Use the “fresh start effect” to raise more money

It’s my birthday this week! 🥳

I find the older I get, the more important it is to take time to celebrate… 

That’s why I’m taking the day off, going for a hike, then refueling with a takeout feast from my favorite old school Italian red-sauce joint (mmmm, birthday carbs…) 

In addition to eating my body weight in pasta, I’m also going to be leveraging the fresh start effect to kick off some exciting new projects!

If you aren’t familiar with the fresh start effect, read on to find out how you can use this powerful principle to raise more money, and increase your impact.

Research led by Wharton professor Katy Milkman found that “fresh starts” on specific event dates - like a birthday, an anniversary or the beginning of the school year - can enable you to be more effective at setting and achieving behavioral-changing goals.

Even if you don’t have a birthday coming up, now is the perfect time to create your own fresh start.

It could be the fresh start of the change of seasons, or the beginning of a new quarter, or perhaps the start of a new fiscal year.

At this point, you might be asking, what do fresh starts and behavioral change have to do with fundraising?

The activities you commit to doing consistently - even seemingly small behaviors like picking up the phone to call a donor - matter way more than those you do only once in a while.

Creating consistent habits and changing the behaviors that are getting in the way of being a more effective fundraiser can have a huge impact on your fundraising revenue. 

What do you think you need to focus on to raise more money? 

And what’s one single action you can commit to taking more consistently as a part of your fundraising fresh start? 

I always love to hear from you (and I read each and every one of my comments) - so let me know how you’re using the fresh start effect to achieve your goals!