If you’re like most nonprofit professionals, you are inundated with stuff to do.  Your “To Do” list grows longer everyday with no end in sight. 

We all have the same 24 hours in a day.  The key to success is knowing which things to focus on at any given time.  If you want to Get Fully Funded, you need to learn how to spend your time on the things that matter and that will move you forward toward your fundraising goals.  If you’re like many people, you’re probably doing lots of different things during the day like:  

• Things you shouldn’t be doing in the first place (like serving on non-fundraising committees)
• Things that are easy to do that anyone in your office or a volunteer could do (like filing or stuffing envelopes)
• Things that could be delegated to someone else (like editing a newsletter or making changes to a website)
• Things that only you can do (like building relationships with donors)

 I bet you can guess what I’m going to tell you to focus on! 

You must spend your time on the things that only you can do and those things that move you closer to your fundraising goals.  This level of priority management may seem extreme, but it can be learned and implemented.

The better job you do at managing your time and your priorities, the more time you’ll have to spend on cultivating relationships with donors.  This is, after all, what will move you toward raising all the money your nonprofit needs.

We’re getting closer!  September 30 is the day my new book will be available!  And we’re counting down the days with 30 days of tips right here on the Get Fully Funded blog!  Stay tuned for more details!

If you are a nonprofit director, you know that the budget line item for training and development is often the first one to go when things get tight.  But this is SO short-sighted! Too often, visionless Boards start cutting things out instead of ramping up the fundraising (but that’s a topic for another day!).

Whether it’s a book, a workshop, or a coach, investing in yourself has a tremendous impact on your nonprofit organization, its mission, and the people who benefit. When you strengthen your skills, you strengthen your ability to lead and to get the job done.  You become the kind of leader that people want to follow.  Investing in yourself has a magnificent ripple effect that touches just about everything in the organization, because you start doing your job better.

Just in case you need them, here are some reasons WHY you want to invest in yourself and your organization.

• It’s the best return on your investment.  For a nonprofit, there’s no better place to invest money. Staff development is the most important key for future success.  The dividends from investing in your knowledge are many – new skills, new resources, improved commitment, an attitude adjustment – the list goes on.
• It ensures the future success of your organization.  If you want to make sure that your organization is around in 1 year or 5 years or 20 years, invest in it today!  How else will you keep up with the latest trends in fundraising and nonprofit management?
• It shows that you’re serious about what you’re doing.  People who are serious about success invest in themseleves.  They attend workshops and conferences to increase their knowledge about their field.  They do what it takes to make sure they’re playing at the top of their game.
• It demonstrates your committment to your mission.  Leaders of organizations that have risen to the top of the pack have the attitude of doing whatever it takes.  They are uber-committed to their mission and the people they serve.  You better believe they are investing in their people!
• It shows you are committed to being around for the long haul.  By investing in yourself and your nonprofit, you show that you are committed to long-term success, not some flash-in-the-pan adventure.

Obviously, you want to make a good decision about the things you invest in.  Look for opportunities that support your learning style and those that are a good value financially.  I don’t mean only jump on cheap things.  Instead, make sure that what you get for the money is well worth it.  I’ve spent thousands of dollars on coaching programs that returned value to me like mad in terms of new revenue, new opportunities, enhanced skills, new connections, and more.

Once you decide which opportunities look good to you, take advantage of them!  Don’t purchase books then put them on the shelf or buy a ticket for a workshop only to spend half of it in the hallway on the phone.  Commit yourself to learning all you can from them.  Then implement.  It does no good to learn new things if you don’t put them into action.  Taking action and moving forward will nearly always lead to success.

We all procrastinate from time to time, don’t we? There are lots of reasons why we do it – fear, perfectionism, doubt – the list goes on. We really need to just dig in and get the thing done. Here’s a great little video to help you get your stuff done.

There are lessons all around us if we’re willing to look.  I’m big on creating systems in your office to make fundraising (and everything) run smoother and easier.  Here’s a great experience I had a couple of days ago which reminded me of the importance of systems.

I drove my Mom to Kentucky for a memorial service for my uncle who passed recently and on the way home, we stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast.  I’m not usually a big Waffle House fan, but it was convenient so we decided to stop.  It was crowded and we took a seat at the counter (which I liked because I could watch the cooks).

