Everyone knows stories about gas and oil prices dominate the news these days, as do stories about the housing and mortgage crisis. According to a June 19 article by Pew Research Center, over 42% of Americans were tracking economic news “very closely” in mid-June, just below the 15-year high of 45% who did so in mid-March. With that in mind, it was encouraging to read Ret Boney’s recent article in the Philanthropy Journal titled, “U.S. giving hits record $306 billion”. The article cites a report released on Monday by the Giving USA Foundation™. Researched and written by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the study reveals that in 2007 American’s donated more than ever before to charity: $306.39 billion to be exact. That represents a 3.9 percent increase over 2006 giving. Yep… a lot of generous people out there. And despite the concerns about gas prices and the mortgage crisis, Del Martin, chair of the Giving USA Foundation expressed optimism about 2008 giving, saying that, “Giving seems to be somewhat recession-proof.” So why did I find this study so encouraging? Pretty simple, really. I’ve been reading so many articles and blogs lately—all talking about the same thing: fear; particularly fear in the nonprofit sector. Fear about donations falling off. Fear about downsizing and layoffs. Fear about closing the doors. First, let me say this: it’s okay to be concerned. It’s probably even wise. It’s smart to think strategically, plan intelligently, and mitigate risk sensibly. But let’s be careful not to lose perspective, shall we? Control what you can control. And most importantly, keep your focus on your mission. Enough with all the talk about doom and gloom. Get rid of the paralyzing, fear-filled pessimism. Instead, why don’t we all move to a resilient optimism? Be alert, yet positive. Be careful, yet hopeful. Keep the mission, the mission. Keep the main thing, the main thing. And that brings me to one of my favorite principles: focus. “Only when you focus a company or brand over an extended period of time do you develop a powerful company whose future success is almost guaranteed.” -Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It by Al Ries It’s easy to allow ourselves to become unfocused when times appear difficult, but I believe the optimal strategy is focus. In fact, focus is always a good strategy; it’s just that challenging times have a unique way of grabbing our attention, wouldn’t you agree? So narrow your focus. Specialize. Become an expert at one thing. Deliver results. Be remarkable. When you become known by a narrow audience for your expertise, and when you deliver outstanding service, and results accountability, you will be noticed. Even better, when you deliver those services in a way that advances your funder’s vision of impact, you’ll no longer live at the mercy of the things that are beyond your control.
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