Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You "coach" the person.
Rick Kauffmann, a United Way fund-raiser, cautions that you can't
make a decision about what's wrong because you don't have all the
facts. All you know is that last year this section of the city brought in
more money than it has been this year.
You don't know whether the volunteer is really busy with work, had
a family crisis, isn't motivated or doesn't feel confident with
his fund-raising skills.
When you are in the middle of a campaign, you work with the person to solve
the problem. According to Kauffmann, you may have to coach and motivate an
under-performing fund-raiser.
"You start on the basis of frequent follow-ups with the individual not
getting results and offer to help...then maybe a phone call in between meetings,
and offer to accompany the person on some calls."
While on these calls, you help the person learn how to successfully ask
people to give money to your campaign. You show them how to do it, and then
help the individual improve their approach.
You act as a coach to the person, just like a swimming coach who shows
the team how to perform better. And just like the swim coach, you encourage
that individual when they do something right!
What you do as a coach is make sure that the individual knows what you
want them to do, knows how to do it and has the tools to do it, and wants
to do it.
Kauffmann does this by recommending a particular approach, and giving examples
of successful approaches that have worked in other situations. He sometimes
role-plays -- letting the other person pretend that they are the person answering
the door and he is the canvasser.
He lets the individual know what he wants done and when. And he helps get
people excited by mentioning how this money will make a contribution to society.