In the time it takes for you to read this post you could have reached out to a donor, volunteer, or potential benefactor (but keep reading!).
It is always difficult to carve out time in our day to do our personal outreach, in part because the list of people we need to touch base with is always “too long” and it never ends. This can be acutely challenging because the idea that we can’t finish can stop us from getting started. This is constant lament I hear from the advancement professionals I work with – and one I voiced in my time working in the advancement office. Acknowledging this challenge is important because we can then start to figure out how to address it.
And, quite frankly, it is very simple…
First, give yourself grace because no one can ever get through their full list of people to connect with, it’s impossible.
Second, make the task more manageable. The best way to start doing this is to make one call a day. Just one. If they answer the call, great, have the conversation you need to have with them. If they don’t answer, leave a message. That’s it. One call. Then do the same thing tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after….
One A Day.
The eventuality is that implementing this discipline into your day will lead to more outreach occurring because you will eventually look forward to making the call. I found that as I prioritized one call a day, I changed what qualified as a call. If I left a message on my first call, I made a second call in the hopes of actually talking with someone. And then a third call.
The enthusiasm to make the calls came from the results. I had great conversations with people, accomplishing what I needed to. I actually got calls back!!! I started connecting with more donors, volunteers, and potential benefactors and developing or strengthening their engagement with my institution. As that happened, I wanted to make more calls, so I started to prioritize them.
All of this success goes back to the commitment to call one person a day.
One A Day!