I’m no hero and neither are you

I’m trying to do it all right now.

I bet you know what I mean. This time of year is especially busy for those of us who raise money for nonprofits. It’s the high holy season of giving, and if we’re not ever-present in our donors’ consciousness, we risk losing support.

If we do what we know we’re supposed to do, we’re already:

• Communicating with our donors throughout the year.

• Developing a compelling messages with real emotion and urgency.

• Gathering enough information from and about our donors to segment our lists effectively.

• Creating an engaging social media presence.

• Using email to regularly update our donors on the impact of their gifts.

• Crafting a compelling year-end appeal and follow-up efforts.

• Thanking our donors promptly and often for their support.

• Getting grant proposals in on deadline.

• Cultivating corporate sponsorships.

What else am I missing?

I’m really feeling the pressure this year. Mine is a new position at my organization, so I’m also trying to align everyone at the organization with a fundraising mindset. Oh, and converting our Excel mailing list to a database.

The thing is, most of the pressure is self-inflicted. I know it needs to be done, therefore I need to do it.

And as I realize how foolish that sounds, I wonder: how many organizations do the same thing? How many of our nonprofits have a bit of a hero complex? Do we send a message – unwittingly – that we’re extraordinarily competent and we don’t need help?

That we’ve got this?

We have to loosen our grip if we want to make room for other people to help. And that’s really what we’re supposed to be doing, isn’t it?

I’m going to try to make more room in my life for my life. I’ll try to let my best be enough. It wasn’t going to be perfect anyway. I’m going to ask other people to help. And I’m going to think about that as I create messaging for my donors.

Because in the end, it’s not about me. It’s not even about my organization. It’s about the people we serve and the people who help them.