What Do You Do When You Reach Your Fundraising Goal?
When I checked my email yesterday, I was ecstatic to see this seven-word subject line for one of my messages: “Congratulations! You have reached your fundraising goal.”
For several months, I’ve been raising money for the Southern Utah Alzheimer’s Association’s Memory Walk. The event is Saturday, November 8, and as of a few days ago, I hadn’t reached my fundraising goal yet. It wasn’t for lack of trying – as I discussed in a previous blog, the current economy has made it tough for those of us raising money for our favorite causes. If a family has to choose between donating to a cause or filling up the gas tank, which do you think that family will choose?
I clicked on the email and saw that I was now $20 above my goal. The email was enthusiastic, telling me what a great job I’d done, but that – believe it or not – my work was not over.
The email encouraged me to keep raising money and setting new fundraising goals. I must admit, the suggestion took a little wind out of my sails. When I learned that I’d met my goal, my first instinct was to cheer, breathe a sigh of relief, and then look forward to Memory Walk in a little over a week. Continuing to work hard between now and then to raise even more money made me feel exhausted. But upon further reflection, I understood and appreciated the concept.
Goals are not finite – in fact, they should be seen more as milestones. We’re constantly setting goals about our career, fitness, and personal endeavors. Once we reach those goals, we often set new ones. New goals keep us motivated and focused. To this end, I fully understood the idea behind setting a new fundraising goal, even with only a few days left before the event.
But that doesn’t mean I didn’t celebrate. To reward myself, I took an hour off from work, indulged in a few squares of Dove dark chocolate and read another chapter in my Stephen King book. This may not sound like fun to you, but the point is that I found something that worked for me. I encourage you to do the same. In fact, I’d love to know what you do to celebrate when you reach your fundraising goal. Post a comment to this blog, or start a new discussion in the forum.
Now get back to your fundraising.
Hi Carrie,
Congratulations on meeting your fundraising goal for the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk!
I always breath a sigh of relief when I’ve made my fundraising minimum for my events. I just got back from the Cocoa Beach century ride, I was a team mentor and it was a local event so my minimum was only $1,100. But my husband was just asked to co-coach the Tahoe cycle team. I need to take a break from mentoring, so I’ll just be a team member – the fundraising minimum for Tahoe is $4,800 !!!
Carrie, good for you! It always feels so good to know you’ve made it. I usually just give myself a pat on the back and then keep moving.
Lynn, the Tahoe ride is the most wonderful event. It’s in a beautiful place and they take good care of you. And there are only a couple of climbs that aren’t that hard. I would do it again in a minute if it didn’t conflict with the Avon Walk.
Lynn & Marilyn,
Thanks so much for the congrats! I’m looking forward to the event on Saturday. Glad to hear that your fundraising efforts are going well also.
Take care,
Carrie
Achieve your goal
It is not only convenient to get anything from a math degree to a psychology degree online, but it can also be less costly than traditional college or universities, too. Often, since online schools do not have a physical campus, they do not need to charge as much for attendance. Things like housing, campus building upkeep and cafeteria facilities are not typically offered, and so the cost of attendance is just tuition and books. In addition, most online education programs offer some form of financial aid. And the cost of online degrees earned from an accredited institution can often be offset with federal financial aid as well…………..
reach your goals