Focused Fundraising: How to Raise Your Sights and Overcome Overload

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Welcome to Focused Fundraising: How to RAISE Your Sights and Overcome Overload
	How to Use This Book
Part I The Challenges of Focused Fundraising
	Chapter 1 The Constant Craziness of Nonprofit Life
		Slowing Down Is Not the Answer
	Chapter 2 Focus Begins by Valuing the Work
		Myth #1: Fundraising Is Primarily About Money
		Myth #2: Fundraising Is Brainless Cheerleading
		Myth #3: Fundraising Is Done by a Solo Solicitor
		Value Leads to More Value
	Chapter 3 You Can Focus Because You Are Mindful
		Mindfulness Aids Focus
		Spinning Forward
	Chapter 4 The Tech Tug and Instant Overload
		The Organizational Tech Tug: Keeping Up with the Dot-Joneses
		The Organizational Tech Tug Means Continuous Change Management
		The Personal Tech Tug
		Instant Overload
	Chapter 5 Why Instant Overload Is Here to Stay: The 4 Ms
		Should We Expect More or Less Distraction?
		Can Our Amazing Brains Cope with the 4 Ms?
		We Are All in It Together
		A Day in the Life
		How to Focus with the Four Ms?
	Chapter 6 This Is Not the Focus You’re Looking For
		Maggie’s Story
		The Depth of Focus
		Goal-Oriented versus Present Moment–Oriented
		Focus Does Not Follow Directions
		Multi-Tasking on Purpose
		Focus Is Not About Avoiding Bad Stuff
		Focus Is Not Always Laser-Like
		Focus Is Not Broken by Noise
		Distraction Can Enable Focus
		Maggie’s Story Continued
Part II Focus-First: The RAISE Framework
	Chapter 7 How RAISE Helps
		Focused Direction
			Three Requests for Direction
		Making Room to Focus: A List, a Mob, a Waiting Line
		Remember the RAISE Mantra
		Framing a Topic to RAISE
	Chapter 8 Recognize Your Point of View
		Four Key Perspectives
		Steadying Your POV
	Chapter 9 Assess Your Standards
		Common Pitfalls to Establishing Standards
		Common Standards for Measuring Fundraising Performance
			Total Dollars Raised
			Cost per Dollar Raised
			Return on Mission
			Engagement (or Sometimes Retention)
		Best Practices versus Practices That Work Best
		Knowing Your Standards Means Avoiding Noisy Data
	Chapter 10 Inspire Your Efforts
		Bright Spots
		The Spinning Top
		Focus on the Top
		Making a Choice
		What Is Changing That Makes Focus Possible?
		An Alternative to No: “Yes, and …”
	Chapter 11 Structure Your Work
		Structure Is Personal
		Being Overwhelmed Is the Point, Not the Problem
		Too Much of a Good Thing
	Chapter 12 Evolve Your Approach
		Where Are We Now?
		Evolving the Pyramid
		Angry Donor Policies: The Problem with Stories
Part III Focused Fundraising Teams
	Chapter 13 The Importance of Culture
		Culture and Change Management
		Authenticity Is Vital to Evolve
		A Tale of Two Fundraisers: The Artist and the Scientist
		The Unfocused Fundraiser: A Cautionary Tale
	Chapter 14 Prospect Development
		Prospect List
		Getting the Initial Visit
		Virtual Visits
	Chapter 15 Engagement Strategies
		Brand Matters
		Get Your Engagement Game Plan
	Chapter 16 Fundraising Operations
		Technology Change and Operations
		Give Gift Administration Its Due
		You Cannot Improve a Process You Do Not Value
		Focus from (and on) Governance
	Chapter 17 Strategic Information Management
		Priming Principled Professionals
		Righteousness of Recording Data
		From Data In to Data Out
	Chapter 18 The Power of Maturity Models
		Maturity Models
		Major Giving Maturity Model
	Chapter 19 Focused Fundraising Maturity Model
		Level 1: Frenetic
		Level 2: Reactive
		Level 3: Controlled
		Level 4: Proactive
		Level 5: Focused
	Chapter 20 Further Thoughts on Thought Work
		Train Your Brain
		Be Decisive
		The Value of Heuristics: Big Rocks, Iron Triangles, and Rules of Thumb
		Big Rocks
		Iron Triangles
			The “People, Process, Tools” Triangle
			Project Management’s Iron Triangle
			Fundraising Operations Triangle
		The 80/20 Rule
		The Golden Rule(s)
		Practicing Rules of Thumb
	Chapter 21 Causativity
Conclusion
Toolkit: RAISE: Practical Examples and Coaching Prompts
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
EULA