Dealing With the Unknown
As I write this, we are still pretty much in lockdown, with signs that some things may be easing. And lots of questions as to whether that is a wise thing. Will opening up be accompanied by spikes in Covid 19 cases? Will death rates rise? Will we have to close again? Even if we open, what will people (heck, what will I) do?
The answer to these questions, of course, is no one (yet) knows. And let’s face it, the unknown is always scarier than the known. With good reason—it’s hard to develop a rational, strategic response when you don’t actually know what you are dealing with.
Two things I do know—I am both coronavirus and Zoom(ed) out. And I am really tired of my cooking. At the same time, I’m wowed by the creativity of our sector.
In mid-March, many of my clients let me know that they were going on hiatus—they didn’t how they could fundraise. But within two weeks, all but one came back. As they found new ways to serve their clients and their cause, they were also energized about finding new ways (or tweaking old ones) to support the work they knew needed to be done. Within another week, I found other organizations were calling, recognizing that this was a great opportunity for them to stop moaning about their lack of funding and figure out how to turn that tide. It’s exciting, and challenging, and mainly really uplifting. My new clients are NOT looking for a magic bullet; they know it will take hard work and patience. And they are good with that. They are ready.
The approach to figuring this out isn’t new. We’re assessing, evaluating, understanding both cultures and resources.
We are considering ways to raise money—and looking at what we can do instead of the ways we used to build relationships. If we can’t meet personally, how can we meet and how can we make it meaningful? And how can we stand out in the crowd?
Most of all, we are creating plans. Written plans. With budgets when appropriate, and steps with timelines. We are looking to see how the various techniques might play well with other techniques, and how we can use one thing as a bridge to another. All of which is how fund development should always be.
The singular ways of raising money were never meant to be a thing in and of itself. It was supposed to be a part of the whole; sometimes a steppingstone, sometimes a final destination. Usually donors would travel up and back, and often be in more than one place.
The more we consider what we can do, the more we understand what possibilities there are. And this is the gift we can all take from this otherwise pretty horrid time. And the joy amidst too much sorrow.