Individuals provide the majority of donations to non-profits, accounting for over 80% of contributions in developed countries like the US and UK. In India, individuals donate up to 90% to organizations like CRY, GiveIndia, and HelpAge. The document discusses various direct marketing tools that non-profits can use to solicit donations from individuals, such as face-to-face fundraising, direct mail, telephone fundraising, and digital fundraising using the internet and mobile phones. It also notes that while labor-intensive, individual fundraising is the most sustainable source of funding. Professional fundraising agencies can help non-profits implement these tools successfully through outsourcing.

1. Raisers’Ask Jan 2010 I 17
Professional agencies
can help capture
individual giving in ways
that make it worth every
paise you pay for their
services, says ANUP
TIWARI
but do you know how to ask?
first, let’s deal with that nagging
doubt some of us might have – Do
individuals give enough donations? If
you have successfully raised money from
individuals and think this question is
irrelevant, then please skip the next
paragraph. But if not, here’s how to set
your mind at ease.
Individuals give most!
In the United States, the most advanced
fundraising market, individual
donors account for more than 80 per
cent of the contributions. This figure
stands at 75 per cent in the United
Kingdom, another fairly advanced
market, and at 78 per cent in Australia.
In India, organisations such as CRY,
Give India and HelpAge raise up to
90 per cent of their resources from
individuals. In a nutshell, a single
individual may give a small amount,
but as a collective, it adds up to a huge
amount.
Spot your donors!
So, where are these individuals who
will donate to the cause you support?
You see them every day – you walk past
them on the way to work, you see them
at the marketplace, you see them in the
movie theatres. They’re all around you,
yet, most of us balk at stopping people
on the streets or knocking on doors and
asking for donations. Think about it,
though – isn’t this how temples in your
neighbourhood raise money? If they can,
why not voluntary organisations?
Use the right direct
marketing tools!
>> Go face-to-face
GreenPeace, for instance, raises most
of its resources in India and in other
countries by stopping people and asking
them to contribute. For more than
eight years, CRY has been sending its
people to offices and homes to solicit
donations. Oxfam, HelpAge, ActionAid
and UNICEF have also joined the party
recently. This method is called face-to-
face fundraising.
>> Write a letter
Before the advent of e-mail and SMS,
writing a letter to our friends came
naturally to us. Direct mail appeals for
funds work on the same principle – we
just need to relearn to write, and write
to raise funds. There are, of course, a few
rules for writing such letters, which you
can learn along the way.
Individuals
donate,

2. Anup Tiwari heads fundraising and communications in Asia for a leading internationally-active
child rights-based organisation. He has also worked with international publishing houses and
taught in several B schools in the past. In his volunteering capacity, he writes in social-sector
publications and speaks at fundraising workshops. The views expressed in the article are his own
and may not be ascribable to his organisation. Anup can be contacted at: anup.tiwari@gmail.com.
>> Tele-face your donor
You might be tired of pesky callers who
try to sell you everything from credit
cards to holidays, but think about it – it
might not work with you, but it must
have a high success rate for people
to even try it. And it does work for
soliciting donations. Many organisations
use the telephone as a fundraising tool.
Organisations such as CRY, UNICEF,
Plan and Oxfam successfully tele-face –
that is, send a field executive to complete
the donation transaction (and increase
the chances of donation).
>> Raise funds digitally
Digital fundraising involves the Internet,
e-mail, SMS, on-line advertising,
managing search on engines like Google
etc. Often, it is also coupled with
traditional advertising on television and
print. This combination is called the
digital medium of fundraising.
Do you need professional
help?
If all those options listed above sound
like lots of work, they are. Fundraising
from individuals is the most sustainable
source of income for a voluntary
organisation, but it needs hard work.
And, just like the last new project started
by your organisation, it needs some seed
capital.
Outsource your needs
If you are a voluntary organisation with a
limited budget, low on direct marketing
expertise and a small or no team, the
Outsourcing checklist
l Do you have a limited budget?
l Are you low on direct
marketing experience?
l Do you have a small or no
team?
l Are you willing to work closely
with the outsourcing agency?
good news is that there are now agencies
in India that can help you successfully
raise funds. Keep in mind, though, that
outsourcing does not mean hiring an
agency and leaving everything up to
them. Outsourcing can work well only
when you form a close relationship with
the agency working for you and monitor
and support this relationship.
What’s on the menu
Outsourcing agencies offer a spectrum of
services. They might:
• Help with individual fundraising
strategy, and outsource some parts of
fundraising.
• Specialise in a particular direct
marketing tool and raise money for
you for a fee. A lot of such agencies
carry out face-to-face fundraising and
tele-facing.
• Provide lists for direct mailing, help
design and produce direct mailers,
handle the mailers, post them and
more
• Design and market your on-line
fundraising campaigns
Why opt for a professional
Professional agencies have expertise
that a voluntary organisation can draw
on. They do charge a fee, but you get
professional results and have to invest
less time, which again translates to saving
money! The biggest advantage with
certain agencies, especially in tele-facing
and face-to-face fundraising, is that
you pay after you get the donations. No
donations, no charges!
Direct Marketing Fundraising Resources in India
Scope of work Names
Strategy, Research, Hand-
holding implementation,
capacity building
Murray Culshaw Consulting Pvt Ltd, Concept
Source, Resource Alliance, South Asian
Fundraising Group, Datamation
List for sending Direct Mail Mailing Lists Asia (India), Datamation, Rushabh
Marketing,Yellow Umbrella, Direxions, Ogilvy One
Direct Mail Designing/
On-line designing and
marketing
Direxions, Ogilvy One, Mailing List Asia (India)
Tele-facing Syrex Infoservices, InTouch
Face to Face Support Direct
On-line payment gateway TechProcess, Bill Desk, CC Avenues
Mail Handling/ Postage Modern Mailing, IGD Services, India Post, Mailing
List Asia (India), Direxions
18 I Jan 2010 Raisers’Ask