We don’t know about you, but we hate being stuck in a traffic jam. It just goes against our nature. As fundraisers we hate being stuck in a gridlock with nowhere to go, no off ramp, no way to move ahead of the pack. If you’re caught in a fundraising gridlock, maybe it’s time to see if there is some way of getting ahead of the pack and staying there.

So how do you find out how you find your way out? One of the things we think should be prominent in your "way-finding" tool kit is research. 

Good research thinking and good research strategy usually begin with good questions. So what are the good questions you need to ask before getting started?

Try this exercise. Take out a pen and answer the questions below. Or better still, copy and paste the questions below and click out the answers on your keyboard.

(Left: Fraser Green)

• What is that you want to find out or that you need to know in order to raise more money? 
• Why do you think you need to know? 
• Will it in fact help you raise more money? If so, will it help you raise more money more quickly, more easily, or both? 
• When you find the answer to your question(s), what will you do with the answer(s)? 
• What are the assumptions you are making as you get started? 
• Who (sources) can provide you with the answer(s) to your questions? 
• Where can you find the answers to your questions?

If you’ve answered the questions above, you’ll have discovered that either you know exactly what you want to do, or you’re still a bit foggy about your direction. 

If you’re a bit foggy on what to do, that’s OK. You’ve just not thought it through thoroughly yet. Spend some time talking to colleagues. Bounce your ideas off someone you trust. There are researchers in your community who would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about your ideas. Remember, ask and you shall receive. If you need help, ask for it and we think you’ll be surprised at the response you get.

(Above: Tony Myers) 

Once you’ve thoroughly answered all the questions above, then it’s time to address the question, “What next?” In other words, what do you need to do to find the answers to the question(s) you’ve posed?

Before we talk about “what next” there are two things we just have to caution you against, two things that will certainly scuttle your research before it gets off the ground. 

Too often we drive to a solution before we know the problem. Too often we determine the research methodology before we’ve decided on the question(s) to be answered. 

How many times have you heard, “I need to do a survey to find out what my donors think” “I need to get together a focus group on this new initiative” “We need to do a feasibility study”?

In research, form follows function. Do one step at a time. Decide on the question you need answered, and then determine the methodology.

Don’t worry about the cost, until you find out what you want to do, and how you want to do it. We’ve seen too many research projects get side-tracked because decision makers have determined that it costs too much. 

Too often research projects start and finish with a discussion about cost. Cost is an intermediate consideration. It is not the first question to ask. 

First we ask ourselves some high level strategic questions about what it is we want to find out. 

Second, we determine where to go (or to whom we need to talk) to answer those questions best. 

Third, we talk about HOW we’ll go about getting the answers. 

Fourth, we decide on the most appropriate methodology.

Fifth, we examine costs.

Sixth, we decide HOW we’ll proceed, based on the cost.

So, if we keep things in order, and we’ve identified the primary question(s) we want answered, what’s next?

In our last article, we put forward an argument for doing research. In this article we talked about identifying the key research questions. The next in this series deals with the practical considerations of getting the research done … putting the rubber to the road as it were. And it won’t come as a surprise to you, that it is simply a matter of asking yourself the right questions.