Rejection in fundraising isn’t personal or final - it’s an opportunity to build trust and deepen relationships. By responding to “no” with empathy, curiosity, and resilience, fundraisers can transform rejection into long-term connection and eventual success.
emotional intelligence
There are different ways to be emotionally intelligent, and different situations call on us to be “agile” in our emotional intelligence, i.e. adapting to the social or emotional situation to solve the problem at hand. But sometimes we reach for the same responses out of habit, even when the situation begs us to rethink our approach. This type of reaction leaves people and organizations resistant and unprepared to solve the dynamic and diverse challenges that come our way.