A Webinar about Bringing Funds Through the Door with an Effective Plan for Action!

Once you have a great fundraising idea, motivation will be high and everyone involved in your non profit will be eager to get started.  However, you should take the time to develop a plan.

Every organization, no matter its size, needs a fundraising plan to guide and support its efforts.  The purpose of a fundraising plan is to clearly spell out your overall fundraising picture of the organization.  This plan will help you find funding sources and build community awareness of your organization.

We invite you to spend some invaluable time with CharityNet USA, and learn how to design a workable fundraising plan for your organization!

Topics of Interest:
•Developing the Team
•Diversity in the Plan
•Self-Sustainability
•Legal Mandates

Fundraising is not only fun but also provides great exposure for your organization.  Develop your fundraising plan and start putting the spotlight on your non profit by attending our FREE webinar on Thursday, May 13, 2010 from  3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EST).

It is important for non profit organizations, both those just starting out and those which are well established, to have a diversified stream of income. By diversifying where your revenue is coming from, your non profit organization will be less dependent on each revenue source. The more diverse your organization is the better it will be able to withstand changes in funding.

Grants, for example, are a great way for non profit organizations to generate the revenue which they need to operate. However, if an organization is relying too heavily on grants and their grant funding gets pulled or reduced, the organization may struggle trying to make up for that loss of funding in other ways. It is better to be prepared by having additional fundraising initiatives, and soliciting donations in addition to applying for grants.

The need for multiple sources of funding has become even more important with the recent decline in the American economy. As bank accounts continue to shrink; individuals, organizations and foundations are becoming more selective over which organizations they are making contributions to. This is creating more competition between organizations for the resources available. The organizations which are best equipped to deal with this competition are those which are the most diverse in their revenue sources and the least reliant on one single source.

Organizations should look at fundraising efforts also as a way of marketing and getting your name out into the community in addition to means of generating revenue for your organization. Fundraising events, while they may not always create a large amount of income for an organization, cannot always be measured by the amount of money they generate at that event. This is due to the possibility of future donations and contributions based on the relationship which may have been established at one of these events. Additionally, hiring a professional fundraiser can be a smart move for event the youngest of non profit organizations.  Not only does a professional fundraiser have experience working a variety of different events, a professional fundraiser knows how to make connections and secure sponsorships.

Even non profit organizations which have been successful over a period of time using one revenue source should consider working to find new untapped sources of income. This will strengthen any organization and all organizations will welcome more income; as more income allows the organization more freedom in working towards accomplishing their mission and fulfilling their goal.

Want to learn more about the do’s and don’t of fundraising effectively? Check out CharityNet USA’s short video “The 8 Truths of Fundraising” .

It’s summertime, and it’s a great time for any organization to really push their fundraising efforts! Car washes, walk-a-thons, chicken bbq’s… all of these are great ideas and they can really aid in bringing in a few dollars; but wouldn’t you rather they bring in a few hundred dollars? Any organization can easy walk away from a simple summer fundraiser with well over $1,000, if they go the extra mile to publicize the event. 

This does not mean you have to spend a ton of money on paid advertising.  There are actually many ways to promote your organization’s event that will cost you just about nothing but time. The following tips will help you get the knowledge and understanding of simple promotional tactics that can get you on your way to a successful summer fundraising event!

Promotional Tactics that won’t Bust the Budget!

Send out a Press Release: Having a press release for your event could possibly be one of the most important things any organization should do.  Not only can you submit your event’s press release to your local media (TV stations, newspapers, radio stations etc.), but you can also use it to find donors and vendors for the event at local grocery stores for supply stores.

Use your Social Networking Skills: Social Networking has added new ways to conduct business and build your organizations awareness. By utilizing it, you have the ability to form communities, groups and events with others interested in your cause.

Go Back to the Roots of Marketing, Word of Mouth: Mixing new methods of marketing and PR with more traditional methods will highly benefit the results of any campaign.  Still today, over 90% of customers identify word of mouth as the best, most reliable and trustworthy source about ideas and information on products, services and events. So tell everyone one you know, then tell them to tell everyone they know.

Update Current Constituents with an Email Blast: By maintaining a constant stream of communication with your current members and donors, not only will you form a better relationship with them, but you will keep them on the radar with your current happenings!

The importance of Public Relations is often under-minded as something only for large organizations and corporations.  The truth is, PR comes in many shapes and sizes for everyone, and any organization with a message to share should be using PR to promote that message.