It can be said that the life blood of any nonprofit is it's ability to raise funds! Fundraising is part  art and part science and you have to be able to find the right combination within your board, clients you serve and within the community you serve, in order to make it work. There is no one size fits all solution.

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A good fundraising event should provide more than an opportunity to just raise funds!

In fact, if money is all you raise, your campaign may not be as successful as you think it is in the long term.

Despite what some may tell you, there is no one guaranteed sure-fire method of raising funds for your nonprofit. No one model or idea is perfect for all occasions, and what works in your city or town may flop in another. The following information will help you focus your energies in the right direction to get the best results!

 

**FUNDRAISING IS A MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL BOARD MEMBERS!**

**ALL BOARD MEMBERS MUST START WITH A PERSONAL COMMITMENT OF THEIR DOLLARS TO THE ORGANIZATION!**

Reality Check: A recent survey showed that the average amount of time volunteers spent doing board work was only eleven (11) hours in a year.  Staff needs to make sure every hour counts!

If your organization does not have enough money to carry out your mission, the ultimate fault falls on the board’s shoulders! Let me assure the reader that I am in full agreement with most that fundraising should be a joint responsibility by both board and staff. However, in most cases I find boards often try to pass off the responsibility of fundraising to only a select few board members or to the staff itself. Most boards and people in general feel very uncomfortable when talking about fundraising. Some boards want to ignore the fact of needing money altogether and want the staff to find money or just apply for grants to solve the problem and not bother the board.

Grant monies are and always should be seen as temporary sources of funding, understanding that those funds may go away at any time. Likewise, nonprofits should not get in the game that is sometimes played by chasing after the grant. Some organizations have taken a dangerous path that leads to self-destruction. These organizations lose all focus on their current mission and allow themselves to chase grants and mold themselves into whatever the specific grant calls for in order to get funding.

Likewise, private foundations are also becoming very restrictive and often times ask specific questions in their grant application as to what percentage of the board is giving and/or what amount of dollars both the board and community give to the current program - trying to weed out organizations that are not serious but just looking for an easy way to get funding.

Overall, fundraising is a major component of what a board’s role is all about. How well an organization is funded determines how extensive their programs can be for their community. 

While there are countless ways to raise money these are some of the basic methods:

Annual Campaigns to raise money for operating expenses - Many times this takes the form of a “friends of” program.

Special Events to raise monies for annual operating expenses – These events are often thought of in the community as the organization’s “signature fundraiser.”

Capital Campaigns to raise money for new brick and mortar projects or to replace or upgrade existing facilities.

Planned Giving to help secure the organization’s future. 

More and more nonprofits are starting to understand the importance of starting an endowment fund, either their own or through a local community foundation. Starting a fund requires a big commitment of belief by both the board and staff of a nonprofit. A commitment like this, in many cases, is so hard to get because it requires individuals to think first beyond themselves and secondly to think beyond today or even tomorrow and into the future. Establishing an endowment account is taking an active role in securing your nonprofit’s own future! There will always be nay sayers in any organization that will tout the fact, which is true in almost every nonprofit: “We need the money now.”  Another common statement made, which mostly comes from fear of making a mistake, is one that says: “We can’t afford to start an endowment account now, let’s wait until later.”

Direct Marketing - In most cases all of these are ways to reach large numbers of people and ask for relatively small donations from each.

• Direct Mail  (newsletters and/or individual solicitation letters)

• Telephone Campaigns (telemarketing)

• Paid Advertising  (newspaper, radio, TV.)

• Free Public Service Announcements (PSAs) in newspapers, magazines, radio, TV.

• Telethons and Other Television Direct Response

• Door-to-Door

Major Individual Donors - This category includes:

• One-On-One Meetings with Individuals

• Planned Giving — Wills and Bequests

• Some Small Group Meetings

The following should help you identify several possible sources of funding for your organization:

• Federal Monies https://www.cfda.gov/

• Municipal, County, Regional, including Boards of Education, Public Health, Parks and Recreation

• Small and Large Businesses

• Corporate Foundations

• Private Foundations

• Community Foundations

• Service Clubs

• United Way (as regular funders or for special grants)

• Religious Groups 

• Employee Funds ( Target, Sams, Wal-Mart)

• Professional Groups (Home Builders Association, Business Women's Association)

• Other Nonprofits

All of the above groups have certain guidelines you must follow in order to receive funding. It is your responsibility as an organization to be organized and be specific as to what you want when you ask. A brief plan with budgets and other supporting documentation goes a long way in opening the doors and minds of the people you wish to influence.

