These past weeks I have been talking a lot about fundraising. About looking for the right match in possible donors. About building relations with (potential) donors. About building know, like and trust with them. This is a long game, not a short one. It requires focus, commitment, and routine to work on this every day. And it requires a deep understanding that hearing ‘no’ is part and parcel of all of this. Something that cannot be fully avoided. Something that can have a deep impact of course on your day. So how can you take care of yourself in fundraising? How can you handle the mental impact of a ‘no’?

Reality check

First of all, it is very good to do a reality check here. A ‘no’ is not personal. It is just that in this moment your request or proposal is not suitable to the person or organization you approached. Unless you have been picking a nasty fight with the projected donor 5 seconds before asking, this has nothing to do with you as a person.

What if your request or proposal are perfect?

A ‘no’ is a decision by the projected donor based on their assessment of your request or proposal but also on their own circumstances. Even if your request or proposal is perfect (or near perfect) it may not be the right time for them to support it. Be assured that even the most successful fundraiser in an organization will also be hit by a ‘no’ sometimes.

Redefine success

Success is therefore simply: receiving more yes-funds than ‘no’s. AND being able to handle the ‘no’s. Being able to keep on track despite maybe even multiple ‘no’s in a row.

So how to handle a ‘no’?

How best to handle rejection is different from person to person. In general, it is good to plan ahead for this. Tell yourself what you will do if the decision is yes and what you will do if the decision is no. Then you do not need to figure that out at the time the decision is communicated to you, which might be a stressful moment if it is a ‘no’.

For some people it helps to then do something they really like, go out for a walk, do sports, play a game, sing a song, etc. Others feel better having a concrete boring task to do, either in the work or in the household. And again others, help themselves best by planning a new strategy. You have to know yourself a bit to know what the best answer is for you. Key is to have this in mind in advance.

Be nice to yourself

Whatever the best response is for you, make sure that to also allow yourself to feel bad. No-one likes rejection. Even if you know it’s not personal. Even if you focus on what you can learn from it. Also if something good comes out of a door closed, etc. Everyone in this world prefers hearing a big fat yes. Of course! So give yourself space to be sad, to feel bad, and comfort yourself in whichever way works for you. Accept that it is OK to feel bad in this situation. And then try to move on before you drown in this feeling. Ask for help if you think that is difficult for you.

My one key tip

• Never have only one request or proposal out there. Make sure you have different things ‘cooking’ at the same time. So that when one thing falls through, you have other options pending. That means that one of the first few steps after a ‘no’ should always be to get back up and send a new request or proposal out into the world.

How I can help

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If you would like simple steps to set up and organise your finance & admin foundations guidance by me, you can get a bundle of six simple and short workshops here: https://www.changingtides.eu/financeandadminbundle

If you want to learn more about how you can design your own monitoring framework and budget in the best, practical way, join my course Project Design for nonprofits. You can learn at your own pace and ask me anything in our live sessions and in our members only community. Find out more and enroll via this link: https://www.changingtides.eu/projectdesign

If you want to learn about setting up and maintaining a good HR system for your nonprofit, join my course Practical Labour Law & HR for nonprofits

Want to know more and ask questions?

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