In a diverse team, differing opinions are essential, especially when discussing fundraising strategies. To turn these perspectives into strengths, efficiency is key. First, organize a brainstorming session where everyone is heard without judgment, fostering respect and belonging. Next, establish clear, shared goals to align efforts and provide direction—ensuring they are specific, measurable, and realistic. Finally, encourage open dialogue and active listening, creating an environment where all voices contribute to finding common ground and fostering collaboration. This approach unifies the team and enhances strategic outcomes

To bridge the gap, you must first measure it and create a plan to close it. Using generative AI like a custom GPT in ChatGPT that is trained on intricate aspects of your organization, your targeted ideal stakeholder personas, and the different strategies proposed is what I do with clients. From there, we can begin to ask for recommendations on what other data points would be beneficial to add to the GPT, and once we have a well-trained tool, we can create a strategic plan. You can ask it to identify common points across all the proposed ideas and to create a scoring system for each based on your organization's exact needs. The sky is the limit from here as you can easily prompt it to tell you what may be missing or what suggestions it has.

The great thing is that you need diverse strategies. Think about dividing your group into segments based on what they love to do and are great at...my guess their ideas are aligning with their talents and let's try the ideas!

“Different roads can lead to the same destination.” When your team is divided on fundraising strategies, it’s important to remember that diverse perspectives can be a strength, not a barrier. Encourage open dialogue where everyone’s ideas are heard and considered. A collaborative approach can reveal new opportunities that blend the best of all strategies. Sometimes, the solution lies in combining approaches for maximum impact. #FundraisingStrategies #Collaboration #Teamwork

Bring everyone back to the primary and secondary goals! There are many ways to get to the final goals. Of course, there are secondary ones such as brand imaging promotion, outreach to a certain group of supporters, etc. Not so long ago, I was told to change because my current approach (which had 3 years of implementation) needed a refresh. The various suggestions included adopt initiatives to use other fundraising strategies to change the fundraising event name. Personally, it was quite painful for me as they were initiatives that needed more thought and development from the board. Still, the right thing to do was to write them all down and then evaluate/assess the possibilities.