Tips 4-5-6! For fundraising in 2009!

4.) Ask! If you are like most churches or non-profits you have real and compelling needs. You are still fulfilling your mission, still serving your community and therefor still require funding. Do not let fear of asking paralyze you. If you believe in your mission, if fulfilling your mission requires funding, if your funding comes from donors, then you MUST ask!

5.) Trust your donors. Your donors give to you for a reason. They believe in your mission, they were positively impacted by you in the past, they have strong faith, or any of a dozen additional reasons. Most donors give because they WANT to, out of a sense of gratitude, responsibility, personal fulfillment-it makes them happy, gives them satisfaction. These are good people giving to you for good reasons, in difficult times they are the people you should trust, they are the people you should turn to for advice and support. Trust your donors-they trust you and they wont let you down.

6.) Communicate, communicate, communicate. Good leaders understand that in difficult times effective communication is an essential element of outstanding leadership. Your employees, donors, volunteers,and board members need to know, demand to know,exactly what is happening with your organization.

Now is the time to celebrate your successes twice as loudly and three times as often. Now is the time to articulate your challenges in a blunt, honest and direct manner. Now is the time to remind those that care about organization exactly what your goals are, exactly why your organization exists and why its not important but ESSENTIAL! Say more, say it louder, say it more frequently, say it honestly and directly. Silence shows fear and indecision-communicating shows a determined resolve to lead!