Who likes setting New Year’s Resolutions? I’ve never cared much for them.
Keeping and fulfilling Resolutions require far too much time and energy than many of us are willing to spare. Like millions of others, any Resolution I make is broken sheer minutes after the ball drops in Times Square.
It makes far greater sense to set smaller achievable goals that don’t require a massive upheaval of our current comfortable lifestyle. Make little adjustments here and there that we can live with. Go to bed fifteen minutes earlier each night. Call our moms once a week. Schedule a family game night once every month. All actions involve nothing more than slight behavioral tweaks. Piece of cake.
The same rule applies to charities. Rather than commit to wholesale strategies that require radical shifts in an organization’s culture and direction, a considerably more realistic course of action is adopting small changes to its operational and programming behaviour. It’s easier to absorb a series of minor pivots to different facets of an organization that enables it to have a greater impact in the community it serves.
Adding new habits and approaches to its fundraising practices can be a tremendous boost to a charity’s long-term sustainability. These changes are especially effective when they are widely adopted by board, staff and volunteers. Examples of such practical changes include:
· Randomly connect with a current mid-level donors every two weeks and remind them of their gifts’ impact;
· Invite a donor or sponsor to attend a committee meeting or another “behind the scenes” activity to advance your organization’s transparency;
· Encourage board members and volunteers to think of one thing about your organization that is very important to them that they can share with others within their spheres of influence;
· Refer people to your charity’s vendors, sponsors and corporate donors;
· Make a greater effort to collect contact information of people with whom you interact at networking and community events;
· Expand the use of social media peer-to-peer appeals in your fundraising activities;
· Encourage each board member to commit to one speaking engagement on your charity’s behalf with a service club, church or community agency in the coming year;
· Track and volunteer hours and assign a hourly rate to gauge their value;
· Invite volunteers, program participants and others to submit their personal thoughts, experiences and reflections about the organization that can be shared with others;
· Update your case for support at least once every six months;
· Try to learn something new about your donors whenever you interact with them;
· Ensure donors are officially thanked by your board chair or Executive Director within twelve hours of receipt of their gifts;
· Introduce an additional revenue stream for each of your special fundraising events in the coming year;
· Invite representatives from service clubs or foundations to tour your facility;
· Solicit feedback, insight or expertise from your donors more often (makes them feel truly valued, appreciate and demonstrates that you don’t merely see them as “ATMs”), and;
· Be sure to thank everyone who says “No” to your requests for support (they might say “Yes” next time).
Incorporating a number of these seemingly little touches into your fund development strategies can substantially enhance your charity’s ability to cultivate and advance relationships with your donors. As your organization internalizes more of such changes, the larger and more passionate your donor base becomes.
