{"id":576574,"date":"2015-12-01T17:11:05","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T22:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/?p=576574"},"modified":"2022-06-27T10:29:47","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T14:29:47","slug":"raise-money-30-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joangarry.com\/raise-money-30-days\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Raise Serious Money For Your Nonprofit In the Next 30 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s December, the month when many of you will try to raise money. A lot. For some of you, we’re talking a third (or more) of your total individual donations for the entire year.<\/p>\n

In one month. Jingle all the way, indeed.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s really hard. The pressure to get every dollar in the door can become overwhelming. A bad December can be devastating to your organization, even if every other month had been flawless.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to help.<\/p>\n

Today, I\u2019m going to tell you exactly how you can raise significant money for your nonprofit in just thirty days.<\/strong><\/p>\n

My three-step plan does not include the lottery or bank robbery. Rather, it\u2019s precisely what I\u2019ve personally done at several nonprofits with great success.<\/p>\n

If you follow this plan, you will raise money.<\/p>\n

December fundraising is frantic. But my 3-step plan can help. I speak from experience.<\/p>\n

At the time, I was the Assistant Vice President of Development at New York Law School.<\/p>\n

By December 30th<\/sup>, the gift still hadn\u2019t closed. I was headed out of town and had to beg an airline employee at LaGuardia Airport to please keep the gate door open for five more minutes so I could close the gift before I got on the flight.<\/p>\n

Amazingly, she actually did it! I closed the gift.<\/p>\n

A million dollars. Seriously.<\/p>\n

To this day Delta remains my favorite airline.<\/p>\n

So how did I do it? Let\u2019s get right to it\u2026<\/p>\n

STEP #1: BEAT BURNOUT BACK TODAY<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no way around it. The next 30 days are going to be brutal.<\/p>\n

Self-care, and preventing burnout in yourself and<\/u> your staff is key. I\u2019ve written before about how to avoid burnout<\/a>. I strongly suggest you read the post. Take this very seriously.<\/p>\n

Self-care and preventing burnout is as much for you as it is for your staff and clients, and publicly talking about battling burnout is a sign of strong leadership.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day it\u2019s only when the entire fundraising team is firing on all cylinders that your clients and other stakeholders that depend on your organization truly benefit.<\/p>\n

STEP #2: CREATE YOUR “SUCCESS AND STORY CHEAT SHEET”<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a simple formula I use. It goes like this:<\/p>\n

Compelling story + Credible messenger = Fundraising success.<\/p>\n

The \u201ccredible messenger\u201d part is easy. As a staff member of an organization you deeply believe in and care about, you are as credible a messenger as it gets.<\/p>\n

But many get hung up on the \u201ccompelling story\u201d part.<\/p>\n

Focus on your compelling story by drafting a Success and Story Cheat Sheet. The SSCS is your guide to the top messages you want to hit home with individual donors over the next thirty days. It\u2019s 1-2 pages and has the following three items:<\/p>\n

a) Five key program successes from the past calendar year:<\/strong> these include key points that show off your organization in the best light and demonstrate impact. Examples:<\/p>\n