May 23, 2008, Newsletter Issue #160: Begin With The End In Mind

Tip of the Week

Dr. Stephen Covey penned an outrageously popular book entitled, "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People." One of Dr. Covey's tips is so simple yet so profound. Covey states, "Begin with the end in mind."

So what? You may be thinking, "How does this relate to my fundraising event?" Well, you need to know where you want to end up first so you can craft the most effective plan for how to get there!

If you work in fundraising, your "end result" goal may already be defined by a boss such as an Executive Director, Field Supervisor, or even Board of Directors. If you're a volunteer, it's important that the Steering Committee all agree on this first and foremost.

What are our goals for this fundraiser? Most likely, you'll want to net x amount of money for a cause or 501 (c) (3) organization. What else?

Are you seeking publicity? Wouldn't you be thrilled to have a local TV station do a story, spotlight a survivor, and attend the event? Do you want to educate the general public or a niche portion of the market about the causes of something, warning signs, how to pro-actively ward this off, and what to do if it still happens to you?


When I worked for the American Heart Association fresh out of college, one of our biggest goals even on the development side was increased awareness. Most people thought cancer was the number one killer of all Americans; when I worked for the AHA heart disease was the number one killer and so we wanted to make people aware that cardiovascular disease claimed more lives than anything else. We wanted them to know the warning signs of a heart attack so they could react in ample time. In fact, when you log in to the AHA's web page today, Heart Attack/Stroke Warning Signs is at the very top of the upper left-hand side.

Is increased awareness of the warning signs of a condition one of your goals?

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