Five Fundraising Lessons from the Muppet Movie

I recently went to see the new Muppets Movie and absolutely loved it. 

The basic premise is that Walter (the Muppets' biggest fan) wants to try and get the Muppets back together to save their original studio from being taken over by an evil oil tycoon.

As well as laughing throughout, I also thought there were a few fundraising lessons from the film...

1. You've got to have a dream and passion

It is Walter's undying enthusiasm and passion for the Muppets that brings them back together.  In fundraising, if you're not able to sell your ambitions and dreams and be enthusiastic about your cause then you aren't going to get far.

2. You've got to work hard and use teamwork

The Muppets have to work round the clock to get their old theatre back into shape.  They allocate tasks and everyone pulls together to make sure the work gets done on time. I've yet to have a successful fundraising project, that hasn't required hard work and excellent teamwork.

3. You've got to overcome setbacks and failures

The Muppets have to overcome a number of obstacles and setbacks before finally achieving success.  It is very rare that success is linear. There are usually bumps and problems along the way and you need to have the stamina and fortitude to overcome them.

4. Use emotional intelligence to get what you want

When Walter and Kermit are out recruiting the Muppets to reform they have to use a range of tactics and arguments to persuade people to sign up.  Similarly, fundraisers need to have the emotional intelligence to understand what makes a donor tick and what will inspire them to give.

5. You've got to celebrate success

The film ends on a high and the Muppets celebrate their comeback with a huge street party and sing-a-long.  Similarly, when you have success as a fundraiser you need to take the time to appreciate it and enjoy the moment, before moving on to the next thing.

If you haven't seen the film yet, then here is the trailer:

 

Finally, I thought I'd share the part of the film that had me laughing out loud.  To be fair, I was the only one in the cinema and was getting some strange looks, but I couldn't help myself!