Best Advice: “It’s not about you.”

This post is for a nonprofit blog carnival, where many people all write on the same theme. The theme this month is “best advice.”

Visiting Malawi and getting to see the fruits
of my fundraising in action! Canaan is a
Spirit in Action local coordinator in Malawi
and we are visiting the market to see the products
of the small business grant recipients.

My daily work with nonprofits is so tied up in feelings of compassion, hope, striving, caring. These deep emotions are what keep me pushing forward each day, supporting families in Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda to start small business, despite the daunting goals ahead of us. Seeing change happen in their lives buoys my spirit.

But emotion can also be my greatest enemy. This is why “don’t take it personally” is the best fundraising advice I ever received.

When fundraising for our organization, saying the “ask” out loud is a daunting task for me. I usually know the person I was talking to quite well and it is hard to come right out and talk about money, even more so to ask for it. But most of the difficulty in asking is because my emotions are all tied up in the question.

If someone says no to donating, are they saying no to me? Is it because of something I said? Probably not! Most likely, the reason someone says “no” has nothing to do with me personally, but because of their particular situation or because the work of our organization as a whole doesn’t fit their giving priorities.

When I remember that I’m asking for $150 for a family in Malawi, who doesn’t have direct access to this donor, it’s much easier to come out with the question. Much easier than if I think I’m asking for $150 for me. Even if the person doesn't like me, they may like the idea of helping families who can start a small business with just $150 start-up capital!

So, I pass on the advice: next time you feel nervous to ask someone for money or support for your organization, remember who you are asking for and put them in the ask, instead of yourself. It’s not really about you, after all.