If you want to get serious about raising money for your organization and fully fund your organization’s mission, you must start with your passion for your cause.

You need to have a heart full of fire for your organization’s mission and the people you serve. You’ll find that it’s easier to draw others in when you can speak from your heart about why your organization’s work is so important. People like to get on board with a cause that is strongly championed by those closest to it.

Enthusiasm is contagious. The more vibrant you are about your organization’s mission, the more others will get excited about it too and want to support it.

As a passionate fundraiser, be ready to tell stories about those whose lives are being changed by your organization. A passionate story will always engage the listener or reader.

If you don’t fully believe in the work your nonprofit is doing, why should anyone else?

So what if you aren’t passionate about your organization? Here are some tips for helping you find it.

• Think about what you like most about the work your organization does. Is it feeding people? Is it taking care of homeless animals? The clearer you can be, the better.

• How would you feel if the organization suddenly ceased to exist? Would it be okay with you for people to go hungry or for animals to be homeless?

• If it were up to you to be the Ambassador to the World for your organization, what would you say? How would you present the cause to the world?

Make sure to guard your passion. Don’t let your concern for your cause become routine or boring, because that’s when your flame will start to die. Only with your passion flaming bright will you attract others to your cause.

Want to learn more about fully funding your nonprofit organization? Get practical tips and ideas for successful fundraising at http://www.getfullyfunded.com.

Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach and speaker who shows small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen their Boards.

(c) Sandy Rees, CFRE

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Thanking and acknowledging donors is probably the most important job you have as a fundraiser. There are lots of ways you can express yourself and let donors know how much you appreciate them.

Thank Donors Promptly and Sincerely. Get your Thank You letters out pronto! Shoot for 48 hours if you can. By sending a letter quickly, your donors will know that you place importance on appreciation.

Add Personal Notes to the Letters. Have your Executive Director or President go through the letters and add personal notes. This can bring big rewards in terms of stewarding donors! Taking a few minutes of a busy day to go through a stack of letters may seem like a chore to your boss, but trust me when I tell you that donors who get a Thank You letter with a personal note will be thrilled that the head staff person took the time to personally acknowledge his or her gift.

Make a Phone Call: Let donors know they are appreciated and tell them how their support has impacted your organization. You might say something like: “Because of your generosity, we were able to provide food for 30 additional families this month.”

Send a Note: Jot a quick note expressing your appreciation. A hand-written note will stand out amid the clutter of bills and other mail.

Just Say It: When you see your donors in the community, say the magic words. A little appreciation goes a long way.

Make sure to use your Attitude of Gratitude toward volunteers and in-kind donors too. They’ll all appreciate it!

(c) Sandy Rees, CFRE

Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach and speaker who shows small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen their Boards. Want more practical tips and ideas for successful fundraising? Get her twice-monthly “Bright Ideas for Fundraising” at http://www.getfullyfunded.com

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There are different types of fundraisers: product sales, raffle, lottery, pledge-a-thon, events, donations, membership fees, advertising sales, service sales and investments. Those are the “major” choices. Now, how do we go about picking the fundraising activities that are right for us? Well, there are a few determining factors that we’ll want to consider to help us choose from the available options.

Not all fundraisers are suited to all groups. For example, a legion of ladies auxiliary is less likely to be involved in a car wash than a bingo or craft sale. Take a good look at who you are and select fundraisers that are or can in some way be linked to the activities you are involved as a group.

Another thing to consider when choosing fundraising activities is how much money you actually require. Do up a budget, based on yearly operating expenses and the cost of functions or activities you wish to include in your agenda. Once you have determined a dollar figure required to accomplish your annual goals, you’ll have a firm target to aim for when strategizing your fundraising activities. And, you’ll be able to predict whether the amount needed can realistically be raised by one fundraiser or more.

Although raising money is a yearlong pursuit for many groups, timetabling your activities to capitalize on seasonal opportunities, lessen the competition factor or take advantage of extra volunteer availability is an excellent idea. By setting a schedule in advance you’ll be better organized when the time comes to put the fundraiser in action.

Scheduling your calendar also allows you to see and create activities to fill market demands that occur seasonally, such as flower sales for Valentine’s, calendars in January or a family Halloween carnival in October. Other seasonal opportunities might include: Christmas, Easter, Spring Break, Centennial, Summer, Mother’s day, Income Tax time, Father’s day, Back-2-School, New Year’s day, School’s out, St. Patrick’s day, Groundhog day, etc.

Have a brainstorming session to discover or invent seasonal possibilities, then discuss ways to capitalize on them. You’ll be able to pinpoint market needs during these time periods, and come up with profitable ways of filling those needs.

