Shiny Objects: What Happens When We Focus on the Money

It’s the middle of March and the frenzy of year end fundraising has long since settled. Perhaps you are reveling in the opportunity to finally catch your breath. If your organization performed above and beyond, meeting or exceeding your projections at this point in the year, well CONGRATULATIONS! are in order. I hope you are taking the time to celebrate your wins and all the people who played a role in your success. 

For others, however, that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach has taken hold as you worry about your team’s ability to hit your revenue targets for the year. Did you have campaigns or mailings that underperformed? Were you relying on major gifts that didn’t come through? Or maybe, as is commonly the case, you and your team were overwhelmed by competing priorities. The fact is that sometimes in our fundraising cycles, the strategies that we have come to rely on, that have worked so well for us in the past fall flat and we are faced with some difficult decisions on how to proceed. 

As panic sets in, this is a critical moment, but not for the reason you may think! Of course, meeting your fundraising goals are important for the health and viability of your mission, and as you prepare to pounce, scrapping your plans and declaring, “out with old, in with the new!” I caution you to slow down. The critical moment I’m talking about is how you respond versus how you react to your current circumstance. 

I know it’s easy to speak in platitudes, but I’ve been in your shoes and have walked the path of grasping at shiny objects, new tools, new game plans; anything to get back on track, settle the nerves and be able to report on wins to take the pressure off. It’s all about smashing those goals, making your board and leadership proud, right? WRONG! 

What if I suggested that your challenges don’t necessarily lie within your strategies or tactics, but rather your focus? What if I claimed that likely, your emphasis has been slanted too heavily toward the money and not the people? Well, in my experience, when I need to slow down to analyze and tackle a problem, I start with my checklist. I want to share one with you here, that I think will help you zero in on what actually needs to be fixed, a focus on the donors, not the fundraising. 

Here are some questions to help you regain focus and make sure your donors become the center of your fundraising universe. 

As you start to really ask yourself some of these questions, can you be honest with yourself about where things may have fallen short? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for trying new things, but sometimes making some tweaks and fixing what we already have in place is all we need to regain focus and get back on track. 

My philosophy? Focus on the people, and the money will come. 

I’d love to hear from you about what has worked in your experience when facing adversity in your fundraising efforts. Feel free to reach out and let me know- It would be so great to connect with you!