subject: Fundraising For New Nonprofit Organizations: Is It Good Or Bad? [print this page] Many new nonprofit organizations go through the internal battle of whether or not they should participate in fundraising. Fundraising can be a wonderful tool in the arsenal of a newly formed nonprofit organization and even in a nonprofit organization which has already been established. For example, every year around January you hear the ding dong of your doorbell announcing the arrival of the Girl Scouts heralding their annual cookie fundraising drive. Honestly, I know that $3.00 is a lot for a box of Thin Mints, but a portion of the proceeds goes to help the local Girl Scouts in my community so I feel justified in paying a little bit more than I normally would for cookies. Fundraising can be an ideal way to raise funds because people feel as if they are getting "something" (whether it be cookies, a car wash, a snack, t-shirt, etc. It is a sad state of current affairs that most people do not give to legitimate causes because of the good feeling it gives them anymore. Most people expect something in return for their "gift." Fundraising is just the ticket because both parties feel as if they are benefiting from the arrangement.
There are a few simple rules when it comes to fundraising for an organization. The first rule is to keep your fundraising ideas BE REALISTIC! Plan an event that fits the current funds which the organization has. In other words, don't plan a huge annual fundraising gala where there is a sit down meal and attendees have to pay $500 a plate if you do not have the money to rent the facility, pay for the food expenses, pay for entertainment, etc. Work within your means. The second rule and what I believe to be the most important of nonprofit fundraising is to HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY DEDICATED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE FUNDRAISER. Does this mean you need to hire a professional fundraiser? Not necessarily. It is entirely possible to put together a simple event without the assistance of a professional fundraiser. However, you do need to have someone dedicated to the success of the fundraiser whether this person is a board member, a volunteer of the organization or a hired fundraising consultant. The choice is entirely up to you.
The third rule of fundraising is to SET A GOAL this will help clarify the purpose of your fundraiser and will assist you in realizing how many items you need to sell to reach your goal. The fourth rule of fundraising is MARKET, MARKET, MARKET! I cannot stress this rule enough because your event could be one of the best fundraising ideas ever conceived, but if no one knows about your event how are they going to attend. These days marketing costs can sky rocket your expenses; however, there are ways to keep these costs down as well. First and foremost, utilize social media tools such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to publicize your event. These sites are free and millions of people use these on a daily basis. Another marketing tip is to create a flyer utilizing word processing software and print about a thousand to hand out to the local area. These do not have to be fancy color printed flyers. They can be as simple as black and white print on a colorful piece of paper. Do not forget to tell people that you are going to be conducting a fundraiser - word of mouth can help your marketing efforts exponentially.
The truth is fundraising can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Take a typical dinner event, whether it is a spaghetti dinner or a chicken barbeque. Most often you can get food donated or offered at a discounted rate by local area grocery stores and supermarkets. This is especially true when it comes to a spaghetti dinner because most of the food and beverage items it takes to put on this fundraiser are really cheap. Often you can get paper items such as plates, cups, napkins, silverware, etc. donated for the actual event. As for a facility, usually most towns have a local community center, park, or even a church which will let you utilize their facility for free or for a small donation. The biggest thing to know is you will have to conduct some legwork and ask around for these donations for the event. In many cases, this is where hiring a professional fundraiser or a fundraising consultant can be beneficial. Typically, a fundraising consultant will already have key contacts at many vendors since nonprofit fundraising is their full-time job.
Honestly, the biggest fundraising tip or rule that I can give you is to ask for donations when conducting your fundraisers. What is the worse that is going to happen to you? They say "no we cannot afford to do that right now". What have you lost by asking? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say nothing. However, if they say yes, you and your fundraising event have gained some or maybe even all of the items you need. Many organizations like to give to causes but do not have the financial means; however, they are able to give in-kind donations or items which you can utilize to conduct your event. The long and short of it is fundraising can be very rewarding for any nonprofit organization as long as you and the organization you are representing are willing to put some effort into it.
