And for those of you who are just breaking into the nonprofit world, we give you some advice on maintaining the buzz. Finally, we give you a taste of how to use social media to build excitement about your organization. Remember.eps In Chapter 5, we invite you to plot the history of your organization.
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Oh, sure, you find professional fundraisers out in the field who are interested first and foremost in turning a fast buck. People are drawn to organizations because they see a need — perhaps up close and personal — and because they feel compelled to do what they can to make a difference. When you’re part of a mission that’s close to your heart, the potential for creative effort and action increases and others are inspired and attracted to what you’re doing.
Fundraising For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Some people say that fundraising is really friend-raising, but saying that is like putting a bit of polish on an otherwise slippery surface. Chapter 8 shows you how to get to know your donors in a way that makes helping out your organization a natural next step. Your current situation offers you opportunities to look more closely at the read fundraising for dummies online by john mutz and katherine murray programs and services you offer and to get clear about your priorities and positions. You can fine-tune your case statement, revisit your mission, get your board engaged, and maybe bring in some great new volunteers. On the one hand, you have to face the facts and figures and deal with the dire predictions and circumstances that accompany down economies.
Dealing with hard times that linger
The following sections discuss some key points to keep in mind as you promote your organization. Not only is that spark of passion the driving force behind your desire to help, but it’s also one of the best tools you can use as you fan the embers of possibility into a full fundraising flame. When you’re trying to fundraise in uncertain economic times, plugging in to your own passion — why you do what you do — is a vitally important part of telling your organization’s story with the energy that captures people’s attention. Chances are good that passion for a particular cause led you to fundraising in the first place.
- In this section, we touch on what you need to do to spread your initial spark and passion about your cause to your potential donors.
- In that chapter, you discover a number of organizations that are designed to uphold the best ideals in fundraising, made up of people who work to guarantee that — troubled times or not — fundraising remains a noble endeavor.
- Consider what these two organizations did to survive the challenging trials that faced them, and then read the rest of this book to find out what you can do to help your own organization make the most of fundraising in both good times and bad.
- Webinars provide a great opportunity to reduce heavy travel expenses for everyone in your organization while making meetings more flexible and time-effective.
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What you likely discover as you create your organization’s timeline is that you or your predecessors have survived downturns before like the one you’re in now. Your organization has, indeed, risen to difficult times in the past and overcome them, and, ultimately, things did improve. What’s more, the difficult times in the past and those you experience today give your organization the chance to witness the creativity, compassion, and collaboration that shows up when people face challenges together.
By definition, focusing on some services means giving less attention and effort to others. Whether recovery comes quickly or eases in slowly over time, the smart thing to do is begin where you are today with a good, clear look at the building blocks of your organization. We show you how to prepare and preserve your organization with your case statement in Chapter 4, and then we show you how to use it to build a full fundraising plan in Chapter 6.
Tip.eps Chapters 14 through 17 show you how to reduce your print costs by moving many of your fundraising efforts online. These chapters also explain how to get listed in charity portals and work with online affinity groups. Chapter 19 is all about creating attention-getting special events (while keeping an eye on your budget). In this chapter, we take a look at having and staying in touch with that initial spark that brought about the birth of your organization, that keeps it going, and that you caught and are helping to flame. We also show you how to fan the flame to ignite others for your cause, give you the rundown on some basic fundraising lingo, and reveal just how many nonprofits you’re competing against to raise funds (so you know just how vast the industry is).
When money gets tight, people constrict that expansiveness and begin to look more closely at what they spend and why. This kind of close evaluation is really a good thing for your organization to do periodically, whether or not it accompanies financial hardship. Even with all these inherent benefits, however, now isn’t an easy time to be a fundraiser. If you’ve been in the role for any length of time, you’ve probably spent a lot of time watching with a wary eye as the economy pitches and sways.
A local church decided that good work isn’t done only by churches but rather is done by lots of nonprofit organizations. As a result, the church decided to set aside 10 percent of the collections it received each Sunday and donate that amount to a local nonprofit. The immediate reaction of the leadership team and the pastor to this idea was We’re barely making it now — this is a hand-to-mouth organization! However, after considering the options — and trying to answer honestly the question Do we believe we live in an abundant society?
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- In Chapters 12 and 13, we show you how to tell the stories of the good things that are going on in your organization.
- Somehow or another, when times are tough, individuals and organizations alike develop more compassion for those in need and for those causes that are important for society.
- Research the giving patterns of your constituents, find out what life is like for your regular donor, stay in touch with your major givers, and use your messaging to reassure, inform, and invite donors to stay engaged with you.
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You can help your donors recognize the many ways they can give to your cause by staying in touch with them through e-mail, phone calls, and the Web — even during economic downturns. Consistency is important in building donor relationships, and your donors will be paying careful attention to the way you navigate through this rocky time. John Mutz is a fundraising expert and speaker who has an extensive array of fundraising credits, including former chairman of the United Way Campaign of Central Indiana and former president of one of the nation’s largest private foundations. Katherine Murray is a writer and small-business owner who consults with small and struggling nonprofits. She is the author of more than 40 books, including Green Home Computing For Dummies.
You wonder whether donors will have anything left to give; you watch your endowment drop; you cringe at the economic forecasts. Tip.eps Taking the time to think through beliefs about money in general and fundraising in particular is important because your unexplored ideas may — for better or worse — affect your overall success in your role. But fundraising isn’t the main objective of a nonprofit organization, although you may sometimes feel like it gets the bulk of the focus. Fundraising is the means to an end, the way to fulfill your mission, whether that mission is reaching people who are homeless or in need, healing the sick, or promoting the art or music you’re passionate about. Before we jump headfirst into the many fundraising approaches available to you, we take a look at two stories that offer slightly different approaches to fundraising in tough times. Consider what these two organizations did to survive the challenging trials that faced them, and then read the rest of this book to find out what you can do to help your own organization make the most of fundraising in both good times and bad.