You need funding. You’ve probably laid awake at night wondering where the next dollar is coming from or what your next steps would be.
I’ve been there as a board member and in staff leadership. I remember laying awake racking my brain for ways to get money now. There had been no effort to build fundraising and when funding got cut, it became a crisis.
When you don’t master fundraising, you have many more sleepless nights wondering how you will help Jane transform her life. You worry about making the impact you envisioned. Imagine what it would be like to have fewer and fewer of those sleepless nights until those nights are distant memories. It is possible when you master fundraising.
I’ve put together 10 topics that are part of your success path to mastering fundraising.
1. Ideal Donor
Your ideal donor is the most basic concept to master. Your ideal donor is the type of person most likely to donate to your cause. This profile helps guide your messaging and execution of your fundraising activities.
2. Website donation page
Donors give 35% more online compared to any other option. Having an effective donation page is a must.
3. Messaging
The message you put out to your donors influences them to give or turns them off from giving to your organization. Getting your organizational message and campaign message right brings in funding.
4. Attracting donors
Attracting donors also known as donor acquisition is part of sustainable funding. You must have a steady stream of new donors to offset donors who leave for a variety of reasons. Using several tried and true techniques will help increase the new donors coming into your organization.
5. Fundraising plan
A fundraising plan is the best way to become intentional, consistent, and focused in your fundraising. Fundraising plans also reduce expenses and increase fundraising dollars. Mastering this is a key to fundraising success.
6. Fundraising routines
Most people don’t think of fundraising routines as something to master. They rarely think about them at all! The truth is the people who are the best at fundraising are the ones with routines that further their fundraising goals.
7. Social media
Mastering a social media platform and a donor funnel for that platform will transform your donor acquisition, retention, and stewardship. When you can touch all three, you increase your funds.
8. Email and Direct Mail marketing
Getting your email customized with funnels increases your time, effort, and funds. Learning how to write an email and direct mail fundraising letters can bring in more money than most of this. Mastery is how organizations bring in multiple millions of dollars.
9. Relationship fundraising
Long-term fundraising is about relationships. When you focus on the relationship and not the donor as a transaction, funding flows. Master the art of partnerships and relationships and doors open.
10. Advanced fundraising strategies
I often refer to advanced fundraising strategies as infinite fundraising. Infinite fundraising goes beyond just long-term fundraising. It is fundraising that you can do once and have for generations to come. Infinite fundraising strategies include the grant process, monthly donors, and Legacy giving.
Grant writing is more than just writing grants. It truly is a grant process. This process includes research, planning, writing the grant, and reporting back to the funder. The grant process mastered can supplement operating expenses and fund new programs.
Monthly donors can give consistent and reliable funding for years. Monthly givers often give more than annual donors because their gift is given over time. A $10 a month donation is more than a $100 annual donation.
Legacy giving is done through a request and a will. Usually, these funds are put in investments and the interest is used by the nonprofit. I have seen a non-profit use the interest income to pay salaries. This organization was then able to say 100% of the donation went directly to the Front line Mission work.
All of these topics plus some are covered in the Nonprofit Nation membership. Nonprofit Nation follows a five-step success path to help you master the right stuff at every level so your nonprofit doesn’t have to worry about where your next dollar is coming from in order to keep your staff, (hire staff if you are new), and serve your clients.
And really that’s why you fundraise, to begin with!
Join the Nonprofit Nations Fundraising Success Path Facebook group to learn more about Nonprofit Nation and when it will open up.
Most nonprofit leaders lay awake at night trying to figure out how to fund their mission.
Hi! I'm Alesha.
I teach sustainable fundraising in a way that they can take action today so they can serve their clients.
I can help you move from just getting started funding your new nonprofit to gaining confidence in your fundraising and building relationships to knowing what works for your organization and looking at the infinite game when it comes to funding. I’ve worked with nonprofit Founders and written the book I HAVE MY 501(C)3! NOW WHAT?!? Your Blueprint to Starting Your Nonprofit Without Being the Sole Funder that lays the foundations for funding in a new nonprofit.
I’ve worked in Development (Fundraising) Departments in large organizations and I know the no cost, low-cost methods they use to bring in funding. I bring those sound strategies to the nonprofits I serve.