thoughts of fundraising Archives

Establishing an Annual Campaign

Are you trying to raise money for your cause? If so, an annual fund raiser may be a good way to accomplish this. Annual fund raisers are not just telemarketing opportunities. They also give you and your organization the ability to reach out to people who would want to be included in the cause’s plans and to get in touch with past contributors in case they would like to renew their support. Organizing an annual fund raiser may seem daunting, but with a bit of help and this article as your road map and field guide, it can go much more smoothly. If you are thinking of organizing an annual fund raiser for your cause then take the first step. Read this article, and then start your annual fund raiser today!

The Three Fund-raising Periods

There are three relevant fund-raising periods in a year. As a fund-raiser, it is important to know about these periods and to keep them firmly in mind as you attempt to organize your annual fund-raiser. The first important time is the end of year period, covering the time-frame from November through December. This is the point at which it is most feasible for donors to give and for your cause to receive donations. If you intend on doing an annual fund-raiser, this would be a perfect time to do it. The second period is the period between January and June. This period is still very lucrative but not quite as lucrative as the year-end period. Finally, the least lucrative period of all is summertime, the months of July and August. Do not host your fund-raiser in either of these months.

Pay Attention To Your Contributors

As you are calling possible contributors, listen to what they say carefully. Keep records not only of what they donate and who they are but also their attitudes on donating. If they seem willing to donate but say they do not have the money at this time, make sure to take note of that.

Always Follow Through

If a potential donor says they would love to give but do not have money or that they cannot give right now, be sure to make a note of that information. It can be very valuable. When you make a second round of calls, be sure to follow up with these people. It is possible that the potential donor was giving an excuse to get off the phone with you. However, it is just as likely that they really do want to donate to the cause but really did not have the money. If you never call those people back, you will never know which it is, and you may lose potential money. As an added note, when you call back, do not be pushy, as that will make a possible donation turn into a definite no.

Organizing an annual fund-raiser may seem like a daunting prospect, but it does not have to be. Using the tips above as your road map, the journey will be much smoother than it would otherwise have been. You will find your amount of donations increasing and perhaps more importantly, you will have a wider base of loyal donors.

Applying For Grants

Non-profit organizations and charities both rely heavily on grants to help pay for the costs of upkeep, events, and day to day functioning. If you are a part of a charity or non-profit but have never applied for a grant before, the task can seem a little daunting! Read on to learn helpful tips that you can put into practice the next time you apply for a grant.

Determine Your Eligibility

If you are not able to receive a grant, there is no reason to apply for it, so the most important first step you can take in your search is to simply determine whether or not your company is eligible for a particular source of funding. You must know the type of charity or non-profit you run, and you must choose whether or not to apply as an individual or as the company itself. If you do not have this information, you cannot get very far in the application process! Your company might be listed as an educational, government, or public housing organization, or it might simply fall under the non-profit umbrella term. Different funding is available in different categories.

Understand The Steps

Funding opportunity announcements are released regularly from grant-making agencies that are looking to back non-profits. When you find a funding opportunity announcement that you seem to be eligible for, locate the application and gather your information. Register to apply through a grant venue, and wait for your registration to process. This step is crucial, and must be completed before you can apply to the grant itself.

Research The Grant-Making Agency

The agency that is offering the grant will have a web site that is full of useful information to help you understand what it does and why it is interested in backing a non-profit. Knowing what the agency focuses on and cares about will help you write a custom-tailored proposal that is sure to impress those who have the final vote on the grant’s recipient.

Fill Out The Application

Realize that you might have a lot of competition for certain grants, so your application’s professional nature and complete information will be deciding factors in the final decision. It is necessary to have a full-scale concept of what your organization is and where it is going before you ever begin the application process. You will need to write a detailed proposal, which showcases your ideas and explains what your company does, as well as how the grant money can help improve its functionality. The more specific you can be, the better! Do not simply say that you need the money to pay for expenses and upkeep. Talk instead about how the funding will help you grow toward your ultimate goal. This is also a good time to restate the grant-making agency’s goals and policies as they relate to your non-profit.

After you complete the application, submit it and be patient. The screening process may take a long time, but you will eventually find out if your application made it to the final assessment, and if your non-profit was selected as the recipient.

Learn Fundraising 101: The Basics

Fundraising can be a daunting business, but you can make it easy if you break it down into the basics.

Why Fundraise?

Fundraising is an important part of life. To a certain group of people, species of animal, area of the planet, or otherwise – your mission matters. Raising money for your mission will have a very tangible impact on the existence of those that it targets.

The main point of fundraising is to raise funds for something that we need, for bills that need to be paid or to fund projects that need to be undertaken. If your group doesn’t raise this money, then who will? Fundraising is also a fantastic way to fulfill your group’s objectives, to offer something into your community and to raise awareness for your cause.

