Development Nonprofit Information
Fundraising Feasibility Study
Fundraising For A Non Profit
Nonprofit Fundraising System
Fundraising Cost Percentage
Fund Accounting Software System
Employee Volunteer Services
Sharon Tresnon Svensson
Nonprofit Fundraising
Mystery Shopping

philanthropy and nonprofit fundraising
Services for hire: Rather than selling products, some non-profits find that they benefit by offering services. Setting up the event may take money and time, but once it is set up, it can easily operate for an entire season, bringing in money regularly. A local advertising company, for example, may agree to design an ad for you. Since each fundraising venture costs money and takes effort, try to find ways to fundraise with less effort or fundraise in complementary ways. Arts groups are likely to be supported by people who like the arts.

christian fund raising
You will also need to formulate tax receipt slips that can be given to donors for their gifts. Sometimes, fundraising money comes from unlikely sources and it is often a good idea to contact some unlikely groups to see whether in fact they may be ardent supporters of your cause. Being rude to any potential donor can have disastrous consequences, even if that donor is a faceless entity on the phone. Doe James Do Felicitations Child Acme Company 134 Acme Ave. If your voice is pleasant and kind but you are scowling or your movements are agitated, you will not seem very trustworthy.

Fundraising Mistakes that Could Get Your Non-Profit into Trouble

Mistakes happen, but some mistakes can cost you considerable fundraising money and can even land your group into trouble. Look out for the following mistakes to prevent your groups fundraising efforts from becoming derailed:


Rudeness

It shouldnt even be an issue, but it is. Many volunteers who believe in the cause of their non-profit want only the best for the cause, but they need to be taught to never be rude to a potential donor. Unfortunately, non-profit groups who recruit through telemarketing especially have developed a reputation for rudeness. Sometimes, volunteers will accuse potential donors on the phone of wasting their time and will even be rude to someone who has said no to donating money. Even experienced callers will sometimes do this, believing that a hard tack approach will make someone feel guilty enough to donate.

It cant be said often enough - non-profit groups must work extra hard to keep their cool at all times. Being rude to any potential donor can have disastrous consequences, even if that donor is a faceless entity on the phone. That person could file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or at least encourage friends and family not to donate to your cause. He or she may even write about the incident to a newspaper or magazine. In either case, one incident of rudeness could cost you your bottom line when it comes to fundraising.

Stress the importance of politeness to everybody in your group and discuss what each person should do if a donor is rude to them. Act out scenes of rude donors to decide what to do about these situations (the best response is to simply walk away or contact authorities of someone gets abusive or violent).


Confrontations

Disagreements between workers happen, but if this occurs in your group, act at once so that tensions dont sour the work you are doing. Tensions should be talked about at once and resolved as amicable as possible before things get out of hand.


Mixed-bag

One of the most ineffective ways to fundraise is to dabble. If your non-profit seems to be involved in every cause and seems to want to try every type of fundraising, your efforts will simply be too scattered. Focus on one cause and two or three fundraising efforts at a time for the best results. Specializing makes it easier to target potential donors and find sources of funding that are likely to be helpful. Most government grants, as well, are designed for groups that are very dedicated to one specific area or project.


The Prima Donna Syndrome

Many of us like to lead from time to time, but if someone in your group likes to hog all the spotlight, then others are bound to feel overlooked. To counteract this, make a point of praising or rewarding everyone who is doing a good job. Those who are outgoing and like to lead often do well in interacting with potential donors. Giving such workers this sort of work can help make them feel important while making sure that their talents help rather than hurt your group.




Accusations of Dishonesty

A charge that your group is misusing funds, misleading anyone, or engaging in any sort of serious unethical activity is a very serious charge and needs to be handled immediately. If the charge is founded on fact and is caused by a mistake, you need to take steps to correct the problem. If the charge is false, you need to prove that it is so. Then, you need to explain in public what has happened and what steps have been taken to deal with the issue. This is not a situation that many non-profit wants to find themselves in, but if it happens to you, make sure that you have the proof and the loud media coverage that proves to potential donors that you are a legitimate and honest group.


Legal Problems

Law suits can be caused as a result of injury caused by an honest mistake or can be caused by bad feeling. In any case, make sure that you have a lawyer to turn to help you out of the mess. Also, you may need to hire public relations services in order to help your group deal with the press associated with legal troubles.


Not Enough Money Made at Fundraising

No matter how carefully you plan your ideas and no matter how good your ideas are, there may come a time when you simply make less money that you hoped to raise. If this happen, you can immediately turn to another (perhaps more modest) way of fundraising to make up the difference. You can also turn to your non-money non-profit goal and see whether your fundraising efforts can still be used to help accomplish that goal.

If your church did not raise enough money for pews, can you at least pay for the materials and arrange for volunteer labor to finish the project? Every fundraising effort brings you closer to some of your goals, even if you do not make as much of your money goals as you might like.

If you are making less than you would like through fundraising, evaluate your fundraising strategies. What have you not tried? What else can be done? Go back over this ebook and reapply these strategies again to your fundraising.