Whether its Worlds Finest Chocolate, Davanni's Pizza, or The Synergize checkbook Fundraiser...there are few things that need to happen to ensure a successful fundraiser.
Here is jen Johnsons take on what needs to happento have a successful fundraiser:
There are many ways to raise money for an organization, but one thing we have found that they all have in common is that they should include the following ten habits of highly successful fundraisers:
1) Successful fundraisers set goals - consider what the group is trying to achieve by running a fundraiser. Does it only want to make money, or is the event also trying to meet other goals such as raising awareness of the organization? What is said about the overall goals in the initial pitch will strongly affect how people view the fundraiser and whether they feel motivated to contribute. Internal goals are important too - we suggest picking a fundraising target that is big enough to be worth bothering with, but low enough to be possible to achieve.
2) Successful fundraisers stick to their budget - it takes money to make money, what is the organization prepared to spend on upfront costs and how much of that will be profit after making that money back? The budget should include staff, invitations, space rental, catering, entertainment, transportation, security, utilities, and anything else that will be required to make the event a success.
3) Successful fundraisers are smart when setting the date - earlier is better, to beat the rush. Consider the weather for outdoor events and have a rainy day backup plan to keep visitors dry. If planning a mailing campaign, consider what else the event might clash with. Consider if there are any holidays that will help or interfere with your groups goals.
4) Successful fundraisers know their target audience - many organizations have a 'captive audience' to draw on for funds, but we prefer to spread the net more widely and attract new potential donors. These people might not have an emotional link to the cause but they are also less likely to feel that they already give time or money in other ways. The audience will affect what we sell or deliver, as matching the products to the people who are supposed to buy will make fundraising easy.
5) Successful fundraisers spend time on logistics - The boring but essential part, any event must comply with the law on health and safety, food and drink, fire regulations and much more. Everything to be used on the day needs to be considered so that you know who is going to be responsible for providing it and how they will do that, well in advance.
6) Successful fundraisers get a lot of publicity - The more publicity that can be attracted, the more money is likely to come into your fundraiser. Local newspapers and radios are a good place to start for community organizations. An advertisement for your event can sometimes be incorporated into a news piece about another recent accomplishment which provides greater exposure for free.
7) Successful fundraisers co-ordinate sales efficiently - Selling tickets to an event can be a surprisingly large amount of work. If they are being sold by one person, that individual needs to have good availability and a head for figures. If tickets are being sold by many people to their friends and family, a single person should be appointed to coordinate the money and sales figures as they come in.
8) Successful fundraisers are prepared - If the fundraiser relies on a performance or any type of equipment which could go wrong, rehearse it in advance so that any problems can be sorted out early on.
9) Successful fundraisers are generous with their thanks - Quite simply, if the people who worked on the fundraiser do not get thanked, they will not want to work on another one for the same organization in the future. We suggest also thanking everyone who donated money to your total, and telling them the final sum raised and what it will let you do that could not have been done otherwise.
10) Successful fundraisers capture the group's momentum - Use the energy of successful fundraising to inspire people to plan an even better event for next year, or to do other work towards the goals of the organization while they are still enthusiastic.
Thank you Jen Johnson!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
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