Learn how to plan fundraisers that don’t cost you anything by visiting Hypnotic Fundraisers

Raise hundreds or maybe even thousands of dollars for your group. Visit http://www.HypnoticFundraisers.com

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Groups can choose from a variety of tree species which are then packaged for shipping with instructions for proper planting.

Minimum order size is 25 trees at a cost of $3 each. Suggested selling price is $6 each. With this pricing structure, the Arbor Day Foundation receives $3 to support their programs and your organization receives $3 towards your fundraising goal.

More information on Fundraising with Gift Trees can be found at ArborDay.org.

One of the key factors to a successful fundraising event and future fundraising events is to follow up with the supporters, volunteers and participants after the fundraiser is completed and the numbers are tallied!

Taking the time to add that personal touch will go a long way in the eyes of your supporters, participants, volunteers and sponsors. Take the time to send them a thank you card and thank them for the time spent helping through out the fundraiser. This will help assure that they are pleased as well and they will want to participate again next year.

Not only should you thank your supports, merchants, volunteers and supporters for their participation and contributions within your fundraising event but they will most likely want to know the ending results of the fundraiser. How much money was raised in total – Yet another reason they will want to participate in your next event, after seeing how much they raised for a good cause! Be sure and thank all the volunteers as well! While we may have good intentions, sometimes the volunteers end up getting over looked but they are the backbone of the fundraiser in most cases.

Most importantly, while you still have everyone excited about the fundraising event that just ended, take this opportunity to pick their brains and find out what they thought of the event. What did they like about the fundraiser the most? What would they do differently next time? What can be changed and why. This information is critical to the success of your next fundraiser. Be sure to ask while the information is still fresh in their minds. Who better to get feedback from then the ones that were in the trenches with you! You can create a simple questionnaire and mail them off or you can take the time to phone and ask your questions, don’t miss this opportunity to get vital information for future fundraising events!

Get all your fundraiser information, fundraising ideas and more! This season chocolate fundraisers are hot and an easy sell!

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Get Your Chili Cooks Lined Up

Encourage people throughout the community to enter the cook-off. Charge $20 per entry and decide on the award for “best chili”. Promote the event heavily and “spice” things up by arranging to have celebrity cooks. Perhaps a local news anchor or the mayor would enter the contest.

Invite Everyone

The more the merrier, but make sure you have plenty of room.  Plan for a serving line and plenty of space to sit down and eat. Charge a flat fee or $5 for a bowl and spoon and let them eat until the chili is gone.

Add On Fundraisers

Serve up some hotdogs and chips for the kids who may not like chili. Charge accordingly per item.

Hold a bake sale that features corn bread and dessert items to go along with the chili.

Sell a variety of beverages. This is where you will really make your money. People will need something to drink after tasting all that spicy chili so have plenty of cold beverages available, especially beer, soda, and bottled water. 

Hold a 50/50 raffle for those present.

If your organization isn’t equipped to run the add-on fundraisers, enlist the help from other area non-profits. Perhaps each organization would like to participate in return for some of the funds raised.

Make a Day of It

Provide some entertainment to encourage people to stick around. Have a local band play. Set up activities for the kids. Give away door prizes throughout the day. Allow people to make an afternoon or evening of it in support of your organization.

In the world of fundraising, we know that building relationships with donors is critical. One key skill that every good fundraiser must develop is the ability to converse effectively with others.

For many, meeting with and talking to donors is out of their comfort zone. If you fit this description, spend the time learning to be comfortable in your own skin when you are talking with your donors. Practice speaking with co-workers and colleagues so that you can learn to carry on a conversation and develop your skills.

When you speak with your donors, be warm and sincere, and truly interested in them. They’ll feel more comfortable with you and the relationship will develop naturally. People can tell when you’re forcing a smile, so be genuine. After all, these are your donors you’re talking to – they are the people who make the work of your nonprofit organization possible!

Here are some tips for great conversations.

Find out what the other person is interested in. Do some research in advance if you can. Otherwise, pay attention. If you’re in the donor’s home or office, notice the pictures, books, and other personal items displayed. These are usually great objects for conversation starters.

Ask questions. What do they like to do? What sort of things have they done in their lives? What is happening to them now? What did they do today or last weekend? Identify things about them that you can politely ask questions about. Don’t bombard the donor with questions, but ask one or two naturally as part of the conversation. You’ll learn a great deal about them when you do.

Listen. This is the most important part of any conversation. Pay attention to what is being said. A conversation will not go anywhere if you are too busy thinking of something else, including what you plan to say next. If you listen well, the donor’s statements will suggest questions for you to ask.

Allow them to do most of the talking. After all, you have two ears and one mount – use them accordingly! Your donor will probably not realize that they did most of the talking, and you’ll get the credit for being a good conversationalist – which of course, you are!

Focus on the donor and be present in the moment. If you are too busy thinking about yourself, what you look like, or what the other person might be thinking, you will miss a great deal. Developing the relationship requires you to focus on the donor.

