The Year of Yay! Planning Your Fundraising Strategy.
This weekend I joined three friends for a joint garage sale. It sounded so easy when I said “yes”, but as the date grew nearer, my life became even more cluttered than I had suspected it was. Workload, family-load, sump pump failure, kitchen remodel delays, and so on. You name it – it happened. I knew one of those things was for certain – the garage sale date was not going to change.
Since the first week of January I’ve been cleaning up or clearing out spaces, large and small, in my home.
My resolution this year is to own half of the “stuff” that I own now. I’m calling it the “Year of Yay!”
Every week, I work on something – pitching, donating or putting in the “sell” pile. Then I post a picture of my progress on Facebook and sit back and take in all of the “oh’s” and “ah’s” as my friends praise me for my accomplishments. I’ve put a cadenced strategy in place that assures I’ll be successful in my goal come December 31st.
- First my clothes (one drawer at a time),
- Then my papers (also one drawer at a time),
- Then my “things” (one cupboard at a time) and
- Finally, those sentimental items I must choose to keep or finally discard.
I’m resolved to make it work; no matter how tired nor how many other pressing tasks. I already know the life-changing magic of tidying up and I feel so wonderful when it’s done – drawer-by-drawer, cupboard-by-cupboard, week-by-week.
When I started to write the Community post this week, I wondered how many of you may need a little encouragement to have a “cadenced project” of your own. I’m guessing like me, your calendar is loaded, your family needs attention, your sump pump could use a periodic inspection and what-ever home project you’re working on is delayed. I get it! I know!
With perseverance though, you will and you can make it through a stepped plan to straighten-up your fundraising strategies. Start with one area: annual fund, events or planned giving. Move to another, like grants and foundations. Then finish with the hardest to do, like major donors and prospects – create a series of steps and commit!
A few years ago, my colleague Carol Belair published an article that I felt needed to be noted. It’s entitled: Analytics: A Cadenced Strategy. For those of you that focus your own Year of Yay goals on this area, you’ll enjoy her wisdom and guidance. Regardless of what you choose to focus on – remember - each week or each month, you’ll have earned the right to post your accomplishments and say “YAY!”
….. and the garage sale? Collectively we netted $600. Not bad! Personally, my garage is nearly cleaned out of stock piles and I’m well on my way to another week of “Yay!”
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