Fundraising resolutions for 2009

Two recommendations for you to make this year a better your for your nonprofit organization:

Evangelize fundraising.

You already get it. But I can almost guarantee there are people in your organization who think of fundraising as a dirty job, a necessary evil, an embarrassing add-on to the real work.

That attitude does more to hobble the work of nonprofits than anything but pure incompetence. If there's an anti-fundraising attitude in an organization, it will always end up shooting down good fundraising and instead practicing a lame, half-hearted, old-school fundraising. Which means less revenue and less public support.

So spread the good news: Fundraising isn't just about money. Giving helps donors be better people -- happier, healthier, more conscious. The more that's believed within your organization, the better off your fundraising, your mission, and your donors will be.

Be not afraid.

Or at least act like you're not afraid. These are tough times. We face hard choices and painful situations.

But if you let fear drive your thinking, it's going to be a lot worse. The fear-driven nonprofit that cuts fundraising and crawls into a hole will stay in their own recession one to two years after the general recession ends.

That's because when you stop filling the pipelines with new donors, you end up in the following year with few second-year donors. The second year after you stop acquiring donors, you have a shortage of core donors -- your best, most committed, most valuable donors. And the empty donor class continues to echo through your fundraising, hurting you for years into the future.

At the very least, keep acquiring donors.

Better yet, ramp up your donor acquisition. You may find that the fear-driven cutbacks of other organizations have left donor mailboxes less crowded.

Comments

[Annette]

I am new to fundraising. I am a teacher in a public school system in South Florida. We have no money. There is a hiring freeze and there are talks of consolidating positions and schools. As a result, individual schools have to become creative in trying to raise money in order to help the school function for the benefit of the child.
But in todays economy how can you when almost everyone is feeling the pinch? And if you aren't, you then hold on to your money, just in case.
I went to my Principal with a way to raise money for the school where parents would not be a penny out of pocket. And all she told me was that she would have to run it by the board. In the meantime, we are running out of paper and supplies. I am really frustrated. I went into education for the children but the politics is enough to turn you off.
Sorry for venting.

[Roger Carr]

Jeff, your message is right on track. There was a time when I saw fundraising in a poor light. When I started focusing on and getting excited about what the nonprofit was accomplishing, that all changed. Fundraising is now a natural part of what I do (and I am much more successful as a result). Thanks for the message.

[chris muscarella]

Jeff, love the message.

A big part of our New's Years resolution at Mobile Commons is to make it easier for organizations to combine their fundraising and participatory (advocacy, community, etc) efforts.

[Jordan Viator]

I absolutely agree with your resolution of fear not, Jeff. Despite the fact that the eco news of late has not been pleasant, organizations have to keep their heads high and try to go about "business-as-usual-as-possible" in order to stay ahead. This just echos/reinforces what I heard from Tony Elischer a few short weeks ago here in Austin.