Let’s be honest. Fundraising is not an easy thing to do. If you’re managing a nonprofit, you have to do a lot of it, because if you don’t, your organization could implode at any moment if the funding runs dry. No matter your mission, these 10 tips will help you as your prepare for your next round of fundraising for your nonprofit.
Nonprofit Fundraising Tips
1. Ask Yourself Who You Know
Successful fundraising for your nonprofit costs little and reaches a wide audience. Think about who can help you. Do you have a family member who works in a large company that might be willing to sponsor you? A friend who might be able to provide a venue for a fundraising event? Build ideas around what you already have.
2. Keep In Mind Why You Do What You Do
A passionate desire to help will bring in donations—particularly when you’re in the thick of the fundraising process. Don’t lose sight of what your original mission was. Let your passion show in all you do.
3. Produce A Leaflet
Leaflets are everything still, even in the digital age. Your leaflet should be a simple, generic, informational piece about your organization that helps encourage support. It should also provide information about how to donate to keep your donors engaged and involved in future fundraising events.
4. Set A Goal
Know how much money you need to raise. For every fundraising activity, assess how much you expected to raise against what you actually do. Some ideas work, but others might not. You must be willing to be flexible in this whole process.
5. Ask For Specific Donations
Ask for specific amounts, but again, be flexible about them. Asking for a specific amount will help give your donors a benchmark. If you’re asking for sponsorship, it may be best to go to your biggest benefactor first since people often follow the leader.
6. Write Well-Targeted Letters
Send these letters to carefully selected individuals and those within companies to ask them for support. Personalize each of them, and start your letter with something that will grab their attention, like a story of someone who’s benefiting from the help of your organization. After you ask them for help, be sure to close the letter with a big “thank you,” and tell them again why their donation is so important.
7. Hold An (Inexpensive) Event
Fundraising events are a big part of the fundraising process, and while they can be big moneymakers for an organization, they can also be extremely time-consuming and expensive. The success of your fundraising event depends largely on the planning. Plan your event well so it can be successful.
8. Always Offer Something In Return
Send out a prompt thank you letter to every sponsor who makes a donation, no matter what the size. Be sure to follow up with updates, newsletters, and other information on the project, and invite them to any related celebration events.
9. Plan Ahead
We can’t stress this enough: plan ahead. The more you plan, the more organized you will be. The more organized you are, the closer you will be to securing your fundraising goals.
10. Use Your Time Wisely
Remember, the fundraising process is a big time investment. Don’t get bogged down with the details. Those can be delegated to others in your organization who can help you. Stick to the high-level stuff, and do as little procrastinating as possible. If you’re on a tight deadline, know that you’ll be working that much harder, so be wise with your time.
