What puppies teach us about the small stuff
We tend to think that big, innovative ideas and strategic thinking are the most important elements of success. But often smaller details have just as much impact:
Our new puppy Hans, who arrived at our home a few months ago, reminds us every day of the power of acting positively and openly:
Greet people warmly (whether you have a tail or not).
Pay attention to sounds, smells, and people.
Always be curious.
Be flexible, go with the flow.
Be open to new experiences.
Lick your favorite people on the face when you see them (Just kidding! Dogs can get away with a lot more than we do!).
But puppy life isn’t all tail wagging. In order to make sure our puppy is a safe member of our family and community, we enrolled Hans in puppy “kindergarten.” The fact is that puppy training class is more for the people than the puppies. We humans need most of the training!
Training class has been unexpectedly challenging. Puppy training involves building small (e.g. “Sit!”), repetitive habits with your puppy that, taken together, move your pup in the direction of good behavior and success as a member of your household. I have to admit that I find it hard to remember to allocate the time each day to consciously implement those practices. The weekly hour of class gives us the opportunity try out new habits with our pup. Then, our job is to practice at home many, many times each day.
I thought a lot about puppy training recently in my work with one of my nonprofit clients. This organization’s management had a big-picture vision of where they wanted to go: They wanted to raise more money but needed to create and implement smaller processes regarding donor cultivation (relationship-building with prospective donors) and stewardship (continuing and strengthening those relationships).
For many of us who work in and with nonprofit organizations, those processes are not tremendously exciting. Relationship building with staff, board members, donors, and volunteers is energizing. Developing and expanding a program or organizational vision is challenging and stimulating. But tracking all the little details of conversations and follow up and next steps? Not so much.
And yet.
Organizations that have a strong program must focus on step-by-step relationship building with donors to create and maintain strong fundraising. Tracking contacts with a potential or current donor may not be as sexy or exciting as building a new program. Yet that careful tracking enables an organization to continue and expand their important work.
For my client, getting in the habit of paying more attention to donor cultivation and stewardship wasn’t easy. We talked in detail about how this would happen, who would do this work, how it impacted their workflow and how the organization would share progress. Then, they dove in.
Like any new habit, it felt strange. Unexpectedly, one staff member was a detail fanatic and got everyone else excited about the small actions that led to incremental progress. Once they got used to the workflow, it was easier than expected.
At the end of the year, the results were exciting: it worked! Donors increased their gifts and a higher percentage of donors were retained in the next year.
Focusing on those small habits (and best practices) with a proven success rate may not be exciting. But small habits lead to big successes.
After all, it worked for us –Hans is chewing on his dog toys rather than our clothing!
Try This
Consider: What small habits could your organization give more attention to make a big impact?
How can you build in processes that will help you to better monitor incremental progress towards your goals?
I’d love to know how it works for you—shoot me an email!
Last month’s post explored vulnerability in fundraising and life. Readers were inspired to be more direct with family, friends and colleagues. Check it out if you didn’t get a chance.