It became very clear very quickly that the group of people working (and there were several) were not working together as a team.  If there was a system for taking orders and filling them, they either weren’t trained on it or they were ignoring it.  After 30 minutes, we still had not been served and I noticed lots of other customers looking quite annoyed.  There was a man with an official looking name tag and clip board watching, but he did nothing to help the misfit crew.  I would love to know what he was doing, because he clearly wasn’t there to help!

There are so many details I could share about this particular experience, including the waffle cook who poured the batter into the waffle irons, neglected to set the timer, then walked off.  When we finally asked when our waffles would be ready, the waitress, opened the waffle irons, saw the scorched waffles, then dumped them in the trash.  Someone else rushed up, poured more batter in, and when the waffles were done, quickly carried them off to another customer.  Grr.

I was totally fascinated at the dysfunction of it all.  Mom was so mad she could have bit a nail in two.

So, what are the lessons here and how do they apply to fundraising?  First, have a system.  You want to make sure that every donor who interacts with your organization has a good experience.  How do you do that?  Have a system in place.  Make donors a priority.  Make sure you thank them appropriately. Do you consistently send a warm, sincere, prompt thank-you letter?  Are you writing the letter at the moment you need it or do you have a letter ready to tweak and use whenever it’s needed? Systems will help you make sure that things are done consistently and smoothly, and that will ultimately help you raise more money.

Second, have the right people in the right spots.  In the Waffle House kitchen, there were 2 people cooking, and it was clear they knew their job.  But everyone else seemed to bounce from one thing to another, with nothing really getting done.  Calling out the orders was definitely a place where things broke down.  A waitress (not ours) called out our order (reading it wrong) and we were initially served toast and eggs (definitely not the waffle we ordered).  Where was the team leader?  Where was the manager?  There was no one managing the chaos that morning.  Make sure the people on your team are in the right spots and know what their job is.

Third, make sure people are trained and provide support.  I’m thinking that the waffle cook who neglected to set the timer, then walked away either forgot part of his training or got distracted by something more interesting.  Someone should have been there to remind him to stay on task.  Your people might be staff or volunteers.  Either way, make sure they know what they’re supposed to do and be there to answer questions for them to help them be successful in their jobs.

So, that’s how my waffle got burned.  A busy morning added pressure to a weak, non-working system where people weren’t clear about their roles, and weren’t supported by a leader.

By the way, my Mom swears she’ll never go to Waffle House again.  I’m skeptical, but if I decide to go again, I’ll definitely be watching to see if their system is working.

I’ve been watching with sadness the controversy surrounding Greg Mortenson and the nonprofit he heads up.  I think it’s made my heart so heavy because I just read “Three Cups of Tea” which tells the story of how he got started.  I was very moved by the story and even wondering how I could help.  Then I started seeing news stories online about how money isn’t being used wisely, etc.  I hate it when any nonprofit has to face these kinds of situations.

Whether you believe in the allegations being made about Greg or not, it doesn’t really matter – the damage is done.  Lots of people will hear the accusations and believe them instead of digging in to find out what the real story is (by the way, the accusations never tell the whole truth).

There’s a HUGE lesson here for everyone.  Do EVERYTHING you can to protect your nonprofit’s reputation.  I’ve always said that your reputation is about all you have.  Once it’s damaged, it takes a lot of time and energy to repair.  Once it’s damaged, it makes a big impact on whether the community wants to continue to support you or not.  Once it’s damaged, fundraising gets a lot harder.

How do you protect your reputation?  Be trustworthy and honest and ethical. Be a good steward of the gifts donors have given.  Be willing to share your financial reports with anyone who wants to see them.  ALWAYS build trust with donors and the community.

Nonprofit leaders who don’t pay attention to this or gets complacent thinking “that will never happen to us” are asleep at the wheel and put their nonprofit’s reputation on the line.

It’s time to wake up! One person grumbling about how your nonprofit handles money can be the start of an avalanche you don’t want to be in. 

How to Work With Bosses and Volunteers to Raise More Money

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of speaking at the Western North Carolina chapter of AFP in Asheville.  I had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones.

Can you imagine me anywhere not having fun?

I spoke to them about working with bosses and volunteers in fundraising, especially when you don’t like your boss or volunteer.  I know this is (unfortunately) a common issue for lots of people and I’ve experienced it myself.

