As part of our focus this month on avoiding fundraiser burnout and succeeding long-term, we had the pleasure of chatting with Beth Zimmerman, Founder and Executive Director of Pets for Patriots, on what keeps her fresh and focused on the success of her organization's mission.
For more on ensuring long-term success as a fundraiser, watch our free webinar, How to Raise More Money Without Burning Out, with special guest presenter Beth Kanter.
Beth Zimmerman, Founder and Executive Director,Pets for Patriots
SOAPBOX: As a nonprofit using Soapbox Engage, we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know the great work Pets for Patriots does. For those unfamiliar with your organization, though, can you share what you’re about?
BETH: Pets for Patriots helps military veterans adopt a new best friend while helping the most overlooked, undervalued shelter animals find hope and a home. We operate nationally in communities large and small, and serve veterans from WWII to active duty.
SOAPBOX: How vital are individual donors to Pets for Patriots and its mission, and whose chief responsibility is it to cultivate them?
BETH: I think many nonprofits make the mistake of focusing too much on corporate donors for the obvious reason that they tend to make larger gifts. But in reality, those gifts tend to be one time or event-specific.
When an individual donor makes the decision to give, that person has already made a certain emotional commitment to your cause. It's then your job to nurture that commitment. A one-time donor can become a recurring donor. A recurring donor can be cultivated to one that gives just a little more each month, or can be asked to donate to a special project because you know they're already invested in your mission.
So in the end individual donors are really the lifeblood of our work because they give from the heart, and not just because our mission resonates with their philanthropic goals.
{loadposition blog-ad-general}SOAPBOX: As a CEO of an organization doing so much with a small staff, how do you stay fresh and focused on the fundraising required to accomplish your mission while juggling so many other responsibilities?
BETH: That's a great question and, to be honest, I'm not sure I have a great answer.
I think always being involved to some degree in the actual, granular work of your nonprofit keeps you grounded and mission focused.
Every single day I'm communicating with veterans - those who are already in our program and who have unique challenges to address, others who are in the application process and have questions - so I'm always reminded of why we exist and who we serve.
At the same time I personally work very closely with our shelter and veterinary partners around the country to address various adoption or pet medical cases that require my attention. They, too, are beneficiaries of our work and their plights a very real reminder of why I need to make sure raising funds is a part of my job every single day.
SOAPBOX: Any advice you’d like to share with fellow directors of small but mighty nonprofits on how to avoid burnout and succeed long-term?
BETH: As fundraisers we ask people to not only fund the "what" that we do - capital projects, special programs and the like - but the "why" as well. The real reason we exist to serve, because in the end that's what inspires people to give.
At Pets for Patriots, for example, a $250 donation fully funds one veteran-pet adoption. That's the "what" and people do care about it, and they should. But then you need to tell them the "why" - how that one adoption spared a shelter dog from near-certain death and saved a veteran from loneliness so crushing that she often wouldn't leave the house for days.
In my role as director of a small nonprofit I need to remind myself sometimes of our higher purpose. Not because I forget - I never do - but because sometimes when you're doing all of the "what" things that have to get done, you lose sight of why you're doing them in the first place.
So every now and then, talk to yourself like you would talk to one of your donors. Tell yourself why you should give to your nonprofit.
One more quick suggestion. From time to time, reach out to a handful of donors and ask what inspired them to donate to your nonprofit. Their reasons might inspire you, too.
Want more tips on avoiding fundraiser burnout? Watch our free webinar, How to Raise More Money Without Burning Out, with special guest presenter Beth Kanter. As a result of this webinar, you'll be able to determine burnout symptoms, get strategies for self-care and positive culture development within your nonprofit, and learn resources and strategies for avoiding burnout that are unique to the Salesforce nonprofit community.
Related content:
- WEBINAR RECORDING: How to Raise More Money Without Burning Out, with special guest presenter Beth Kanter
- BLOG: It Should Be About You, Too. Avoid Fundraiser Burnout and Succeed Long-Term.
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