The First Pancake Rule of Fundraising

Why does the first pancake in the batch always fail?! Sometimes it’s too raw. Sometimes it’s burnt. Sometimes it’s just weirdly shaped. I want to understand this mad science! 

But, I also find the “first pancake phenomenon” strangely reassuring. Generally, the first time we try something, it’s not perfect. Sometimes it’s not even good. But, that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.

Growth Mindset

My kids first taught me about growth mindset: the belief that a person’s skills and abilities can continue to develop through practice. Rather than a fixed mindset (e.g., “This is the one way to do it” or "I'll never be able to do this new thing"), a growth mindset says, “I’ve never tried this, but it’s worth taking a chance.” 

When we commit to growth mindset, we also need to embrace failure—or at least acknowledge that things won’t always turn out how we’d like. Brené Brown talks about “rising strong”: getting up again after you fall and using the lesson as a catalyst for growth. She encourages us: 

“Failure can become our most powerful path to learning 

if we’re willing to choose courage over comfort.”

In our fundraising work, sometimes we’re scared to take risks, because we have key performance indicators (KPIs) to meet and dollar goals to reach. But, if we keep trying the same old tactics, we’ll never uncover new ideas that work even better. So, let’s accept a “first pancake attitude” and test some new fundraising suggestions.  

Ideas Worth Trying

Piloting new fundraising tactics is always smart—and even more prudent during times of change. I asked AI to recommend some unusual fundraising ideas. They might be “first pancakes” and not very successful, or some of them might breathe new energy into your organization and its donors:

• Create an impact subscription box. Send a quarterly subscription box of handmade items from the communities you support, impact stories, and nonprofit swag.

• Facilitate an unwanted gift auction. After the holidays, invite the community to donate “not quite right” gifts and auction them off to others who might enjoy them.

• Extreme challenges for good. Ask supporters to do daring activities—eating spicy wings, plunging in ice baths, skydiving, etc.—and raise pledge support for donations.

• Hold a mystery fundraising event. Sell tickets to a secret event, and participants discover the theme when they arrive. It might be an escape room, an outdoor adventure, or a murder mystery.

• Create a “dare or donate” challenge. Tag supporters on social media to complete a fun dare (e.g., sing in public, dress for a specific decade, tell knock-knock jokes to strangers, etc.). If they don't want to accept the dare, they donate to the organization.

• Put on a comedy roast of a willing participant. Get a local celebrity, board member, or community leader to be the target of a lighthearted comedy roast. Attendees pay to attend. They can make extra donations to (1) submit jokes about the person or (2) purchase “roast passes” to ease the heat. 

• Lead a mission-themed tour. If your nonprofit has a historical connection, you can tell local stories as you visit key sites. Or, have your tour focus on community partners, spaces where you provide services, and areas that represent your vision for the future. (Have themed snacks and drinks along the way!)

Embrace Creativity

Start with these ideas or ask AI and your team members to come up with some other unique ways to engage your supporters. 

Not every new fundraising idea will be a perfect success—and that’s okay! Just like the first pancake, the important part is to adjust, refine, and keep cooking. Some of these creative ideas might flop, while others could become your nonprofit's signature event or campaign. The only way to find out is to try.

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash