When Fundraising Gets Caught in the Thick of Thin Things

A dependable revenue stream that grows—ah, paradise!

Have a fundraising challenge you want to crack? Weary of doing the same old, same old yet hoping for different outcomes? Do you want the over-the-top results that come from superior strategy?

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When I got off the phone with Denise recently, I immediately thought of something I heard Stephen Covey say. He said people often limit their effectiveness in life by being caught up in "the thick of thin things."

Denise is the executive director of a small organization that serves seniors in the Southeast. When we spoke, she got right to the point by asking me how to solve her fundraising problem.

Denise told me that her challenge is competition from a number of organizations in her area with similar missions. Fundraising totals for Denise's small organization have plateaued. Denise believes this is creating difficulty in generating financial support, subdividing the static pie.

Sound familiar?

Asking her a few questions pinpointed the real obstacle. What's really holding her organization back is something completely different.

Denise is blessed with a stalwart group of volunteers who work diligently on an annual charity auction. This event generates the vast majority of the revenue, which fuels the organization's work.

Like a lot of events, it's hit maturity. As fundraisers, we know that somewhere between three and five years is the cycle. Event costs are in the typical 50 cents to 75 cents per dollar raised range. It's an awful lot of effort for precious little.

There are many similar events in her area—for everything from cancer research to little league. Denise believes that's depressing her totals.