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What a fundraiser should do every week

I want to walk you through a typical week for me so you can learn the Catholic habits of how to fundraise effectively. Yes, there are actions you can do that will make your fundraising more Catholic and more effective. Plus, by showing you what I do each week, you will learn two valuable lessons.

The first is that I do not chase money. I don’t run around, day after day, looking for who has large sums of cash to give. Nor am I constantly asking people for gifts. This also applies to the websites I design, the letters I write, and the emails I send.

I don’t bombard people with the omnipresent donate button, along with its partner in crime: the exclamation mark. “Please give!” I don’t fundraise like this because it is a secular and ineffective approach. It scares people away, and it is absolutely exhausting.

If you don’t believe me, I recommend you check your response rates and ask your readership what they think.

The second important lesson is that I am not only asking two times a year like most Catholic charities. I ask throughout the year. This may sound contradictory to my first lesson, but it’s not. Even though I’m not focused on asking for money every day, I’m constantly identifying when to ask someone or a group and what is the best approach.

I segment my campaigns to specific groups of people rather than use general campaigns which ask everyone all at once. I have a campaign specific to major donors because rather than wait months to ask them in a bi-annual campaign, I ask them at the best possible time.

Another group I like to segment is lapsed donors. Again, you don’t want to wait months to lump them into your yearly campaign.

Pitfalls to avoid in your day to day fundraising

With that said, each day of my week is designed to build relationships and ask specifics groups of people at the best time possible. As a result, you move your fundraising forward much quicker.

This proactive approach to fundraising is more effective – meaning you raise more funds – than waiting for your annual or semi-annual appeal to happen. It’s important to constantly be active because you will keep your momentum throughout the year. Then when your annual appeal does happen, you’ll be much more prepared to launch a successful campaign.

I also think this approach is much more Catholic because you are focusing on building relationships before asking for donations. The idea that someone will give just because they are Catholic is false. You also take advantage of people when you only see them as ‘another Catholic’.

The Catholic organizations that run general campaigns once or twice a year also put themselves at serious risk. For eight to ten months of the year, they aren’t meeting people, building relationships, spreading messages, identifying prospects, or asking for donations. Instead, when the bi-annual appeal is about to happen, they spend the majority of their time running around doing all of these at once. You are doing too much all at once.

Another downfall of this approach is you come across as intrusive and pushy. Catholics know when they are being sold something fast and quick, and most turn away when it happens.

What a fundraiser should do each week

What you want to do is have a weekly plan that keeps you moving forward. The plan that I will show you is a working template that you can modify depending on where you are with your fundraising. As a whole, this a fantastic framework to make sure you are not missing anything and executing on a consistent basis.

Your week should include the following ten actions. I’ve talked about these ten actions relentlessly on my website, videos, and resources. These are also the ten actions that I promoted in my first book, Alms. I recommend buying a copy of Alms because it goes in granular detail about each of these. You should also download the 10 Commandments to Catholic Fundraising e-book which also outlines these tasks.

When you execute these ten tasks for fifty-two weeks a year, you will move forward with your fundraising at a record pace.

  1. Pray – You have to take an active approach to your prayer life when fundraising because you can so easily get tunnel vision on money, forget about Jesus, your mission, and your community. Make prayer a habit.
  2. Thank people – You have to thank people more often than simply after they donate. Find reasons to send thank you messages and acknowledge that their involvement is continually helping you.
  3. Connect with people – Go out and meet people for the sake of meeting them. This is especially true when someone has organized an event in your field of work. And remember, the focus is not to find donors. The focus is to connect.
  4. Dream List – I’m a big believer that you have to intentionally seek out those people who will help you move forward. These are specialists in your field, people who can connect you with volunteers, major donors, and faithful supporters.
  5. 1-to-1 meetings – You have to book meetings and meet people. This includes major donors, faithful supporters, volunteers, influencers, and anyone else you think would benefit from hearing what your organization does.
  6. Build your community – You have to grow your contact list each week. This one action will dramatically impact on how much you can increase your funding levels year to year.
  7. Clean your database/contact list – Take time to make sure everyone’s name is correct along with their details. Avoid the horrible feeling of sending a person a message with their name misspelled.
  8. Distribute free content – Give, give, give. For every donation you want to receive, my recommendation is to find ways to give seven times more. This doesn’t mean you have to give money, but do give people resources and information that they will appreciate.
  9. Attend other people’s events – I’m sure there are other organizations out there that do things similar to yours. I suggest you connect with them and learn what they are doing. Learn also how you can help them succeed.
  10. Ask – You won’t raise any funds if you do not ask any for money. You have to intentionally ask people for donations each week.

