Helping CEOs, Fundraisers, Comms Teams and Consultants to use LinkedIn to grow your income from high value partners
𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲.... There’s something wrong with your fundraisers. But because there’s something wrong with your expectations. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁—𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱. 😀
Well said Michelle 👍
Oh yeah! Relationships are not a moment in time. They're a living, breathing continuous interaction.
Realistic view in cowboy terms - the horse on the right is about to give the unprepared fundraiser 8 seconds of hell before hearing the bell, and if you're still in the saddle you're showing talent, grit and deternination. Just like your first rodeo!
Just love these illustrations Michelle - instant recogntion and awareness for all stakeholders. A picture is always worth a thousand words, yours are beyond my Maths.
Several years ago with Mission Hospital Foundation, Mission Viejo CA, we embarked on a large capital campaign. To keep us humble, management had tee shirts with a big "YES" on the back BUT it was spelled out with thousands of "NO'S. That brought "reality" into the equation - and I never forgot it!
I agree. The strongest funding partnerships are based on relationships - both parties have a nuanced understanding of the challenges and deep commitment to see solutions evolve over time. Rationships don’t develop overnight and a couple meetings don’t convert to long term funding for scalable solutions.
Expectations, the mother of all disappointments. Most people who don't work in fundraising assume that there are millionaires and corporates just waiting with spare cash on the side to give to those who come asking.
Michelle Benson I hope you publish a book with all these aphorisms Love this one, as indeed I have all its predecessors. People chasing funding/investment (and I see this in the corporate world when working on failed pitches) forget the very foundation of any transaction is strong human relationships. And the trust underpinning them.
This needs to be made into a mug! So true!!!
Ace Africa UK Country Director. Working with philanthropists to unlock the potential of the most vulnerable children and families in Kenya and Tanzania.
6dThis is wrong. The unicorn is not covered in fairy dust.