Fundraising Articles
Cultivating and Soliciting Endowment Gifts
The strategies for cultivating and soliciting endowment gifts are similar to those used for major and capital gifts, but the building of a successful endowment program necessitates being mindful about what is special about endowment fundraising.
In his book, Building Your Endowment, published by the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, Edward C. Schumacher lists eight items that must be kept in mind about endowment fundraising.
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Developing a Fundraising Plan
As the old saying goes, to the sailor without a plan, any wind is the right one. This is certainly true in fundraising. The first step in successful fundraising is developing a plan. This means designing action steps to diversify the funding of your organization. We are pleased to provide this free article on developing a fundraising plan.
This article is provided courtesy of Kevin Williams of the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC). WORC is a network of grassroots organizations from six states and the District of Columbia that includes 8,250 members and 46 local community groups. WORC helps its member groups succeed by providing training and coordinating regional issue campaigns.
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Expand Your Fundraising with e-Newsletters
Need a consistent and inexpensive way to get your fundraising message out? E-newsletters are an answer.
Every year, Karen Frost is tasked with meeting new people, drawing in more donations, and literally keeping her listener-supported radio station–herself included–afloat. Not an easy job when methods of communication are limited, marketing budgets are tight, and donors watch closely how every penny is spent.
In the last six months, though, Frost's fundraising efforts for CKUA Radio have been completely liberated, thanks to a relatively new trend in communicating with donors: the "e-newsletter."
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Five Great Ways to Develop a Grassroots Fundraising Plan
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Funding Readiness Assessment
Hastily patching together a fundraising scheme to deal with some impending fiscal crisis is an all-too-common approach to an all-too-common problem. Unfortunately, however, donors don't write big checks just because your organization finds itself in a bind.
More probably, they'll wonder how you got in this fix in the first place. Poor management? Bad business practices? Ineptitude?
That's why the best place to start building a successful fundraising plan is from a position of strength, not desperation. Just as individuals should have an annual physical, organizations too need a regular check-up. The "Organizational Assets & Liabilities Checklist" on the following page is a simple tool to help accomplish that. It's an exercise you should perform before embarking on a full-scale fundraising campaign.
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Fundraising Pitfalls
Mistakes in fundraising can be very costly – particularly for smaller organizations pressed by tight budgets and ever-increasing needs. Here are 12 pitfalls to avoid.
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Grant Application (Common)
The Common Grant Application (CGA) is a labor-saving device developed to reduce preparation grant submission preparation costs. First created in 1995 by the National Network of Grantmakers, the CGA is now accepted by over 40 grantmaking programs. The link below is an example of a recommended format for a CGA by the Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers.
Grantseeker's Checklist
Here is a great checklist of 20 steps to successful grant development. Print this list out and put it on your office wall to read regularly. Almost anyone can be a successful grantseeker with focus and information.
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Mandatory Charity Registration Form
Do you know that if you raise money in a state (whether or not you have an office in that state), you are legally required to register as a charity in that state?
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Seven Steps to Foundation and Corporate Giving
Moving a foundation or corporation from a prospect to a donor can be done, but it takes careful planning and hard work, says Vicki LaRue, President and CEO of Camp for All. LaRue offers the following areas for consideration:
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Some Big Direct Mail Mistakes
Any organization that has used direct mail can testify that it costs money before it brings in money. Further, and sadly, a badly conceived or badly executed direct mail campaign can backfire on your fundraising plan.
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Ten Rules of e-Philanthropy
If the events of September 11th proved anything, it is that fundraising via the Internet has come of age. Witness the incredible success of online fundraising by many of the nation's top relief agencies.
Now, nonprofits across America are saying not if they will adopt an online fundraising presence, but how fast they can tap into this new technology in ways that meet an agency's needs but stay within their budget constraints. Here are the Ten rules of e-philanthropy that every nonprofit should know.
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Writing Great Fundraising Letters
Every great fundraiser possesses one great quality: the ability to write and speak in a way that elicits emotion, engenders trust and persuades people to take action.
According to Todd Baker, senior account executive for direct response firm Masterworks in Poulsbo, Washington, becoming a distinguished direct response fundraising writer is within your reach ... all you need is some encouragement and a friend to tell you the secret ingredients of persuasion.
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