This sign hung in my various offices for over a decade. I guess you could consider this a motivational poster of sorts, but I think it was actually a very early meme. These two sentences have become my fundraising mantra. Something I repeat to keep myself focused and to cope when things get rough.
Because I’m both a nerd and a yogi, I looked up “mantra” in the Oxford English Dictionary. The term “mantra” comes from Sanskrit and the root words mean basically: "thought support" or device to support thought and action. This is exactly what this simple sign has been for me throughout my career. Even the repetitive rhythm of it helps in its function as thought support. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Raising money is the main thing. Let me tell you the story of this mantra: To give credit where it is due, the original sign was created for me by Mark Nelson, who was the Treasurer for the Libertarian National Committee (the Libertarian Party) in 2004-2005. So, he was a board officer for the organization I was working for at the time. I was the only full-time fundraiser for the national organization and I was only 23 years old. Their theory was to hire smart young people who would be “cheaper” salary-wise for the DC area. The exchange was that I would get a ton of valuable training and experience and they would get energetic labor. However, I was overwhelmed and I think Mark sensed it. I was managing a conversion from an antiquated custom donor database to Raiser’s Edge. I was producing a monthly newsletter for our recurring donors. I was helping to plan the national convention and scouting locations for the next convention. I was recruiting and training paid callers to renew memberships via phone and managing our intern program. With the help of a consultant, I was managing monthly direct mail campaigns and planning fundraising events. Then, because the LP was a political organization, staff frequently got pulled into controversies and political discussions. I’m tired and anxious just typing about everything I was called to do. As treasurer of course, Mark had a keen interest in keeping me motivated. On a trip to our DC office, he walked in and taped the sign to the wall above my computer monitor and explained what it meant. The “main thing” meme helped me to prioritize my work and keep my head on straight. It also reminded me that the officers of the organization supported me in my main role. My job as a fundraiser is revenue generation. Everything else must fade in comparison. When I left the LP, I took this simple sheet of copy paper with me and posted it in my new office at the University of South Carolina. This concept continued to keep me focused as I was hiring 110 student callers per semester to raise $1.47 million via phone annually. When I took a job as behind-the-scenes project manager with RuffaloCODY (now Ruffalo Noel Levitz), I would see the sign and feel sad. I knew then that I missed frontline fundraising. I missed chasing down a dollar goal. It helped me navigate my career back to raising money. At some point in changing offices, the original paper got ragged and I disposed of it. But, when I was at Southern Miss and we tripled our annual fund income in one year, I recreated the poster for some of our gift processors who were overwhelmed and wanted a reminder of how their work connected to the big picture. It became a bit of an office-wide mantra. Now that I’m back at a small shop, I think of this mantra often. I try hard to “stay in my lane” and keep the focus on fundraising. There is much to do, the need is great, and it is easy to feel like you are never doing quite enough. But, the main thing . . . is to keep . . . the main thing . . . the main thing. And, raising money . . . is the main thing. At any organization, you will be asked to do many mundane things (I collectively call them TPS reports). These include: expense reports, submission forms, demographic changes in database, meetings, etc. Do these things, but strive to automate those tasks as much as you can so that they don’t distract you from the main thing: raising money. At some organizations, especially those that are not organizationally mature, fundraisers will get pulled into political discussions and controversies. Continue to come back to mission and how the main thing (fundraising) supports that mission. When people around you go low, you go high. Keeping focused on raising money is the high road. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Raising money is the main thing. What’s your fundraising mantra? How do you keep yourself focused? Comments and questions are, as always, welcomed and encouraged! Cheers, Jessica Cloud PS – If you liked this post, you might also like these:
PPS - If you found this article helpful, please comment and let me know. Also subscribe to Real Deal Fundraising so you don't miss a post! You'll get my guide to Call Center Games for Free!
20 Comments
6/12/2017 05:14:24 pm
It is little funny topic but it reality of life and money is too much important part of life. We can live with it if we keep in mind for always then we can sucess to make our family rich.
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Roger Griffiths
1/18/2024 06:37:03 am
Top Secret Way To Win The Lottery With The Help Of A Magic Lottery spell caster called Dr Kumar.......I saw testimonies online on how Dr Kumar helped a lot of people in winning huge amounts in the lottery, so I decided to contact him for winning numbers. I contacted this man and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers to play. Believe me when the draws were out I was among the winners. I won a $2.19 million jackpot. I have confirmed Dr Kumar and he is real and guaranteed. Now I am a living testimony of the good works of Dr Kumar, a gifted man with great powers, it is my secret but I decided to make the world known too. It might be a help to anyone who is interested. My comment might look funny to you but it is the truth and I promise you that it will not be funny when you win and share a testimony with others. This is a secret to win the lottery so I advise you to do the same.. It’s not everybody that is naturally lucky, if you have problems in winning the lottery? then the solution to win is to contact Dr Kumar for the winning numbers and you can reach Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853
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Pete Brumbaugh
6/28/2017 04:18:17 pm
Jessica, keep blogging! Your posts keep me (and others) going each week!
