Your team is divided on fundraising strategies. How can you bring everyone together for a successful outcome?

In the philanthropic world, we work for a shared vision and try to achieve a common goal. Hence, it's important to hear everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for fundraising. We need to first understand 'WHY' are we raising funds, 'WHERE' funds are available, and 'WHAT' are the Pros and Cons of each type of available funds. Once, these are clear, then we can brainstorm and arrive at a consensus considering everyone's opinion. Basic points to keep in mind include - - Which fund is aligned with our 'GOAL'? - Which fund involves lesser risks? - Which fund is easier to obtain? - Which fund will benefit our target population the most? Once all team members understand these points, everyone comes together and a consensus is built.

I want to hear the voices of the entire team. That means, when in a group brainstorming session, I need to limit my emotional reactions to ideas that excite me or scare me. I need to show enough interest to get people talking about their ideas especially the quiet ones. Too much excitement from me to an idea has the “jump on the bandwagon” affect and no opposing ideas will be generated. Too little or anxiousness has the affect of making more timid members close up and not share ideas that may very well be brilliant.

Through good communication share the vision and big picture objective and emphasize the importance of their individual contribution to reach the goal in a collective way.

Create a natural environment & atmosphere of respect for all. That's done first by Listening to each other. Find commonality in suggestions. Be open to different opinions and view points. Do self-evaluation on offered suggestion. Determine if there are changes that each can accept and yet reach achieved goal/ purpose.allow all to share thoughts/ points of view. Re- evaluate and determine if fund raising idea has ownership of all and expected to meet identified goal/ objective.

Well its crucially important to include everyone in the decision-making process. When team members feel included and that their opinions matter, they are more likely to be committed to the final strategy. By encouraging open dialogue where everyone can contribute their ideas is useful as this collaborative approach can lead to more innovative and well-rounded strategies to begin and be on the same page. After resolving conflicts and including everyone in the process, it’s crucial to align the team around a clear, unified objective & make sure everyone understands the fundraising goal and importance of their role. To ensure everyone is on the same page about how they will contribute to achieving the goal is a key to success.

Definir metas claras e alcan?áveis após reunir a opini?o da equipe é crucial para o sucesso de campanhas de arrecada??o de fundos. Utilizar o método SMART (Específicas, Mensuráveis, Atingíveis, Relevantes e com Prazo Determinado) garante uma dire??o focada e alinhada com a vis?o compartilhada. Essa abordagem promove um senso de propriedade e responsabilidade entre os membros da equipe, aumentando o engajamento e a eficácia da campanha. Na mídia corporativa, essa prática fortalece a coes?o interna e a confian?a externa, essencial para atingir os objetivos de arrecada??o.

When it comes to the collection of collaborative ideas, I choose a different approach than defining goals. Over the years I have become an expert at understanding the expections of an outcome. On that basis, and taking into consideration that each of us have different ways to set personal goals, I find expectations and defining them sets a far more focussed team alignment. What is the expectation of the fundraising program EG to raise $100k. From that I can set milestone wins, 100K is our expectation, 75K would be a fantastic acceptable outcome, 50K would still be a great outcome, and 25k would be our minimum expection. Role expectations and delivery are simpler to define from these expectations.

It's critically important to stay abreast of the trends in fundraising. More organizations are repositioning as impact brands, which allows them to bring in partners who will do cause marketing on their behalf. Also, the traditional boring hotel fundraisers with a mediocre dinner and band are not appealing to young people. We must meet them where THEIR interests are, and build fundraising events around that so they will show up, and the experience will be memorable.

If I am leading a fundraising brainstorming session, preparation is key. I always go into that conversation with the expecations of the fundraising efforts clearly defined. My next step is to lead the way with the most outrageous, potentially unachievable fundrasing idea I can think of. I have always found this as a way to create a sense of humour in the meeting and more importantly opens the door for the team to be not limited by any constraints there ideas may have and then limit their opportunity to present their ideas. Getting the team consensus on all the crazy ideas allows us to narrow down to the achieveable, practical and obtainable.

Compreender as perspectivas da equipe e definir metas claras permite explorar diversas op??es de capta??o de recursos. Considere métodos tradicionais, como galas e leil?es, e campanhas digitais e iniciativas de base. Avalie os prós e contras de cada abordagem em rela??o aos objetivos e recursos disponíveis. Essa análise abrangente ajuda a identificar as estratégias mais eficazes para ressoar com o público-alvo e atingir os objetivos de arrecada??o.

Building a culture of philanthropy is the best way to achieve revenue goals. There are many ways to diversify revenue. The best results are achieved in building a philanthropic culture throughout the organization with many perspectives and many team members helping to achieve revenue goals.

I think it's very important to ask people where their interests lie rather than randomly assigning roles and responsibilities. It will always yield better results when people are working on initiatives that they feel are well aligned with where they can add the most value AND what gives them the most satisfaction. This is particularly important if you are engaging volunteers.

In this phase of the fundraising process I always ask the team to lean into the old saying "don't get your abilities and your ambitions mixed up". Once we've decided on the ambition/expectation of the fundraising program, I find the best thing is to promote team strengths in allocating that plan. There is no use allocating phone calls to a team member who is petrified of making cold calls. I find this approach not only creates open conversations within the team, it almost instantly starts to have the group, group themselves into supportive teams and therefore helps segment the planning phase.

One of the first things that needs to be communicated is how the fundraising efforts align with the core values of the company.