If you are involved with a nonprofit, you are among the most passionate and committed people on the planet. In spite of that, you most likely find yourself stuck in a mindset of scarcity and suffering—not enough money, not enough time, not enough support, not enough appreciation, not enough recognition, etc. The first step to getting rid of the suffering is to recognize how pervasive it is. Take our quick survey to find out how much you and your organization are suffering about fundraising.

How to Score Yourself

Rate yourself on a scale of 1–4 for each statement, depending on how often you agree with the survey statements below.

          1 = Every day - 24/7
          2 = 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday
          3 = Only on the bad days
          4 = Never—I handled that a long time ago

The Survey

1) A condition of scarcity and suffering is a given in the nonprofit world. 2) Asking people for money is really hard work. 3) Our organization will never have enough money to accomplish its mission. 4) Our organization is on a never-ending annual fundraising "treadmill." 5) Our organization has no systematic, coordinated approach to fundraising. 6) There is not enough support for fundraising within our organization. 7) I dread having prospective donors/funders turn me down. 8) My community doesn't fully understand or appreciate our organization's work. 9) Our organization doesn't fully understand or appreciate the many tasks our staff are juggling just to keep things afloat. 10) I find myself questioning why I do this work and have considered ending my involvement with this organization.

How Did You Rate Yourself?

• Mostly Ones: Wow! If there were a prize for suffering, you'd win first place. Without an intervention, you are hopelessly resigned and cynical about how bad things are. You need to take action immediately!
  
  
• Mostly Twos: You suffer the entire time you are working with your organization. Perhaps you are able to relax and stop worrying when you go home. You are open to change. You may be able to continue for awhile in your role, but something's got to give.
  
  
• Mostly Threes: When it comes to suffering, the good news is, you have some good days and are making progress in mastering the science of fundraising. The bad news is, you also have some bad days. You are probably clear about what it would take to eliminate the suffering about fundraising and turn all your days into "good days." What's stopping you?
  
  
• Mostly Fours: Congratulations! You either have the major areas of fundraising handled or you've been cheating on this survey. If the former, you know that scarcity and suffering can be eliminated at your organization and that you can enjoy fundraising and watch your organization thrive and prosper. You can also take pride in being in the vanguard of those enlightened nonprofit staff or volunteers who know that fundraising is about contribution and abundance, not scarcity.

How to Stop Suffering

No matter how you scored yourself on the Suffering Survey, you need a solid team of people and a system to get your organization completely off the fundraising treadmill and moving towards sustainable funding. You want to return yourself to the joy of fundraising and the passion that you have for the mission of your organization.

Here are some ways we can help.

Visit our Introductory Sessions Web page and consider the various types of free sessions we offer (in-person, online, and via conference call). Ultimately, we recommend that you get enough people within your organization familiar with this model so that you can attend our two-day workshops and participate in our Curriculum for Sustainable Funding^™.

We invite you to contact us at info@benevon.com.