The economic outlook in most of the world right now, including the US, is bleak.  Unemployment is high, rates of return on basic investments are low, and many people have cut back on their charitable giving because they simply don’t have as much disposable income as they used to.  This has caused many non-profits, particularly small ones, to rethink their fundraising strategies. 

Economic recessions are a fact of life… they come and go on a regular, though unpredictable schedule.  Because of this fact, organizations that last over the long term must learn to not only survive tough economic times, but to continue growing and thriving through these cycles as well.  This means that non-profits must learn these key lessons on how to fundraise in tough economic times:

1.  Don’t Stop

The most important thing to remember about fundraising in tough economic times is this… don’t stop.  Even if you have a rainy day fund or endowment that you can draw down, don’t stop fundraising during recessions.  People might not be giving as much as they used to, but they are still giving. 

Continuing your fundraising activity will not only help your reserves last longer, but will also continue the relationship you have with your current donors, so that when good times return, those donors will continue to be “your” donors.  (For more on donor relationships, check out Major Donor Fundraising 101).

2.  Communicate with Your Current Donors

Be honest with your current donors.  Let them know that despite the economic downturn, your organization’s needs remain.  Remind them about the good work that you do.  Let them know how much their continued support means to you.  Most of your current donors will continue to give to your charity if you stay in contact with them, even if they aren’t able to give at the same level they once did.

You should also consider approaching some of your core donors to let them know that the economic situation has hurt your fundraising, and to what extent.  Let them know that you aren’t in danger of closing your doors (unless you are) but that you may have to scale back services or growth.  Some of your donors may step up to the plate and make a major gift, particularly if they have a long history with your organization.

3.  Continue Growing Your Donor Base (Cheaply)

Don’t stop at just communicating with your current donors… even if times are tough, you’ve got to keep growing your donor base to both replace current donors who stop giving, as well as to position you for the coming economic recovery. 

If you’re conserving resources, though, you’ll have to make sure that you are growing your donor base cheaply.  Generally, an economic recession is not the time to launch an expensive direct mail prospecting campaign, or do a major website overhaul.  Instead, focus on building your fundraising network by asking your board, donors, and volunteers to open up their own networks to your group, make introductions, and help you raise funds from new sources.  (For more information on growing your base, check out The Top 8 Ways to Increase Your Prospect List).

4.  Build up Reserves

Finally, a reserve fund or endowment can be a great buffer against economic downturns or “bad” fundraising years.  When the economy returns to full-strength, launch a strategy that will allow your non-profit to put funds away into savings and/or endowment accounts, and be prepared for the next time the economy weakens.

Related posts:

1. Fundraising for Small Non-Profits
2. 5 Best Quick Fundraising Methods
3. Major Donor Fundraising 101

Raising money online is nothing new. While many non-profits may not be doing it right, almost all organizations know that it is something they should be trying to do.

E-mail fundraising, on the other hand, is something that most non-profits are not doing. There are a number of good reasons for this… primarily, many development directors hear “e-mail fundraising” and think of those spammy sales letters and chain fundraising letters that you see from time to time. Thus, they stay away from e-mail fundraising, and in doing so, miss out on a big source of potential income for their schools, churches, and charities.

In this article, we’re going to talk about e-mail fundraising: what works, what doesn’t, and how to maximize your revenue through this type of solicitation. If your non-profit is looking for a great way to augment your current revenue, check out this advice and add e-mail fundraising to your arsenal….

What Not to Do: Spam

Let’s start with the things your non-profit should avoid when starting an e-mail fundraising campaign. First among those is spam. Spam is what has given fundraising e-mails a bad name, and likewise has caused many organizations to avoid dipping their toes into the e-mail development waters.

Simply put, spam is unsolicited e-mail. If you buy or compile a list of people who have no connection to your organization, have not previously donated to your group, and have not signed up to receive e-mails from you, then you are spamming.

Spam sometimes works in the short-run, but as a long-term fundraising strategy, it generally fails. Spam annoys people, turns them off, and often makes them angry… not a great way to get people to give to your organization.

Avoid spamming by sending fundraising e-mails only to your in-house list, one that comprises your donors, volunteers, supporters, and others who have given you permission to stay in touch with them.

