Introduction - Today there are more non-profit groups than ever.  On the one hand, this is a great development - it means that as a society we are becoming more aware of a need to give to others and are even taking the necessary steps to ensure that we help others.  On the other hand, though, the presence of so many non-profits creates a unique problem - “giver burnout.”

01. Who Gives Money? - If you want to make money for your organization or charity, you need to know where you will be getting your money from.  Of course, you will want to be able to appeal to a wide range of donors, but in fact you will get the most money by targeting donors.

You have seen this in action already in fundraising efforts you have likely observed: Cancer societies often appeal for donations from people who have lost someone to cancer; Girl Scouts target customers leaving grocery stores as these are likely candidates to buy a box of cookies.

02. Fundraising Ideas - On the surface, finding fundraising ideas is easy.  Get together a group of co-workers or co-volunteers into a brainstorming session, and you will likely get a list of ideas ranging from jumble sales to door-to-door selling to a direct mail campaign.  Type in “fundraising ideas” into any Internet search engine and you are likely to get thousands of hits, ranging from bake sale ideas to companies offering fundraising opportunities.

03. Fundraising Plan - Once you have a great fundraising idea, motivation will be high and everyone at your non-profit group will likely be eager to get started right away.  However, you will certainly want to take the time to develop a plan.  Fundraising plans do several things:

•They ensure that everyone has a job - and that their job corresponds to their abilities and resources

04. Fundraising Team - Fundraising is about teamwork.  If you want to raise money for your non-profit, you will have to let go of any vestigial shyness you may have and start interacting with people.  For a non-profit, people are often the most valuable resource. If you want to fundraise, then, you will have to build a team of volunteers, workers, and other personnel who will help you with your goals.  In general, for a non-profit, you will want most of your staff to be volunteers, although you may need to hire some staff as well. 

05. Staying Organized - Fundraising involves a lot of paper work, a lot of ideas, a lot of action lists.  You can easily become overwhelmed and lose track of the entire project if you allow yourself to become disorganized. This is why it is crucial to stay organized regularly.

The system of organization that is best depends on you.  Financial software is ideal for some, while other prefer impeccable files.  It does not matter which organizing method you choose.  What does matter is that you use it faithfully and stay organized.  Among the items you will need to keep organized during fundraising:

06. Communicating - In simplest terms, fundraising is really about communicating.  You will want to reach your donors and communicate why your non-profit group deserves money and why your purpose or efforts are worthwhile.  The groups that do this successfully generally manage to make more money than the groups that do not.

07. Technology - Technology has come a long way in the last several years, and some non-profits have found that technology has made fundraising easier than ever in some respects. Other non-profits are reluctant to use technology to help them fundraise, either because they are unfamiliar with the technology of today or because they have had a bad experience.  Whether you decide to use a computer to fundraise or not, there are some technologies that you need to be aware of:

08. Successful Fundraising - Anyone can raise some money, but if you are serious about really supporting your non-profit through your fundraising efforts, 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.

09. Fundraising Mistakes - Mistakes happen, but some mistakes can cost you considerable fundraising money and can even land your group into trouble. Look out for the following mistakes to prevent your group’s fundraising efforts from becoming derailed:

It shouldn’t even be an issue, but it is.  Many volunteers who believe in the cause of their non-profit want only the best for the cause, but they need to be taught to never be rude to a potential donor.

10. Conclusion - At this point, you have been given plenty to think about and you likely have several ideas about where to begin in your fundraising.  You have all the necessary steps - from choosing a fundraising idea to developing a plan to dealing with common problems - to start you in fundraising.

Hopefully, you will be able to return to this ebook again and again as your non-profit group grows and as you fundraise more for many more exciting projects.

THE END

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