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Objective, Intention, Action

nonprofit fundraising

Many nonprofit askers wrestle with fear of the ask. This fear often leads to anxiety and stress which can negatively impact performance. While individual askers experience various degrees of angst, fear of the ask is more common than you might think.

A sure-fire way to curtail this fear is what I call the OIA sync. The OIA sync helps you align your objectives, intentions, and actions in your work with fundraising prospects.

These three elements should work together harmoniously in a natural progression. When fear or doubt starts to seep into your fundraising work, the OIA sync will help you stay on track and on message with your prospects.

Let's take a closer look at each element in this sync.

Objective

An objective is what you want from your prospect. Your wants will be different at various stages of an ask cycle - another visit, event attendance, onsite tour - but your ultimate objective is always the ask for a financial investment in your organization's mission. Think of your objective as your "what."

Some insight - your prospect knows what your objective is. They know you're a fundraiser and know you want something from them. Take some comfort in this. 

Intention

If an objective is your "what," an intention is your "why." Why do you want what you want from your prospect? Yes, I know it's your job, but it must be more than that. There is too much riding on your organization's mission for it to just be your job. The passion we have for a particular mission is what motivates most of us to become nonprofit askers. Passion is personal. Passion is your "why." To reveal your intention, discover (or rediscover) your passion for your work.

Intentions are also a direct line to trust between you and your prospects. If a prospect can't feel your intentions or has any confusion about them, trust takes a hit. On the other hand, passion has the tendency to spread which can inspire trust.

Action

Your objectives and intentions work together to spur action. Actions are the behaviors you engage in, to achieve your objectives. They are the tactics you use to get what you want. Your actions will communicate your intentions and support your objectives both verbally and nonverbally. Think of your actions as your "how."

Aligning your objectives and intentions to your actions is as important as the prospect research and other prep work you do prior to any prospect visit. By regularly syncing your objectives, intentions, and actions your confidence will begin to eclipse your fear.

The OIA sync works well with new donors, current donors, and particularly well with lost or unhappy donors who you need to reconnect with.

When your objectives are clear and your intentions are good others feel it in your actions. You have nothing to fear.

So, clarify what you want (your objective), make it personal (your intention), and go after it (your action).

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