Are you stuck on the fundraising treadmill?
Does fundraising ever feel like running on a treadmill — you’re working hard but not going anywhere?
Are you spending too much time doing everything else BUT connecting with givers?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, you might be making the fatal mistake of reacting to everyone else’s priorities (internal emails, meetings, etc.) when what you really need to be doing is proactively prioritizing the critical work of developing relationships with your champions.
How do you break the cycle?
Start small.
Block off one hour on your calendar two or three times each week and commit to only using that time to have meaningful two-way interactions with your champions.
Guard that time fiercely.
During those blocks of time, your only job is to connect with your champions and reach out and schedule future times to connect.
You can meet in person, but you don’t have to.
Phone calls count.
Back-and-forth text messages count.
A grateful and heartfelt personal email, where you ask a meaningful question, and they respond, counts.
Does that feel overwhelming?
Start with a goal of three meaningful connections with your champions each week and see if you can work your way up from there.
Don’t let the fatal mistake of reacting to other people’s priorities hold you back.
Take control and start prioritizing time with your champions today, and watch as they show up and unleash more boundless generosity into the world than you ever imagined possible.
Do you enjoy hashtag#FundraisingFriday? Are you looking for more ways to grow as a fundraiser? Let’s meet in Oklahoma City this September!
I’m hosting a half-day pre-conference workshop called Resilient Fundraising as part of the CAFO Summit in Oklahoma City on September 20 and I’d love to see you there!
Learn more and register here.