Feeling Disconnected?

It's no secret that understanding, creating, and maintaining meaningful connections is one of the most important skills a nonprofit asker can master.

To highlight how important connection is in fundraising let's look at it from the opposite angle - disconnection.

During times when we are experiencing disconnection, we feel isolated, alone, fearful. Feelings of disconnection can be triggered by different things for different people and the emotions that come with it are different for everyone. You may feel like you’ve lost your passion. That you're stuck. You can feel like you're constantly searching for meaning and purpose. That you’re just going through the motions.

These mental and emotional states are certainly not conducive to working with fundraising prospects and can lead you to feel like you're in a rut that will never end.

Try these steps to reconnect to your work and the mission of your organization when you've had an injection of disconnection.

• Study the history of your organization. If you've already done this, do it again and try to experience it through the eyes of the people your organization serves.
• Reach out to one or two of your loyal supporters. Ask them what keeps them connected to your organization.
• Write your story. Focus on the point at which your personal narrative intersects with the narrative of your organization.

Are you connecting or disconnecting? Attracting or repelling? Engaging or disengaging?

Important questions to answer as you promote your organization's mission.