5 Opportunities to Increase Your Fundraising Impact

For some of us, this marks the halfway point of a fiscal year — for others, the beginning of a new fiscal year. In any case, July is an excellent opportunity to evaluate and benchmark for the next six months.

"Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of," Benjamin Franklin advised.

Block an hour a day for five days to evaluate and set or revise goals and plans to achieve them. Get away from your home or office — isn't it amazing how a change of environment and less distractions can stimulate our thinking? I always come away from a trip — especially a plane flight — with lots of new insight and ideas.

Consider these five opportunities to enhance the impact you make over the next six months:

1. Benchmark fundraising success. Where are you toward your goals for the year, or how did you perform in the last fiscal year? What do you have to do now to ensure success? What has to change? Whose help do you need? Pull out your fundraising plan and update it! And be sure that you and your team know the specific direction and steps to take in the coming months.
2. Evaluate your team. How are your staff and volunteer teams performing? What can you do in the next six months to better develop them? Do you have the right team members, and if not, what are doing to do to change that?
3. Evaluate yourself. How are you doing, and what changes do you need to make to ensure that you are performing at peak capacity as a fundraising professional? What additional reading, coaching or educational programs do you need?
4. Reach out. What impact are you making as a mentor - to your staff and volunteers and to others in the profession or aspiring to a career in nonprofits and fundraising? How are you serving as a volunteer at other nonprofits? Are you the kind of volunteer that you wish you had for your organization?
5. Discern your giving. How is your own philanthropic support shaping up? Is it in sync with your financial circumstances? Are you making an impact on those organizations closest to you? Are you supporting your values and building a legacy through your support?

A little reflection, evaluation and fine-tuning of your plans now can be a powerful tool in focusing (or refocusing) you and increasing your professional impact for the rest of 2013 and beyond!