Think big internally:
- As in a $100 billion opportunity. Consulting firm McKinsey came out with a study several years ago that said $100 billion was being left on the table for nonprofits. Money they - you - should be getting but aren't. The biggest chunks: an estimated $25 billion from not doing major gifts and another $25 billion from savings in cost. That means you're spending too much money to raise money, and you're focusing your efforts on the wrong things...
- As in a $100 trillion opportunity. Within the next 30-50 years as baby boomers begin to pass on, they will transfer somewhere between 50-180 trillion dollars of wealth. Where's that money going? The women, who live longer than the men and will have control of all of that money, will be great prospects for nonprofits looking in the right places.
- Get some BHAGs, big hairy audacious goals, as Jim McConnell would say. Set some lofty goals tied to your vision -- real big goals dealing with your potential impact. It's easier to deal with than a survival pitch, struggling to get the next $100 at a time.
Keep it simple externally:
- Can your message be on a napkin? It's all about simplicity, being straightforward, and easy to digest and understand.
- The rule of three: Boil everything down (or group everything off) into three. People can't remember 20 things, let alone 10. Anything more than three will overwhelm them and shut them down. Think about this: where does your money go? People, programs and places.
Source: Adapted by Jake Emen from Tom Suddes' Nonprofit 911 Presentation "33 Ideas that Change the Fundraising Game." For more information, please visit www.forimpact.org.