Partner Training: Fundraising

Fundraising

Partner Service & Sales Training

What is Fundraising?

I. What is fundraising?II. Importance of fundraisingIII. Developing your fundraising planIV. Types of Funding Sources V. How CharityNet USA Assists with

Fundraising Efforts

What is Fundraising?

• Fundraising is just what it appears to be - the raising of funds or money.

• For a nonprofit, fund raising is often the only way to get the money to pay for the facilities and programs that the group wishes to organize.

• Fundraising can take many forms- from sales, to direct requests for money, to organizing events or lotteries for which people will pay.

Importance of Fundraising

I. What is fundraisingII. Importance of fundraisingIII. Developing your fundraising planIV. Types of Funding SourcesV. How CharityNet USA Assists with

Fundraising Efforts

Why is Fundraising Important?

• Fundraising is often the only way that non-profits have of gaining the money needed to rent the space and organize the programs needed to fulfill the group’s mission.

• Fundraising can help raise awareness through newspapers or newsletters. It can help a group establish an Internet site, help to reach the group’s target audience.

• Even small nonprofit groups need some money in order to really do good. This is where fundraising comes in.

Why is Fundraising Important?

Developing your Fundraising plan

I. What is fundraisingII. Importance of fundraisingIII. Developing your fundraising planIV. Types of Funding SourcesV. How CharityNet USA Assists with

Fundraising Efforts

Fundraising Plans

“You got to be careful if you don't know where you're going, because you

might not get there.”-Yogi Berra

Getting Started

• Organizations should have goals for the amount of money they need to raise and what the money will be used for. – Will it be used for overhead expenses?

– To fund an ongoing or new program?

– To build a new facility?

– To develop an emergency fund for a future rainy day?

– To close a deficit?

Getting Started

• If there is more than one goal, a fundraising plan should be developed for each one.

• Goals should be developed with the board of directors and have their approval.

• Having the board's involvement will also set the stage for their participation in the fundraising itself.

• Write down your fundraising plan.

– Develop a written plan that states how much you need to raise, from what sources, and how you will do it.

– Don't worry, the plan can be revised as you proceed. Not all of your ideas will work out, or you may find new sources along the way.

Getting Started

• Estimate how much your fundraising program will cost.

– Most experts recommend that fundraising and overall administrative costs not exceed 25% of your overall operating budget.

• In other words, three-quarters of your expenses should be spent on doing what you were founded to do.

• Develop a timeline for your fundraising plan

– Fill in a year's calendar with specific activities, and identify who will be the lead for each of those projects.

– Go further by developing timelines for each fundraising activity, such as the direct mail campaign, the online auction, or the planned giving seminar.

Getting Started

• Identify funding sources – Will you fundraise by soliciting foundation

grants, government grants, special events, etc.

• Evaluate your fundraising plan during the year– Plan to evaluate what you are doing every few

months.

• What accounted for the biggest successes?

• What were the biggest challenges?

• What fundraising methods should you change, drop, or add?

Types of Funding Sources

I. What is fundraisingII. Importance of fundraisingIII. Developing your fundraising planIV. Types of Funding Sources V. How CharityNet USA Assists with

Fundraising Efforts

Types of Funding Sources

• Board of Directors• Special Events• Product Sales • Foundation Grants• Personal Solicitation• Internet

Board of Directors

• In addition to other ways that board members may participate in fundraising, they should individually commit to raising and giving a certain amount of money, or commit to working by themselves on specific strategies with no financial goal attached.

Special Events

• Types of special events– Community-wide events

• Exp. Annual ball, community cook-out, walk-a-thon

– Sporting Events• Exp. Annual Golf Tournament, Bowl-a-thon, 5K

Marathon

– Theatre and Art Gallery Openings– Auctions– VIP Events

• Award and tribute dinners or galas

Special Events

• Tips on Making Money from an Event– Keep control of the budget– Get whatever you can donated– Partner with another group– Always evaluate afterwards– Keep good records

Product Sales

• What is it?– Your organization sells a product such as

candy, magazines, or Christmas gift wrap, and keeps a portion of the proceeds.

Product Sales

• Tips for a successful product sale campaign:– Be sure that the product is compatible with your

organization's mission.

– Look around your community. Is your area saturated with product sales by nonprofits?

– Choose your product well. Make sure that it is of highest quality, and is something that people really like and use.

– What is the commission on products you are considering? • Commissions vary from 25% to 75%. Commissions of 50%

or more are preferable, especially if you use a lot of volunteers and expend a lot of energy on the sale

Foundation Grants

• Initial Steps of Grant Seeking:– Know your organization• What are your mission, vision, goals, and

programs?– Know the Case for Support• Why should a foundation fund your

organization? Why are the additional funds needed?

