You’ve heard a watched pot never boils. Let’s just say you’re fundraising and pushing to fill the pot. You’re watching, watching, watching and not seeing the huge increases you were hoping for.

The best time to raise money is when you’re not needing to raise money! Watching the pot and expecting it to grow at a specific time is just not reasonable. Raising money is truly a full time activity. For example: You host an annual fundraiser and expect to raise all of the money you need. When this does work it’s because the organization is putting together activities leading up to the event. They work on the program all year long. Their fundraising plan is strategic.

The beginning of a fundraising plan:

• How much money by when?
• Methods for raising money – past, present and future
• Timeline for each method
• Participants – past, present and future
• Resources (current + what’s needed)
• Tracking mechanism
• Maintaining focus of your program with your team

Focus more on the steps involved and not a specific event. You will get further faster. The pot will simmer, shake, and create a rolling boil. Before you know it the results you want will be happening because you’re not so focused on the end result.