Why fundraising is a balancing act

There’s this joke I used to do. I’d like to say that it was back in my student days, but actually I think my wife may tell you that I last did it alarmingly recently. I’d have to be walking down a high street with someone. “Hold on,” I’d say, “I need to check my balance.” I would then proceed to stand on one leg, with my arms outstretched, wobbling a bit. “OK, done.” I’d then say. Is that tumble weed rolling past? OK, yes. I never said it was funny, did I? But my point in mentioning it in this blog is this: Fundraisers need to check their balance if they are to be successful. And I don’t mean checking their bank balance (although that may be the ultimate proof of their success). My view is that the successful fundraiser – or the successful fundraising function, in bigger organisations – needs to balance three key phases in their working process: 1. Before you ask This is about research. What do you know about your potential funders and donors? Will your charity fit their giving criteria? Are they likely to be interested? What would be a good amount to ask for? It’s the old adage: ‘Fail to prepare. Prepare to fail.’ But check your balance – clearly if you don’t do enough research you will be setting yourself up to fail, but I’ve also come across many fundraisers and organisations that do a huge amount of research without ever really getting to the asking stage often enough. Reams of fantastic profiles of potential donor