Consultant Fund Raising
Nonprofit Fund Raising Even
Nonprofit Sample
Nonprofit Board Fundraising
Capital Campaign Nonprofit
Nonprofit Fundraising Colorado
Attendance Matrix
Nonprofit Fundraising
Mystery Shopping

fundraising for a non profit
Newspapers or radios (especially local media outlets) may offer to let your non-profit advertise for free as a donation. Three volunteers from your group, for example, could be in charge of year-round fundraising while the rest of the group uses the raised money to implement programs and help people. Congruency: Humans are creatures of habit. Is timing a consideration?

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Craft sales: If members of your group like creating crafts - knitting, sewing, wood crafting, then creating a craft sale to sell small created items is often a good way to raise money. You can further establish your target donors by considering where people who believe in a cause or idea would go or what they would see. Of course you want to be optimistic and imagine all the things that can go right in fundraising, but you need to consider the possible problems that may arise with a problem. Money is raised by having people pay at the door for the event. Sometimes, the media will use actual quotes from the pres release in their articles or news items, so you need to make sure that your press release is written in an engaging style. They knew who they had to contact and how to appeal to them.

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.