Now that you know the ten fundamental actions, you must schedule a time to do each one every week.

How to organize your week as a fundraiser

Here is a suggested week plan that you can use. Again, you can modify it as you wish and move activities based on your availability.

Regardless if you have two minutes or two hours, I highly recommend you spend time doing each task. Don’t drop one simply because you can’t find the time. It’s important that you get into the habit of doing each task, improving week by week.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Morning Pray (1)

Thank (2)

 Pray (1)

Dream List (4)

 Pray (1)

One-on-One meeting (5)

 Pray (1)

Distribute free content (8)

 Pray (1)
Afternoon Build community (6) Connect with people (3) Attend other events (9) Ask (10) Clean database (7)

As I mentioned, you do not have to be confined to doing one task on a certain day. I suggest you make your schedule and find what works for you. What you will discover by doing this is your approach to fundraising is much more balanced. Meaning, you are not just focused on asking for money. You will be building better relationships along with more of them.

A fundraiser’s best resource: the Catechism

I continually stress the importance of using the Catechism’s section on prayer as a gauge for how balanced you are with your interactions. A Catholic fundraiser is always reflecting on how balanced and genuine his or her messages are. The catechism explains that there are four different kinds of prayer: petition, thanksgiving, adoration, and intercession.

You can think of prayer as our way of speaking with God, and if we spent our days only asking him for things (petitioning), we wouldn’t have as fulfilling a prayer life if we forgot the other forms of prayer. Therefore, you have to take the time to speak with God in the different ways.

The same goes with fundraising. If all you do is ask people for donations, you’d be unfulfilled because you will find your work repetitive and boring. So will your donors, prospects, and followers. People eventually get tired of you constantly asking them for money. “When is enough for them?” they’ll think.

Therefore, you have to mix it up so that your approach is more Catholic. When you do take this approach, you capture people’s attention more often, build closer relationships with them, and subsequently raise more funds.

Change of perspective

To help you get started, use this pray, pray, pray, ask approach to ground yourself.

Pray – Pause and reflect on your normal weekly fundraising activities. Write down what you do on a typical week.

Pray – Review my list of 10 actions and identify which ones you are doing and which ones you are doing. Reflect on how your approach may be perceived by others. Would they think you are focused most on asking for money, them, or the mission?

Pray – Open your Bible to Baruch chapter 3. This chapter reaffirms the law of Moses (10 commandments) as a unique gift of God to Israel, the observance of which is the way to life and peace. Remember that specific tasks, done consistently, can dramatically help keep you focused on what truly is important.

Ask – Complete your own timetable and organize the ten tasks in a way that is most convenient for you.

Question: How will you schedule your upcoming week so that you have a much more effective approach to fundraising?

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Catholic Fundraising

One of the questions I most often get asked is, “Where do I find donations?” Not surprisingly, everyone is looking for the shortcut and equally unsurprisingly is this fact: There are no shortcuts. The questions I wish more people would ask me is, “what should I do to receive more donations?”

Fundraising requires action. The more actions you take, the better your chances in getting that break you’re looking for and reaching your goal.

Yes, fundraising does involve asking, but it also requires a mix of disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions which are more of a determining factor in raising funds than any other combination of things.

My book, Alms: Your Definitive Guide to the Ins and Outs of Catholic Fundraising, focused heavily on what those right actions are. Right now, I want you to know that most Catholics fail in fundraising because they are not taking enough action and also taking the wrong kind. To put simply, they don’t take fundraising into consideration throughout the year, and they are asking the wrong people.

