Most of us want more of something.
More dollars raised. More donors. More attendees at our signature event. More effectiveness. More communication. More quiet time. More peace. More time to think. More. . . something.
Wanting more is natural for humans. It’s in our DNA. And, for teams of humans with an identified purpose, wanting more is the expectation.
The interesting question about wanting more is not what we want, or even how much more we want. But, rather it is when we want more to materialize.
If we want more now, we create one more personalized segment for that next direct mail solicitation, we research who we can call for a “bump-up” gift at the end of the fiscal year, we wake up early to finish the grant proposal and click “submit” before the deadline. We implement.
If we want more in the future, we focus on creating and fine-tuning our multi-channel, annual giving calendar. We focus on strengthening our major gifts program with strategic prospect management. We invest in planned giving marketing. We plan.
Wanting more now is not bad or wrong-headed. Wanting more in the future is not a luxury. We need both to be successful.
Those who are able to balance when they want more are both effective in the moment and productive over time.
