehemiah went about asking for money (this isn’t your “passing the plate” experience!)
• Why fundraising isn’t violating Jesus’ “don’t let your right hand know what your left is doing” teaching (even Jesus had donor support!)
• A simple plan to strategically asking for money (fundraising can be scary enough, why complicate it?)
• How to overcome objections even before they happen (because knowing is half the battle!)

This seminar is being hosted by IHOP-LI. People who register for this course are then able to join me from 9-12 on Friday morning to ask questions and to learn even more detailed approaches they can use. For more information, or to register if there’s still space, go to this announcement from IHOP-LI Funding Missions Fundraising Training.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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I’m thrilled to be able to announce that my publisher, 501 Videos, has made the Ask Without Fear DVD set available online!

Now you have the opportunity to get the DVD or have a lifetime membership to a site with the full set of videos, forms, and resources available to you wherever you are!

Did I mention we put the entire Ask Without Fear! book on the resource CD? That’s also included in the special membership site.

My goal is to make it ridiculously easy for people to get fundraising training, so I’m thrilled that they’re offering it this way too!

Check it out for yourself at: www.FundraisingCoachDVDs.com

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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Tomorrow I’m teaching my first “open” fundraising class. It’ll be held in Lewiston, Maine at the Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce.

For more information, and to register for the class, go to http://fundraisingcoach.com/class.

Apparently people are finding this lower price-point option fits with their ever tightening budgets!

The idea has proven so popular, I’m already in talks to bring this class to three other cities up and down the East Coast. Two organizations are even planning on using the class as a way to raise funds for their own missions.

If you think your area nonprofits and boards could benefit from an Ask Without Fear! Class send me an email at marc@fundraisingcoach.com. I’d love to see what we can do!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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I love 501 Videos free Movie Mondays. And I love history. So I loved listening to today’s “Brief History of Philanthropy” video!

Looking at ancient history, including named giving opportunities in Ephesus, Stuart takes us right up to the present. All in about 5 minutes!

To see it, just click on this screen shot to go to the Movie Mondays video:

Stuart is also featured in Movie Mondays Pro [affiliate link], the largest online collection of fundraising professionals on video. This subscription includes unlimited access to all 44 interview segments of the 3-DVD set “How To Find and Cultivate Donors” [affiliate link].

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

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