Fundraising, especially in the Catholic context, requires so much more than asking for money. It also requires massive action in spreading your message, attracting people’s attention, building relationships, and maintaining relationships.

It requires diligent and consistent work to find potential donors, and that is why you have to work at your fundraising continually. It’s not enough to run a campaign twice a year, pass out leaflet and letters, and sit back and hope people respond.

This distorted version of hope used in fundraising is directing our aspirations on worldly things and removes responsibility on the actor (the person who is hoping). They hope people donate also translates as: “I have asked. Now I don’t have to do anything else but wait and see what happens. I leave everything to God.” That’s not how hope works.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6

Like Paul and Apollos, we have to do our part.

The “do nothing” style to Catholic fundraising

This “do nothing” approach to fundraising is exactly what it sounds like. You don’t take action to move yourself or your vocation forward. You don’t learn or adjust how you reach your funding target.

Unfortunately, people who don’t do anything to raise money relate this lackluster attitude with putting everything in God’s hands. Until the money comes, Catholics who don’t want to do the work stay as apathetic and inactive because for them the real sign that God wants them to pursue this work is if someone gives them money.

Despite how it may sound, do not assume that doing nothing is placing your life in the hands of divine providence. I know this because the moment that the person receives a donation, they’ll suddenly have more energy and happiness.

Excuse me? I guess God’s graces was not sufficient to keep them happy about their vocation. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Last I checked, that’s not how saints lived. They didn’t sit around waiting for clear signs and money to fall in their laps. Nor did the apostles.

The “too scared, retreat” style

I’m not talking about a spiritual retreat. Nor am I talking a few days away to find your perspective and reboot from raising money. I am talking about those Catholics who completely walk away from fundraising the second it gets too hard.

They get scared and give up altogether. This is really unfortunate because the people who suffer the most in these circumstances are the those who would have benefited from the projects which would have been funded.

Like the Catholics who do nothing with their fundraising, these retreaters claim to be doing so because it’s not what God wants them to do. That’s right, because the last time I checked, God confirms with us what we are supposed to do in life by the amount of money people give us.

Again, that’s not what is really happening. The Catholics who retreat from fundraising do so because their impression of what failing means is causing them to retreat. They don’t like the feeling, so they walk away. It’s not that God doesn’t want them to continue. The reason they back away is they are scared and disheartened.

They got their feelings hurt and don’t know what to do. That’s why I always recommend having a solid spiritual director when you are fundraising. They’ll be able to see through the waves of emotions which are flooding your thoughts and point out that you do not see the full picture.

Your “average” style to fundraising

Catholics who take the average level of action with their fundraising are the most common. They appear to be taking the necessary steps to reach their fundraising goals, but this level of action is also the same Catholics have been taking for decades. For decades Catholic fundraisers didn’t have to look for donors. They just went to where the Catholics were: Mass.

It is unfortunate that disrupting the Mass with donation requests has become common practice. When’s the last time you went to Mass during Lent and Advent and didn’t hear a homily about money?

You would think, with all the talk about the New Evangelization, we would stop this bombardment and focus on the faith during Lent and Easter, especially with so many lapsed Catholics returning to Mass. It’s the ideal time to inspire people with the Gospel of Truth. But no … someone decided it’s better to ask them for money. I also find it odd that I’m the only one advocating for this change.

Unfortunately, a majority of Catholic causes take this approach. The goal here is average – average impact, average evangelization, average funds, average reach. As long as average works, they are fine with it. They don’t want to cause problems for others or themselves as long as the funding levels remain predictable and steady.

However, the moment those average levels of activities result in fewer and fewer donations, they suddenly recognize that they are at risk. They block up because when you have been taking the average route to getting funds, you are more susceptible to challenges.

When that happens, you either think of retreating or doing nothing. This is catastrophic for all the people who depend on their cause for support. They suffer the most because average Catholic fundraisers don’t know what to do in the face of difficulty.