– Research Foundations– Differentiate your Organization

• Build relationships with your foundations

Foundation Grants

• Types of Foundations– Family/Private Foundations– Corporate Foundations– Community Foundations– Operating Foundations

Foundation Grants

• Questions to ask before submitting a grant proposal:– Do we have a previous relationship with

the foundation? Any friends or staff with relationships?• Sometimes grant funding is about who you

know.

– Does the foundation have any interest in funding a program like ours?

Foundation Grants

• Trends in Foundation Support–More accountability and evaluation– Promote/Require Collaboration– Professionalism of Processes– Greater Emphasis on Diversity– Board Giving– Capacity Building

• In 2006, individual charitable giving equaled $222.89 billion or 75.6% of all charitable giving.

Personal Solicitation


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• Where to start:– Communicate your mission, vision, and goals

– Give correct information about your accomplishments, impact, and need

– Spend time with potential donors

– Engage. Have them visit your facility

– Handle gifts well

– Thank them often

– Build Trust

– Listen

– Invite donors to special events

– Plan


• Key Reasons Why Individuals Give– Agree with your mission and vision

– Leadership of your organization

– Relationships

– Your organization’s integrity

– Because they were asked!


• Suggestions for a successful ask:– Pick the right prospect

– Solicit in person

– Convince yourself first

• If you don’t believe in your organization, why would someone else?

– Know your cause

– Know your job

– Know your prospect

– Ask for a specific amount

Internet

• There are some common pitfalls as well, including:– It's hard to be noticed among all the others seeking

attention on the Internet.

– There is the possibility of failure due to unfamiliar technical breakdowns or through misunderstanding how to use the mechanism effectively.

– There are significant legal complexities at this time associated with some aspects of online fundraising.

Internet

• Ways to Increase your World Wide Web Presence:– Your web address is on ALL marketing material.

– Potential donors and supporters can find a link to your Web site on a page created by some related organization, or one that otherwise supports your activities.

– Potential donors and supporters receive an intriguing email message from you that describes your mission and asks them to visit your site.

– Send out a regular newsletter to keep constituents engaged.

Internet

• Ways to Increase your World Wide Web Presence:– They read about your organization in some online or off-line

newsletter or other informational article created by a third-party, and it includes your organization's Web site address.

– They are using an Internet search engine to find Web sites addressing some topic or issue, and your page has the right keywords to match their search.

– They see a banner advertisement you have placed on another organization's Web page.

• If your organization doesn't use at least one and preferably several of these methods to attract visitors to your Web site, you will get few or no donations there. At the very least, every one of your marketing and solicitation texts should include a reference to your Web site's address (i.e. URL).

Assisting with Fundraising Efforts

I. What is fundraisingII. Importance of fundraisingIII. Developing your fundraising planIV. Types of Funding Sources V. How CharityNet USA Assists with

Fundraising Efforts

How CharityNet Can Help

• CharityNet provides numerous articles to provide charities with the resources to market their organization, train & motivate their team, raise funds and much more. Examples:

• Nonprofits - Focus on Your Vision and Make it a Big One• Why You Must Be a Good Steward of Nonprofit Resources• Nonprofit Help - Executive Director As Board Member?• 6 Power Steps to Managing Volunteers That Every

Volunteer Coordinator Should Know• Charity Walks - 7 Easy Ways to Thank Your Volunteers• Percentage Based Fundraising


• We provide a fundraising menu including everything from simple events that are easy to execute, to complex, but high-revenue events:

– All of the events include a guide of howto plan, implementand execute each event.

– Additionally, the fundraising kits include ticket and flyer designs, sign-up sheet layouts and other necessary collateral to supplement an event.


• RewardsNet Membership Website & Fundraising Program:

• The membership website, which features a variety of money saving discounts, reward programs, wellness tools, free software downloads and informational links.

• Membership dues are only $75 per year and in addition to the web site features and benefits, the donor also receives a 2 night stay at selected hotels across the USA.

• Raising funds with RewardsNet is easy and everyone wins. The "donor" get's the website benefits plus, a travel certificate of greater value in exchange for his contribution.


• For the best results in raising funds, the nonprofit organization should connect with a fundraising professional in their area.

• So, while we may not offer specific fundraising consulting, the more nonprofits you assist with fundraising, the more they will spend with you on fundamental services.

Help Them Raise $Money$ = You Make $Money$

Summary

• Fundraising is critical to organizational success

• Fundraising should be planned and goal-focused

• Fundraising team needs to be trained, challenged, motivated and rewarded for outstanding performance

• Fundraising needs to start small to gain experience and build revenue

• Fundraising is an ongoing process to be supplemented by grants and service fees

Business

Partner Training: Fundraising