What Not to Do: Cheese

The second major thing to avoid in e-mail fundraising solicitations is what I call “cheese.” That is, using cheesy, sales-type language that turns donors off and makes them think twice about giving to your non-profit.

The best way to engage donors over e-mail is also the best way to engage them in person: with compelling stories about your work, a short explanation of your mission and why you need the money, and a direct ask…

What Not to Do: Dance

Which brings us to the third and final thing you need to avoid when drafting your e-mail solicitations: dancing… as in, “dancing around the ask.” The only way to raise money over e-mail is to ask for it. Don’t try to hide the purpose of your e-mail. Be honest, get to the point, and ask for a donation.

Remember, putting a “donate now” button on your e-mail newsletters is important and can raise good money for your group, but that doesn’t qualify the newsletter as a fundraising e-mail. Every organization should, in addition to regular communications like newsletters and updates, be sending out at least one or two fundraising e-mails per year – e-mails whose sole purpose is to raise funds from your e-mail distribution list.  (If you need help on how to craft an ask, check out How to Ask Anyone for Anything).

What Works: Building a List and Staying In Touch

Now that we’ve taken a look at what doesn’t work, the question is: what does work? The answer is simple: building a quality e-mail distribution list, and staying in regular touch with that group of people.

How to Build a List

As mentioned above, your goal should be to build an ever-growing e-mail distribution list comprised of people who have given you permission to communicate with them. This means you’ll need to start asking people for their e-mail addresses and keeping these addresses in a database.

Start with the people who have already given you permission to contact them: your donors and volunteers. How many of them have given you e-mail addresses? Get in touch with those that haven’t and ask for them. Tell these supporters the truth: that you are starting an e-newsletter, and want to stay in touch with them through e-mail.

You’ll also want to make sure that you are collecting e-mail addresses wherever and whenever possible from folks who have indicated an interest in your organization. Make sure that your donor envelope asks for the person’s e-mail address. Put a sign-up box on your website. Have e-newsletter sign-up forms at every event your organization holds.

When people sign up for your e-newsletter, send them an immediate thank you e-mail (this task can and should be automated) so that when they get their first regularly scheduled e-mail from you, they’ll remember that they signed up for your list.

Your goal is to keep your list growing week by week, month by month.

How to Stay in Touch

Once you’ve started your list, then next trick is to stay in touch with your donors via e-mail. Most of these communications should not be fundraising solicitations. Most should be updates and newsletters, with a few solicitations sprinkled in.

The single best way to stay in touch with your donors via e-mail is through a regular e-mail newsletter. This type of communication allows you to stay in front of your donors in a non-threatening way on a regular basis, makes donors feel like part of your team, and brings them closer to your organization by providing stories, pictures, and updates on the work you do. Companies like AWeber and Constant Contact (I have successfully used both) provide a very affordable way to send out great looking newsletters to your list.

How Often?

Your goal should be to send out an e-mail newsletter at least every other month, but no more than monthly, unless your donor base has unique needs for more regular communications. These newsletters should be mission-based, providing updates, news, and stories, along with pictures of your non-profit in action.  (For more motivation on staying mission-centered, read Mission+ Energy = Raising More Money).

Then, at least once per year (but no more than quarterly, unless you have a very unique situation), send out an e-mail fundraising letter to your list asking for donation. Your supporters will be used to getting e-mails from you, will be up to date on your work, thanks to your newsletters, and will likely be ready to support you by making an online donation through your e-mail fundraising letter.

Related posts:

1. Fundraising E-mail Do’s and Don’ts
2. Effective Fundraising by Mail
3. 5 Best Quick Fundraising Methods

Guest post by Wayne Liu from Causemunity.org

I was shopping at Costco the other day. I noticed they put up a ton of paper lanterns near the checkout counters. If you ever shopped at Costco before, you’ll know what those lanterns mean. Costco is running a fund raising event again for a charity. When I was checking out, the cashier politely asked me if I wanted to donate a dollar to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.

The charity they support through the fundraising event seems to change from time to time. Sometimes it’s the Children’s Hospital, sometimes it’s the breast cancer research, and sometimes it’s the Ronald MacDonald House. But no matter what they are, they are usually big, and famous local or national organizations, the ones at the top of the food chain, that always receive a lot of attentions and funding. If you’re a fundraiser or work at a medium or small nonprofit, have you ever wished that your organization might someday be benefitted through an event like this? Those lanterns indicated that a lot of people did actually donate to the Children’s Hospital, and Costco was able to raise a lot of money, even though it’s only one dollar per person.