I remember working as a Development Director and not liking my boss much.  It wasn’t easy, but we were able to be successful in fundraising as a team.

Here are some of the things I shared with the group.

There are three keys to being able to work with a boss or volunteer in fundraising. 

The first is communication. We must learn to be clear in asking for what we want and in sharing information.  And we must learn to set clear expectations when we set out to work with someone else.  This above all I think is critical in relationships!  I see lots of problems on Boards because people were not given a good idea of what to expect when they agreed to serve on the Board.  Being clear in the beginning can prevent a lot of problems later.

The second key is trust. No matter how much we like or dislike someone on our team, we must work to build trust with them.  Otherwise, we aren’t going to get very far.  Some ways you can build trust are to act consistently and keep your word.  Do what you say you will do.  And treat people with respect.  Remember, if you don’t respect someone, it’s your problem, not theirs.  It’s yours to fix.  Again, I know this isn’t easy, but it’s what will help you be successful in raising money.

Finally, I talked about ‘leading from the chair.’ There are an awful lot of Executive Directors and Board chairs out there who have little in the way of leadership skills.  If this is your situation, then you can try providing leadership without actually being in charge.  It’s not easy to do, but with some grace, it can be done.  When I was in this position, I found that it was a matter of gently (and I mean gently!) sharing information that my boss needed to know, and making suggestions as to the action that was needed.  Over time, my boss turned to me repeatedly for advice and insight into lots of situations.

Sometimes the relationship with your boss or your volunteer is so damaged and broken that no amount of trust and respect will repair it.  That’s when it’s time to dust off your resume and go find another job.

The good news about working with bosses and volunteers in fundraising is that you can get a lot more accomplished when working as a team.  They may have connections in the community that you need or knowledge of your organization that you don’t have.  Either way, presenting a united front to your donor prospects will get you much farther down the road of raising money for your good cause.

I had the privilege of attending the AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) Think Tank a couple of weeks ago.  It was so cool to be among a group of great thinkers to talk and brainstorm.

One of the things that came up was the number of people who are entering the profession without a solid understanding of our principles and ethics.  Lots of people take jobs in nonprofit fundraising and assume their sales or other corporate skills will transfer.  While an awful lot of things are the same, some are very different.

Skills/concepts that translate:

• Marketing concepts are the same in for-profit as in non-profit.  It’s about identifying target audiences, key messages, and consistent communication.
• Good leadership is always appropriate!
• Customer service works very well in the nonprofit.  Donors, volunteers, and people in the community enjoy being treated well and sort of expect it from nonprofit organizations.

Skills/concepts that don’t translate:

• Working on comission is considered unethical among professional fundraisers.  This is troublesome, because in the for-profit world, it’s a commonly accepted practice.  In fundraising, the donor expects 100% of their gift to go directly to the nonprofit to help people.  When a commission is given, the nonprofit doesn’t get 100% of the gift.
• In the for-profit world, it’s all about me, me, me.  In the non-profit world, it’s about what’s in the best interest of the organization.  In fact, there are times when a fundraising professional needs to step out of a donor relationship so as not to muddy the waters.  For example, imagine that a particular Director of Development (DD) builds a very strong relationship with a particular donor, so much so that the donor decides to leave the DD in her will (not the non-profit).  This puts the DD in a precarious ethical situation, because they are working to secure resources for the non-profit, not for themselves.

I’m sure there will continue to be many well-intended people who try to apply what they know from the for-profit world to the non-profit one.  Somehow, we must find a way to education them about our industry’s ethics so they can be successful in their new jobs.

Work rhythms are common. We all fall into ways of doing things that serve us in some way. We host the same special event each year or we submit the same grant application each year. It works for a while, but then attendance starts to drop off or our grant is no longer funded. But it’s a good idea to evaluate your work habits periodically to make sure they still work.

I was talking with a client yesterday and she was telling me about someone in her organization who has become a problem child. Every time others talk about changing things or trying something new, this woman says “that’s not the way we do it.” She’s not willing to hear a new idea. She’s so stuck in the old ways of doing things that she’s starting to impede the progress of the organization. In fact, she clings so tightly to the old ways, that she’s gotten quite negative with others and has lost sight of the mission of the organization. Others are now avoiding interaction with her because of her negativity. It’s become “me vs. them” and she’s determined to win.

