5 Questions Every Fundraiser Should Ask Each Day

In today’s world we all move so quickly and have so many competing priorities. I find that if I’m not intentional about asking myself a few critical questions each day, I tend to lose focus on the things that are really important. Here’s my list of questions that I think every fundraiser should ask daily. I’d love to know what you think of these, and what you might add to the list…

 

1. What have I done today to delight our donors?
Donor experience is critical. In fact, as new donor acquisition becomes more difficult every year, retaining committed donors is increasingly important. The organizations that spend focused time and resources delighting their donors (by showcasing successes, reporting back to donors in specific and timely ways, authentically thanking them, and involving them in accomplishing mission) are reaping the rewards of increased retention and revenue growth.

Development can often be a thankless and tiring job. I’ve experienced this before. And I’m guessing you have too. The same goes for most of our colleagues, agency partners, and yes, even donors. The more you can do to show appreciation for those you work closely with, the healthier your relationships will be — not to mention the other positive benefits you’ll experience (studies have even shown that high levels of gratitude result in deeper personal relationships, higher degrees of optimism, improved sleep and health, greater relaxation, and increased productivity).

If you’re like most development officers, you probably have dozens of projects and deliverables on your to-do list at any one time. They’re all important, right?  But chances are some are more important that others. The problem is, you don’t have unlimited hours in a day. So you have to make trade-offs. It’s difficult (especially if you’re like me and hate disappointing people), but sometimes the only way you can really focus in on the work that delivers the most value is to say no to other things on your list. You can shift priorities into the future (by days, weeks, months, or even years), or flat out decide they just never need to be done. It’s really tough to do this the first few times, but once you start, it becomes really freeing — and helps you develop a laser-like focus on what’s most important.

You know how difficult it can be to get your job done without the partnership and support of program staff. Right? When I worked in children’s healthcare, it was next to impossible to run our annual giving programs successfully without collaborating with our nurses, doctors, medical directors, and researchers. These relationships are critical, not just to maintain healthy work environments, but to ensure that your donors can fully experience the impact they make for your cause through giving to your organization.

The best way to ensure success tomorrow is to plan for it today. I like to take the last 15 minutes of my day to plan out the most important items on my to-do list for the following day. It lets me leave the office feeling prepared to “hit the ground running” the following day, and also helps me clarify my priorities. You might ask yourself questions like, who are the top three most important donors I need to call tomorrow? Which of the four meetings on my calendar is most critical for me to attend? What tasks can I delegate or shift into tomorrow / next week? Which internal partners do I need to engage tomorrow to further that critical project that’s stalled? If you aren’t doing something like this already, give it a try.  I think you’ll find it helpful.