Anyone can raise some money, but if you are serious about really making your fund raising successful, you will have to go further than the occasional sale or selling campaign. The costs of running a non-profit are quite high today, and you need to make sure that you get every dollar you can to keep your group afloat.

There are a few secrets to making your fund raising successful that are simply not covered in most books and resources about fundraising.  However, these are the secrets that can mean the difference between a good fundraising campaign and a great one.  These are the secrets that many fundraising consultants use, and here you can consider them without expensive consultation fees:

Psychology

There is an entire psychology of selling and of getting people to buy or spend money.  Making fund raising successful is very much about the emotional and psychological response that donors have.  Often, the difference between a donation and a “no” response is nothing more than a few small psychological events that make a potential donor look with less favor on a non-profit.  If you want to tap into the business of psychology, consider the following:

•The psychology of money: Most people are very emotional when it comes to cash.  We see money not as a tool for something, but as a measurement of wealth.  To part someone from their cash, you have to affect them emotionally, not intellectually.  That means rather than focusing on all the practical reasons for giving money, paint someone a picture of the suffering lack of money is causing and then emotionally show how their donation can change that.

•The “me” syndrome: Donors (like any person) want to feel special.  If you can make them feel that they are being approached especially or that they can make a huge impact, they are more likely to support your cause.

•Compelling reasons: Most of us look for something that pulls at us, that tugs at us in a personal or emotional way.  If you can offer donors something special or compelling as an experience, they are more likely to support your cause.  Consider the non-profit groups that raise money for world relief - they often stress the sheer number of people who suffer from hunger daily.  The very fact that these numbers are so huge (much larger than most of us can comfortably imagine) causes many people to be compelled to give money for the cause.  Compelling reasons to give create a sense of urgency, that money must be given now.

•Congruency: Humans are creatures of habit.  Experts say that many of our reactions are based on the “programming” our brains received when we were still undeveloped.  For this reason, we tend to view people with suspicion or we tend to look for certain “clues” that subconsciously tell us how to react to a person.  This is important to understand in fundraising, because this is the very process that potential donors are undergoing when they consider your non-profit.

If something seems out of place or “wrong” donors will walk away without offering support for your group.  It will simply seem safer to do so.  Congruency simply means that all the pieces fit into a congruent whole and look correct together.  Congruency is also an important factor in getting any sort of support (including fundraising support).

Consider the politician who is denying participation in a scandal but seems nervous and unable to make eye contact.  Are you likely to believe him or her?  No, because the congruency is off.  You can build congruency (and support) for your non-profit by putting forward the same and friendly presentation to the public.  Do all you can to assure your donors that your group is “safe” to donate to.

•How Hard it is to Say No: Potential donors who do not want to part with their time and money will generally look for reasons to say no.  If you can anticipate these reasons and counter them before the donor has time to think of them, you are more likely to get a donation.  If you can eliminate all a donor’s reasons for saying no, then you will have a donation.  Some reasons that donors say “no” include:

•The belief that their money won’t really make a difference

•The belief that a cause is too far away or not important enough

•The belief that charity is a waste of time

•The belief that non-profit groups do not use money responsibly

•The belief that the money will never get to those who really need it

•The belief that there is no urgency in giving money now - a contribution can be made “later”

•The belief that money can be raised elsewhere or from someone else

You and your group need to create compelling reasons why these false beliefs are not true when it comes to your fundraising campaign and your non-profit group.  Then, include these reasons and ideas in your opening requests for support.

Multi-Fundraising

In making your fund raising successful you will likely need more than one fundraising strategy.  Unless your group is quite small or supported generously by a patron or government agency, you will need to try several methods of fundraising in order to succeed.

This is especially important because people who will not respond to one type of fundraising will respond to another, so that you will get more donors as well as more fundraising revenue by trying several methods of fundraising.  The person who will not donate money to a food bank may still donate canned goods.  The food bank that offers this second fundraising option will therefore get this person’s support.  Since each fundraising venture costs money and takes effort, try to find ways to fundraise with less effort or fundraise in complementary ways.  For example, you can combine a raffle or a sale with a marathon.  You can (and should) combine grant applications with almost any other fundraising method.

Non-Stop Fundraising

Fundraising for the non-profit is not really an event that takes place when the group has a need for money.  In order to make your fund raising successful, fundraising has to take place all the time. The successful non-profit group today works regular fundraising into the daily operations of a group.  Weekly meetings always include some mention of a fundraising effort underway, so that money is always coming in.

Larger groups may actually create small groups whose only job is to fundraise.  Three volunteers from your group, for example, could be in charge of year-round fundraising while the rest of the group uses the raised money to implement programs and help people.

Advertising

It is not enough to make your fund raising successful with a strategy, especially today when many non-profit groups are seeking money.You need to be able to convince donors that they should give money to your group - not to the many other groups and individuals who are asking for money.

Advertising can help make your donors are of you and can help convince them that they should be supporting your group.  In many cases, failed fundraising events (such as fundraising sales where few people show up) are caused by lack of effective advertising, so don’t be afraid to let the world know about your fundraising efforts!

Celebrity Power

Most people will gladly travel to see a favorite celebrity and many fans will gladly contribute to a charity that a celebrity endorses, especially if they get to see or hear the celebrity as well.  Plus, celebrities routinely devote interview space to their favorite causes, often providing free advertising and even financial support for their favorite groups.

How do you find a celebrity endorsement or supporter?  Often, the first step is to find out which celebrities support which organizations.  You can find this out by reading interviews and news articles about celebrities - people in the news will often mention their favorite charities.  Once you have a list of celebrities that support the cause your non-profit is supporting, contact the celebrities or their agents (there are Hollywood directories at your library that will tell you how to contact who) and explain your non-profit group.

To get the best response, ask for a specific thing rather than for general support.  Writing “I know that you are a generous supporter of childhood literacy - would you please offer a few kind words about the subject that we can place exclusively on our web site to help inform the public about this important issue..?” is more effective than simply asking for help.  Do not overlook local celebrities such as radio station DJS and local bands.  Local celebrities are often very generous with their time and support of non-profit groups and can be an excellent champion for your cause (especially if your non-profit group has a very local presence).

Sizing it Right

Fundraising and raising awareness about a cause you believe in can be very exciting when you have made your fund raising successful, so it’s easy to get carried away and start expecting too much.  However, trying to organize something huge (a county fair, a country-wide food drive) is very expensive and time-consuming.  Plus, when these plans do not work out or get overwhelming, you group will lose morale and may adopt a “what’s the use?” or “failure” attitude.

Try to start small when it comes to fundraising goals, and build excitement in your group by dreaming big when it comes to results.  For example, a goal such as “We are going to raise $800 this month to add air conditioner to our church, then we will start putting aside $20 a week so that we can found a school” is a good-sized goal because the money goal is modest while the real goal (the helping or cause goal) is large enough to inspire.

Timing

How well you time your fundraising will make a big difference to whether you make your fund raising successul.  Hosting a marathon in the dead heat of summer (or the depths of winter) is less than ideal timing.  Hosting your book drive at the same time as the local school is hosting theirs could also be a problem.  Even something as simple as approaching a donor during his or her dinner (or worse, waking him or her up in order to ask for a donation) is unlikely to produce a good response.  You can’t always predict what a good time for fundraising events is, but staying aware of your community and asking “what is the best time for this?” of every fundraising idea can be helpful.

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