A few weeks ago, my wife got to make a move she had been dreaming of for a long time: after years of building seniority at her organization, she got to move into a new office. The move from a small interior office to a large space with a window was years in the making very well-deserved.
The move was a big effort, as we had to buy several pieces of new furniture, decorate the space, and make it suitable for her work. This involved multiple trips to Ikea and me battling my old nemesis: furniture assembly.
I’m not shy about the fact that I’m not the handiest person in the world. I can make some small repairs here and there, but more often than not, I have to call in the professionals.
With furniture assembly, I have a really bad habit of not looking closely enough at the instructions. I’ll find out several steps later that I have a panel on backwards, which requires me to go back, disassessmble several things (and use some language that would make a sailor blush) before correcting my errors continuing on in the assembly process.
Yes, this happened a time or two during the office move.
The end result was a beautiful, welcoming space, but the process was arduous at times. Along the way, it made me think of Sharon’s recent blog about pre-planning your funeral (and no, it’s not because I thought furntiure assembly would lead to my early demise).
My problems in the process were of my own doing: a failure to adequately plan and poor attention to detail. If you work in fundraising, you know these are mistakes you can’t afford to make.
Planning and attention to detail can be make-or-break factors when you’re preparing a grant, appeal letter, or major donor ask.
As you move into the fourth quarter of 2024, things are about to get busy, and you can overlook the little details. Consider some of the ways a little extra time in the details can move the needle:
Thoroughly read the questions on a grant application: With a grant, you get one chance to make your pitch. What program details do they like to see? Does the funder want year-end financial statements or year-to-date financial statements? Who have they funded in the past, and how can you mirror successful grant recipients? You can put in hours of work, but if you neglect these details, it might be the difference between a check and a rejection letter.
Know the audience for your appeal letter: Are you writing to renewing donors or first-time donors? Or, are you trying to re-engage lapsed donors? A one-size-fits-all approach to appeals is not going to lead to the results you like to see, and understanding that nuance will help you raise more money.
Understand your individual giving prospect: Before meeting with a donor, know everything you can. Have they given before? How did they get involved with the organization? What inspires them about your work? Donors are busy, and having the details clear before a meeting is another factor that can tip the scales in deciding whether they give to you or another organization.
As a fundraiser, you have a lot on your plate, and it’s easy to overlook the little details. If you forget them, though, you’ll end up like me putting together furniture - frustrated and behind schedule because you didn’t put enough focus into finishing the job the right way the first time. In this all-important time for fundraising, so little mistakes can pile up and be extra costly.
We may not be able to help you assemble furniture (or your office Christmas tree), but we’d love to connect and discuss your fundraising needs.
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