Summer is the perfect time to rejuvenate and refocus. As a fundraiser, and especially as a woman in the nonprofit sector, it’s essential to take proactive steps to enhance your mindset.
10 Summertime Tips to Improve Your Fundraising Mindset
Over the course of this summer, I invite you to take advantage these ten tips. These suggestions will boost your overall effectivenes and empower you to achieve your long-term fundraising goals.
1. Invest in tangential training
I’m a huge proponent of fundraising training, including conferences, webinars, and workshops to sharpen your fundraising skills. However, it’s also important to focus on related skills like management, planning, organization, time management, and more.
Find a training, workshop, book, or podcast to improve your non-fundraising skills. My own program, Mastering Major Gifts, might be right up your alley. It gives you direct access to me, plus an encouraging group of like-minded fundraisers. Our small-group sessions are definitely uplifting.
2. Listen to a mindset podcast
There are hundreds, possibly thousands of podcasts on mindset. Podcasts are probably the best way to improve your mindset, because you can listen in the car, on a walk, while exercising, or even in the grocery store.
Simply open up your podcasting app (or google) and type in mindset. The most popular will pop up first. Pick three hosts and listen to three episodes each (9 total) to pick your favorite. (And if you’re unaware, I co-host a weekly podcast called All About Capital Campaigns which provides some great fundraising advice, even when you’re not in a campaign.)
3. Take time off
Whether you take a full week away or every Friday in July and August, there’s no better time than summer to take your well-deserved vacation time. The sun has healing, restorative powers and you should take advantage while it’s at its strongest. If you can get near a natural body of water to cool your toes, all the better.
4. Schedule time to plan
Summer is a wonderful time to stop and think. If you are not rushing from gala to golf outing, you may have time to decide which fundraising activities you want to do this year and which you don’t!
Do not simply add more and more to your fundraising plate and assume you will raise more money. Try something new. Furthermore, eliminate something that didn’t work well or was extremely time consuming or aggravating.
5. Invite a donor for a walk
Summer is a great opportunity to get outdoors and build relationships. Identify ten donors you would like to get to know better and ask them if they would join you for an hour outdoors. Ask them for their favorite meeting spot in a local park.
If mobility is an issue, a nice park bench is also a great option. If you are not local to one another, you can ask them if they would like to walk and talk remotely.
6. Move your meeting outside
Invite your boss, colleague, or board member to meet you for a walk. Rather than sitting around over coffee, physical activity will get your creative juices flowing. You can also meet at the nearest picnic table (preferably not in sight of your office parking lot). A change of scenery will do wonders for your mindset and your attitude.
7. Go on a listening tour
Take time to get feedback from donors, individually if possible. Ask open-ended questions, including things like:
- What do you love about our organization?
- What are your concerns?
- Do you feel appreciated by our organization and do you feel confident that your donation is being put to good use?
- Are you aware of volunteer opportunities and ways to get engaged?
- Have you met more than one staff member or board member, and would you like to?
In addition, be sure to ask how they’ve been thanked by other organizations and how it made them feel.
8. Celebrate success large and small
Take time to celebrate accomplishments as individuals and as a team. Give and receive specific and genuine compliments. Practice random acts of kindness. Treat others to coffee or lunch.
9. Experiment with meditation
Meditation is all the rage these days. While I haven’t gotten “good” or consistent with it, I find myself coming back to try it again and again. If you’re not sure where to start with meditation, but open to giving it a try, see #2 above — try a meditation podcast.
10. Focus on the positive
As humans, we’re hardwired to focus on the negative. We replay the bad and the ugly over and over in our minds. Instead, be intentional about focusing on the positive. Each night before you fall asleep, think of one thing you are proud of for that day and focus on that as you drift off to sleep. It provides great positive energy.
Bonus Suggestion: Practice Gratitude
Finally, practice gratitude. There’s nothing like feeling grateful to get yourself in a positive frame of mind.
The Uplifting Power of Gratitude
For example, each day I try to remind myself of the many things I’m grateful for:
- The big obvious ones are the health of my kids, husband, and parents.
- I’m also super-grateful for a successful career.
- I’m thankful for a wonderful business partner and team at Capital Campaign Pro.
- I cherish days with warmth, blue skies, and sweet-smelling flowers.
- I’m grateful for a warm house and hot showers and healthy food.
- And, of course, I’m thankful that you’re here reading these words and giving me the opportunity to help you grow as fundraiser.
As you can see, it’s not hard to do. The list goes on and on. Then, whenever something goes wrong or I’m unhappy, I try to keep it in perspective and remember the things for which I’m so grateful, which helps to heal my mindset.
What do you do to improve your mindset? Let me know in the comments.
And for even more good vibes this summer, check out my 31 Rules for Better Fundraising and a Better You!
Thank you, Amy, for the great advice! I really needed to hear this today. I will try to put it to use.
Great post today, Amy! Just what we all needed to hear right now. Thanks!
I absolutely love numbers 5 and 6! Several years ago, I started holding my one-to-one staff meetings as a walking meeting. We would walk the neighborhood talking and strategizing. So much good and so many great ideas came from those meetings. As our team grew I started group walks for staff meetings. Again, a success. I found that our best ideas came from these meetings along with building a sense of camaraderie and trust. After a while when a team member was struggling with something they would come to my office and suggest a walk!
If I am feeling anxious before a speaking engagement, I shift my mindset to remind myself that I am the expert. I am the one who knows my organization and my job is to share my knowledge. This helps me have the confidence to speak on behalf of my organization and remember its not about me and what they think about me, it’s about the message I am giving. I am providing value to the group about what we do, telling them the stories of the impact of our organization, and offering ways to make a difference in the lives of others.