This spring season in charity fundraising is different than almost any other spring. COVID-19 has the world altering its normal routines. Charity Fundraising is here to assist with answers on how to build non-profit donor relationships while social distancing.
But what are we to do during this crazy time?
First, it’s important to stay safe and cautious. That’s the #1 priority! But caution and safety does not preclude positivity and productivity! It might just look differently than we all originally expected. That’s what brings us to…
Second, it’s important to focus on whatever positives there are during this time – what can you do to make lemonade out of this situation?
Here are 6 benefits of slowing down by @TheMindGeek…
These are benefits for each individual’s personal health, but these benefits are conducive to organizations too!
After all, organizations are made up of people and their relationships to others.
Out of these 6 benefits, what does your nonprofit need most?
Why not see this spring as a time to reassess your priorities, rediscover your nonprofit’s “why”, and connect with your present relationships – your staff, your volunteers, and your donors.
Here are some ways your nonprofit can bring life into your organization and into the lives of the people who are being affected by COVID-19.
Reach out
Event planning during this schedule-shifting time might be hard. Meeting face to face might not be recommended where your organization is geographically located. A lot of your work might seem like it’s at a standstill…
But that doesn’t mean you have to stop reaching out! Be it through social media, email, phone calls, your organization can use this time to reach out to those connected to your nonprofit.
Connect with your staff!
Use this time to help each other and slow down life! They are important and it might be time for your organization to stop and reconnect with each other.
Connect with your support: Connect with individual donors and volunteers!
Be a positive voice on social media, of which has had an increase of usage by millions as face-to-face social interaction has decreased. It may seem strange, but try reaching out to donors and volunteers who you’re interested in building stronger relationships with!
Relationship-building is the essence of fundraising.
Consider emailing or even calling those loyal donors who have become like family and are a part of your team just as much as your staff is. Let them know you are thinking about them and that you are interested in how they are faring during this time!
Reassess priorities
There may be time for your organization to have more in-house conversations about what is important. How have the trees become more important than the forest?
Are your organization’s processes getting stuck in the weeds?
Recast the Vision
It’s easy to get bogged down in the work of nonprofit fundraising. There is always more to do and more deadlines to meet.
Recasting your organization’s vision is sometimes the easiest ways to reassess priorities, save yourselves from burn out, and lift spirits! Remembering why you do what you do puts everything in perspective. It puts all the deadlines, all the planning, all the committee meetings, all the social media campaigns, and vendor managing less cumbersome.
Give your organization a breath of fresh air! Remember your “Why” (And remind those who care and support your mission!)
Be Creative – Go mobile!
Many kids in school are home for the rest of the school-year. Some weddings have been postponed. And some fundraising events are either postponed or up-in-the-air! All this “unknown” can be hard and frustrating after a year of planning for an annual big event.
But we have seen some of our clients move their live fundraising auction event to be a mobile event in the last month. It doesn’t hurt to try!
Dream big!
Use this time to dream about your next fundraising event. What do you want to do? And how do you want to make this event even better than the last? Consider looking at our autographed auction items and vacation packages that are ZERO-Risk to you! We send the auction items to you free of charge, and if they don’t sell, we pay for shipping the item back to us! There is absolutely no risk in trying out our consignment auction items. These rare and priceless items increase buzz and excitement at your auction and procure higher bids than the average auction wine basket item.
Browse our stuff and start dreaming. Then Contact us – these dreams can come true!
We hope you all are staying safe and making the most of this time!
