When you want to make a difference by supporting a good cause, you may have considered many different ways that you can raise money. Most people have found that going with a fundraising event is the fastest and easiest way to reaching your goals, and with a few fundraising suggestions from us, you will be well on your way to making the best fundraiser that your friends and colleagues have ever seen.

Of course, before you even get started in planning your event, you will want to decide on the particular group that you want to help support.

Relay For Life is doing great things for cancer research, and it is no wonder that so many Americans are getting involved with Relay For Life fundraising ideas. If you’ve decided that you want to participate in Relay For Life and help to raise money for cancer research, that’s great. But you will need to consider a few things before getting started in order to maximize your profits.

The best way to pull off effective Relay For Life fundraising ideas is to gather friends, family and colleagues to participate with you. After all, you are going to be running a relay event, so the more people you can rally together the better. Most participants work as part of a team with between eight to fifteen members.

A big part of participating in Relay For Life events is gathering sponsors to donate money to your cause. But if you really want to boost your targets you could decide to sell some of our fundraising products as well.

We have a huge range of products to suit your individual needs, and these could be sold either prior to or just after your Relay For Life fundraising ideas are executed. Simply visit our product pages to find out more.

Black Friday – Cyber Monday Sale

I am very happy to post another article guest author Betsy Baker!  Besty is the President of  YourGrantAuthority.com. She has earned more than ten million dollars in grant funding and continues to be a grant writing consultant for nonprofits.

She is best known for her plain-language instructional guidance and offers both ebook instruction and one-on-one coaching in writing grants and starting a grant writing consulting career.

The #1 Thing Keeping You From What You Want

This is one of my favorite photos of my son Rhodes as he is finishing his first race – which just happened to be at Disney World.  The clay track at the ESPN field where the race took place was packed with excited kids; most holding hands with even more excited parents.  The atmosphere was festive with a live band, balloons, favorite Disney characters and a race director tasked with herding the cats, I mean the children, onto the track for the race to begin.

Anticipation for this day had been building as my husband Norm and I both have participated in several races and were eager for Rhodes’ first.  We explained to Rhodes before the race that while he was to run as fast as he could, what was really important was to just have fun and finish the race.  Rhodes had another idea.

As the starter pistol shot rang out, I was holding hands with Rhodes because he was only three at the time and I didn’t want him to get lost in a sea of strangers.  But as we ran, Rhodes began pulling away from me and trying to wriggle out of my grasp.  It was obvious – his eye was on the prize and he was there to win that race.

I can’t help but compare his enthusiasm to some of the organizations I meet with that seek my help in teaching them to write grants that will win them money.  Or with folks that want to begin their own independent grant consulting business and seek me out for guidance.  These are the people near and dear to my heart that I want to help because I know of all the good things in store for them.

For the organizations desiring grant money, I know what can be accomplished with receipt of grant funding: children fed, disaster victims housed, terminal diseases cured, babies placed into loving arms.

And I also know what a successful, freedom-based grant consulting business can bring: personal accomplishment , time at home with children every day, the ability to participate in field trips, catching up with friends over a long lunch, the excitement of landing a new client and the capacity, when needed, to care for aging parents a state away.

I’ve been on both sides.

So, I talk with people that have the desire to make a needed and wanted change but here’s what separates them from being able to say “I Did It!” And it’s so simple – they never took the action required to accomplish that desire. Don’t let any of your perceived or very real obstacles prevent you from taking action.  Very rarely is there a straight path to what you want accomplished – my path continues to be a zig-zag every day!  The trick is to just keep moving forward.  Action.

I think Gandhi says it best, “Action expresses priorities.”  What is your priority and what is the action you need to take – today?

Grow Your Consulting Business with clubGRANT

In my mind, the new year has always really begun in September, rather than January. I know what the calendar says, but it seems that in a practical sense, everything in my life has always gotten going in the fall.

So, as we approach this “new year”, I have been in a sort of reflective mood. I’m thinking a lot about setting goals, creating long-term agendas, and putting myself through all kinds of self-evaluations.

If you’ve read any of my earlier posts this month, you’ll notice that I’ve written about The 10 Things I Love about Fundraising and What Traits I Admire in my Non-Profit Colleagues, for instance.

In these last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received in my non-profit career and which of those nuggets I should pass on to people just entering this industry.

So, I’m going to write about the best advice I have, but I am also very curious as to what you think should be shared with non-profit rookies to get them on the right path. Please share your thoughts in our comment section. Here is my own personal best piece of advice:

Try to be as creative as you can in everything you do.