Well actually, there is one fund raising model you can try, and in many ways, it works even better than at the checkout.  This fundraising model is called cause-shopping, where consumers make their online shopping through a shopping portal that’s affiliated with a nonprofit, and a percentage of the consumer’s purchase is donated to the nonprofit. This model is not new. It has been around at least since early 2000. Some nonprofits have tried this model without much success, but it does work, if done right.

Unlike paying an extra dollar at the checkout, with this model, consumers typically don’t have to pay extra to donate, and they can shop at a wide array of online merchants, and donate to the nonprofits they care about the most. But to make it work effectively for your nonprofit, there are some factors you need to consider:

1.  Do you want to implement the cause-shopping fundraising yourself, or use a third-party service? It shouldn’t take a nonprofit a lot of efforts to go either way, and both approaches can benefit the nonprofit. But a third-party service can usually provide a lot more merchants for the consumers, and usually provides added features, such as product search, deals/coupons to help the consumers save money.

2.  How convenient is it for your supporters to use the service to shop and donate to you? If your supporters have to go through too many steps to get to the merchant’s site to shop, most of them will simply turn away, and not use the service.

3.  Do you have the plan to promote this service to your supporters? Can you implement the plan? It’s not difficult to promote it among your supporters, but it takes some careful planning and persistent efforts. Cause-shopping is a new way to donate to nonprofits, most people are unaware of it, and the truth is, most of us will not easily change our habits, and try something new when we hear it the first time. The appeal has to be repeated time and time again, before it gradually sinks in to the minds of your supporters. It will require you to promote the service on all your communication platforms, websites, emails, direct mails, blogs, social network pages and etc., whenever you communicate with your supporters.

4.  Do you take a long-term approach on the cause-shopping model? Unlike the event-based fundraising, in which you have to dash to the finish line, the cause-shopping fundraising is more like a brisk walk. It will take longer to get to the finish line, and you can do it more leisurely, at your own pace. You are unlikely to see significant donation through cause-shopping in the first few months, but if you persistently repeat the appeal over and over again to remind your supporters on all your communication platforms, your supporters will eventually response to your appeal. It will usually take 6 to 9 months to reach the tipping point, when you have raised enough awareness among your supporters to start receiving significant donations from cause-shopping. 

Cause-shopping based fundraising won’t replace individual fundraising asks or events as a major driver of your organization’s revenue,  but it can provide a nice base of regularly recurring income for any non-profit, no matter how large or small.

Wayne Liu is the founder of Causemunity, a leading cause-shopping website.  If you’re interested in raising money through cause shopping, be sure to check out Causemunity.

Our friend Jason Dick, over at A Small Change Fundraising Blog, ran an excellent series last week on mobile giving.  We’ve all seen those ads that ask us to use our cell phones to text a message to a certain number in order to donate money to a charitable cause.  How does this type of fundraising work?  Who are the major players, and what is the pricing structure?  What are the best practices?

The following posts on Jason’s blog answer these questions, and more, and provide an opportunity to bring your opinions and questions into the mix.  If you’re interested in mobile giving, check out the following posts on A Small Change Fundraising Blog:

How Does Mobile Giving Work?  A primer on cell-phone based fundraising.

Text to Give Pricing and Costs - Who are the major players, and what are their pricing structures?

Mobile Giving Research and Opinion - What are mobile giving best practices, and how are you using text message giving at your non-profit?

In the aftermath of recent major disasters like the Tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti, mobile giving is on the rise and is a major topic in modern charitable giving.  Check out these posts to see if mobile giving is right for your organization.

Related posts:

1. Five Fundraising Ideas for Growing Non-Profits

Like great sales organizations, great development operations need a constant stream of prospects… individuals, companies, and foundations that are, or are likely to be, interested enough in your mission to donate funds to your non-profit. 

Creating and growing a prospect list is one of the key responsibilities of your fundraising team.  Here are eight ways to keep that list growing and working for your school, church, or charity:

1.  Write it Down

Too many non-profits keep prospect lists “in their heads.”  They never write them down.  This inevitably leads to people falling off the list as they are forgotten.  Put your list on paper, or into a spreadsheet, or on a donor database system, and it will grow much, much faster.

