Fund Raising Basics

Primary Requirements Interest & Efforts of the Board. Dedicated Team with a Leader. System & Processes.

What is Fundraising? Hard & Smart Work. Smarter you become, less hard it becomes. System based approach. Consistency & Quality in Approach. Sustainability

A Good Fund Raiser Must Believe in the cause Should be Innovative Should be an Effective Communicator Should be Persistent and Determined

Sources of Funds Individuals Funding Agencies / Trusts/Foundations Corporate Government Self Generation Rentals Interests

Types of Funds Corpus / Endowment Corporate / Funding Agency Grants. General Donations Matching Donations Payroll / ECS giving CRM

Why People Give Feeling of compassion Feels good Religious beliefs and practices Believed in the cause or the organization

Why People Don’t Give No.1 Reason – They are not Asked! Asked too much Turned off by person in the organization Lack of trust in the organization

Fear of Asking Asking for money for a cause is not begging Remember, It’s not you they are rejecting Asking is not a decision, it is your job Just do it- Meet as many people as you can and ask them for funds.

Indian Survey Individuals donated an estimated 76.5% Bequest giving was estimated at 6.7% Foundations contributed 11.5% and Corporations 5.3%

Methods of Fund Raising Face-to-Face Solicitation Tele Calling Direct Mail Digital Marketing Presentations to Corporate / Proposals Special Events Payroll Deductions / ECS Merchandizing Cause-related Marketing

USEFUL TIPS Set your goals Research the Potential Donor/Corporate /Funding Agency Tell a powerful story of change Explain the end result that the donation would bring rather than activities

USEFUL TIPS Know what excites people about your program Role play Striking communication material Make the donor feel he is an insider - that he owns the organization. He will defend and support his institution.

Communication material Case studies Achievements and not activities Statistics about programs Development opportunities Testimonials from beneficiaries, volunteers, other donors

Communication Make sure you interact with your donors. It is the way to know what they are thinking about you. In every piece of mail and all publications, including Annual Reports - always provide the opportunity to give. The person answering your phone represents your organization. Tell the truth and facts always - credibility is important in fund-raising. Tell your donors how their money helped to make a difference. Long words put donors to sleep and sleepy people cannot write cheques. Use more photographs – one picture is worth a thousand words. Avoid Jargons & Vagueness

1 Photo Worth 1,000 Words YOU Can help change her future!

Importance of building relationships Whether in a grant-making agency, company or government, it is people who make the decision to give. So it’s important to build and maintain personal and formal relationships with donors. Send thank you letters, invite donors to visit you and attend events and functions that you organize.

Importance of building relationships The closer you get, the more you raise… So develop systematic reporting systems to effectively communicate with the donor. Communication keeps the relationship alive, and reporting builds trust.

Common donor relation mistakes When a potential donor asks for more information:  Not knowing what information to send  Thinking nothing will come out of it  Promising to send but forgetting to do so  Sending information, but not following up  Sending irrelevant literature that puts off the donor

Common donor relation mistakes When a donor makes a donation:  Not acknowledging the donation/grant  Taking a long time to acknowledge it  Not sending reports of progress as promised  Printing donor’s name/address wrong  Sending poor quality, standard, pre-printed literature  Becoming inaccessible to the donor

Good Luck!