There Must Be An Easier Way

By
Lisa Tarshis

I was cooking the other day, and the knife I was using simply wasn't cutting it (pun intended!). I kept thinking to myself: There must be an easier way. 

I've been thinking about "easier ways" a lot lately. One of my projects here at Evolve has been streamlining workflows, which involves putting new systems in place to support our teams and projects. This work is so important because mitigating pain points allows us all to operate from our zone of genius: that place where we feel excited and energized. 

Which is, of course, the place where we do our best work. 

What does this have to do with fundraising? Just as we have pain points in business or life or the kitchen, we also have pain points in our fundraising departments. Naming them is the first step to making change. 

So, if you’ve been thinking, There must be an easier way in your life and work, we assure you: there is! If you’re ready to address pain points in your fundraising shop, follow these three steps to have your best year yet: 

  1. Name your pain points. What challenges do you find yourself repeatedly facing? Do you struggle with donor retention? Communicating with your board? A lack of diverse income streams? Recruiting and training ambassadors of your mission? Every fundraising shop has issues that come up repeatedly, and naming them is the first step to solving them. 
  2. Prioritize your challenges. Which issues really need to be solved now? Which challenges are annoying, but can wait? If you’re struggling to prioritize, think about the pieces that will help you raise more money first. Tackling these challenges is often a good place to start.  
  3. Put strategies and tactics in place to move forward. You won’t address these pain points using the same strategies that didn’t work last year. Once you’ve honed in on your top challenges, enlist your fundraising team or outside experts to brainstorm new potential solutions. 

Remember to address these pain points from a solutions-oriented perspective rather than one of negativity or pessimism; this is an opportunity for your team to learn, grow, and raise more money than ever! I can’t wait to hear the creative solutions you come up with. 

If you regularly follow this blog, you know that we're all about offering practical advice that you can put into practice right away. That's why, in today's freebie we're sharing a worksheet you can use to identify, prioritize and then strategize on how to fix your pain points. You don't want to miss it.