2.  Involve Your Board

When was the last time you sat down with each of your board members – individually – to ask them who was on their radar screen and who should be on yours?  Your board likely has a great network… now is the time to start using it!  (Be sure to read: How to Motivate Your Board to Raise More Money)

3.  Ask Your Donors

When was the last time you called your donors (or met them, or e-mailed them) to thank them for their support, and asked them who else you should be calling?  Your donors support you and feel like part of your team.  Ask them to help you expand that team by introducing your organization to their friends and contacts.

4.  Hold Non-Ask Events

One-on-one meetings can be intimidating for new prospects.  Your organization should be holding a series of non-ask events throughout the year, and asking your friends and supporters to invite their contacts to come, have breakfast or lunch, and hear about your organization.  Non-ask events are just that: non-ask… the fundraising asks will come later in the relationship.

5.  Start Affinity Groups

Do you have a “Young Friends of…” group?  How about a “Lawyers for…” or “Accountants for…” group?  Affinity groups, comprised of people who share a similar age, location, or occupation, can be a great way to get new people involved in your non-profit fundraising efforts.

6.  Cultivate Sneezers in Likely Bases of Support

Do you have a clear group of people who should be supporting your organization?  Alumni of your school, survivors of a disease you are working to eradicate, members of your fraternal organization?  Instead of targeting everyone in that group, target the “sneezers,” those people who have influence in the group and who, if they support you, will likely help bring others into the mix as well.  (For more on using “sneezers,” read How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral).

7.  Public Relations Funnel

If you’re engaged in public relations efforts, don’t just put press stories out there and move on to the next.  Be engaged, and create a funnel based on those PR efforts.  When you place a story, shop it around… have your staff send it to people who might be interested, even if they haven’t been in contact with your group before.

8.  Volunteers

Do you have people who volunteer with your organization?  If so, they’re a great source, not only for future development efforts, but also a great source for new prospects.   Treat them like you do your donors… and ask them to help you meet new people from their own rolodexes.  They are already part of your team; ask them to help grow that team.  If your organization doesn’t have volunteer opportunities, create them… people often want to get involved with their time and talent before they get involved with their treasure.

Related posts:

1. How to Build Your Prospect List
2. 10 Ways to Supersize Your Donor Cultivation Efforts
3. How to Increase Your Board Fundraising

In a recent article, Four Low Cost Fundraising Ideas, I suggested that non-profits of all sizes could benefit from a hosted event program.  I received lots of questions asking for more detail about what hosted events are and how you can use them to raise more money.  Today, we’ll delve into hosted events and how you can use them…

What is a Hosted Event?

Simply put, a hosted event is an event that a supporter hosts on your behalf.  Generally, when I look at non-profit events, I place them into three major categories:

• Self-Managed Events: Events that an organization organizes and manages on its own behalf to raise money, such as galas, silent auctions, cocktail events, etc.
• Participatory Events: Things like walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons, and loose change drives that organizations manage but that require the participation of dozens (or hundreds… or thousands…) of your supporters, each raising small amounts of money that adds up to a larger goal.
• Hosted Events: Events that a non-profit’s supporters hold in order to raise money for the organization, such as small dinner parties, happy hours, and fundraising picnics.

(For general tips on raising more money at your events, read The 10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event)

Hosted events, then, are events that supporters manage and organize on your behalf – and (this is key) they invite and fundraise for the event from among their own networks, and not from your organization’s master donor file. 

Why Hosted Events Matter

There are two main reasons why hosted events matter – and why you should work to start or increase your non-profit’s hosted event program:

First, hosted events expand your organization’s network and fundraising reach.  Remember, for an event to truly be a “hosted” event, the event’s organizers need to handle the invite list… they should reach out to their own friends and colleagues to invite people to come, have a good time, hear about your organization, and donate money to your charity.  Because these events include people who you are most likely not already raising funds from, hosted events can greatly expand your donor universe.

Second, hosted events should be risk-free.  The event’s organizers generally pay the event expenses, thus increasing the potential profit and reducing your organization’s upfront outlay.  If your supporters try to host an event but can’t pull it together, the only downside for your school, church, or charity would be the (small) amount of time your staff spent interfacing with the event hosts.

