A Tiny Habit with Remarkable Results

Have you read Atomic Habits by James Clear? Clear discusses the importance of small habits so you can accomplish more by focusing on less.

Here’s a small habit that can transform your fundraising: Make one donor phone call every day.

That’s it.

There are 253 working days in a year. You’ll be surprised at how transformational this can be for your work. Make your daily donor call a low-stakes call and keep it relaxed. These phone calls can be a simple check-in about the organization, a personal thank you, or perhaps even an invitation to an upcoming engagement opportunity. Pull a list of 250 donors and prepare yourself a simple one-page document with talking points on it and leave it on your desktop for the year. Don’t be afraid to add a prompt on your document to ask the donor to talk about themselves or give advice. And leave a voicemail, always leave a voicemail.

The outcome of these calls will help inform your ask planning and help you pinpoint what parts of the organization’s work matter most to your donor. Many calls will trigger follow-up on your part, or perhaps follow-up from someone on your program team. These calls will make you better informed on your donor’s needs and interests and will help you make better decisions as you plan fundraising activities.

This simple habit can transform your organization! Reminder: This is not a habit for fundraisers only. This habit can be transformational for any nonprofit employee.