Focus, Resolve, and Fundraising

Two important qualities in a nonprofit asker are focus and resolve.

The ability to focus attention and concentrate all of it on a prospect is an essential skill. So, how do we improve it?

1. Practice mindfulness and meditation on a regular basis and most certainly just prior to meeting with a prospect.
2. Get more sleep. Getting enough sleep each night can improve your focus during any workday. Getting enough sleep the night before a prospect visit may be the difference between a yes and no to your proposal.
3.  Choose to focus on the moment. Staying present with your prospect in the here, today, now is absolutely a choice. Choose to put everything else aside during a visit and make your prospect the center of your world.

Keeping things moving forward while staying flexible in the face of rejection, sudden change, and the unexpected speaks to one's resolve. Try the below to strengthen your resolve.

1. Do your research. The more you know about your work and those you work with, including your prospects, the more likely you are to stick to your goals even when the path forward seems a bit murky.
2. Make a public promise. It's important to share the asks and tasks you commit yourself to with the rest of your fundraising team. This naturally leads to #3.
3. Set up regular accountability. If we never take the time to review our work, accountability takes a backseat. When we make public promises, part of keeping them is to be accountable.

Exercise your focus and resolve daily so you are prepared for the times when your focus is pulled and your resolve is tested by a difficult conversation, an anxiety-inducing presentation, a stressful situation, or an awkward ask.