AFP Eastern PA Presentation (Slides)

Fundraiser Procrastination:
Name It. Know It. Cure It.
Mark W. Jones
Flywheel Strategies
Copyright (c) 2015, Mark W. Jones

Fundraiser Procrastination

Goals for the Session
1. Acknowledge procrastination as a
common impediment to fundraising
effectiveness.
2. Recognize its root causes.
3. Explore its implications and potential
consequences.
4. Identify strategies for addressing and
overcoming it.

Relevant Quotes
“The first step in fixing any problem is
acknowledging that we have one.”
(Source: Alcoholics Anonymous and other recovery programs)
“Acknowledging you suck is the first step to
greatness.”
(Source: Alan Henry, @Alan Henry)

And How About You?
Exercise
Thinking about your professional life, write down
two or three recent tasks
or activities that you have
postponed completing due to
procrastination.

Reasons for Fundraiser
Procrastination
1. Anxiety and Insecurity
2. Fear of Rejection
3. Absence of Confidence
4. Lack of Focus and/or Distractions
5. Inadequate Incentives or Accountability
6. Lack of Discipline
7. Others?

Procrastination
1. Anxiety and Insecurity
 Not comfortable with the task.
 Uncomfortable asking people for money.
 Intimidated by wealth.
 Not feeling worthy of asking someone to
contribute.
 Lack of personal confidence in yourself.
 Uncertain about your line of work.

Procrastination

Procrastination
 Equating rejection of your solicitation
with rejection of you.
 Believing that “No means no,” as opposed
to “No means not right now”… or perhaps
“No to that amount or purpose.”
 Anxious about the consequences of
returning empty-handed.

Procrastination
3. Absence of Confidence
 Lack of professional confidence.
 Skeptical of the impending solicitation.
 Feeling unsure about aspects of the
program you represent (e.g., the case or
programmatic details).
 Unsure how to overcome objections.
 Inadequate training.

Procrastination

Procrastination
 Not keeping cultivation and solicitation
activities a top priority.
 “Tyranny of the urgent”
 “Checklist gratification”
 “Shiny object syndrome”
 “It will only take a minute...”

Procrastination
5. Inadequate Incentives or
Accountability
 Not feeling a sense of urgency or purpose.
 Not being measured and/or held
accountable by management for desired
outcomes.
 Judged by inappropriate performance
measures.
 Absence of rewards and recognition.

Procrastination

Procrastination
 Easily distracted.
 Absence of a routine.
 Unplanned days (and weeks…and
months… and years).

Strategies for Fighting
Procrastination
Managers: Heal Thyself
 Lead by example.
 You cannot expect others to
behave the way you expect
if you act in a contrary
manner yourself.

Procrastination
Plan Your Work
 Establish a work plan that identifies specific
actions, along with targets and calendar
deadlines.
 Monthly plans.
 Weekly plans.
 Daily plans.

Procrastination
Create Digestible Bites
 Avoid being overwhelmed by breaking large
tasks into smaller, more manageable
segments.

Procrastination
Calendar Management
 Make appointments with yourself and block
out “sacred time” on your calendar (“not
scared time!”) to accomplish the tasks you
tend to put off.

Procrastination
The Buddy System
 Share your plans and
intentions with others
who will hold you
accountable for
following through.
 Enlist assistance in protecting your “sacred
time” from interruption and distractions.

Procrastination
Self-Rewards
 Promise yourself rewards for
completing the tasks that you
tend to avoid or postpone.
 Postpone “fun” tasks until you
finish the “not-so-much-fun”
tasks.

Procrastination
No “Padding” the Portfolios
 Don’t cheat on achieving contact and visit
targets by engaging in too-frequent contacts
with your most enjoyable donors or the
individuals who willingly grant you
appointments.

Procrastination
Accountability
 Managers can mitigate fundraiser
procrastination by holding staff accountable
through regular progress meetings where
activity and results are scrutinized

Procrastination
Training, Coaching and Practice

Procrastination
Training, Coaching and Practice
 Adults learn best by “doing” the tasks with
which they are attempting to improve.
 Get good advice or instruction on your
challenging tasks and then practice those
effective techniques in appropriate settings.
(Then seek feedback on your progress and
performance to enhance your results.)

Procrastination
Prepare
 Anxieties about upcoming challenges tend to
be lessened when we have prepared for those
events
 Envision what the encounter will be like,
thinking through various outcomes and how
you would respond to each one.

Procrastination
Remember that Fundraising is Fun
 Fundraisers are blessed with opportunities to
engage with interesting and valued
stakeholders; we should be eager to partake in
this process and get to know those who care
about our organizations.

Procrastination
Just Do It
 Once fundraisers get rolling, most discover that
much of their pre-contact anxiety will
dissipate. Action begets additional action.
 While preparation is crucial, don’t over-
prepare or use the process as an excuse to
postpone donor contacts.

Procrastination
Others?
 What approaches and tactics have you seen be
effective in overcoming fundraiser
procrastination?

Relevant Quotes
“Unchecked procrastination bleeds over into other
facets of our work and personal endeavors….
Having structure and focus in one aspect of our
life gives us clarity and momentum that brings
structure to other areas.”
(Source: Shawn Blanc, The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Questions/Discussion

Thank You!

References
1. Procrastination: Name It, Know it, Deal with It by Mark W.
Jones https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fundraiser-
procrastination-name-know-deal-mark-w-jones
2. Procrastination by Shawn Blanc
http://shawnblanc.net/2015/02/procrastination/
3. Overcoming Procrastinationby MartyNemko.
http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/overcoming-
procrastination/6073
4. Tomorrow, I Love Ya!by EricHoover.
http://chronicle.com/article/Productive-Procrastination/44939/
5. ProductiveProcrastinationby ThomasH.Benton
http://chronicle.com/article/Productive-Procrastination/44939/
6. Loose DeadlinesandProcrastinationsby Isaac Sweeney
http://chronicle.com/blogs/onhiring/loose-deadlines-and-
procrastination/31008

AFP Eastern PA Presentation (Slides)

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Editor's Notes