1. Fund-Raising 101
Text

2. What are you
so scared of ?

3. Middle Class Hang-Ups . . .
. . . are what get in the way of most people
succeeding at raising money for their
organizations. You have to get past this.
It’s only money! You aren’t asking anyone to
give up their first-born grandchild.
You are doing work that other people want to
see happen.You are giving them the privilege of
making it possible. The privilege. Repeat that to
your self whenever you feel hesitant or
nervous.You are doing them a favor.

4. If you can talk, you can sing.

5. If you can walk, you can dance.

6. If you can ask for directions,
you can raise funds.

7. Fund raising:
an art and a science
(but easy)

8. There is plenty of money available.

9. But it’s not about money!

10. Fund raising
is about relationships

11. Good Relationships
=
Good Communication Skills

12. So why do you need to communicate?
To:
• Establish relations • Entertain
• Learn things • Inspire
• Inform • Understand
• Influence • Gather facts
• Express a need • Ask for help
• Clarify •

13. If you want people to support your work,
you have to commit to communicating with
them. They want to know where their
money is going and why you are the best
organization to give it to. Never forget that
there are thousands of other organizations
doing what you are doing. What keeps
people donating to YOU is the connection
they feel to your work and to you.

14. And with whom are
you communicating?
• the kids • donor agencies
• the grownups • professionals
• staff • media
• government • business people
• local community • individual donors
• community leaders • other vol orgs

15. Look at the list in the previous slide carefully.
Try and imagine how you would communicate
with each group and why it might be important
as a fund raiser.
The kids, for example. Why is that important?
If your organization works with children who
need education, and you don’t know any of the
children you work with, how effective do you
think you will be convincing people to give?

16. Have you ever heard someone
describe their organization’s work . . .

17. and still wonder what it is they do?

18. As a fund raiser, you need
a statement of work!

19. a brief (no more than 15 words) statement
of what it is your organization does
for example:
we provide education and therapy
for children with special needs
and community awareness around disability
(15! Bingo!)

20. mind your language!
we care for people with drug and alcohol problems.
NOT: we care for drug addicts and alcoholics

21. avoid unfamiliar, jargon-y terms
integrated education to handicapped children
palliative care to the terminally ill
participatory research

22. your turn!
(write it, then memorize it)
you should be able
to say it in your sleep

23. what’s your language?
Folksy, Salt of the Earth?

24. Hard-Core Corporate?

25. Government Bureaucratese?

26. or pitched to the girls next door?
Get it right!

27. Fund raisers talk to everyone, but everyone
doesn’t speak the same language. As a fund
raiser, you need to be sensitive to the very
different ways your different audiences
receive information.

28. What do you want from your donors?

29. Don’t give money - get involved!

30. People don’t give to causes - they give to people

31. Keep your donors close to your work -
that’s what drew them to you
in the first place.

32. First-time donors are the most expensive.
(Individuals, Foundations, Corporates,
Government)

33. Don’t treat them like trash!

34. What that means is that it’s hard work to win
someone over for the first time. Don’t waste
your effort by then forgetting to stay in
touch!

35. Ways to keep donors involved

36. Encourage them
to visit

37. Invite them to participate in functions

38. Have them be a part of events

39. Take the time to share your work with them

40. Recognize their contributions publicly

41. Stay in touch!
thank you notes
phone calls
newsletter
annual appeals
reports to funders
annual report

42. Raise your organisation’s profile
so that you stand out in the crowd

43. Start with strategy

44. Some basic principles

45. Commit fully to a definite objective:
don’t hesitate,
don’t wait for the perfect moment

46. Economize!
Saving money
is
raising money

47. Do the unexpected,
but keep it simple

48. Timing and sequence!

49. Children learn to crawl before they can walk.
Don’t expect to raise millions before you’ve
raised thousands or hundreds.

50. The Five Sources

51. Individuals
Corporate
Foundations
Government
Earned

52. Eggs and Baskets

53. One big secret in successful fundraising:
Diversity!
Don’t rely on only one source of income

54. Thinking comes before planning

55. Articulate your mission, vision and values
(an ethics policy?)

56. Assess your situation critically:
external (environmental) issues
internal (organizational) issues

57. Get ready:
Who’s on the team?
Who will facilitate?
Is this the right time?

58. The team should agree on priorities
(no headless chickens)

59. Write the plan (ON PAPER!!!!)

60. Implementation
(that’s the easy part)

61. Evaluation:
What’s working?
What isn’t?
Mid-Course Corrections

62. services
systems
fundraising activities
Your donors will appreciate this.
You should be able to tell them instantly
how much each activity costs to run.
Per child, per month
Per immunization
Per therapy hour
Per assessment

63. Final advice: Ask and it shall be given

64. Pranam,
Raise Funds,
Have Fun!