Dear friend,
Amidst the sea of emails carrying cancellations and tips for safeguarding your health against COVID-19, I want to offer you some key considerations for safeguarding your mission and livelihood during this temporary setback. Please be sure to scroll down for four things to begin doing immediately that will position you competitively once we transition back to some normalcy.
The power of positivity
We become what we believe. That adage is so true and at a time like this, we need to resist the urge to believe the sky is falling and instead seek all the examples of why the opposite is true. While there’s no universal playbook for us to depend on, we know our emotional, mental and behavioral attitudes and mindset are our most powerful antidotes and change agents.
Staying the course
Your mission is even more important today than ever before. If you are in a campaign or contemplating one – ask yourself this – is your need legitimate? If so, stay the course! Now is not the time to abandon your greatest mission needs – your constituency is depending on you. Your donors would not want you to, but they might desire more flexibility and creativity. Read on…
Get creative
Look at this as an opportunity to strengthen and fortify your organization’s infrastructure and most importantly, your relationship with your donors. Get creative – continue your cultivation and solicitation efforts – but offer options for gifts that are more flexible. For example, secure that pledge now but allow it to begin later this year. Consider reversing your strategy order and ramping up that planned giving program earlier than intended. Use any extra time to cultivate and solicit (because we all know a good portion of our donors and prospects need extra knowledge-building and cultivation). And finally, deploy those stewardship plans! Time to really turn up the extra attention and communication – especially related to how your mission might relate to crisis issues and responses like this one.
In summary, here are four things that we are recommending our clients and friends prioritize immediately:
Lead, communicate, listen, repeat.
These are confusing times and your supporters likely have family and jobs and all kinds of things to worry about. If you don’t reach out regularly and keep them tethered to the mission, they could easily drift away. Contact your donors to let them know how much you value them and their support, especially in times of distress or ambiguity. Do this 1:1 with key donors (and take advantage of technology like FaceTime and remote meeting platforms). Ask your board chair to make a new gift to demonstrate commitment to the cause and vision for the future.
Consider how to express your mission digitally.
It doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive. Record a small performance and post it online. Post a certificate of graduation on Instagram. Pull out some older photos of group activities and repost them with new insight or narrative. You’ve got the material – repurpose it to keep energy and activity (and needs) high!
Fundraise for crisis-related initiatives and general mission support.
Leave the major gifts asks for later: use this time to check in with your people and deepen existing relationships.
Ensure your team and department are functioning optimally.
Become a best practice! Consider conducting a quick assessment and creating a new strategy so that when things turn around (as we all know they will – remember the Great Recession?) you are first out of the gate!
And in this same spirit, we want YOU to know how much you are valued. Please let us know how we can support you during this trying time. We are in this together and will pull through stronger.
In gratitude,
Aly