I can remember working with a couple of people just like this. In one case, I came back from a conference with new ideas ready to implement, and she did her best to discredit me and squash my enthusiasm. I never could understand why she was so negative, unless she was terrified of change. Either that or she wanted to be the “Star of the Show” and I was stealing her limelight. Either way it was holding the nonprofit back from doing bigger and better things.

So, back to my original question. What happens when you do what you’ve always done? You get what you always got.

If you aren’t happy with the fundraising results (or any results for that matter) you’re getting, then you MUST change what you’re doing. Simple as that.

You have to find a way to get these negative folks on board with moving forward, or they need to be let go. I know that’s harsh, but it’s true. You have way too much important work to do in the world to be held back by someone who has their own agenda.

Have you had experience working with negative people in your nonprofit who were reluctant to change? I’d love to hear your story. Click on the comment link and share.

I saw a great blog post this morning from a former coach of mine, Andrea Lee.  She said:

“If you have been complaining about not earning enough money for more than one month – not earning enough money isn’t really an emergency for you.”

Translated for the nonprofit world, it means if you’ve been complaining about not raising enough money for more than a month, it must not be a problem.  Because if it was REALLY a problem for you, you’d do something about it.

Think about it: there are lots of things we tolerate:  a broken piece of office equipment, a slow computer, a volunteer who isn’t quite working out but we don’t want to have to fire them.  We put up with it for months longer than we should.  A true problem or emergency gets our attention and we do something about it, fast.

Back to fundraising.  Are you raising enough money?  And is that a real problem or are you tolerating it? 

This is some tough love, I know.  But here’s the thing:  the time you spend complaining about the situation is a waste.  How about instead, make an action plan and go DO something about it.  You’ll be much more productive with your time and you’ll likely see things start to happen.

If you need a little help getting motivated and moving, stay tuned.  I’m about to launch a very inexpensive 1-hour Clarity session where you can get clear about exactly what you need to do to start raising more money.  I’ll help you craft a 90-day plan of action with easy-to-follow steps.

“If you do what you’ve always done, then you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

I love that saying.  In the world of fundraising it means that if you keep doing things the same old way, you’ll keep getting the same old results.  I’m stunned by how many people are surprised when things don’t turn out differently. When you send the same tired appeal letter year after year, you aren’t going to raise more money. If you hold the same mediocre event year after year, don’t expect an increase in response.

I was coaching a gala committee made up of Board members and volunteers recently.  They have a wonderful annual event and they’re very disappointed in the results they are getting.  They have over 400 people in the room and are raising just over $20,000.  Not good, says I.  So I asked them in detail about the event.  From what I gathered, they are telling their story, sharing client testimonials, and engaging people in their vision, but when it comes time to make the Ask, they are dropping the ball.  They are leaving it up to their guests to figure out if they should give and how much to give.  In otherwords, they are being a bit wishy-washy about asking people for money.

There’s a lesson here for everyone:  you MUST ask for a gift. Don’t assume that people know how much you need or how much it costs to run your programs.  Be bold and ask for a specific amount for a specific purpose.  For this particular group, I told them they need to let people know how much it costs them to provide service to 1 client for 1 year, and ask donors to sponsor a client.  And, I told them to include indirect costs when they calculated the costs per client per year.  (There was a bit of silence at this point.  Then they realized they don’t know what it costs them per client, which I told them was their first piece of homework.) 

After many of the ideas I shared, committee members said “We know that.”  I tried to explain to them that knowing a thing and doing a thing are different.  It’s one thing to know you need to exercise every day, but it’s a whole different ball game to actually do it.  Your body will definitely reflect the difference in whether or not you take action on the things you know about exercise!  If the things you “know” aren’t working, then it’s time to do some self-reflection.  Are you implementing what you know?  If not, there’s the first place to make some changes.  If you’re someone who says “We tried that and it didn’t work” then it’s time to find some new ways of doing things.  Either way, you’ve got to get out of your rut and start thinking differently. New ways of thinking usually results in new action and new results.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.  Don’t let fundraising drive you insane.  Change up what’s not working to what we know works and I guarantee you’ll see better results.