2016 G.I.F.T. Summit

Fundraising Planning for Success Kim Carpenter Drake Vice President Center for Nonprofit Management Nashville, TN

What is a fundraising plan? A roadmap to schedule time and the flow of fundraising activities throughout the year A recipe to combine the right ingredients for your county and your needs A resource guide for allocating your time, talent and treasure to support financial success A series of guideposts for your board and volunteers to actively engage and channel their enthusiasm and passion into success

How do we successful use a fundraising plan with our limited resources? Prioritize your work Make Strategic Choices Engage Your Volunteers and Leaders Set Expectations Measure success

The Components of a Good Plan Goals and Expectations Allocation of Resources Strategies Calendar Agreement

The Role of the Board The Board should be your first and your most enthusiastic donors They should all find ways and means to support fundraising and be held accountable to participate Everyone will have different strengths and it is your job to help each one to find the right fit

Strategies We Will Discuss Grassroots Support Direct mail Social media and online giving Major Gifts Special Events Grantwriting/ Foundation Giving

MODULE #1: Grassroots Support These are your smaller gifts, usually an average of $10, $20 or $100 – depending on the size of your program They are most often solicited by indirect means (through the mail or online) They are most impactful when you build relationships and renew these gifts every year

How to Proceed

The Package Fundraising, especially direct mail, is the process of connecting a potential supporter with the opportunity to give. The mailing package needs to include all of the key elements for success: A strong, clear message Visual appeal Names and stories

The Call to Action We will practice this later, but you want to have a clear, concise call to action in all of your requests. For example: “this is a fabulous time for you to join us in making the joys and power of reading available to children in our county – help to make their summer one of new adventures by contributing ___ today.”

Giving Online There is a lot of talk nationally about online giving but the truth is very simple: People still give to people (their friends online) Online giving has not grown as fast as predicted Most social media is better for building relationships than raising money

MODULE #2: Grant writing Grants are an opportunity to build support from foundations and some business Foundations vary in size from small family funds to enormous national organizations Research and careful planning are the keys to grant success

Select Your Prospects There is a lot of information about grant makers online. GBBF can help you to identify good targets in your area Some grant funders are solicited by direct contact with the donor or family and others require a formal proposal with specific guidelines

Choosing a Good Fit and the Right Request Most grant funders want to talk to you or hear from you before you submit a proposal This gives you valuable information about their interests and build the relationship Although the process is more formal, grant makers want relationships with their fundees just like everyone else

Module #3: Events Although most people think of dinner parties when you think of Events, they are only one of many types of events to consider…

Events are Successful When… They produce enough net income to justify the amount of time, money and resources dedicated to them. People have fun and engage with you in a new way. They appeal to a type of donor or quantity of donors that you cant reach any other way.

Module #4: Major Gifts The definition of major gift is different for every organization. It is the dollar amount and above that it makes sense for you to contact, cultivate and solicit individually. These are the people and businesses that make your work possible every year.

Two challenges Finding the right prospects Making the ask

Good Prospects It is important to be able to identify your best prospects in order to: Spend your time wisely Increase your likelihood of success A good prospect has both the ABILITY to give and the PROPENSITY to do so.

Making the Ask This is our next step today… Asking for a charitable gift is NOT begging! It IS giving someone the opportunity to invest in something important and to make a commitment to support others while also meeting a personal need (caring, networking, giving back)

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) GBBF Addendum Tennessee’s Imagination Library model GBBF Local county affiliate Dollywood Foundation Why? Public-private partnership Collectively support and administer Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library across the state. DWF MOA

Our Role Request state grant funding annually fund 50% of the costs of Imagination Library books and mailing each month seek private and other government funding to support the statewide model offer volunteer training, marketing and grant-making assistance to affiliate programs assist in cultivation & development of local volunteers and funding sources as well as statewide partnerships

Your Role Enroll the children in your county Promote the program in your county Raise funds to pay for one-half of the cost of books and mailing monthly in your county Partner with or maintain a local 501c3 sponsoring organization Develop a local Imagination Library committee or board, including an IL Coordinator, Database Manager and Financial Coordinator

County Program Positions & Responsibilities Make annual reports of activities, enrollment and fundraising activities to 501c3 and GBBF May or may not be a member of the board of the 501c3 sponsoring organization Imagination Library Coordinator Manage Book Order System – enrollments & address changes Provide GBBF with a data clerk level login username and access to the Book Order System Database Manager Make monthly reports of donations and expenses to the local IL committee or board Provide 501c3 treasurer with copies of IL bank statements and, annually, a financial report of donations & expenses Financial Coordinator

501c3’s Role Conduit for the local county IL affiliate to accept tax-deductible donations and grant funding Maintain a separate bank account for receipt of donations Payment of the monthly book bill to the GBBF Recommended that the Financial Coordinator of the IL program also serve as treasurer or as a board member of 501c3

Dollywood Foundation’s Role Manage the selection of the titles included in the program Negotiate below market pricing for the books from Penguin Young Reader’s Publishing Group Maintain an online enrollment and book ordering system Manage the distribution and mailing of the books monthly

Data Clerk Access What is it? Why do we need it? Creating a “data clerk” position in the BOS to give GBBF access Restricted access What is it? Allows GBBF to pull reports about your county’s growth Allows GBBF to pull information on statewide enrollment partnerships in your county Brag on your success when applying for grant money to help your county program Why do we need it?

Links/Resources Board Source Gail Perry – Fired Up! Fundraising Cnm.org 7 faces of philanthropy AFP – Association of Fundraising Professionals