Take a Flight to Help You Refocus
Whenever I take a trip by plane, I love the view from high up above.
You can see the city, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers. You see the colors of it all. And everything is so tiny. It all looks so organized (mostly). You see the roads, the traffic down below, and it doesn’t really matter if there’s a lot or very little of it.
You can see the big picture. You can see what’s on the horizon.
Being above it all is very different from when you’re in the thick of it. When you’re in the middle of the city, you may not see the mountains at all. You may not see the lake that’s right outside. And yet, they’re all right there.
You just must take that next step and get in that plane to see what’s outside of your immediate vision but still within reach!
What does this have to do with fundraising? What does this have to do with your donors and monthly giving?
It’s my simple message to you to take a step back every now and then. Especially now that events are coming back with a vengeance, ‘busyness’ can be expected to back to being the order of the day.
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. What’s really important for your organization? What’s the best way to improve your donor retention and donor loyalty? How can you grow that sustainable revenue for your organization?
Take a break. Go for a walk or run. Look at your program with a fresh look. Think of your goals. Imagine you’re in a plane, hovering above your organization. You can much clearer see the roads and paths that lead to those mountains you’re trying to get to. They are well within reach!
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- Monthly Giving
Erica Waasdorp is one of the leading experts on monthly giving. She is the president of A Direct Solution, a company serving nonprofit organizations with fundraising and direct marketing needs, with a focus on monthly giving and appeals. She authored "Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant" and "Monthly Giving Made Easy." She regularly blogs and presents on fundraising, appeals and monthly giving — in person and through webinars. She is happy to answer any questions you may have about this great way of improving retention rates for your donors.
Erica has over 30 years of experience in nonprofits and direct response. She helped the nonprofits she works with raise millions of dollars through monthly giving programs. She is also very actively supports organizations with annual fund planning and execution, ranging from copywriting, creative, lists, print and mail execution.
When she’s not working or writing, Erica can be found on the golf course (she’s a straight shooter) or quietly reading a book. And if there’s an event with a live band, she and her husband, Patrick, can be found on the dance floor. She also loves watching British drama on PBS. Erica and Patrick have two step sons and a cat, Mientje.
