Too many fundraisers engage in too much foreplay.

Just think about the hours and hours spent on preparing spreadsheets, ‘strategic plans’, Power Points and draft budgets interspersed with and followed by meetings, meetings, meetings —  all with good intentions but resulting in little of no action and consequently little or no growth.

One trait that distinguishes a great fundraiser from a good or mediocre fundraiser — and a growth organization from one that stays stuck on a plateau or is in decline — is the ability to act quickly and opportunistically. To make ‘small bets’ and see how they work. And if that small bet pays off, then turn it into a larger program.

One ‘small bet’ that every organization — new or old, large or small — can and should make is to get started with a monthly giving effort. Doesn’t matter whether you have 100 or 100,000 donors, this is an effort that will pay big dividends, year-after year, decade after decade.

But this post is NOT about the ins and outs of monthly giving. Rather it uses a monthly giving story as an example of how all the planning and meetings in the world can’t replace the simple initiative of just taking action and seizing opportunity when it occurs.

Watch the video below from Movie Monday’s post A Cup of Coffee, a Marmot, and $18,000 in Monthly Giving.

In it, Harvey McKinnon, one of my all-time favorite (‘favorite’; he’s Canadian) fundraisers, tells the story how he turned a late night work session, a plea from friends and three cups of coffee into $18,000 in monthly donations.

The video obviously shows what a monthly giving program can do for you. For me, however, the essential point that you don’t have to plan and plan, meet and meet to get started. Walk across the street to your friends. Go to your board. Go to your current donors. Go to your new donors. Just ask them. Sign them up.

Don’t let planning for perfection paralyze you. Just start.

Roger

P.S.

IMPORTANT STUFF #1. Hopefully, Harvey’s story will inspire you to undertake a monthly giving program. If so, you’ll want to read his classic on monthly giving — Hidden Gold.

And you’ll also want to check out Erica Waasdorp’s book, Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant.

IMPORTANT STUFF #2: I received the video in this post as part of a free subscription to Movie Mondays, a wonderful weekly gift that Chris Davenport makes available to all. Do yourself a favor and sign up for Movie Mondays here.

IMPORTANT STUFF #3: You can see more of Harvey — and lots of other Agitator favorites at the annual Nonprofit Storytelling Conference to be held November 10-11 in Chicago. More info and registration here.