.png)
There is little more frustrating to me than to see a promising organization leaving money on the table.
And, in many cases, easy money. Low-hanging fruit that could easily be picked and put to work for the mission.
"What?," you say. "Why? Why would an organization NOT shake the easy money tree?"
Because the leadership in the organization cannot get out of their own way.
I’ve seen it happen again. And again. But how?
Founders who cannot let go of the apron strings and trust enough to follow expert advice.
Boards who cannot let go of the purse strings and trust enough to allow leadership to do their job.
To sum up, lack of trust + lack of know-how = lack of funds.
But Julie, you say, we are a small organization, and we don’t have the resources to shake the money tree. We *might* be able to wiggle a limb a little.
And that’s where consultants come in. Trust me, as someone who has been a non-profit leader and is now a consultant; I get it. Consultants are an investment. And, honestly, one that sometimes doesn’t pay off.
But consultants also can be a fresh set of eyes with objective insights and expertise to help you find the best branches of the money tree with the most delicious fruit.
Hiring a consultant is a process that can be more painless with a bit of preparation, but a good consultant can be well worth the investment. And that is some of the issue: Hiring a consultant *is* an investment. And it can be a scary one.
And this thought leads me to the second part of this post: Get out of your way enough to spend some money to make some money. It may be an old adage, but I have found it to be true again and again. Please indulge me in giving a few examples I have personally experienced in my business.
I put together a holiday email campaign for a client consisting of several emails to drop the week between Christmas and New Year’s. When complete, the client made 10 TIMES the investment of my fee.
I developed a monthly giving program for a client to roll out over 30 days. The goal was 48 monthly donors. The campaign brought in 92 new monthly donors, almost double the goal, and netted enough recurring revenue to cover the organization’s monthly operating expenses. Again, an ROI that was well over my fee.
I executed a client’s first-ever Giving Tuesday campaign, including writing email appeals and social media strategy. The campaign exceeded the goal by 226%, or 8 times my fee.
Are these a few of my more dramatic and impressive examples? Absolutely. But the point is that by getting out of the way, extending trust, and investing funds, your organization can experience incredible and lasting benefits.
If you are ready to extend some trust, I'd love to talk. The first 30-minute call to see if we might be a "fit" is FREE. Schedule your call HERE today. I look forward to talking with you about how I can craft a bespoke solution for your fundraising pain points!