Fundraising Friday: Are Your Fundraising Struggles Above the Line or Below the Line?

Have you ever seen an iceberg?

They’re stunning. Massive chunks of ice jutting dramatically up from the ocean.

But typically, what you're seeing is only the tip.

Roughly 90% of an iceberg's mass hides below the waterline, invisible to the casual observer.

Most fundraising challenges are like an iceberg.

When results aren't where you want them to be, it's natural to focus on the obvious parts of your fundraising that you can see:

• "I need a better system for donor outreach."

• "I can’t get donors to meet with me."

• "If only we had a better CRM, website, email system, online giving platform, etc."

• "We need more compelling stories to share."

• "I don’t know enough about our programs."

These are all above-the-line issues. And they could certainly need improvement. 

But the real issues, the ones that make or break your success, often lurk beneath the surface and have way more to do with your mindset, beliefs, and attitudes than any tactic or strategy.

Most people struggling with fundraising usually have at least one of the following hidden barriers lurking just below the surface. 

Fear of rejection. 

What happens when a major donor doesn't return your call? Do you make up a story that they're avoiding you? That your ask was too big? That they didn't like you?

My friend Mike Crandall calls this head trash. And it's killing your fundraising.

What if that no or lack of response wasn't about you at all? What if the donor who didn't respond was simply overwhelmed with work that week?

What if the "no" you received wasn't rejection of you or even your organization, but simply a reflection of their current priorities or timing? 

When you take rejection personally, you hesitate before every ask. You edit your emails ten times before sending. You dilute your passion with apologies. And donors can feel that hesitation.

Professional fundraisers don't take rejection personally. They make the calls, send the emails, and show up consistently without emotional attachment to any single outcome.

Beliefs about money.

Do you feel like you're bothering people when you ask them to give? Do you catch yourself apologizing before you even mention a dollar amount? Do you ever secretly feel like you're begging?

Your donors can sense this too. They pick up on your subtle cues. The way your voice changes when you mention the gift amount, how you rush through the actual ask, the relief in your tone when the conversation moves on. 

What if, instead, you believed that giving money is one of the most meaningful ways someone can engage with your mission? What if you saw yourself not as taking something away, but as offering an opportunity to make impact?

Beliefs about your value and worth. 

This one’s tough, but it needs to be said.

If you see yourself or your organization as somehow less important than your donor, you've already lost.

If you don't fully believe in your organization's impact, how can you confidently invite others to invest? 

And what about you? Do you believe you have what it takes? That you have a place at the table? That you have something to offer in every donor interaction?

When you put donors on a pedestal, you over-prepare, over-present, and never ask the powerful questions that lead to real commitment. You also make the whole experience weird for everyone.

Your belief in yourself directly impacts how donors perceive both you and your organization's work.

You’re not there to beg. You’re there to facilitate meaningful impact. When you fully believe you have just as much to offer in the relationship as the donor does, everything changes.

Your posture. Your questions. Your willingness to ask boldly. 

The good news? 

Fixing below-the-line problems (once you identify them) can transform your fundraising results faster than any new strategy or system.

Try this exercise:

1. Write down your three biggest fundraising struggles.

2. For each one, ask: "Is this about my behaviors and actions (above the line) or my thoughts and beliefs (below the line)?"

3. For below-the-line issues, ask yourself: "What evidence do I have that this belief is true?"

4. Create a new belief to replace the limiting one, and identify a specific action to reinforce it.

For example:

Old belief: "Donors don't want to be bothered." 

Evidence check: "Do I actually know this? Have donors told me this directly?" 

New belief: "Donors are waiting for the opportunity to make an impact through our work." 

Action step: Start each conversation with a donor by directly stating your intention and asking permission to proceed.

Can you see the difference between these two mindsets?

If you believe "Donors don't want to be bothered," think about all the important work you're probably avoiding.

But if you shift to believing "Donors are looking for opportunities to make an impact," suddenly your perspective changes from "I'm bothering people" to "I'm helping them experience the joy of giving."

You will never outperform your own faulty beliefs.

No amount of fundraising strategy will work if what’s below the surface is working against you.

If your internal "operating system" is broken, stop wasting time, money, and effort on new systems and strategies and work on what’s below the line. 

When you fix what's below the line, everything else becomes easier, more natural, and dramatically more effective.

What's one below-the-line belief holding back your fundraising results today?

And more importantly ... what are you going to do about it?