What we hear from the most passionate of self-implementers is that they feel they are alone.

They feel alone in their vision of fully implementing the model in their organization; alone in the dream of having the board and top leadership recognize that sustainable funding is actually possible; and alone in seeing how to use what their organization is already doing well to grow longer-term relationships with donors who truly believe in the organization's mission.

They cling to their dream as fundraisers or as lone visionaries on the board or staff, assuming that no one else would understand or have the time to carry that dream forward even if they were to share it with others.

Fact: It is impossible to implement the full model alone. Even if one person could do all that work, it would miss the point of the model: sustainability. A broad range of people must be involved to sustain the model into the future. You must have a team.

This sense of being alone is a throwback to the scarcity thinking of the past. It presumes that:

• No one cares as much about the organization as you do
  
  
• Year-to-year, hand-to-mouth funding is inevitable; there is no life beyond suffering about fundraising
  
  
• The leadership of the organization has other, more important priorities than fundraising
  
  
• The leadership of the organization actually prefers to continue suffering year after year about money and therefore wouldn't be visionary enough to try another approach even if they could find one that would be successful
  
  
• It is up to you as the lone self-implementer to convince people that there is another way
  
  
• No one else would see the value in attending a two-day workshop that would customize the Benevon Model to your organization and in being coached over the next year to implement that plan
  
  
• No one would be willing to invest in such training even if they could be shown the return on investment
  
  
• No one else is interested in building long-term sustainable funding and ultimately getting your organization off the year-to-year fundraising treadmill

In fact, once we scratch the surface, the real dreams and fears of each self-implementer pour out. Based on what we have heard from real self-implementers, we have pared these down to their top five fears.

Fear #1
"I know that for the model to take root, the key decision-makers need to buy into the whole process, yet I don't know how to explain the whole model—and its long-term potential—effectively to the board and other key decision-makers in a way that will show them the wisdom of investing in sending a team to the workshop to be trained and coached."

Benevon response
First, do not underestimate the value of your opinion. The CEO and board have you on the payroll to guide them in fundraising.

Tell them you have been trying to implement pieces of the model on your own but it will never last without professional coaching. Show them the Benevon video and have them talk to a board member from a local Benevon alumni organization or an organization with a similar mission (e.g. child abuse) in another part of the country.

If you feel they are seriously interested in attending a workshop, call us to arrange a private thirty-minute conference call between one of our expert coaches and your board in order to have their questions personally answered about how the model could be implemented within your organization.

Do not feel you have to do this on your own. There are many resources available to support you.

Fear #2
"I'm afraid I could never put together a team that would be willing to dedicate the time and energy to launching the model properly."

Common complaints include:

• "The organization is in disarray"
  
  
• "There's so much turnover here; staff, board, and volunteers are constantly changing"
  
  
• "There's not a core group of true supporters who would really want to tackle the fundraising challenges here"
  
  
• "Even if we could find the money and a few people to take to the workshop, they wouldn't stick with it"

Benevon response
No one calls us with their full team already thought out. The kind of team we are looking for does not yet exist in most organizations.

It is not all board members or all development committee members. It can include people who may never have officially been involved in the fundraising process before. It can include both long- and short-term, hands-on, steady volunteers who know the firsthand impact of your organization's work.

It is a cross-functional team of seven people—usually comprised of current and former board members, "roll-up-your-sleeves" volunteers, the CEO, the development director (if there is one), and often a program staff member or public relations/marketing person.

These are the people who would truly want to be involved. We recommend you choose the kind of people you like to work with—those who are fun, upbeat, and committed; those who follow through on what they say they'll do. A mixed group of seven people like that is the ideal team.

Fear #3
"While going to the 101 Workshop would be great professional development training for me, I could never justify the expense in my budget. Even if I could justify it, where would we find the money?"

Benevon response
Finding the money is not your job. Furthermore, it's never the real issue. The issue is getting enough of the right people to understand the long-term value and financial return that the model promises.

Once these people truly understand the benefits of the model, they will figure out how to pay for the workshop. Board members are accustomed to making investment decisions. Whether in their businesses or their personal lives, they know the value of long-term planning and longer-term thinking. They know how to find money for the right things.

Show them the Benevon video and have them talk to others in the community who are currently in our Five-Year Sustainable Funding Program. Let them be inspired by board members of other organizations that have adopted the model.

Fear #4
"Implementing the whole model seems too complicated, too regimented, and too much like work. It's easier to stick with the Ask Event^™. Even if we could put together a team and send them to the workshop, people won't really do the work they say they will, and all the work will inevitably fall to me."

Benevon response
You will be the Team Leader. We have very specific roles for the Team Leader and the other team members. Team Leaders coordinate the work and delegate each of the key pieces of the model. We make it very clear to everyone at the workshop that this model will never be successful in an organization if you are relying on one person to carry it off.

You've got to start somewhere, so what have you got to lose? The load has already fallen to you. Even if you only offload 20% of what you are now "spinning your wheels" on, it would be an improvement.

Believe it or not, by the second year in our program, most groups are able to hire an additional development staff member to focus on cultivating the new Multiple-Year Donors. The full team recognizes the value of that function, and the role of development in the organization rises greatly in stature.

Fear #5
"This group would never listen to a coach. I can barely get them to listen to me!"

Benevon response
You don't know our coaches! They have heard and seen everything imaginable. Let them do the hard work of getting and keeping everyone on board. They will completely empower you as the Team Leader.

All of our coaches have implemented the model at nonprofit organizations themselves. They know the realities of trying to cause systemic change within an organization. They are there to make your life easier, not harder, and to support you rather than to grade you. If you've ever had a truly great coach, you'll know what we mean—and so will your other team members.