Think about money in many different ways:

Time Commitment
Cash
Checks
Money-Orders
Credit Card Donations
In-Kind Donations of Goods and Services
Post-Dated Donations
Pledges
Monthly Electronic Fund Transfers
Payroll Deduction Plans
Bequests
Life Insurance
Annuities
Endowment Funds

It is also important to think about what will bring about good feelings that will open doors for tomorrow:

Publicity
Image
Contact with People
Credibility
Education
Motivation
Increased Commitment
Good Community Relations
Partnership with other Nonprofits

Below are a few helpful reasons you should understand why board members and your donors give:

They believe in the cause, peer pressure, good for business, to give back for services received, change the world, fun – to come to an event, status and ego, recognition, feels good, to get – as with premiums for giving, tax deduction, build community, guilt, fear, to make a difference.

While there are literally thousands of different ideas to raise money and many include holding certain types of special events or selling some type of product.  Unless you receive a contribution outright all the events and sales you do to raise funding boils down to you the organization providing the “donor” a value for the contribution they give you.

While everyone wants to be original in finding their signature fundraiser, you really only get credit for productivity and the ability to raise the dollars versus how original your idea may or may not be. Likewise, don’t get stuck doing an event you have done in the past just because you have always done it! Don’t be afraid to ask other nonprofits what has worked for them and what has not worked. Everyone wins when you share information with one another!

Tried and True Ideas for Special Event Ideas!

Auctions

Get everything FREE - Get in-kind donations for every possible expense
Build a Mailing List
The Ticket Price Should be Double Your Costs or More

Concentrate on Selling Tickets
Combine Ideas to Add Income (Dinner/Dance, Auction/Special Raffle Prizes)
Put a Price Tag on Everything (Sponsor Tables, Sell Center Pieces)
Take Souvenir Polaroid Photos
Get Sponsors to Help Underwrite Your Events or Parts of Each Event


Other Event Ideas:
The `Stay at Home' Event
The Quit-a-thon or Slim-a-thon or Anything-a-thon

The Food Fair

Parties and Galas
Educational Events
Fairs & Carnivals
New Years or 4^th of July Event
Cook Offs
Haunted Houses
Mystery Cruises
Mystery Dinners
Who-Done-It Murder Parties
Treasure Hunts
Polaroid Scavenger Hunts
Road Races
Sport Tournaments

Val-O-Grams - Singing Valentines

Balloon Farm: Sell and Deliver Balloons for Certain Group

Art Auctions

Plant Sales

Pumpkin Sale/Carving Contest for Halloween

Gift Wrapping Prior To Christmas
Curb Painting

Window Washing

Cleaning Out Rain Gutters

Stadium/Coliseum Clean-Ups

Snow Removal

Contract To Clean Up Construction Sites

Removal of Political Candidates Signs Following Elections

Some Unusual Events:
Cow Pie Bingo
Corn Field Maze
Rubber Duck Race
Shoot for the Stars – get free autographed picture etc. of celebrities and raffle them off
Night at the Races – Video Taped Horse Race
Glow Ball Night Golf Classic
Hole In One Games

Additional Resources:

Below are articles by Gail Perry author of Fired Up Fundraising!

Many companies and salesmen trying to get you to believe that they have all the answers and that their products or services are the best. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is so beware!

DNS Associates is a trusted advisor that helps nonprofit organizations raise money, evaluate opportunities, develop strategies, train and motivate staff and volunteers, communicate effectively, and use technology to improve efficiency.

DNS achieves results. Over $700,000,000 has been raised through 100 capital and/or  endowment campaigns. Since 1982, DNS has served over 350 organizations in communities of all sizes.