The Sexiest Seven Words in Fundraising
Once upon a time in a market far, far away, I worked at FORTUNE Magazine. In retrospect, selling advertising in FORTUNE had a lot of similarities to fundraising. It was a great magazine with a specific editorial mission that competed for dollars with a lot of other fine magazines and newspapers. During my time there, an editorial colleague posed this fascinating question: “What are the sexiest six words in advertising?” I’ve never forgotten how he answered it and have made it one of my fundraising mantras to live by.
Your New Job Title: Philanthropy Coach
Donors typically support ten charities a year, with most of their giving focused on about four. Now I’ve never had the good fortune to work for somebody’s “favorite” charity. I really couldn’t afford to have that scarcity mentality, where a fundraiser thinks that the entire donor’s giving just has to go to their organization. I was abundancy mentality all the way, baby.
Planned Giving vs. Gift Planning
It’s a decades-old dispute over which term, “Planned Giving” or “Gift Planning,” gives you the edge when reaching out to your prospects.
How to Get More Done in a Day
It’s well-known that I value productivity. In fact, I’m a little obsessed with it. So much so, that I’m frequently asked, “Viken, how do you get so much done in a day?” (Sometimes, when I look back over the things I was able to accomplish, it’s a question I even ask myself.) But the truth is, there’s no big secret to be found at the heart of my productivity. I manage my schedule well, plan out the week ahead on Sunday, and — here’s a no-brainer — avoid wasting time. I also: Follow Ben Franklin’s advice: early to bed and early to rise. Answer my cell discriminately. Empower my staff so they do not have to email or call me unnecessarily. Check my email 3 times a day, not every 5 minutes. Reply to an email, delete it, or file it as a to-do item. My inbox has less than 30 emails at one time. Usually less than 5. Anything that takes three minutes or less, I do immediately. Delete useless endless emails such as jokes and unnecessary social stuff. Do not tweet, Facebook and post on GIFT-PL or LinkedIn as if it were my job. Social media is a big productivity drain! Am not hanging out at Starbucks 3 times a day. Like almost everyone else, I enjoy Starbucks, however it has not become my home away from home. Eat a light lunch. And I eat a lighter dinner. Eliminate time vampires. And, when I do happy hour, it’s at 8 PM, not 4:45. (Unless I am having fun with a client or catching up with my wife on our deck at the end of the day. ) Finally, my biggest productivity hack: I remain *ROI-conscious, and create and update this ongoing three-tiered to-do list: 1. Down the road 2. Proactive and Important 3. Urgent I try to minimize the Urgent so I can focus on #2. Best way to do it? I take a “thought break” by heading out into nature (it’s easy here in Valley Forge Park) with my notepad and “think.” And yes, I shut off my cellphone. Do you really want to know how to get more done in a day? It’s simple: Don’t count time. Make time count. *Return on Investment
