Fundraising Ideas

Whether you are working for a charity, or serving one as a consultant, you have an even greater obligation to be productive than those working for a business. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that every employee has an obligation to her employer. But when you are working for or with a charity, you are not only responsible to your employer, but to those who have made charitable donations to fund your work. I think that raises the bar a bit.

As a consultant to charities that profits from service to not-for-profits, I think I have an even greater obligation to be productive. And those who know me or have followed this blog for a while, know that my consulting practice is diverse and includes internet business as well as charitable fundraising. With the ever present allure of the “surfboard”, it is all too easy to spend minutes or hours focused on things other than that which needs to be done now.

Yesterday I found a new tool to help me track my time. As an entrepreneur since college, I’ve known for a long time that that which gets tracked, gets improved. I was always impressed by my attorney friends who could track their time while working on multiple projects. I always found that difficult to do. Now, there is a program that will track everything you do on your computer and allow you to track what you do. It’s appropriately called Rescue Time.

Oh yes, and the best part is that it is free. Of course it is currently in “public beta” whcih means that it might not always be free. But whatever the cost, if your time is worth more than $10 per hour, then it will be worth it. For those in $100-$200 per hour range, this tool is invaluable. Sign up at http://www.rescuetime.com/. I’ve only been using it for a day and a half and already see a difference in my productivity.

If you are a manager, you’ll want your whole team using this program. Rescue Time for Business is in development. Until it is launched you can have everyone on our team use it individually and you can sign up for updates on the program. If I had a team, I’d present it as a great opportunity for each of them to take personal responsibility to become more productive. Anyone you really want on your team is going to be committed to getting better at his job.

I’d love to hear how you are using Rescue Time individually and in your charitable organization.