How to Set Up Your Program

As you can imagine, most (but not all) hosted events raise a relatively small amount of money.  Unless your non-profit already has a strong hosted event program in place, it is likely that your average hosted event will raise less than $10,000 per event.  Of course, if you have some major donors with great networks, you could beat this average.

To truly benefit from hosted events, your organization should start a hosted event program that allows you to quickly and efficiently set up a number of hosted events throughout the year while spending minimal staff time on the effort.  For this reason, you should have a system in place that includes an informational packet for event hosts detailing how to set up the event, and a staff person that is in charge of assisting event hosts as necessary.

You Have to Ask

Of course, the only way to get your supporters to host events on your behalf is to ask them to do so.  Prepare your materials in advance, then announce the program to your board and other key donors.  Ask them to consider hosting an event on your behalf.  Let them know that they don’t need to raise six figures in order to host an event… that raising $1,000, $2,000, or whatever they can do would be a great start, and explain that this is a fun and easy way to raise money for your charity.  (For more advice on making asks, read How to Ask Anyone for Anything).

By staying focused on this program and working with your supporters on these events, your non-profit can quickly build up a stable of small, annual hosted events that add up to provide a significant boost to your bottom line.

Related posts:

1. Guide to Raising Money from Foundations (Part II)
2. Raising Money through Discount Card Fundraising
3. Guide to Raising Money from Foundations (Part I)

As fundraisers, we often focus on planning and tactics: what five things are we going to do to raise $200,000 this year?  How are we going to shift our direct mail strategy to find more mid-level donors?  What’s our social media fundraising plan?

Tactics are important.  Strategy is important.  We can’t ignore them: that’s why much of our article archive is dedicated to writing your plan, tweaking your strategy, and implementing tactics that work.

Yet, anyone who has been a successful fundraiser also knows that there are intangibles that matter as much as, if not more than, tactics and overall strategy.  Two of the most important of these intangibles are mission and energy.

Your Mission Matters: Keep it Front and Center

Chances are that at the heart of your non-profit, church, school, or foundation lies an important mission.  After all, whether it was 5 days or 50 years ago, some person or group of people founded your organization because they saw a need, and your group has been working ever since to solve that need and make a difference.

Guess what?  Your donors (and prospective donors) will care about that mission.  If they don’t, then it’s your job to show them why that mission is so important.  Your mission matters.

The best way to stay a viable, growing organization is to have donors who deeply care about and are committed to your non-profit.  The best way to find donors like that is by staying mission-focused.

Sure, if you need to raise money now – right now – for urgent operational or program needs, you may need to ask your board and other supporters to their “have to give” list… you know, their friends and business associates who will feel like they “have to give,” just because they were asked by someone they like, trust, or are beholden to.

But… if you want to grow a truly great and truly sustainable non-profit, you’ll also need to spend lots of time connecting with donors and prospects, getting them interested and passionate about your mission, and helping them understand why your mission matters.  Once that happens – once they make that connection – a wonderful thing happens: your mission becomes their mission.  They’ll be a supporter for as long as you continue communicating with them.

Organizations Need Energy Too

The second big intangible that we often forget is energy.  As fundraisers, we know just how much energy it takes to get on the phone, again and again… to do the meetings… write the letters… make the presentations.

Like people, organizations have an energy level.  They can be tired, weak, and disengaged, shuffling from “have to do” to “can’t wait till this event is over.”  Or, they can be vibrant, alive, and motivated, bounding from “this is a great opportunity” to “I can’t wait to make this presentation.”  Most non-profits I know are somewhere in between… they have enough energy to keep going, but not enough to make the type of impact they really could make, if they had more energy.

Where does your non-profit fall on the energy scale?  Where do you fall?  How does this effect your fundraising?  Are you thinking big?

Donors like to give to people, and charities, that are motivated and energetic.  Organizations that seem like they are growing, learning, engaging new people and meeting new challenges.  The higher your organizational energy level, the better your fundraising will go.  The most successful development professionals I know are also the most positive, most energized, most alive.

Here’s your task, if you choose to accept it: Keep your fundraising focused on your mission.  Keep your organization’s energy high.  Keep learning, keep growing, keep telling people why your mission matters.

