Ground Hog Day: Over and Over

There’s a certain predictability in fundraising.?You do certain things you expect certain outcomes.?Rinse and repeat.?This is how the vast majority of nonprofits see their fundraising efforts.

Same old.?Same old.

And why not??It gets results.?(No comment on quality or quantity.)

Except when it doesn’t.?

That’s when it feels like you’re living the film Groundhog Day. ?In the movie, Phil Connors, a cynical TV reporter, played by Bill Murray, keeps living the same day.?Over and over again.

Absolutely nothing changes.?No matter what he does.?And he tries everything.?Even attempting suicide.

He’s caught in a frightening cycle of sameness and mediocrity he cannot escape.?No matter how many “good works” he does.?He tries to be nice to everyone.

But always from the point of what it will do for him.?Therein lies the difficulty.

Only when he looks outside of himself.?When he realizes that it’s NOT about him, is he freed from his prison.

Unfortunately, this is the story of way too many nonprofits. They’re all about “doing good”.

It’s truly all about them.?Wrong.

Their fundraising efforts become trapped in the same mindset.?A mindset that embraces approaches which are transactional and objectify donors.?They’re all about “doing good”.?Their good.

The make fundraising all about money.?The money they want to fulfill their mission.

No wonder they struggle financially.?Living on the edge.?Always begging. ?Woe is me.

Let’s look at a specific challenge where this is front and center.

We’re hearing a lot about the growing, “missing middle” of donors.?Those middle level donors who give an organization its legitimacy.

What’s really up with this?

First, there’s so much focus on “major gifts” at one end and acquiring new donors at the other end.?As the revenue total rises, the number of donors is declining.

So, where’s the solid middle??People haven’t grown less generous.?

I posit that It’s the nonprofits who often adopt a profile of entitlement.?Donors’ response??“I’m not important—except for what I can pay.”

On the other hand, when an organization develops a culture of abundance, one where there’s value in all donors, like the cynical reporter in the film, a whole new reality opens.

Wow.?Opportunity is now everywhere. ??

Abundance is abundance in potential.?Abundance in relationships with those who’ve entrusted their (read: donors) dreams to the organization.?Abundance in what’s really possible. ?A deep irony is that organizational dreams are almost always too small, too limiting for their potential supporters. ?

When you are laser focused on your investors—all of your investors—and treat them as investors then you get liberation.

Liberation of real growth.?Expansive ideas.?Expansive, committed, financial support.

What’s required to keep this training moving??A willingness to do things differently.?To be other focused.?

When an organization has a culture which sees itself as a conduit for the dreams of its investors rather than merely executing on its proclaimed “mission”—no matter how worthy they deem it—the possibilities are endless.

I often say that successful fundraising is about mindset.?If you’ve adopted the right point of view, it’s amazing how the right methods—the right skills—make themselves known.

Mindset is the key.

This is a subtle—yet profound—change in perspective.?For those who’ve discovered it, they receive more than they would ever expect.

They’ve been liberated from Groundhog Day!

When your organization has a culture of relational fundraising it creates the highest levels of sustainable revenue.?Period.

Although the word “relationships” has become rather trendy in fundraising circles, don’t be misled.?The character of the relationships I’m speaking about are bi-lateral.?Where the two parties are drawn together for mutual benefit.?

To achieve this, you need a fully aligned organization where everyone—from the front desk clerk to the board chair—who are aware of their distinct and particular role in the drama and fulfill it.

This isn’t easy to achieve—but once you get there, it’s a lot easier to keep with the right focus.?That’s why we created our Continuous Learning program.?Check it out.

Get aligned—stay aligned.?With ROI’s of 300%, 400%, and 500% there’s literally no downside.

What are you waiting for?

To Your fundraising success,

Larry C Johnson, Founder, The Eight Principles