I work hard to keep a somewhat open mind in the election process; I have voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates since gaining the right and responsibility to select leadership for local and national offices.  Yet, I have recently found myself a bit obsessed with the gender and racial politics of the 2008 Campaign.  During the last 6 months I have made a number of $25 donations when I have been moved by a potential candidate, speech, or position.  Yet, within the last week or so the campaigns have lost their direction.  We have become the unwilling witnesses to political self destruction as we see mud slinging, defensive plays, offensive counter attacks and the like - in the name of politics.  The real heart of the issue - intentionally or unintentionally - the election has lost its focus.

The same thing tends to happen for many non-profit agencies.  Born out of a commitment to a vision or mission almost anyone could support, many agencies lose sight of their full destiny when it comes to raising resources, engaging board members, reaching out to the broader community and asking people for their support.  We sometimes miss the window for opportunity to connect to others because the focus is one what everyone else (or every other non-profit competitor) is doing.  If I had just $1 for every time I heard a reference to what everyone else is doing, I'd be independently wealthy.  The challenge for agencies is to focus on what they do well, and then to connect to people who have an interest in their work, their target audience, their success or their future.  This at its core is the key to true fundraising.

I start many interviews by telling people what I can not do.  Someone might challenge that approach to building my own client base.  I think it starts a relationship on a necessary note of honesty.  I am not a miracle worker.  I have learned as much about development from my failures as from my successes.  The reality is- I have a great deal of both.  At this stage in my career, the successes are slowly starting to out distance the failures. In 15 years of development, I am more convinced than ever that the time consuming basics are what work.

Let's take a few lessons from the campaign trail:

1. Focus on your message.  A jack of all trades and master at none has little steam in the race for funding.

2. Connect people to your journey, not your destination.  A successful non-profit agency is defined in part by how they handle adversity.  If a group represents itself as an example of perfection, there is no reason for the average person to join the team.  A good non-profit agency is always developing its team - the staff, volunteers, board members, target audiences, funders and clients that make it possible.  Development is a process and stakeholders do well to understand that it takes time.

3. Ask for support, in manageable amounts, often.  I am  happy to work with an agency to pursue a $1 Million dollar donor, but I haven't found endless amounts of those in my career.  I have been fortunate to meet and work with a few really incredible donors - and each one, each planned gift, each endowment -  started with a gift of a much more modest amount.  The true task of development is to build a base of modest donors, and to then grow and cultivate that committed base.

4. Minimize distractions.  Much like the role of the media in the presidential election, there are many third party distractions when running a non-profit agency.  Focusing on the daily tasks that lead to the objectives and goals of an agency requires the ability to put first things first. The implication is clear, some things on  We have to face human limitations and real life time and capacity constraints.

5. Acknowledge mistakes and move forward.  No candidate in the 2008 election will be perfect, we know that without any additional insight or research.  Likewise, the mistakes that come about when running an agency are numerous - mistakes in staffing selection, reporting, service, acknowledgment of donors, you can name them endlessly.  Life is defined not by how often you fail, but how often you get up.  I have issued my fair share of apologies and there are times when you can do nothing but acknowledge you missed the mark.  The opportunity rests in being able to say - I'll admit my mistake and share with you how I can do this differently.   I am able to learn from my missteps.  This is an important less in development, but an even more important lesson in life.

There is great joy in raising resources for non-profit agencies, but it starts with raising the capacity of groups to manage expectations, relationships and broad support.  Here's to a year of decisive efforts to make the best selection of resources that can shape the work that we do.   Choose your team, and your focus, wisely.