So ... You're a Fundraiser!
4. Intentionality: Visualize yourself succeeding. Visualize your appeal letter making $30,000 or a sum that’s significant for your organization. Visualize yourself writing that winning grant. Visualize people opening your e-newsletter and donating $1,000 on the spot.
5. The edge: Work on getting better and better. But what does that look like? Is it trying a new area of fundraising? Working on social-media communications instead of direct-mail campaigns? Working on planned giving instead of capital campaigns? Working on grants instead of database management? Whatever it is, there are so many fields of fundraising out there that it’s impossible to ever be a master of them all. But that’s the fun part, right? You never have to worry about running out of things to learn! And the more you learn and practice, the more valuable you are to any employer.
What are some tools for mastery?
1. Recognize that you are going to resist the changes. You are going to want to slide back into the old ways of doing things. People around you are also going to resist it when you try to do things differently. This is normal and expected. Learning something new about fundraising and then applying it is a lot like starting a new workout routine. It takes time to get into that groove until it’s ingrained in your body and mind. It takes time to persuade everyone to create a culture of philanthropy at your nonprofit.
