Have you ever started a job, inherited a new prospect list, and just scratched your head? The majority of the list is ice cold, under engaged, and you don’t know where to start? Let’s talk about momentum and how to make your own.
John Maxwell offered reflections on momentum that I find valuable. Rather than reiterating everything he said, I encourage you to take a look at a short talk he gave on creating momentum. One of his points, which resonated most deeply with me was “managers try to solve problems, leaders create momentum.” Think back to a moment you were presented with a challenge. You had a blank slate and didn’t know where to start. That could be the cold prospect list I mentioned before or it could be a blank page staring back at you while trying to draft a difficult case statement. Both situations can be challenging if you don’t know where to get started.
Momentum is a funny thing. It only takes a little bit to create a major shift. You’ve likely seen a model of Newton’s Cradle sitting on somebody’s desk.
Yes, that’s what it’s called. I didn’t know it either so I thought I’d spare you having to Google it. The tiniest tap on one end reverberates to noticeable movement on the other end. Activity works in much the same way to solve problems and create meaningful change.
At various points in my career I’ve been tasked with developing new fundraising programs. I built programs from the ground up with little structure in place. The scale of building something that large can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. So, where did I start? Somewhere. There are a multitude of ways to approach a single problem. What each of those starting points offers is a next step. Once you take the first step, you learn, engage others, create strategy, try, fail, and try again. You iterate to grow. I’ll give you an example. I had the luxury of working for an independent school that didn’t rely on philanthropy. They had strong operational reserves and equally strong market demand. It was one of the few schools in the country that didn’t have to worry about admissions. As such, they didn’t have a formalized fundraising program but knew they wanted to get one started to build capital projects and ensure long-term financial sustainability.
Starting a fundraising program must be closely aligned with organizational strategy. You need to know what you are fundraising for and why to create a compelling case for support. If you have vision and direction, the rest is situational. That school had strong leadership and a bold vision. It makes the most sense to begin where you have the greatest likelihood of developing momentum. In some organizations, this might be with board leadership; in others, it might be at the programmatic level. The secret early on is to find that organization’s strength and use it to take the first step forward. That initial step creates momentum that you can build from.
A while back, a man reached out to me about starting a fundraising program for his church. They had never done a fundraising campaign before and wanted to build an addition. I have never done any fundraising for a religious organization but I was able to provide him with some guidance to get started. I couldn’t tell him definitively where to start but I did ask him important questions to help him get started. Who stands to benefit from this new addition? Why is it important? How was the scope of the project determined? In one of those questions lies the beginning of a first step. Perhaps the addition would serve the local community, that might open an avenue to new community partnerships to serve the congregation and the community at large. Perhaps an influential member in the church is retiring and this addition can be connected to that person’s legacy. Maybe there is an economic development opportunity in the state and substantial grant funding is available if the building meets certain criteria. There is always a way to build momentum.
Something I think is more difficult than figuring out where to start is figuring out where to re-start. Have you ever been added to a team to breathe life back into a project that stalled? This situation also requires momentum but now you don’t have the luxury of starting anywhere. Re-starting a project requires finesse. Taking stock of why the project stalled, the impact on relationships, and the factors that caused the stall are all critical to consider before forging ahead. In these cases, it often makes sense to find a couple of entry points to revitalize the project to test ideas and build confidence from stakeholders before charging boldly ahead. One of the benefits of successfully re-starting an initiative is the confidence gained. Confidence on its own builds momentum.
Taking the first step forward, regardless of the situation, requires confidence to create momentum. Sometimes that confidence is external and it comes in the form of leadership, but in many cases that confidence comes from within. As Maxell said, “managers try to solve problems, leaders create momentum.” To be that leader, you need to have the confidence to create your own momentum. Momentum exists in perpetuity. When you create momentum it may begin with an individual but it grows to buoy an organization. When done well, that momentum goes well beyond a single individual and creates lasting change.
