Lessons from Cookies - Are you ready to pivot?

 

It’s officially my favorite time of year…Girl Scout Cookie Season. As a lifetime member, nearly every winter has been synonymous with cookie sales - braving the cold to make my pitch and get the sale. As a fundraising strategist, I know that it is where I got my start. What amazes me is I am continuing to learn lessons from it more than three decades later.

 

A couple of years ago, my troop had major challenges with inventory for the most popular cookies, pushing the sales goal out of reach. Missing the goal was not an option for my girls as they are a self-sustaining troop with cookie sales funding all troop activities. Missing the goal would have been huge. With that, I put on my fundraising hat and taught the girls how to pivot.

 

The concept was simple — teach the girls to ask the customer to donate a box to “our local heroes” when finalizing each sale. We had always accepted donated boxes, but had never made a concerted effort to request them. We got the girls to buy-in by adding a little chalkboard at the cookie booth for them to update each time a customer said yes.

 

What happened next exceeded expectations. The girls asked and the customers agreed. I watched with delight as they started identifying personas and modifying their pitches to increase success. We saw the contagious impact when waiting customers would witness the girls excitedly updating the sign from another customer’s “yes”. In the end, the troop exceeded its goal and donated hundreds of boxes of cookies to their local heroes. The upgrade strategy is now a standard for our troop, and they set the standard for donation locally.

 

As a fundraiser, right now is the season for reflecting and getting a better understanding of the true trajectory towards the goal. Like the Girl Scouts, you may be realizing that your best laid plans are not working as anticipated. As you plan to pivot, learn a little from the girls.

 

  • Just Do It. Make plans to implement quickly so you have the opportunity to see the impact (and implement additional strategies if needed). The time is now.

 

  • Make It Simple. Do you have an existing program you can highlight? Pick one that is relatable for most donors and has easy to understand gifts-at-work examples.

 

  • Be Infectious. Sharing the ongoing impact can inspire others to donate. Crowdfunding platforms make it easy to share impact, but you can also generate excitement through your organization’s social media and online presence.

 

Don’t be dismayed if your year is not going according to plan. Your pivot might be just what you need to achieve long-term success.