I advised a small organization with a $5 million budget that was thrilled every year they raised $1,500,000 with their annual gala.
But the most important investment is in long-term major giving leading to transformational gifts. If you have a successful Major Gifts program and some transactional fundraising to complement it, then fine, good for you.
That’s simply a lot harder to build online. There is nothing more valuable than a strong real relationship with a major donor for your institution. If your fundraising isn't building relationships, you’re not fundraising at your true capacity. Great fundraising is simply building powerful relationships. You’re creating only superficial, one-dimensional relationships.Harder to measure is what if that same staff time was used for a more lucrative strategy? How much are you actually raising now, or even losing? What’s your “True ROI?” This means how much does that strategy cost you? Does your gala cost $600,000 and you raise $1,000,000? Most importantly did you count staff time? Most people trumpeting how much they raise with these strategies rarely count staff time. The same question goes for galas, auctions, and sales etc….is this the best use of your time? Is there a solid return on investment? Are you building relationships? Here are two ways you can spot that you’re wasting your time with a bad fundraising strategy: You’re going to have to look them in the eye and say an amount. But if you want a $5 million dollars in new giving you’re going to have to build relationships with actual non-virtual people. It's relatively easy and there is the semblance of community. Crowd funding is a great way to create attention and make people feel included but the central question is if you have limited staff time for fundraising, is it the best use of that time?Ĭrowd funding fits our transactional online world we live in. With all the hype about crowd funding, I still haven't seen the kind of game changing campaigns that are needed to raise millions. Auctions, galas, crowd funding, sales and many other gimmicks and fads-that’s top of mind for far too many of us. Those chocolate bars are a great analogy for what most small- and medium-sized nonprofits are mired in when it comes to "fundraising". Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. I am an old guy, so I remember when they were size of a brick for a dollar. Let's Go Beyond Prospect Research and Talk about Fundraisingįor much of the country when they hear the word fundraising they think of those fundraising chocolate bars people sell for different causes-especially for schools. The Non Profit Achievement Gap: Seven Ways Small and Medium Nonprofits Stunt Their Own Fundraising Under Investing in Fundraising: The Myth of the One Person Development Shop Secret Weapon: The Freelance Prospect Researcher The Prospect Profile: The Killer of Great Prospecting The Crisis of Development Officer Short Tenuresĭisconnect: Why Most Institutions Don’t Use Prospect Researchers Effectively.Ĭhronicle of Philanthropy OpEd March 2014: "Give Fundraising Researchers More Influence and More Credit" What’s a “Vampire Fundraising Event” and Is It Time To Kill It? Philanthropy’s Sleeping Giant: Why Can’t We Engage Latino’s More Successfully? Three Simple Things You Can Do To Boost Your Board’s Fundraising Knowledge Latino's Stand Ready to GIve, Why are they being overlooked? Silent Service: Breaking the Bubble of Silence in Nonprofit Fundraising
#Dollar candy bar fundraiser how to
Seeing the Elephant in the Room: Low Board Diversity and How to Change It Missed Opportunity: Why Don’t Foundations Give More Support to Development Teams?įinding the Right Mix: Unraveling the Mystery of Powerful Major Gifts Management Separate Worlds: Let's Unify the Worlds of Prospect Research and DevelopmentĪll Together Now: Discovering Your Nonprofit’s True Potential Adelante! A Message for Latinx Focused Nonprofits
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