This weekend my football team lost. Badly.
And now I think that being a Vikings fan makes you a better fundraiser.
Hear me out.
If you’re not a football fan, let me explain who the Vikings are. They are a team that has perpetually disappointed and underachieved every year since their inception in 1960.
And every year I think “this is the year they won’t let me down and win.”
If ever there was a fanbase who can understand about a long-game, it’s us. We’re constantly rebuilding, tweaking the message, and always full of audacious hope.
We’re constantly being told by leadership that we can’t spend any more money and that we have to make do with what we have…yet always have higher than reasonable expectations.
We’re always saying goodbye to teammates and welcoming new ones…like a revolving door of staff.
We’re also used to heartache. It is in our DNA to be able to bounce back every Monday morning and start our cycle of hope over again. Most of us, with a smile on our face being used to this type of rollercoaster of emotions all year.
Sound familiar?
In the fundraising world, we’re typically faced with these similar frustrations and yet we’re the front lines of joy, enthusiasm and positivity.
We’re the working fan base of our nonprofits.
We’re resilient. We’re crazy loyal. We’re sometimes exhausted.
We’re awesome.
If this week presents itself with a few hiccups, remember that you’re not alone at all with questions, concerns or roadblocks. There are any number of nonprofit leaders experiencing the same thing you are and take solace in knowing that you’ve got countless colleagues that will help lift you up or work with you!
Deep breath nonprofit fundraiser / Vikings fan. We’re all in this together.
SKOL.
-Patrick Kirby