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committee invitation letter
Also strive to speak at a good pace - one that is neither so fast as to be incomprehensive or so slow as to be annoying. You will either need volunteers to make the actual calls or rely on a call center to make the calls for you (at a price). You may well have seen your local food bank or shelter advertising for food and cash donations around holiday time, for example. The me syndrome: Donors (like any person) want to feel special. Most non-profits are trying to make the world a better place, and it is not great to consider them competition, but competition they are.
philanthropy and fundraising publications
Even if you cannot gain on-going support from a company or industry, these sources are often great for individual donations or support. It provides full contact information for the non-profit so that the media can contact J. There are a few basic ways to do some research. Read-a-thon: In this type of marathon, participants read as many books as they can over a period of a few weeks. If the Girl Guides are selling their cookies and you are considering a fundraising idea that involves selling cookies, the competition may ensure that you get little money for your efforts.
Person to person
Talking to another person is one of the most challenging forms of communication for most us, especially if we are naturally shy. However, if you are fundraising for your non-profit, this is a form you will have to master (especially if you are canvassing door to door!). You need to make sure that each person in your group who deals with the public (this includes sellers at the bazaar, door to door volunteers, and marathon organizers - anyone dealing with donors and potential supporters) has good personable manners. Attributes of good person to person contact include:
Eye contact: Making occasional eye contact (not staring) lets people know that you see them and that you are listening to them. It makes the people you are talking to feel more comfortable.
Manners: Being polite and kind helps put people at ease and allows them to focus on what you are saying.
Good body language. Good body language means that your movements and posture (the way you use your body) is pleasant rather than jarring. Smooth movements and a minimal of hand movements put your listener at ease and allow him or her to focus in what you are saying. A hunched posture, shoulders raised nervously and jerky movements will make your listener uncomfortable and may cause him or her to try to avoid you - not exactly the reaction you want if you are fundraising!
A smile. Smiling gives a listener the message that they are liked and accepted. It also makes you seem less threatening.
Good distance. Standing too close or far away can put your listener on the defensive.
Congruence. If your voice is pleasant and kind but you are scowling or your movements are agitated, you will not seem very trustworthy. Your movements, body language, voice, message, and appearance should match.
Pleasant voice: A well-modulated voice that is easy to hear and understand will go a long way in making someone listen to you.
Pleasant speaking style. If you are personable (making small comments or engaging with a listener in some way) will put your listener at ease and will help ensure that your request for fundraising is listened to. Simply listing your groups mission and request for money will not inspire anyone. A lively speaking style, a joke, or even a comment on the weather will make you seem less like an automaton and more like a person who should be listened to.
Appearance. Although looks are obviously a personal issue, a clean-cut and pleasant appearance is still most likely to result in yes responses to fundraising. People simply do not trust people who look dangerous or frightening to them.
For some lucky people, these basics of talking to others are automatic - they seem to make friends wherever they go. For everyone else, person to person contact is a learned skill. You may not think it has much to do with fundraising. But if your style of communication is unappealing to people, you will not be able to make much headway in fundraising.
If you can appeal to people by communicating with them, you are more likely to succeed as a fundraiser.
It does not take much to acquire people skills that can help you fundraise. Practice talking, smiling, and making eye contact in the mirror (yes, it feels silly, but it really works). Better yet, video tape yourself and note what areas of personal communication you need to work on. There are toastmasters clubs that can help give you some tips and practice with oral communication, and these are well worth checking out if you want to become a master communicator who can convince donors to support your group.