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8/17/2017 04:13:39 pm
Thanks, Pete! I'm getting ramped up again. Hoping to build more consistency with my blogging. I appreciate the encouragement.
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ManuelFranco
7/1/2021 02:00:53 am
I just want to say Thank You to everyone who supported me through the years. My name is Manuel Franco, 24, New Berlin, Wisconsin. My story of how I won the Powerball lottery of $768.4M is a bit of a tale. I have been playing Powerball tickets for 6 years now since I turned 18. I bought my first ticket on my 18 birthday. I was feeling very lucky that day because I had contacted Dr. Odunga to help me with the winning Powerball numbers. I really had that great great feeling that I looked at the camera wanting to wink at it. I only did a tiny part of it and trusted him. He gave me the numbers after I played a couple other tickets along with it for $10. I checked my ticket after the winnings came online and saw the numbers were correct including the Power play. I screamed for about 10 minutes because it felt like a dream. I had won $768.4M. This happened in April, 2021. You can check my winning testimony with the lottery officials just with my name search. Thank you Dr. Odunga. Well, his email is odungaspelltemple@gmail.com and you can also call or Whats-app him at +2348167159012 so you guys can contact him
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David Silvia
8/23/2022 12:22:28 am
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10/24/2022 04:29:04 am
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8/6/2023 12:44:23 pm
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kelvin
11/16/2023 05:24:35 pm
Out of respect for you and your spells I must make this testimony known to all. I've been to other spell casters without seeing any result. I just wished I came to you earlier, I got the best from you. My ex husband was gone for a year and I went everywhere and other spell casters for help but no result until my friend introduced me to PROPHET EHIAGWINA. After the Love Spell was done, I finally got a call from him. His spells worked wonders and my husband is back with full of love. It was like a miracle! He suddenly came back with flowers saying that i should forgive him, i was truly flabbergasted and shocked when my husband knelt down begging for forgiveness and for me to accept him back.. I'm really short of words and joyful, you are a God sent to me and my entire family.. And now I am a joyful woman once again. Thank you so much PROPHET EHIAGWINA. To everyone who is looking for a real spell caster contact prophet ehiagwina
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Roger Griffiths
1/18/2024 06:36:28 am
Top Secret Way To Win The Lottery With The Help Of A Magic Lottery spell caster called Dr Kumar.......I saw testimonies online on how Dr Kumar helped a lot of people in winning huge amounts in the lottery, so I decided to contact him for winning numbers. I contacted this man and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers to play. Believe me when the draws were out I was among the winners. I won a $2.19 million jackpot. I have confirmed Dr Kumar and he is real and guaranteed. Now I am a living testimony of the good works of Dr Kumar, a gifted man with great powers, it is my secret but I decided to make the world known too. It might be a help to anyone who is interested. My comment might look funny to you but it is the truth and I promise you that it will not be funny when you win and share a testimony with others. This is a secret to win the lottery so I advise you to do the same. It’s not everybody that is naturally lucky, if you have problems in winning the lottery? then the solution to win is to contact Dr Kumar for the winning numbers and you can reach Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853
Reply
Jack Whittaker
1/24/2024 04:59:35 am
Hi everyone reading this amazing testimony of mine and i want to give my own verdict on how you can win the lottery by contacting Dr Kumar for your lottery numbers. I started playing lottery games for years now and I have never won big. I went online to seek help to see if i could get some tips on how I can win bigger amounts on the lottery and I saw some nice reviews about Dr Kumar who has made different people huge winners in the lottery by sending them lottery numbers. I gave it a try and I contacted Dr Kumar by email and he told me how and what to do before I can become a big lotto winner and I accepted. He made special prayers for me at his temple and sent me the required lottery numbers to play and when I played it, I won a massive $235.4 million POWERBALL jackpot. I was so happy and I chose to receive my winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment of $160,038,447.27 at Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee and the balance was given to the store that I bought & played the game from. I would love other people who want to win the lottery to seek help from Dr Kumar and he will also send you the lottery numbers and make you a winner just like me. You can reach Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853
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Mary Robinson
2/28/2024 03:49:16 pm
Good day to everyone reading my post, i'm here to appreciate a legitimate spell caster call Dr Kachi who can help you winning the lottery draw, i have never win a biggest amount in lottery unite the day i saw good reviews about DR Kachi how he has helped a lot of people in different ways both financially/martially and i have been playing Mega Million for 8years now, but things suddenly change the moment i contacted Dr Kachi and explained everything to me about the spell and I accepted. I followed his instructions and played the Mega Million with the numbers he gave me, now i am a proud lottery winner with the help of Dr Kachi spell, i win $640 Million Dollars in Mega Millions Ticket, i am making this known to everyone out there who have been trying all day to win the lottery jackpot, believe me this is the only way to win the lottery, this is the real secret we all have been searching for. I want to thank Dr Kachi for his endless help and his from the United States. you can contact via email drkachispellcast@gmail.com or through WhatsApp and Call Number: +1 (209) 893-8075 his website: https://drkachispellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site
