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Step By Step Fundraising NewsletterJuly 2007
- More (Short) Book Recommendations
When I read the latest edition of Marc Pitman's Fundraising Newsletter last week it immediately struck a chord with me. Every business or non profit organization goes through turning points (what Seth Godin calls "The Dip"). I've seen this happening with several organizations recently. Marc's article (below) and Godin's book are helping me to make sense out of these situations. Without further ado, here is Marc...
Becoming a World Changing Organization Requires Going Through "The Dip"by Marc Pitman
"Most consumers...," writes Godin, "wait for something to be standardized, tested, inexpensive, and ready for prime time" (p. 48). You may be popular with a few early adopters, but to be "best in the world," you need to go through the Dip, as hard as it may be. Only after proving yourself, will others feel comfortable joining you or donating to your cause. This is so important to us in the nonprofit world. As I told my new friends at the Lowcountry Chapter of the AFP, we're all in this world because we're passionate about our cause. We love helping kids, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, spreading social justice, helping women start businesses, providing excellent arts, preserving land...and doing what we all do. The causes are so good, we feel we shouldn't need to fundraise. People should just "get it." If they don't, they should be able to come to their senses based on a website or a brochure. But that isn't how it happens, is it? Incredible as it may be to us, people aren't throwing money at our cause. Or if our cause is huge, it may seem that everyone is giving to that other organization rather than us. According to Godin, this is where we need to decide if we're in a Dip or a Cul-de-sac. A cul-de-sac is a dead end; a Dip is simply part of the journey. You're in a cul-de-sac if you can't become the "best in the world" at what you do. Take some time to think of what your "world" is. Can you be best in the world at it? If not, you're in a dead end. The only thing to do in a dead end is to quit. Well, the only sane thing. Unfortunately, most of us prefer to endure the persistent pain of mediocrity rather than pressing on to greatness. But people and organizations that make the greatest difference, and reap the greatest rewards, are those that are "superstars," best in the world. Quitting takes guts. But if you're in a cul-de-sac quitting is a very real, and can be an incredibly freeing, option. If you're not in a cul-de-sac, you're in the Dip. Quitting in the dip would be incredibly dumb. You've come too far to give up now. If you find yourself in the Dip, the only sensible thing to do is to press on and push through. When you come out on the other side, you'll be one of the very few organizations that will have come through the Dip. And you'll be reaping the rewards of being world-class, including getting to help the people you help in more ways than you ever thought possible. Discussion Questions:
More Small Books With Big Ideas
At just 80 pages, The
Dip
This is a great little book that I happened to find on Amazon. Ken Burnett lays a solid foundation of fundraising principles and adds ideas that may be new to some and reminders for others. There are some great gems in this little paperback.
Another Seth Godin classic. Basic premise: to be successful your
business / non profit / project / etc. must really stand out. Of
course it also has to be relevant and meet the needs/wants of your
audience. This book contains 265 insightful and thought provoking questions, ranging from hypothetical situations to personal history, behavior, opinions and values. The 'big ideas' in this little book are those that come from conversations, self evaluation or writing in response to the questions.
That's it for this month. As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions on how we can better serve your fundraising needs just let us know.
To Your Continued Fundraising Success,
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In
Seth Godin's new book, 
,
he posits that all worthwhile endeavors go through "The Dip." The
Dip helps sort half-hearted attempts from the truly world-class
efforts.