The Good: take action with your fundraising

I propose a new approach to fundraising. This approach takes seriously fundraising every day of the year because it can benefit your cause in so many ways. When I say every day, I don’t mean going around asking for donations all the time.

What I mean is you must approach each day as though your mission and its future depend on your ability to take action. If you want people to donate to you, then you have to go out every day and tell people you exist. You have to share with them your mission.

[Tweet “If you want people to donate, then you have to first tell people you exist.”]

Therefore, you’ve got to find them, let them know who you are and what you do. These are two incredibly important steps even before you ask for donations. Catholics don’t just give because you’re also Catholic and you’ve asked them.

They give because they recognize the benefits you are providing to their community. They see the long-term benefits of your work. They understand your mission and how you are accomplishing it. To achieve all of these requires constant action.

The world needs more Catholics to take better action with their fundraising because we all know that with more money, we can do more. I am not saying that money solves everything and will bring Jesus to more people. Not at all. I am assuming that if you have decided to fundraise, then you are doing so because you are already doing great work, and you recognize that with more money, you could even more.

If you have not yet done so, get on board with the many Catholics that are taking action with their fundraising by joining the CatholicFundraiser.net community. Click here to join now for free and take your fundraising to the next level.

So, if that is the case, why not take your fundraising seriously? Why not see it as a major component to impact the lives of more people, thereby saving even more souls? If God is calling you to do more of what you are doing, then let’s go and do it. My goal in life is to place as much money in the hands of saints because they’ll know how to spend it.

The Pray, Pray, Pray, Ask approach to Catholic fundraising

I invite you to take your fundraising more seriously and take action in moving your mission forward. If you have made that decision to ask people for funds, then you also have to decide to go pro with your work ethic.

You have to demonstrate stewardship to your donors and prospects every day. That means you show up every day to execute your mission. It means you have stories to share each day.

Here is a simple approach to taking action with your fundraising.

Pray – Take 10 minutes to reflect on the five actions you are delaying to take with your fundraising.

Pray – Reflect on what it is you fear most about doing these actions.

Pray – Read Proverbs 27, which speaks about taking care of today’s work. How can this perspective of taking action help you move forward?

Ask – Take immediate action on all 5 actions today.

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Rethinking How You Fundraise – The Catholic Approach

Rethinking how you fundraise will have a greater impact than any fundraising campaign you wish to launch.

When you think about fundraising, your emotions lean one of two ways. You get that positive, happy feeling when you imagine all the possibilities that additional funding can help with doing more of your mission. You could likely daydream about this for hours. Or, you could fall into a negative mood because you soon visualize the endless challenges that come with asking people for money. It’s like a broken record and makes you all eerie inside. You are even scared of how fundraising will distract you from doing the real work.

 

Did you see what just happened? Even before you started to ask people for money, your mind goes in a specific direction all on its own. It just gets up without even thinking (ha! Get it?) and goes its own way. Then it starts plays a string of emotional extremes to you.

“Oh yes, if I could find a major donor, I could do so much more! But where can I find this person?” “What will people think of me when I ask them for a donation?” “They’ll likely hate me and just ask a hundred questions.”

Eventually, you ask yourself a lot of questions, most leading you to a brick wall.

Whether you are aware of the questions you are asking yourself, the narrative that you play in your head about money and fundraising has a significant impact on the amount you will ever raise.

Let me be clear. Even before you ask someone for money, regardless of what you say to people and how you say it, the narrative you play in your head already has an impact on the amount.

[Tweet “The narrative you play in your head has an impact on your fundraising.”]

Rethinking your approach to fundraising

Today’s context requires a different mindset to both fundraising and money.  Rethinking your way out of your current approach. Wait. Before you start making assumptions on what ‘re-thinking’ means, I want you to – as much as possible – read these paragraphs with an open mind. I’m not talking about new way of thinking at all.

I’m trying to first untangle all the assumptions you been telling yourself about money. Yes, money isn’t the most important thing in life. I actually think it’s at the bottom of the most essentials.

