FastTrack Fundraising Tips and Articles

by Joe Garecht (http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com)

Most non-public schools need to raise funds on a yearly basis, whether for general operating expenses, scholarships, special needs, or sports, clubs, and activities.  These yearly fundraising campaigns take any number of shapes, from product sales to fundraising events to straight fundraising appeals.  No matter what method your school chooses, chances are you will rely on volunteers to lead and run your effort.

Over the years, I’ve heard from many volunteer fundraising leaders who don’t know where to start in raising money for their child’s school.  After talking with the school’s administration, they feel like they are on their own, without a step by step guide for their efforts.  If you’re the school staff member serving as a liaison for these fundraising efforts, don’t leave your volunteers out in the cold.  Share with them these five steps for holding a successful school fundraiser:

1.  Choose Your Program

The school you are working with may or may not have chosen a fundraising program that they would like to use as part of your effort.  If they haven’t, it’ll be up to you to investigate your options and choose a program that will both work well for your particular school and provide a good return for your efforts. Your choices are endless, from selling chocolates or wrapping paper to doing fundraising mailings, holding an event, or simply gathering a team to make asks.  Don’t get bogged down deciding… investigate, choose, discuss your choice with the school to get their blessing, then get to work!

2.  Develop a Plan

Too many parent fundraising leaders make the mistake of starting a new campaign without making a plan – this is one of the biggest reasons why school fundraisers fail.  Before you begin, figure out how you’ll run your effort, what the costs and possible returns will be, what support systems will be needed for your volunteers, and how you will market the fundraising campaign.  Your best bet is to develop a short written fundraising plan before you begin.

3.  Choose Your Team

The people helping you on your effort can make or break your fundraising campaign.  Find other parents, teachers, and student leaders (if needed) who are willing to work hard and with a cheerful attitude to make your event or campaign succeed.

4.  Train Your Team

Next to the failure to write out a plan, a failure to properly train the fundraising team is the biggest reason why fundraisers fail.  Once you have your team in place, show them what needs to be done.  Tell them how to sell tickets, or magazines, or ask for donations… whatever your effort requires.  Answer their questions, and provide support to them throughout the fundraising campaign.

5.  Track Your Success

As you move from planning into the actual fundraising, constantly track what works and what doesn’t, who is raising money and who isn’t, which volunteers are working hard, and which aren’t.  Make adjustments midstream, if necessary, while adhering as closely as possible to the overall strategy you laid out in your plan.  Stay on top of your campaign so you can guide it to success.

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Joe Garecht is the editor of The Fundraising Authority, located on the web at http://thefundraisingauthority.com

by Joe Garecht

Fundraising is the lifeblood of every non-profit organization.  Without it, schools, churches, and other charities find it impossible to carry out their missions.  Without the funding to turn their vision into reality, these groups can’t provide the vital services they offer to society.

Yet, many worthwhile organizations find that they have trouble fundraising, and seem to plateau whenever they try to new methods.  They get stuck in the same routine of grant submissions that aren’t targeted well enough, networking lunches that don’t go anywhere, and events that take too much time for too little return.  It’s time for groups like this to supercharge their fundraising efforts.  Here’s how:

1.  Use Small Hosted Events

Most organizations have tons of mid-level supporters who would love to host a small fundraising event on behalf of the charity.  Yet, most charities don’t encourage these events, thinking that they are too much work. Instead, these groups focus on large, marquee fundraising events, run by the organization, that really are too much work.

Keep holding those big events, but make it easy for your organization to support all of the smaller-level supporters who are willing to hold events.  Create an “event in a box” that contains all of the information someone would need to hold an event on your behalf, and then encourage your board members and supporters to do so.  Make it clear that they are responsible for hosting the event and finding attendees and that you appreciate their efforts.  Having 25 events a year that each raise $2,500 really adds up!

2.  Communicate with Donors and Prospects!

Many organizations make the mistake of asking for money from a prospect, then never communicating again (at least not until the next ask).  Fundraising is all about relationships.  Instead of making ask after ask, build a real relationship between the donor/prospect and your organization.  Send newsletters that update, but don’t ask.  Hold networking events.  Send e-updates.  Call to say thank you. The more of a relationship you build with each donor, the more money you will raise.

3.  Focus on Your Board

Many small non-profits have board filled with friends of the founder, or with ex-officio members from similar agencies who add expertise, but not dollars, to the organization.  Remember this: the number one foundation for your fundraising efforts is your board of directors.  Their contact network should form the basis of much of your groups’ early fundraising efforts.

Because of this, it is important that every organization, once established, starts to add new board members who can raise money for the group.  Find people who have great networks and are committed to the cause.  Keep those early loyal supporters, but add folks who can go out and raise money from their own rolodexes for your organization.

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This article by Joe Garecht, the founder of The Fundraising Authority.  For more great articles and information from Joe, visit http://thefundraisingauthority.com