Welcome to the May 17th edition of Extreme Fundraising!
I think we often learn more from our mistakes than our successes so we’re continuing to look at the mistakes we make in asking people for money. Previous issues of the EFE are available in the archives at https://fundraisingcoach.com/ezine.htm.
I. FUNDRAISING FOLLIES: NOT WORKING THE PLAN
II. RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: FORIMPACT.ORG
III. CREATING DONOR EVANGELISTS AUDIO PROGRAM
I. FUNDRAISING FOLLIES: NOT WORKING THE PLAN
Have you ever heard the adage, “Plan your work; work your plan”? Why does it seem we have such a problem with that in fundraising? Â
We spend lots of time, money, and energy planning our work: studying our donors, interviewing prospects for a campaign, developing a strategy for solicitation, creating a timeline for activity. Then we look at the plan in all its beauty.
A few short weeks later we’re ready to scrap the plan and go to work creating a new one because the money isn’t rolling in. Somehow we forget that plans are not magic. They need to be worked.
We finally broke through that barrier in the campaign I’m helping direct. Finally, most people on the steering committee have gone through the entire to solicitation process with one of their prospects. And they’re developing confidence in the system we’d created. We’re still getting suggestions for cocktail parties but now more of the committee is saying, “Let’s try that after we’re done with our lists.” Yay!
As someone obviously committed to fundraising (why else would you be reading this ezine?), one of your mantra’s needs to be, “Let’s work the plan.” “Let’s get 50-100 solicitations under our belt before we change the process.” “Let’s do the work assigned to us before we begin new projects.”
If you need to be reminded yourself, feel free to give me a call: (207) 861-3377!
Plan your work. WORK YOUR PLAN.
[I’d love to hear your funniest mistakes! You can send them to me at marc@fundraisingcoach.com.]
II. RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: FORIMPACT.ORG
I love reading the material of people committed enough to their cause to be bold in their statements. ForImpact.org http://forimpact.org/ is one such group. I look forward to reading their blog and email. And I can’t wait to try out one of their 15 minute Tuesday motivation calls.
If you’re interested in falling in love with your work and in increasing your organization’s income, their material is definitely worth checking out.
[If you have tools that you’d like to recommend, please email me at marc@fundraisingcoach.com]
III. CREATING DONOR EVANGELISTS AUDIO PROGRAM
Yesterday a client wrote me saying “I get something new from the Creating Donor Evangelists Audio Program each time I listen to it.” CDE is helping nonprofits around the country move their donors from simply being ATMs to acting like radical fans. The techniques are simple and low cost but take incredible discipline to make them work. To download the free written report, go to https://fundraisingcoach.com/article.htm.
To purchase your own copy of the audio program, go to https://fundraisingcoach.com/ or simply click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/3skl6. The CD is $14.99 and, if you order now, you’ll get free shipping.
To your extreme fundraising success!
