What do you do if multiple fundraising deadlines collide and you have conflicting priorities?

1 Assess your situation

The first step is to assess your situation and get a clear picture of what you need to do, by when, and for whom. Make a list of all your fundraising deadlines, the tasks involved, the expected outcomes, and the stakeholders involved. Then, prioritize your list based on urgency, importance, and impact. Urgency refers to how soon the deadline is, importance refers to how critical the task is for your fundraising strategy, and impact refers to how much value the task will generate for your organization or cause. You can use a matrix or a ranking system to help you sort your list and identify the most pressing and valuable tasks.

2 Communicate with your stakeholders

The next step is to communicate with your stakeholders and inform them of your situation and your priorities. Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest or influence in your fundraising activities, such as donors, prospects, partners, board members, staff, or volunteers. You want to be transparent and honest with them about your challenges and expectations, and seek their support and feedback. You can use different channels and methods to communicate with them, such as email, phone, video call, or face-to-face meeting. The key is to be clear, concise, and respectful, and to explain the rationale behind your decisions and actions.

4 Focus on one task at a time

The fourth step is to focus on one task at a time and avoid multitasking or switching between tasks. Multitasking or switching between tasks can reduce your productivity, efficiency, and accuracy, and increase your stress and errors. Focusing on one task at a time can help you concentrate, perform better, and finish faster. You can use different tools and techniques to help you focus, such as blocking your time, setting a timer, eliminating distractions, creating a checklist, or using a pomodoro technique.

5 Take care of yourself

The fifth step is to take care of yourself and your well-being. Working under multiple deadlines and conflicting priorities can be stressful and exhausting, and can affect your physical, mental, and emotional health. Taking care of yourself can help you cope with the pressure, maintain your motivation, and prevent burnout. You can take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating well, drinking water, exercising, meditating, relaxing, or doing something fun or rewarding.