How do you strike the balance between fundraising right now and for the future?

I was delighted to be invited to ask a series of five questions on my favourite subject, fundraising strategy, at #CharityHour recently. The answers were so excellent that I am capturing them in separate blogs. For more superb insight and answers to these questions, please get your ticket to the Fundraising Strategy Virtual Summit on 18 March, 2021! Here was question 5: How can charities strike the balance between fundraising right now and in the future to develop the fundraising strategy? 1. Don't be distracted Not let current events put you off from putting together some form of a strategy or plan - just put something together, even if you think its impossible at the moment and a long-term goal. - Simon Pittman 2. The rule of thirds - my favourite answer There is no right answer but I use the rule I teach my kids about pocket money: Thirds: 1/3 for spending now and on ‘do and learn’, 1/3 for medium term (more strategic projects), 1/3 for long term (reserves and resilience) - Nest + Grow 3. Quick wins get you good will Eurgh this is tough. I always prioritised the future over the “right now” and I’ll be honest I missed a tonne of goodwill and it was only Covid that focused my attention on the immediate. Maybe think about right now as a way of buying time for future development? - Alexander Kenmure 4. Learn from what works Well you’re kind of learning as you go so seeing what works and what doesn’t as you’re doing it, create