Yvonne Harding, Resource Development Manager at Assaulted Women’s Helpline shares the transformation she has experienced after she changed her fundraising mindset. 

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Myths that Yvonne wants us to leave behind

  1. “I can’t do this”. It’s easy to equate tasks that you don’t like to tasks that you can’t do. Start small and you will realize you can do this, and you might actually like doing this task. Doing donor calls is often a perfect example of this. 
  2. Every donor call is about trying to get them to give more. Don’t be afraid to get on a call to understand how the donor is doing, especially during this pandemic, and you will be surprised how much they care and want to know how you and your organization is doing, and that they really value you reaching out to them. 

Yvonne’s tips for overhauling your fundraising mindset

  1. Get inspired by your donors. If you’re feeling unmotivated, pick up the phone to call your donors and understand them as people and their reason for supporting your organization. That’s often a great energy booster!
  2. Prioritize what’s important and allocate time for fundraising. Instead of keep playing catch-up, identify what’s truly important (and sometimes those things might not seem urgent) and make sure you allocate time in your schedule to do the important things. 
  3. Don’t be afraid to use new tools and methods to engage people. Get creative, especially in these uncertain times. Yvonne used video messages to connect with the past participants of the annual charity marathon her agency does and were able to engage them and raise funds during the pandemic. 

My favourite quotes from today’s episode

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“It’s so easy to tell yourself  ‘it’s not perfect, and so I won’t do it yet’  — there are all sorts of reasons for you to bend and twist around and make things more daunting than they’re. Try to park those chatters and think: what’s the worst thing that can happen? Then you will tell yourself: just do it.” 

“Get outside your head and think more with your gut. Embrace your gut feeling and stop overthinking.”

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Resources from this Episode