Related posts:

1. Guide to Raising Money from Foundations (Part I)
2. Guide to Raising Money from Foundations (Part II)
3. Raising Money through Hosted Events

Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to lead the search for a development director for several different non-profits, and over the course of my career have served as the development director for several organizations.  I have spent a lot of time thinking – what makes a development director “great”?

While great fundraising professionals come in all shapes and sizes, I believe that there are three key characteristics that are shared by all truly great development directors:

1.   They Lead

Great development directors lead, they don’t follow.  They believe in the mission of the organization they are working for, and are willing to step out front and forge a strategy for resourcing the future needs of the organization.  Leading means being able to make decisions, take initiative, and bear responsibility for both successes and failures.

Leading isn’t for everyone… not everyone in an organization is capable of writing a plan, getting people invested in that plan, and making decisions that will directly effect the success of the effort.  The most successful non-profits have true leaders heading up their development operations.

2.  They Ship

Great development directors are, by nature, entrepreneurial:  they understand that in order to reach their overall goals, they are going to have to figure some things out along the way.  They develop a plan, and are prepared for failures and setbacks along the way.  As things happen, they make decisions and adjust course, all the while understanding that the success of the organization is in their hands.

In short, they figure out how to get the job done… they are the adult in the room.  Seth Godin calls this “shipping” (as in figuring out how to ship products out the door in a business).  A great development director ships…  he or she figures out how to get things done.

3.  They Work

Great development directors aren’t afraid of work.  They didn’t get into development because they like going to lunch and being invited to events.  They got into development to make a difference for a cause they believe in, and they work hard to make as big a difference as possible for as many people as possible.

The best development professionals are also the hardest working… they’re not afraid to make asks, go to meetings, work the phones, write appeals, and support and encourage their staff, all in the same day.  The best fundraisers I have known are the ones about whom you constantly hear, “I just don’t know how she does it all.”

It’s a Decision

Here’s the best part: being a great development director is a decision that any development director can make.  Sure there are some people who are born leaders, born shippers, born workers… but there are far more people who choose to be that way, who learn, practice, and do it, because they love the mission they are supporting, and they know that what they do makes a real difference, every day.

This is a tricky subject, and a difficult one for many non-profits to address:  How can you get your board to raise more money on your behalf?

I’m not talking about “show boards,” those boards of directors that you asked people to be on just so you could attach their name to your cause (usually well known local people)… you knew what you were getting into there, and it wasn’t having the board doing lots of work.

No, what I am talking about is the average non-profit board of directors: a group of people who have some financial means and a decent social network, but who aren’t uber-wealthy, and who got onto the board for the right reason… because they believe in the mission of the organization.

How do you, as an Executive Director, Development Director, Board Chair, or Development Committee Chair, motivate this type of board to raise more money for the organization?

I’ve seen it done very successfully, and it always seems to come down to four key tactics:

#1 – Explaining the Role

First and foremost, board members need to understand that a critical part of their role, as a member of the board, is fundraising.  This should be made clear to members as they join the board.  If it has not been noted in the past, now is the time for the board chair to (gently) make it known that the organization will not survive without the fundraising efforts of the board.  (For more information on explaining the role and setting board fundraising goals, read this article.)

#2 – Explaining the Need

Next, board members need to understand why your organization needs the money.  Many organizations do a great job in explaining to board members that they need to raise money, but then never tell the board why you need the money.  Nothing is as de-motivating to a fundraiser as knowing what the revenue goal is without knowing what it is being spent on.

Take time to explain to your board what phenomenal programs you will be able to fund with the money they are helping you raise.  Paint a picture of what the world will look like if you hit your fundraising goals… and what it will look like if you don’t.  Explain that as leaders of the non-profit, you’re counting on them to help serve this need.  Motivate them by having them read Thinking Big in Fundraising.

#3 – Making it Easy

The most successful non-profit board fundraising efforts are easy to understand.  Set up easy to use fundraising systems for your board.

If you want them to ask for money one-on-one, show them how to do it, give them supporting materials, let them practice with your staff.  Better yet, set up a system that makes it easy to ask for money in bite sized chunks: have them ask people to sponsor 1 child for $100 or 5 children for $500… or to sponsor meals at your homeless shelter for $235 per day.  Make it easy to “sell.”

