24 Oct Compassion

This is the final blog post in a series of 6 entitled the Fundraiser Mindset. You can read my post on Discipline, Strategic, Communication, Passion, and Commitment here.

Compassion begins (and ends) with you.

I had an amazing choir director when I was at McGill University. He was crazy busy – he conducted an incredible number of chamber choirs and ensembles at the university. I asked him how he did it: how did he keep up his energy level every single day, never wavering in his enthusiasm?

His answer was simple. He refueled with the energy from his choirs. They made it possible for him to continue working tirelessly every day.

COMPASSION…. for yourself

Fundraisers are quick to be compassionate for others – our donors, our program recipients, our colleagues. But we not always compassionate with ourselves.

Compassion begins and ends with me. #fundraisingtruth     (← Tweet this)I’m breaking open the taboo and talking about our personal struggles, our personal challenges about being compassionate with ourselves.

Things you never hear in non-profit offices:

• I wish I had taken an extra day off so that I could be more recharged when I got back to the office
• I am so glad I took the time to get out of the office for a planning day so I can lead my team to success
• I’m glad I took an extra break – I knew something was wrong when I almost bit my favorite volunteer’s head off!

Having compassion for yourself will make you a better boss, a better listener, and a better fundraiser. #fundraisingtruth     (← Tweet this)It’s like the oxygen mask in the airplane– you can’t save anyone else if you don’t save yourself first.

What does compassion look like?

• Stepping out of the office BEFORE you blow a gasket because you’ve been working too many hours
• Maintaining boundaries around your workday so YOU decide your daily schedule
• Prioritizing your work so you lean into your key deliverables, rather than processing your inbox (which is a big ‘ol list of everyone else’s “to-do” items)

Compassion and kindness for yourself is a key component of a fundraiser’s mindset.

Don’t:

• Beat yourself up because you missed your fundraising target this year. Focus on some of the small wins, and zoom in on where you can change your strategies for next year.
• Zero in on the “mistakes” during your annual event. Focus on the amazing atmosphere that you created.
• Think about all the things that you didn’t do. Take time to celebrate the one important thing that you DID accomplish.

Your Turn – ready, set, go!

What did you accomplish today? What small win did you accomplish? Take a moment to celebrate it. Say to yourself “Great job. I knew you could do it!”

Liked this post? Check out the other posts in this series—Discipline, Strategic, Communication, Passion , and Commitment. Don’t miss out on any of this six post series about Fundraising Mindset—scroll down this page to sign up for my e-newsletter to get posts delivered to your inbox.