Many people have developed a cynicism about fundraising, but it’s important to remain clear about the reasons why this fundraising is important, and to maintain your conviction over what this money will mean for your cause. Fundraising enables groups and organizations all over the world to serve the planet in very important ways. Fundraising provides shelters and meals for the homeless, funds research for cancer, keeps school and churches open and provides medical aid for people living in third world conditions. Organizations that rely on donations can’t survive without fundraising – without it, much of the good work in the world would simply cease to exist.

Planning Your Fundraiser

An important thing to keep in mind is that successful fundraisers do not create themselves. They take work, time, commitment, passion and often monetary resources.

While some groups are natural cash generating machines, others need to learn the skills that make fundraising efforts successful. The good news is that good fundraising can be done by anyone who has the drive to make it happen– it just takes some planning!

The planning that goes into any fundraiser is going to be crucial to the success of the campaign. Every fundraiser that takes place, whether big or small, needs to have a concise, coherent plan written down which covers aspects of who/what/where/when and how. The success of your fundraiser will be a direct result of how much careful planning went into it.

Choosing a Team

Crucial to planning a fundraiser is having a dedicated team of people to plan it.

As early as possible, your event will need a committee dedicated to the fundraising event. This may be the same committee that works on other things within your organization or it may be a select group of people who are focused on the fundraising itself. These people will be responsible for contributing, and delegating substantial effort to the fundraising goal and to the event, or events, surrounding the fundraising.

Money Matters

Ensure that your fundraising has a goal set. You need to decide on what amount of money you plan to raise with your fundraising. Factors to take into account will be how much money your group needs to satisfy its immediate needs, how many people you estimate to attract, what expenses will have to come out of this amount and how much time you will have to raise the money. Whatever the amount, make sure that everything in your fundraising plan is driven towards raising this specific amount of money.

Ensure that your fundraising also has a budget in place. This should include all of the expenses that will be required to carry out your fundraising, right down to the pen you will need for signups. Make sure that the budget includes expenses on the day, marketing and promotional materials and payment for people that are not volunteers. Ensure that it also takes into account your fundraising goal, and that you will raise well above the amount of outgoings. You might also want to leave a little ‘wiggle room’ for unforeseen expenses that come up along the way.

Choosing How to Fundraise

Your fundraising committee will need to think about which events will take place, and what methods will be used to source money.

Will you;

Ask via telephone?
Ask face-to-face?
Ask via email or direct mail?
Hold an event?

When deciding how best to approach fundraising, (BTW, here’s 100 fundraising ideas), several things should be taken into account, including;

Who is the target audience?
What would provide good visibility?
What would garner good attendance?
What resources are available?
How many people will be available to help out?

Once your committee has settled on the means of fundraising, a plan can be written up including all of the details. This plan will need to include basic details like location, date and time, as well as everybody’s roles, so that every person involved knows ahead of time what their responsibilities are.

Once this plan is in place, it’s time to promote, promote, promote!

Marketing

Now that everything is in place, you will need to aggressively market your fundraiser.

The fundraising team will need to decide how to show your organization’s current supporters and the general public why your fundraiser is worth their valuable time and money.

Firstly this will involve getting the word out amongst those you know. Sales and marketing professionals know that a warm hand is always better than a cold one. The same rule applies in the world of fundraising. The closer people are to you and your organization, the more likely they are to contribute to your cause when asked to. Make sure that everyone involved in the project is actively talking to their friends, families, neighbors and social networks, ensuring that everyone they know is aware of why this fundraising is important, and what difference it will make to the community. Once this is done, begin reaching out to the wider networks: local businesses, neighborhood contacts, people from other organizations that are relevant or linked to your own and any others who may share your organization’s concerns and feel moved to contribute.

Your community will be full of people who have money to give, and we cannot always predict who these people will be. Your most important ingredient in marketing is getting the word out there. If people don’t know about your fundraiser, then they can’t contribute anything towards it.

After the Money Has Been Raised

The importance of thanking people cannot be overstressed. Each and every contributor, no matter how big or small their donation, must be thanked. Before the fundraising committee folds, be sure that gratitude is expressed to everyone who was involved in the fundraising. This can be done via email, direct mail, phone or by a small event or gift to say thank you (just be sure to include this in your expense budget). And don’t forget your volunteers.

It’s quite simple: if you want people to put in the time and the money next time, you need to keep them happy.

Last Minute Things

A few valuable tips to remember:

The best fundraisers are the ones that offer something for everyone. Think about what you can offer as part of your fundraising that will benefit your contributors. If a fundraiser looks like a mutually beneficial offer, you have a better chance of people giving over their hard-earned cash for it.
Good planning will be the make-or-break factor in any fundraising. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Successful fundraisers do not happen if volunteers are not willing to get off the couch and make it happen.
Fundraising is about far more than ‘money-making’. You want your fundraiser to create long-term relationships with people that will create awareness about your organization and its mission, as well as generating supporters that will become contributors at later fundraising events. Ultimately your fundraiser should be successful in the short term, generating the funds that you need for your project, as well as building your brand and database in the long term.