Other easy to understand systems you could use include selling event tickets and inviting people to free cultivation events.

#4 – Following Up

The fourth and final key to boosting your board fundraising efforts is to have your staff follow up constantly with the board.  Not to hound, but to encourage and support.  Regular calls, e-mails, and meetings to motivate your team and keep them apprised of the overall effort will go a long way to keeping people on task raising money for your charity.

Related posts:

1. How to Increase Your Board Fundraising
2. How to Raise Money Using E-Fundraising Methods

When small and midsized non-profits are looking for new fundraising ideas, they are usually given ideas that require a lot of work for only a little return.  Things like carwashes, rummage sales, and spare change collections can raise money, but often take a ton of work in return for just a few thousand dollars of fundraising profit.

If your charity is looking to raise money from new sources or through new strategies, a wants to maximize return for the time invested, try one of these unusual fundraising ideas:

#1 Multi-Level Fundraising

What happens when you cross multi-level marketing with raising funds for your favorite charity?  Multi-Level Fundraising!  Set up a fundraising committee for your group, and task it with a dollar goal.  If you need to raise $10,000 and recruit 5 members for the committee, each of the them is responsible for raising $2,000.

Then, each of these members go out and recruit people to raise money for your organization.  Let’s say one of your group members finds 3 additional people to help.  With 4 people raising the $2,000 (the original member plus the 3 new recruit) each of the people in that “downline” only needs to raise $500.

The goal here is to have lots of people out raising a small amount of money each, which adds up to a big haul for your organization, with lots less work (each member of your fundraising committee is responsible for motivating and tracking their own “downline.”  Two levels is good, three levels would work, but anything more than that would likely get too complicated.  (For this idea, be sure to use the tips from How to Make Your Fundraising Efforts Go Viral).

#2 Sell a Service

Of the three unusual fundraising ideas we are presenting today, this one is probably the most “mission-driven” (the one that is most closely tied with your organization’s mission).  Here’s how it works:

First, figure out what services your organization provides.  Try to have at figure out at least three distinct services, and no more than five.  Be sure that the services you select include both smaller and larger items, in terms of cost.

For example, a homeless shelter may come up with “providing meals, providing a place to sleep, and providing pro-bono medical care.”  A church may come up with “offering adult education classes, providing child care during services, and sponsoring mission trips.”

Then, come up with a ballpark amount of how much it costs you to provide that service to one person (round the number off for simplicity).  For the homeless shelter example, this may look like: feeding one person for one day, $10; proving a place to sleep for one person for one night, $25; providing basic medical care for one homeless client, $100.

Finally, go out and “sell” these services to your donors by asking them to sponsor one service for one person (or more).  For example, a donor may buy medical care for two homeless clients for $200.  These “sales” can take place via personal asks or letters, but I have found that the best way to sell services is to set up a table at all of your fundraising events.

#3 The Unbelievable Experience

Schools have been using this unusual fundraising idea forever, so why not extend it to your (non-school) charity?

The basic premise is that donors will be able to participate in a unique experience, once enough has been raised.  School principals will often run this type of fundraiser by promising that the school principle will shave his head, or wear a chicken costume for a day, or run twenty laps around the school singing show tunes, but only if the kids raise $10,000 for new school computers or library books or a new school van.

Why not take this idea and make it work for your non-profit?  Figure out how much you need to raise, and translate it into tickets that you need to sell.  If you need to raise $10,000, then say you need to sell 200 $50 tickets.  Next, figure out what experience you are going to offer.  In order to work, it’s gotta be good.  Will your board president shave their head?  Let her kids throw cream pies in her face?  Eat bugs?  Be creative…

Then, design a free or cheap event around the experience, and sell tickets.  Tell your volunteers and donors, “We’re having a barbeque event on July 1^st.  If each of you sells at least 3 tickets for a total of 300 attendees, I’ll wear a chicken costume to the event and let the entire board through eggs at me.”  (Or something equally silly).

How about you?  What unusual fundraising ideas have worked for your school, church or charity?

Related posts:

1. Creative Silent Auction Ideas for Your Event
2. 5 Unique Fundraising Ideas
3. Four Low Cost Fundraising Ideas