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Roger Griffiths
3/8/2024 08:05:44 am
Top Secret Way To Win The Lottery With The Help Of A Magic Lottery spell caster called Dr Kumar.......I saw testimonies online on how Dr Kumar helped a lot of people in winning huge amounts in the lottery, so I decided to contact him for winning numbers. I contacted this man and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers to play. Believe me when the draws were out I was among the winners. I won a $2.19 million jackpot. I have confirmed Dr Kumar and he is real and guaranteed. Now I am a living testimony of the good works of Dr Kumar, a gifted man with great powers, it is my secret but I decided to make the world known too. It might be a help to anyone who is interested. My comment might look funny to you but it is the truth and I promise you that it will not be funny when you win and share a testimony with others. This is a secret to win the lottery so I advise you to do the same. It’s not everybody that is naturally lucky, if you have problems in winning the lottery? then the solution to win is to contact Dr Kumar for the winning numbers and you can reach Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853
Reply
Gloria Kenzie
3/24/2024 07:23:46 pm
BEST SECRETE WAY TO WIN THE LOTTERY.....I was doing research on how I can improve my chances of winning the lottery and I came across so many testimonies on a blog saying how Dr Kumar has helped them win the lottery by sending them the winning numbers. I was curious and I thought it was all a joke but I decided to give it a try and see for myself and I contacted this spell caster to know for myself how this works because I have spent a lot buying tickets and I never win. I contacted him and he told me the necessary thing that need to be done and i did it and he told me to wait for 2days and truly he gave me the winning numbers to play the lottery which i did, i got my tickets and play the numbers which Dr Kumar gave to me and i won the sum of $85M(85,000,000USD). I want to let you all know that online tips can not help you win the lottery. Dr Kumar is the only answer to you winning the lottery. Contact him today and get the winning numbers from him.. You can contact Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853
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Natasha Thompson
4/3/2024 03:02:32 am
My name is Natasha Thompson from the USA/Texas.. Am so overwhelmed with gratitude to let the world know how Dr Kachi, the great spell caster changed my life for good. It all started when I lost my job and I was down financially and emotionally because I couldn’t be able provide for my two kids and staying home all day Jobless it’s not easy until I was checking on the internet when I saw a series of testimonies hearing people winning the Powerball lottery, I didn’t believed, but being poor no job you have no option. I gave it a try and I contacted Dr Kachi who told me what i have to do before I can become a big lottery winner and I accepted. He made special prayers for me in his temple and gave me the required numbers to play the lottery game and when I used the numbers to play it, I won a massive $344.6 million Powerball jackpot. I was so happy and I choose to review my winning in any platform, I would love other people to seek help from Dr Kachi through Text and Call: +1 (209) 893-8075 or email drkachispellcast@gmail.com by his website: https://drkachispellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site
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Jerson Garcia
4/10/2024 08:12:26 pm
Are you interested in winning the lottery? I urge you to contact Dr Kumar for your winning numbers and I promise you he will send you the winning numbers and make you a winner just like me. I won the Mega Millions with the lottery numbers Dr Kumar sent to me and you can contact Dr Kumar on email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853 to get your winning numbers
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Michael Scout
4/16/2024 05:50:25 pm
Hello everyone out there who is trying to win the lottery. I bring you good news on how to get the lottery winning numbers. I want to use this great opportunity to thank Dr Kumar for helping me to win the lottery Mega Millions, I have been playing lottery for years now and the only big money i have ever won was 6000$ ever since then i have not been able to win again and i was so upset and i need help to win the lottery Mega Millions, So i decided to go online to see if i can get some tips on how to improve my chances of winning and i saw a comment by Roger Griffiths testifying about the goodness of this great man called Dr Kumar on how he helped him to win the lottery and I also saw so many testimonies about this same man Dr Kumar of how he gave out lottery numbers to so many people to win the lottery. I contacted him and he also sent me the lottery winning numbers which I played and I won the Mega Millions. If you are interested in winning the lottery, You can contact Dr Kumar on his email: spellcasttemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +2347051705853 to send you the lottery winning numbers.
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Jessica Cloud, CFREI've been called the Tasmanian Devil of fundraising and I'm here to talk shop with you. Archives
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