However, I do think it’s important because it can help. It does help in many situations, but only when you understand its place in context with yourself, the Catholic faith, and what God is calling you to do. I think any Catholics who wants to fundraise or take it to a new level, they must start internally. They have to start with a fresh perspective.

If you aren’t specific with what you want, people think you don’t want anything. So, if doing the same actions over and over again produce minimal results, yet you have to figure out what’s blocking you from making a clear, convincing, and direct request. My guess is you’re too afraid of the success of receiving money than having a failed campaign.

My guess is you’re too afraid of the success of receiving money than having a failed campaign.

[Tweet “If you aren’t specific with what you want, people think you don’t want anything.”]

You’re more content on getting subpar results like most charities, that way you can gripe that it’s just the way things are. You tell yourself, “Well I can’t do anything because no one has money, times are tough, people don’t give to charity anymore.” The list goes on.

The fact is that’s not the reality. People do give, especially religious people. Religious people statistically give overwhelmingly more than any other group of people. This is the case because we are designed to give because that’s how God made us.

So you are asking to people who are willing to give. Change your mindset to understand that people are ready to give. You just have to be 100% willing to receive.

Change your mindset to understand that people are ready to give. You just have to be 100% willing to receive.

The Pray, Pray, Pray, Ask approach to have the Catholic mindset

The Catholic mindset towards fundraising is a fundamental part of getting your mission to the next level. New and better results require new and better ways of thinking. You are going to have to take a better look at your thinking.

Thankfully the Catholic Church is a haven for reflection, self-awareness, and renewal. You can turn to countless spiritual classics for help with this. My preferred is the Catechism because it puts everything in plain and direct language.

Though here is a simple approach to removing those negative emotions about money and getting you in the right mindset to fundraise.

Pray: Write the 5 main beliefs you remember you parents, priests, and friends told you about money. Take 10 minutes to reflect how these statements have emotionally conditioned your perspective of money

Pray: Take any negative thoughts that came up for you in the first reflection and break them down. Question and investigate them.

Pray: Read Psalm 119 and reflect over how God wishes you to consider money and fundraising within the work that you are doing. Now rewrite your beliefs on money from this perspective.

Ask: Take your new perspective of money and use it to plan your next campaign. Use your positive outlook to send a clear message to people about what you are doing and how money will help you do even more.

Question: What is one way you are you sabotaging your own fundraising?

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The Alms Book is Your Definite Guide to Fundraising

Order your copy of Alms: The Definitive Guide to Catholic Fundraising by clicking here.

I passed through Dallas, Texas last week, and I had the privilege of stopping by the Catholic radio station, KATH 910 AM Guadalupe Radio, to speak with Dave Palmer about my book, Alms: Your Definite Guide to the Ins and Outs of Catholic Fundraising.

To get a free copy of the book, jump to this page. (Warning: there is a LIMITED supply. So, first come, first serve.)

You will really like this interview because Dave and I talk about how to overcome some of the biggest obstacles when it comes to asking for donations.

I also shared my story of how I got started in fundraising for Catholic organizations. A few years ago, I quit my job in consulting to help my diocese raise $60 million. Soon after, I started helping Catholic charities in my community with their fundraising.

Since then, I’ve never looked back.

Today, I help over 20,000 Catholics each month through my website. I also travel the world to share my thoughts and ideas. Next month, I am speaking at a conference hosted by Caritas Internationalis, which is the Vatican’s arm of charitable services and raises over $1 billion a year.

How did the Alms book get written?

I’ve learned to trust God and follow my vocation to help as many Catholics as possible with their fundraising. It sounds like a crazy vocation, and in the beginning, like Abraham, I was scared. I thought, “was this what God really wanted me to do?”

I lacked the faith and trust to respond, but little by little (with the help of daily Masses and rosaries), I persevered.

As I learned to believe more and more (kind of like what Fr. Michael E. Gaitley talks about in 33 Days to Merciful Love), things took off.

Now, I teach Catholics how to overcome the hurdles of combining faith and money.