I strongly believe that the best part about working in the non-profit world is that you get lots of opportunities to be creative. You can be creative in the inter-agency collaborations you chose to embark upon, the novelty of fundraisers you hold, and the variety of services you provide. You can even be creative in the ways you train your staff and how you market your product or service to your community.

Really, in a non-profit job, the more creative you are, the better your chances of striking upon something new and exciting that will fire up your supporters. If you aren’t a very creative person in a non-profit, I think you will struggle with the free-flowing nature of this industry.

So, the first piece of advice I’d give to a new non-profit worker would be to really get in touch with your creative side. One of the exercises that has always helped me get thinking in creative ways is to take two completely unrelated things and find a way to integrate them. For instance, I take two very different board games, like Monopoly and Mouse Trap, and make one game out of them. I’ll combine the pieces, the play money, the rules, the objects, the dice or the sand timer, whatever, and make something brand new up. Sometimes, I’ll even try to work in a physical game like hopscotch or four square into the board game mix. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but the more you find ways to create something good out of very different components, the more you are opening your mind up to new ideas. Of course, I personally like to do this listening to really bold classical music like Wagner or some Mahler. It’s very inspiring!

While thinking about board games might not be applicable to your situation, this process is a fun way to loosen up your mind and get the creative juices flowing, which can then be applied to other pursuits.

Ok, so there’s my best piece of advice. I know this doesn’t even begin to cover all the things people should know or try to exhibit when starting out a n0on-profit career, but that’s my two cents. What do you think?

Photo by: HarshLight

One of the worst things you can do, I think, as a non-profit professional is to burrow down inside your own organization, live like you are in a cocoon, and only look from within for ideas.

It is tremendously unhealthy to think that you can run a successful mission-based community without trying to get as much input and inspiration from the outside world as you can. In fact, I think such an attitude demonstrates a horrifying level of institutional arrogance that will ultimately doom the organization.

So, that being said, I think that there is great value in continually keeping an eye on what others are doing that is bringing them success in a variety of areas. I have always suggested undertaking as many collaborative projects as you can, because that act of joining forces can make an individual non-profit much stronger in the long run.

Also, when you work together with another like-minded group, you get the chance to observe personality and leadership traits in others, some of which you admire and respect, while others don’t impress you as much.

Here is a list of traits in non-profit leaders that I have personally experienced that I have tried to incorporate into my own leadership style.

Curiosity. If a leader isn’t interested in what others are doing, he or she won’t bring many good ideas to his or her own group.

Willing to take a risk. If a leader is afraid to fail, nothing great is ever going to happen within that organization.

Willing to learn from everyone on staff. If a leader doesn’t believe in the value of every team member, he or she will never win true loyalty from the staff.

Not defensive. If staff members sense that a leader is thin-skinned, they will never feel comfortable bringing concerns to him or her.

Secure in his/her position. If a leader is worried about keeping his or her job and acts accordingly, he or she will lose sight of directing the entire organization.

Wanting employees to grow, even if that means losing them. A real leader wants to train his or her staff so thoroughly that they can take on increasing responsibilities. This may mean that the rising staff members may need to look elsewhere for employment, but the leader shouldn’t feel threatened by that.

Remembering to compliment, even after an employee screws up. A good leader finds ways to teach staff members through mistakes and errors in judgment, so that learning takes place and everyone maintains their dignity.

What other leadership qualities do you value in others that you’ve observed? Please share with us in our comment section!

Photo by: Celso Flores’ photostream

Yesterday, I started thinking about the aspects of fundraising that really motivate me. You know, the things that I find professionally and personally satisfying and that keep me coming back for more, even in the face of complaints or rejections. It takes a lot of no’s to get to a yes, so you’ve got to really feel passionate to hang in there with a non-profit that relies on raising money to pay its bills.

To recap from yesterday, here are the first five things I love about fundraising:

• I get to help others

• I get a chance to network with other professionals in my field

• I love the challenge of creating a plan that works from start to finish

• I get a chance to find new ways to solve problems

• I make it a personal challenge to improve on last year’s money total

Today, I have five more terrific aspects of fundraising to write about.

6. No matter what non-profit organization I’ve worked for, one of my greatest joys has been getting new volunteers involved in the stewardship of the group. For most non-profits, volunteers are the life-blood of the organization, and if new people aren’t continually coming forward to lend a hand, the non-profit is in trouble. Therefore, when I can recruit and train new volunteer workers, I know I am ensuring the long-term stability of my organization.

