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Nonprofit Q&AA
service of Jeane Vogel and
Fund Raising Innovations For other On-Line Services for nonprofit professionals, visit On-Line Services. Here’s this week’s question:I have
been asked to join a startup program as a fundraiser. This will be a very
part-time position to start. I have been volunteering with this group and I
absolutely feel called to be part of this organization. I have many years of
corporate sales/support experience. I have also worked as head solicitor for a
big church auction as well as assisting with my children's school major
fundraiser. Thank you for your advice. First, welcome to the world of non-profits! There are lots of similarities between the corporate and the non-profit world, but many more differences. And it sounds as if you have good volunteer experience and passion for the mission to set you in the right direction. The first thing to remember is that EVERYTHING your organization does, from washing windows to service delivery must reflect your mission. When you are trying to raise money for an organization, it’s important to know the group’s values. For example, a family violence group probably won’t take money from Playboy magazine, or the Lung Association won’t ask Phillip Morris for a grant. You get the idea. This seems simple but many groups have not established a firm gift acceptance policy and haven’t articulated their values in ways that will guide board, volunteers and staff if a problem arises. Next, you need a Development Plan of how you are going to raise money. Start with an audit of your fund raising activities, if any. What works? What doesn’t? How much effort is required to raise each dollar? Assess your activities for effectiveness, efficiency and variety. Choose some activities that can bring in friends and funds – friends are your next donors, so you need to cultivate these. Choose some activities that will bring in steady income –individual giving or fee for service that doesn’t conflict with your mission, for instance. And choose some fund raising activities that will help you reach long-term goals, such as grants. A word about corporate money: everybody wants it and few small groups actually get it in great quantities. Grants should be used for program expansion, capital expenditures, etc., NOT for operating programs. Grants are unreliable. If you lose a $30,000 grant after two years, are you going to close the program? It’s tragic how many programs are shut down because they relied on grants. My best advice would be to put your years of corporate sales experience to work building relationships with current donors and reaching out to new ones, whether individuals or corporations and foundations. There are two things that make fund raising successful: building relationships with donors and connecting the donor to the mission. If you can do that, you will be an asset to your organization. © 2004 by Jeane Vogel and Fund Raising Innovations Was this article helpful? Make a donation of $5,
$10, $25 or more to support this service! ****************************************** Email this to a Colleague! Please feel free to forward this e-mail message to any colleague, board member, or volunteer who might be interested, and recommend that they subscribe. Please do not edit this message when forwarding. Need some quick help but think you can’t afford to bring in a Consultant? Think again! Answers Now! And Critiquing services offer affordable, short-term, practical solutions for non-profit and development professionals. Please visit On-Line Services for more information.
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