Are you feeling overwhelmed? Is this the month where all you can think about is all the things on your to-do list? How big the projects are that are in front of you? How many steps you have to take to meet your corporate fundraising goals?
If this is you, I am going to tell you the exact opposite thing from what I usually hear.
I am not going to ask you to sit down and write down all your to-dos. I am not going to ask you to plan out each corporate partnership and strategize on the whole big picture.
I have a faster and more effective piece of advice for how to move into action and crush your overwhelm.
I’m Heather Nelson, I’m a Corporate Fundraising Specialist and I help charities raise more money from companies with ease and confidence, and I’m here to support you in making that happen.
“And how?” you ask. Okay, here it is.
Instead of sitting down and planning out all the things and thinking through every project in a full way. How can that not be overwhelming? I mean, there really is so many things to do. I’ve been there, I’ve been in the small shop where there’s just endless tasks and endless things. It almost seems impossible to get started because you need so many things done in order to get going or the big shop where the size of the negotiation is overwhelming, and it just seems so, so heavy.
Regardless of which spot you are in right now, I have been there, and I am telling you, here’s how to get out of that.
I want you to sit down and think about your three primary prospects who you’re trying to renew, or are new one on your sheet. AND I want you to figure out a micro-action.
This is what we do with my clients, instead of thinking about all the steps. We just think about the very next step. What is the next step you need to move this relationship forward? And don’t make it big, this should be small.
For example, you are going to spend a half-hour getting to know the company. It could be setting the next meeting. It could be coming up with one sentence that describes the alignment between your charity and that company and sending it. Maybe even just reaching out through a LinkedIn connection email. Keep it simple.
Micro-steps are all about moving yourself closer to the ask or if you’re in the ask phase, getting a simple ask in front of them. A simple, “How about this option?” We don’t need five options, at most we need two, “How about this or this?”
Keep it simple, keep your micro-step manageable.
If you do this, you will feel in action. You will move closer to your goals. It is much less overwhelming because these actions are realistic and attainable and can be done in a short amount of time. So do it, sit down, think about a micro-action for each of your three best prospects. And do it this week, take this action. You will move yourself closer and calm the overwhelm.
And you know what? If that doesn’t work, maybe you need to phone a friend. I’m here, I believe in you. You’ve got this fundraiser, you can raise the money that you need to with constant, consistent action. If you need me to hear it straight up, give me a call, write me an email, I’m in your corner. Take good care.
Recent Comments