Practice active listening. Part of listening is letting the other person know that you are listening. Make eye contact. Nod. Say “Yes,” “I see,” “That’s interesting,” or something similar to give them clues that you are paying attention and not thinking about something else – such as what you are going to say next. Just be careful not to overdo it.

Try not to cut the person off mid-sentence. It is disrespectful to the donor. Let them finish their thoughts before you speak up.

Practice having conversations with ease and before you know it, you’ll be building strong relationships with all your donors!

(c) Sandy Rees, CFRE

Sandy Rees is a nonprofit fundraising coach, consultant, trainer, and author. She shows small nonprofit organizations how to raise more money, gain more supporters, and strengthen their Boards. Learn more about successful direct mail fundraising letters and get free fundraising tips in her e-zine “Bright Ideas for Fundraising” on her website at http://www.getfullyfunded.com.

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There are multiple ways to participate:

• Host an event
• Host a food drive
• Collect cash donations
• Shop at local businesses who are supporting the cause

To register your organization to participate in the Souper Bowl of Caring, or to find an event in your area, visit www.souperbowl.org.

Are you stuck for fundraiser ideas? Tired of dressing up as a clown and letting people throw pies in your face? Do not worry – there is a much easier and much more profitable way to raise your funds. And you can do it from the comfort of your own home in less than 30 minutes! What is this magical method? Simply writing letters.

Millions of dollars are donated by large corporations every year to both small and large charity organizations. You can get a slice of that money for your cause by simply making them aware of you. A lot of company’s will actually have a link on there website (can be difficult to find to check the sitemap) where you can fill out a form and if your lucky your charity will be selected for a donation. For the company’s that do not have a link on their website (or if you can’t find it!) writing a letter is a highly effective way of gaining their awareness.

Your letter should include the name of the charity or project you are fund raising for; what you hope to achieve; how the money will be spent; and who will benefit from the project. Make the letter as friendly and professional as possible and list as many benefits as you can. Then either email or post the letter to the contact address found on the website. This is a fast, simple and very effective way to raise the required funds for your charity.

There are also a lot of charity Trusts who accept applications from small charity organizations. A simple search on Google can yield thousands of Trusts wanting to give you money! Just structure your letter as mentioned above and you’ll have reached your target in no time.

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Raising funds for any organization can be a daunting task. Setting solid and useful goals for your event is a critical step toward a hugely successful outcome. Here are some great tips on setting your goals and getting you started on your way to a profitable and fun fundraising event. Don’t settle for less. Check out these simple tips!

Use the SMART goals technique to make sure your goals are useful and will have an impact on your bottom line. All of your goals should meet the SMART criteria.

Specific. Decide how much money you need to raise and how the money will be used. If you connect the use of the money to the interests and emotions of your volunteers, your team will be much more engaged and energized. For example, if your goal for the fundraiser is “to raise as much as possible, as soon as possible, for use sometime on a project,” it will be difficult for your volunteers to connect and engage with the goal. Instead try a goal like, “we will raise $3000 within 3 weeks and the money will be used to buy new uniforms for our team.” Team members will now know how their fundraising work will affect them. If you’re raising funds for a charitable organization, the same idea applies. You goal could be something like, “we need to raise $1500 by October 20th to help Mary with cancer treatment expenses.” See how much more powerful your specific goals are?

Measurable. Making your goals measurable goes right along with making them specific. Measurable goals allow you to know if you fundraising event is a success. These goals will also allow you to check your progress part way through your event. Best of all, if you have a measurable goal, and your team meets the goal, you have a superb reason to celebrate your success at the end of your event!

Agreed-upon. Be sure you are communicating with your team and that each member understands and supports the fundraising goals. Ongoing communication is critical to a successful event. Regularly communicate progress and check-in with individuals who may need assistance.

Realistic. Set goals for your team that are realistic and attainable. There is nothing more de-motivating than having a goal imposed that you don’t think you can reach. Remember to consider the natural gifts that each of your team members brings to the table. Use those on the team with natural sales personalities to do the selling. Have members who aren’t as comfortable selling handle organization and paperwork. Play to the strengths of your team!

Time-framed. The time frame is a very important component to a successful fundraising event. 3 weeks creates a sense of urgency and fosters enthusiasm. Volunteers can participate and not be overwhelmed by a long event that requires too much of their time. Product is delivered quickly so the customers can have their product in a timely manner. Profits are created quickly should there be a mission critical need.

If you use this SMART technique for setting your fundraising goals, you’ll be off to a solid start toward a profitable fundraising event.

With over 25 years of Fortune 500 corporate financial and management experience, I’m here to help you make your fundraising event the best ever!

All the Best!
Laurie Dunnavant
http://www.FundraisingUtah.com

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