Fundraising Tip: Don’t Let a Defeat Slow You Down

An email from a potential donor hit me hard, but it cannot stop me.

Even if you have been in nonprofit fundraising for only a short amount of time, you know that our world is filled with ups and downs. Over the years, I have experienced this. The good news here is that it is easier to let go of challenges and defeats a lot sooner over time. These days, the negative feelings surrounding what happened last only a few hours. That’s a big leap from when it would last several days.

The first thing I remind myself when something doesn’t go my way ( a no or a canceled participation, etc.) is to remember that I firmly believe that a “no” is simply the start of the conversation or relationship. That it is part of the process. In all of my donor relationships, regardless of whether it’s a person, family, or business, no one has ever said to me to not ever ask again or to not ever communicate again.

No is part of our process.

And negative things can happen aside from fundraising and donor relationships. It can be a disagreement with leadership, a challenging staff member, or an inappropriate board member. All of this could be a different strategy, and yet it still does not need to take up headspace.

Back to fundraising and donors.

As fundraising is all about relationships (not money), keep focus on the relationship you have with your donors and the relationship they have with your organization. One can never go wrong with invested time in relationships. The time always pays off. Especially when you receive a no. When in a relationship with donors, a no is really not yet.

The key is not to let these things get you down. Allow yourself a moment or two, and then move forward. Moving forward for me means letting go of what just happened while also taking a good look at it to see if I did everything right (for me).

You have this!

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Take a risk. Be of service. Support your friends and colleagues. Be kind.