Wile E Coyote: The Complex and the Ridiculous

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are the duo of cartoon characters from the Looney Tunes? series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949.

In each episode, the cunning, devious and constantly hungry coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and eat the Road Runner.?

In many ways, their escapades (I’ll not dignify them with “adventures”) are a parody on the approach way too many nonprofits use in their fundraising efforts.

Although a coyote has the natural advantage over a road runner—something many don’t know due to their exposure to the cartoon—Wile prefers to use overly complex tools and methods and ridiculous ruses to trap the road runner.

Wile buys these contraptions mail-order then bolts them together.?Of course, these things never work.?

It’s the pathology of the complex and ridiculous.?

It’s a condition that plagues many nonprofits.??And don’t assume that just the small, unsophisticated fundraising shops suffer from this sort of thing.

Large supposed, “sophisticated” organizational staffs do this, as well.?It might look a little more polished because they have more money to spend on shiny things. But it's the same fascination with things that objectify rather than engage.

Hopefully they just don’t know any better.?Not that it makes it any better.

The way out of this madness is simple.?There’s that word “simple.”

Think bi-lateral, authentic relationships.?The old-fashioned kind.?Where it’s people first.

When you focus on people, their dreams, their needs, their desires (I’m talking about your donors—AKA investors), and not on money, you raise more money than ever.?

It’s not that systems, data and technology aren’t useful—or even important.?The trick is to use them strategically and keep them in their proper place.

Wile could have easily nabbed the Roadrunner with some strategy and forethought.?He was never successful, however.?That’s because he was way too hooked on using the shiny thing to attempt to speed things up.

Short cuts, cut your short.?Period.

Relational fundraising, used strategically, creates the highest levels of sustainable revenue.?Period.

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

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.

Once you're aligned, you’ll cruise down the highway with nary a bump. You'll never do the Wile thing. Dropping off a cliff or hitting the stone wall.

To Your fundraising success,?

Larry C Johnson, Founder, The Eight Principles

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