I failed. I admit it. I failed.
I wanted to help franchisees in Atlanta, GA raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network and I did not hit my goal. The funds were to be used to buy equipment that would help in the rehabilitation process when a child loses a limb and needs to relearn how to move to get around, grab an object, or even dance. And, I failed to raise the money.
What happened? Why did I not get the donations that would buy the tools kids needed to live full lives? I was focused on the wrong things. How many times have you had a goal and you failed to reach it? Every person fails to reach a goal. It is human nature to push for goals. We all want to win. But, somewhere along the line we miss the mark because we misspent our capital.
You can spend money or time and effort to reach a goal. You can hire people to help you reach your goals. Money goes a long way to covering ground when you want to stand on the top of the mountain and declare a win. As for me, I was looking to raise funds, so it seemed to be counter productive to spend money to raise it. Just like in the model where money is spent to reach a goal, you can find others to help you. I spent my own time and effort to reach the goal and I didn’t look for others to help me.
What would I do differently?
- Get the message right. I had a lot of good ideas, but I was a mess when I was asked to explain the process of raising funds. Figure out, in the shortest way possible, the words to explain what you are doing, why, and where someone can help donate.
- Ask others to get the word out. I tried this, but didn’t get the power players involved to give it a strong push. I should have asked the executive team to mention it in their circles.
- Look for people who have the same goal. Reach out on social media and ask. Combining your goal with someone else’s goal doesn’t diminish your goal. It makes it bigger. If you can partner with someone to reach an even bigger goal, do it!
- Make it easy to find you. I set up a Facebook page and sent everyone there. I also set up a Twitter account. I was bad at keeping them updated. Spend time each day updating your social media accounts. Giving someone a consistent message shows them you are serious and organized.
- Celebrate the people who are helping you. Speak to them often and in front of the rest of the group. I should have thanked the group who joined my cause and asked for updates on who they talked to about it. That way, they would know I would ask and be open to having a discussion with someone new so they could talk with me about it.
Reaching a goal is a tough proposition when you don’t create the plan. I didn’t plan well and I didn’t hit my goal. Save yourself from the same fate. Plan, follow up and implement changes to keep on track. The biggest thing to remember is that you don’t have to reach for goals alone. In fact, asking for help is easier now than ever before and there are always people ready to help. Even halfway across the world, people are ready to help.
What have you failed at and was it money or time and effort that would have made the difference?
Bob Griffin
Questions@businessbulldog.com