What you cannot control:
- Board and leadership decisions
- Your donors’ income or asset changes
- Other people’s fears
- Unavoidable organizational changes
- General economic instability
- Deadlines
- The Pandemic
- Child-care/school situations
- Shifts in funding priorities
What can you control?
- How you spend each day
- If you are making decisions strategically vs. – reactively
- How you prioritize your responsibilities
- Whether you obtain approvals before you move forward to make sure things are in line
- If you ask for help from fellow staff, board members or volunteers
- Your fears (this does take a bit of work)
- Whether you are currently fundraising and stewarding donors
- If you are looking for creative solutions to the myriad problems that arise each day
- Your television
Nonprofit organizations who are standing still, afraid of fundraising, and/or think they can put off planning until things settle down will go out of business. It is a harsh reality, but that does not make it any less true. I do not know of any nonprofits who can hold off fundraising for a year and hope to come back with any stable footing.
Major donors will not carry your organization for years just because they believe in your mission statement. They want to sustain organizations which are working to fulfill their mission and achieve their vision. Even now. So, what can you control? Figure it out fast. And get out there and fundraise!
As always, if you want help with any part of the process – from prioritization to creative solutions, set up a time to speak with one of us at Mersky, Jaffe & Associates.