Lessons from
a fundraiser

Kara Logan Berlin list herself as a Development Strategist.

She helps people and organisations accelerate fundraising. Kara says that the firms need to be as committed to the act of funding as they may be to the art of the execution of their product or service. I will list a few of her suggestions, but please spend some time with her as she explains in her Ted Talk. I am sure you can see how fundraising could be replaced by collecting or receivables management. 

  • All of your great work or products won’t matter if you do not have resources
  • You MUST get very good at fundraising
  • It is important to look upon fundraising as not just ‘the other F word’, but as an opportunity
  • You must be prepared to build relationships (commercial collections), they pay people, not organisations
  • It takes work and it takes homework – you have to figure out why they should pay
  • The more you know….
  • Need to have a high tolerance for rejection
  • In fundraising, you should never ask ‘whatever you can do’, similar to my recommendation in receivables management, never ask ‘how much can you pay’
  • Ask for the money

Listen to Kara’s talk, keep an ear open for what she says about ‘Would you consider’, and figure out how you can adapt her great phrase and technique to work for you in your business. When you do, drop me a line. Love to hear from you.