It’s July…you and everyone you know is attempting to take a vacation or at least a few days off. Does it feel like you are surrounded by the distractions of summer? And yet, you still want to reach all of your fundraising goals for the year. Right?
Check out the link below for a quick fun video about staying focused on your goals. If you view it with your “fundraising” eyes on, the three tips are quite relevant. Here’s a recap of the three focusing tasks you that will help you end the year proud and satisfied.
1. List the things you can accomplish when you meet your fundraising goal.
With your goal in mind, list all the things you’ll be able to do with the funds you raise. Will you be able to provide 100 extra meals for hungry people? Will you be able to provide shelter for 16 more veterans on a cold night? More after school programs for troubled youth?
Have your board & staff help you flesh out this list. Not only is this a great exercise in reminding yourself about the importance of your work, it is also information to use, along with a story, when you make your fundraising appeals.
2. When making a decision ask yourself if it brings you closer to your goal.
Who doesn’t get overwhelmed by the day-to-day tasks we need to get done at our jobs and in our lives? Everyone does, which is why our goals often slip from our minds. By keeping that goal in your mind at all times and weighing each decision you have to make against how much closer it will get you to your goal, you’ll find it’s much easier to stay focused.
3. Surround yourself with reminders of your goal.
This one can take many forms. Maybe you need to post pictures of the people you serve around your desk. Or have some of the people helped by your programs write about the importance of your organization. Maybe you’ve got your own version of a fundraising thermometer you fill in as you move ever-closer to your goal. Or you can be like a tiny library in northern Minnesota, that put their goal right in the library for everyone to see.
Each of these small tasks WILL help you stay focused, and the more focused you and your team are, the easier it is to accomplish your goal!
Check out the two-minute video that inspired today’s post:
