Recently, I've heard several leaders of nonprofit organizations talk about a fundraising campaign they need to do. I tell them that campaigns aren't worth doing. A campaign is an isolated event and will receive an isolated response.
You don't need a fundraising campaign. You need a fundraising program. Nonprofits should be more than familiar with programs. After all, that's what they do -- in one capacity or another. To be successful, your fundraising should be run as another one of your programs, not as a side campaign.
Incorporate your fundraising into your organization. Plan and strategize for the year, just as you plan your budget and your outreach programs or ministries. Schedule your mail dates and events. Don't just do them when you get to it. Decide what you want to include in your mailings. Do you want to raise money for the general fund? Child sponsorship? Animal adoption? Transporation? Feeding? Education? Choose the topics and schedule when you will tell donors about your needs for each one. Then, write your letters, schedule your events, and stick to the plan.
Next year, cover the same topics on the same schedule. (Of course, there's always room for minor adjustment.) As your donors see the same needs come up time and time again, they will begin to understand your organization. You send the message that your mission, and thus your need, is stable. Asking for things haphazardly as they arise gives donors no sense of stability. They'll end up feeling like they don't know you or what you do. And then, they'll be less likely to support you.
The trick isn't in surprising your donors. The trick is in finding a fresh way to present your needs over and over until donors can say "Oh yeah, I remember this program. They really do need help with it."
Do you need to develop an effective fundraising program? Turnbull Marketing Group can help. Contact us to get started today.
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