How to fundraise for your Catholic cause

In the interview, I highlight the importance of focusing your attention on God and not on money. You have to always remember that you don’t need money. You may think you do, but you don’t. You need God.

Then, when you got your bearings right and are moving forward, it may be the right time to fundraising.

This is when you use what I can the Generosity Factor. You have to demonstrate a giving attitude which inspires people to give. You can learn more about this concept in the interview and in an article I wrote: The Generosity Factor: The Fastest Way to More Donations.

The Alms book is your definitive guide to Catholic fundraising

The book is structured so that anyone can move quickly with raising funds. Even if you don’t have donors, and you don’t know where to start, this book will help you move forward.

I also talk about the importance of being 100% Catholic. Too often Catholic charities, organizations, religious orders, dioceses, and parishes shy away from their Catholic identity because they are afraid it’ll scare donors.

In my experience, the opposite is true. Catholics (and even non-Catholics) are most inspired to give when they see authentic Catholicism.

So be Catholic!

You can pick up a free copy today (remember: there’s a limited supply… ) and move your Catholic work forward.

Get your free copy of Alms (before I run out).

Question: What’s your biggest hurdle with fundraising today?

Alms Book Fundraising

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Why Catholics Don’t Give… And What Can Be Done About It

Ever wonder why Catholics don’t give to you? There’s a book that answers this question. Why Catholics Don’t Give… And What Can Be Done About it by Charles Zech is a must read for any Catholic fundraiser. Published by Our Sunday Visitor, the book was commissioned specifically to understand the giving landscape of the Catholic Church in the United States.

A religious nun recommended that I read this book, and I am so happy that she did. The chapters are a gold mine for understanding what works and what doesn’t.

Charles Zech offers an analysis of every situation, including planned giving, capital campaigns, religious order giving, and even generational differences. From the data he collected, he offers practical steps for how to successfully fundraising in a Catholic context.

As a result, you have a fact-based foundation for achieving your fundraising goals.

Alms Book Fundraising

Things that you thought were important (average parishioner income and parish size) are not, and things you thought were not important (prayer groups and community) are vital to the success of a fundraising campaign.

You will also be amazed at how simple the recommendations are which are also backed up by research. I recommend you purchase a copy today and read it cover to cover.

10 lessons from Why Catholics Don’t Give… And What Can Be Done About it

Here is my list my top-ten lessons from the book.

Focus on community. People don’t give when there is a decline of community and confusion about purpose. Therefore, concentrate on building community and clarifying your purpose. Donations always follow.

Build your community. Whatever approach you take to raising funds, you should be aware that community building must begin. It’s a continuous undertaking that never ends.

Allow for feedback. Give people opportunities to be consulted and have direct input into the decision-making process. They want open discussions, transparency, and accountability in decisions.

Go beyond the money. Stewardship (and fundraising) must go beyond raising funds. You must maintain the highest standards of integrity and honesty in all matters, allowing people to see that you steward everything (not just money) around you.

Minimize the use of volunteers. If you want to develop the time and talent portions of giving, it is important to impress on people that the time and talent that they do contribute should be viewed as ministry, not merely as volunteer activity

Institute pledging. Those who make a financial commitment through pledges contribute more. Pledging works and people who pledge are better givers. Online giving is a great form of pledging.

Meet the needs of your supporters. Catholics have failed to learn the joy of giving because most Catholic institutions fail to assist them in the conversion of their minds and hearts. When you respond to the needs of your supporters and followers, giving goes up.

Offer Estate Planning as an option. Remind donors that contributing through estate planning is good stewardship. Remind your donors occasionally the possibility of doing this.

Fundraising is what we do; stewardship is who we are. Fundraising is one-dimensional, often focused on the checkbook, while stewardship invites us to change our hearts. Fundraising typically occurs annually, while stewardship is an ongoing commitment.

Start a prayer or study group. Of all the parish programs and activities you can offer, the sponsorship of prayer or study groups at church significantly affected contributions.

Discussion question: Do you see any of these lessons active in your fundraising? What could you do to address them? [Please do share your thoughts below.]

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