FUNDRAISING, WORKING OUT, AND BECOMING HEALTHY

Look at these folks. Fit, firm, and ready to get pumped up. How many people are ready to drop down now and do 50 pushups? My guess would be that most people are probably saying NO THANK YOU!!!!!

Here is the crazy thing. Many of us would like to be in better shape for physical and health reasons. We know it takes exercise. We know it takes eating right. We know it takes getting good rest. So why don't we do it?

It's at this point where the excuses are all over. The cost, the time, work, school, kids, etc.

The same can be said about fundraising. In order to have a healthy organization you know you need to talk to your current and potential donors. You know you need to grow your events. You know you need to find more volunteers. So here are a few truths of how fundraising can be like exercising:

1) It's not easy. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. Talking to people face to face, and asking the dreaded question about money is not a fun thing to do for many people. In fact, many would rather do the 50 pushups than ask people for money. Some people may actually sweat MORE when asking for money than doing pushups 😉

2) We know we need to do it but we don't. Instead we come up with excuses. How many excuses have you come up with for not asking a donor for money? You try to justify it to make you feel better, but when it comes down to it, you just gotta do it.

3) Once you get in a groove and routine, it becomes easier. Keep practicing your cold calls, randomly talking to people at events, or asking for money. It gets easier the more you do it, and just like exercising. . . it starts to become more fun the better you get at it.

So next time you get nervous about fundraising, just remember . . . you have to start from somewhere. Believe in yourself, push forward, and don't be afraid to fail. A great first step in making sure you become a healthy organization. For more information on how Midwest Studies Group can help grow your resource development, visit us at www.midweststudiesgroup.com.