Popcorn

July 13th, 2010 by Bruce Berglund

After years of working with non-profits around the country, I’ve come to realize that most major campaigns have a few key moments that will make or break them. There is that moment when the right leaders step forward. There is the moment when the vision coalesces. And there is the moment where everyone begins to worry if anything will happen with this campaign.

After months of friendraising and painting a picture of the vision for your project, you might be wondering why the money isn’t pouring in. Don’t the donors understand how important your project is? Do you need to ask them in a different way?

This is the moment to trust in the power of your vision and stay the course. In a lot of ways, it’s like making popcorn on a stove.

Stick with me for this analogy. Have you ever made popcorn on a stovetop? You get out a pan and put a little oil in the bottom. You heat up the oil, add the popcorn kernels, put on the lid… and wait.

And wait…

You might be tempted to peak under the cover, but that will just let the heat out. You might be tempted to crank up the heat, but that will just burn the kernels. You have to be patient, which is not easy to do. (Especially if you’re hungry for popcorn!)

Eventually you hear a pop. You wait a few seconds, and then another pop. It is as if those first few pops were all it took to wake up the rest of the batch and suddenly the whole pot is shaking as kernel after kernel explodes.

Fundraising campaigns are a lot like that. Getting those first few gifts takes a lot of time and patience, but with each gift momentum grows and suddenly the whole campaign takes off.

The next time you reach this juncture in a campaign, remember to trust the process and have a little patience. Don’t let the steam out by “lifting the lid” or asking too soon. And don’t burn out your volunteers by cranking up the heat too high. Put the right ingredients together in the right conditions and success will follow.

Now who’s hungry for popcorn?