From Amy Mauser
Seasons Greetings!
How can it possibly be the start of 2022 when I haven’t finished processing 2020 yet? Time marches on whether we’re ready or not… To help us all get ready to start the cycle again we wanted to share some of the lessons learned by the Team Kat & Mouse
team in 2021. For me the greatest lesson has been the reminder that no year, or program, no successful event, happens in a vacuum… each is the result of years of prior relationship building, networking, and groundwork. The seeds we plant today will support our successes tomorrow.
This year we welcomed some amazing new clients.
One was a contact made through networking in late 2019. We kept up with him, shared our successes, and asked about his progress, and we were delighted to welcome him as a client in 2021. We will now grow together.
We also had the opportunity to see year-over-year growth for a client’s annual appeal.
Persistence in messaging throughout the year had built a base of support and interest. Building a platform of relationships, social media, in-person events (gasp) and storytelling around the organization’s success led to successful fundraising.
Some thoughts on how you “water” the seeds planted by your business, project, or non-profit mission.
· Keep in touch by telling your story, share “mission moments”
· Keep in touch with information that is important to them, if you see information, a video, or a news story that pertains to a potential donor’s business or passion- share it
· If they have a social media footprint like/follow and stay up to date
· Make your relationship personal - share a photo, share a story, acknowledge a birthday!
From the entire “Mouse” family- Wishing you health, happiness, and growth in 2022
From Sharon Kitroser
2021 was a crazy year…Ummmm, that followed the craziest year of all. So, the lessons were plentiful, yet one really stood out for me.
This year I celebrate the lessons of the fork in the road, the road less traveled, and route 66…In other words, all the ways to get to your destination.
Team Kat & Mouse was born with the goal to train and coach and be an extra set of hands for extraordinary nonprofits. But, how to best do that? I have so enjoyed working with Amy and Ben to discover the best directions for our clients by looking at situations from all angles.
When you sit down with your team do respectfully listen to all points of view?
If you don’t start today. By listening to others’ points of view you will come to the best solution.
By the way, the other benefit is you will get some valuable insights on how your team thinks…this will help you understand and coach them with better results.
From all the “Kats” (not to be confused with CATS- I hate that show) we wish you the best of the holiday season and a magical 2022
From Ben Chambers
Somehow, 2021 ended up being just as eventful, stressful and challenging as 2020. Let’s hope 2022 breaks the trend!
This year we saw the “Great Resignation” pick up steam. As the labor market tightens, workers in every sector are starting to look for greener pastures. That may mean better pay, a more flexible workplace, or a new way of defining job responsibilities.
Will you be ahead of that challenge in 2022? If you aren’t responsive to the demands of the workforce, you’re likely to have staffing challenges in the new year. This may mean having some difficult conversations or thinking in ways that would have made you uncomfortable in the past.
The upside to this challenge is that we can finally make progress in addressing the retention crisis in fundraising. Better workplaces create happier, more productive employees - you know, the kind who will last longer than 18 months in a job. The Great Resignation is a Great Opportunity for the nonprofit world to make some much-needed changes in the new year.
We’ve enjoyed helping our clients understand how they can build resilient teams, and we’re excited to help many more in 2022.
From the Midwestern hub of Team Kat & Mouse (where we’re more than a little jealous of that Florida sunshine), best wishes to all for a happy holiday season and a wonderful new
Read this Blog also-- Fundraising Lessons from a Teenage Aviator