Your Annual Fundraising Strategy November 11, 2008 Alberta Council for Environmental Education Facilitator: Pat Christie, CFRE

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Today’s Session  Key messages  Case for Support  Annual Giving strategies  Effective Board involvement  Looking after your donors  Begin to design an Annual Giving timeline and plan

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support What is your key message?  Elevator Speech  Compelling and Urgent  Case for Support Internal document All asks, proposals and grant applications flow from it

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Case for Support  Self-Confidence  Effective Management  Efficient  Proactive  Continuity  Tradition  Meeting a critical need  Your donors must believe you are all of these, and that you can successfully fulfill your mission

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support What is Annual Giving?  Gifts received every year  Not for capital expenses such as building or equipment  Pays for salaries, paperclips

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Pyramid of Giving Annual Gifts Large number of donors, gifts usually small Planned Gifts Few donors, large gifts Original Pyramid of Giving – James M. Greenfield CFRE Planned Giving Major Gifts Personal Contact Consistent Donors Personal contact, letter, phone Repeat Annual Giving Personal contact, letter, phone call First Time Annual Giving Direct Mail, Special Events, Media, Door-to-Door Major Gifts Smaller number of donors, larger gifts Sustaining Gifts Enabling Gifts

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Advantages of Annual Giving  Brings in new gifts  Reliable unrestricted source  Uses diverse methods  Funds everyday operations  Gets renewed gifts

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Looking for Supporters  Start with those you know  Look for connection to organization  Seek people with interest in your cause  Keep good records

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Fundraising Strategies  Grantseeking  Special Events  Mail Direct Mail  Individual solicitations

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Grantseeking  Government Form a society Charitable organization: $25,000 annual Lotteries funding:  Corporate/Foundation Grants Corporate websites: check focus

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Special Events  Events are good for building awareness raising funds  Are very labour intensive: have one signature event per year  Choose an appropriate event: gala or grassroots  Take time to plan and have a back up plan

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Raising Funds at an Event  Create a budget and timeline  Find Sponsors  Get whatever you can donated  Partner with another group  Always evaluate afterwards  Keep good records

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Requesting Gifts by Direct Mail  Compelling and urgent  Easy to read  Make it personal, add stories or quotes  Ask often, be specific re amount  Make it more than 1 page, add photos and P.S.  Make it easy to respond

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Direct Mail Facts  Direct mail can reach a lot of people  Helps to find new supporters  Does not result in many gifts  Timing is important  Writing letters is hard!  Keep records

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Website and  Growing numbers make gifts on-line  Use Canadahelps.org  Ask for support on all materials  Keep in touch by e-newsletter Constantcontact.com Send them to your website

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Board of Directors: Your Champions  Belief in and support of the mission of the organization is the most critical requirement for serving on the Board  Important to find diverse, connected members who can support fundraising

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Board Roles in Fundraising  Policies  Monitor revenue streams  Planning  Giving  Asking Other to Give  Create a fundraising committee

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Looking After Your Donors  Build donor loyalty  Never take a donor for granted  Donor policies: Immediate thank yous Provide recognition for donors Keep donors informed

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Giving Clubs  Receipt versus recognition  Tax issues  Giving Clubs – membership  Corporate versus individual

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Sample Giving Clubs

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Fundraising Timeline

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support The Annual Giving Plan  Sets goals for year  Decides on methods to use  Outlines time needed  Renewable document  Retains flexibility

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Why Have a Plan? Energy spent on worrying how to get everything done is energy gone to waste. Energy spent on planning how to get everything done is energy well used”. Anon

Pat Christie Consulting, Assisting organizations to lay the foundations for fundraising and to find sources of sustainable support Summary  Need strong diverse base of funding  Build on your strengths  Don’t try everything new all at the same time  Take time to plan  Questions?