025: Fundraising mindset: Five shifts you may need to make

In this episode, I explore five shifts you may need to make in your fundraising mindset in order to improve your results. I discuss how you can identify five limiting and unhelpful beliefs that you might hold about fundraising and I share with you, through my own experience as a fundraiser, how you can overcome them.   The first of these limiting beliefs is that asking for money is the equivalent of begging. I discuss how this can be overcome by reframing your thinking. By shifting the way you think of the act of asking to see it as an opportunity for people to do something transformational. The second limiting belief I unpack is the self-perception that an individual is not a natural fundraiser. I demonstrate how this might countered by finding a personal connection to a vision. The third is the belief that people won't donate money, which I suggest might be mitigated by creating a compelling reason for people to give to your project and by outlining a case for support.The fourth limiting belief is the flipside of the third: that being the perception that anyone will donate money if you send them a letter. I explore how this belief can prevent big donors contributing money, so is countered by using face-to-face meetings and cultivating prospective donors.The final limiting belief is the tendency to focus on one person at a time and to put all your energy into one potential donor. Instead, I discuss how you might build relationships with a number of people, to gain practice and to reduce the impact when individual potential donors say no.  Episode HighlightsDefining fundraising mindset (04:45)First limiting belief: 'Asking for money feels like begging' (02:28)Second limiting belief: 'I am not a natural fundraiser' (03:48)Third limiting belief: 'People won't give us money' (09:36)Fourth limiting belief: 'Anyone will give us money if we just write a letter' (12:33)Fifth limiting belief: 'I'll focus on one person at a time' (14:33)References and resourcesEpisode 9: Reimagining your fundraising case for supportEpisode 11: Major gifts fundraising: Overcome these four barriers to boost your incomeSign up to Juliet Corbett’s newsletter at www.consultjuliet.co.uk/signup to find out about upcoming School Fundraising Q&A sessionsFind out more about Juliet Corbett’s work and discover a host of free resources at www.consultjuliet.co.ukThank you so much for listening to The Independent School Podcast. I would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to send me some feedback here. This helps me make the podcast as helpful as possible to listeners. Thank you!