7. There is yet another very cool aspect to volunteerism that gets me excited about non-profit work, and that’s when I see volunteers stick around for a while and take on more responsibility. I’ve worked with numerous volunteers who have started out doing very basic (yet necessary) tasks, like folding fliers and stuffing them into envelopes and then with time, they move on to making phone calls on behalf of the organization or even planning major portions of fundraising events. Not only are these folks helping our non-profit tremendously, they are also improving their own skills and bolstering their self-confidence by taking on new tasks.

8. One of the side benefits of running a successful fundraiser that gets public attention is that it gives us the opportunity to put our organization’s name out there in a positive light. Regardless of the fundraising method, we have the chance to introduce ourselves to potential new clients and donors, we can distribute information about our services, and we can highlight all the good work we’ve done for the community in the past. I never pass up the opportunity to hand a person a brochure when they hand me a check!

9. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that one of the most effective ways to raise money is to be smarter about how we spend the money we already have. So, whenever I approach a new fundraising project, I want to find ways to be more efficient with the use of our financial resources. Whether that means finding donors for things we paid for in the past or finding cheaper forms of marketing that are even more effective than our paid advertising, I want to save a buck. That’s a challenge these days, when we’ve been trying to be frugal for the past few years. There’s only so much you can cut, but I still love the challenge!

10. The last item I’ll mention in this list of things I love about fundraising is that, for the most part, I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s a chance to work with people you like and who are all committed to the same mission. I love the human interaction and the relationships that are built over time. I’ve never worked on a fundraiser where there wasn’t a whole lot of laughing going on behind the scenes.

Photo by: Micah Sittig’s photostream

I have always thought of September as the real start of the year. I know the calendar says January is the first month, but in my life, everything has always started in September. In fact, I make my New Year’s resolutions on September 1st! Of course, I give up on them by September 15th, but that’s another story…

Anyway, I always start getting excited for the start of school in August. I get to thinking about all the things I want to accomplish in the coming year and I reflect on the reasons why I love what I’m doing.

Therefore, I thought I’d share with you the top ten things I love about the process of fundraising. Here’s my list. Please feel free to add to this list in our comments section!

1. Of course, the first thing I have to mention is that by raising money for a cause, I get to help those impacted by whatever non-profit I’m working for. Knowing that my hard work will turn into dollars and those dollars will turn into something useful makes all the effort worth it.

2. Another aspect of fundraising that appeals greatly to me is that when my non-profit collaborates on a project with another non-profit, I get a chance to network with other professionals in my field. I can learn from what they are doing, get tips and advice from experts on their staffs, and come up with new ways to serve our population.

3. When I approach a fundraiser, I love the challenge of creating a plan that works from start to finish. Of course, there are fundraisers that are very simple to carry out, but when you get your hands on a big golf outing or a school carnival or a silent and live auction, it takes a lot of planning work. Knowing that I have played a part in laying out a successful plan is a great pay-off for me.

4. Another reason why I love to be involved with fundraising is that I get a chance to find new ways to solve problems. Invariably, something goes wrong in the fundraising plan, and we’ve got to figure out how to fix it. Since no two problems are ever the same when it comes to fundraising, this requires creativity and teamwork. I love both those requirements!

5. I tend to be a pretty competitive person, so when it comes to running a fundraiser that I’ve organized before, I make it a personal challenge to improve on last year’s money total. This will mean finding new ways to monetize the event, discovering more effective means of winning over donors, writing more effective fundraising letters, using social media to greater effect, and convincing more sponsors to support our event. It’s a tall order, but there’s nothing like a personal challenge to get my juices flowing.

For the remaining five items in this list, check back soon!

Photo by: The U.S. Army’s photostream

Recently, my son applied for a scholarship. On the questionnaire he had to fill out, he was asked why he thought he was more deserving than other students to receive this financial gift.

We struggled with that question, more than any of the others, because we both know that there is always someone more “deserving” of a gift than we are. There are people who get better grades, there are people who do more community service, there are people who have a more tragic story.

We ended up saying something to the effect that we didn’t know if he was the most deserving applicant, but that if the committee chose to award the gift to my son, he would promise to honor that decision by showing his sincere appreciation through his actions. That means working his hardest, giving his best effort, sharing his gifts with others the best he could, and so on. He would truly honor the spirit of the award.

All this got me wondering about how non-profit organizations position themselves when competing for grants.

Is it really about showing why your non-profit is the most deserving?

I used to work for a non-profit summer camp. We applied for many foundation grants. But our campers were mainly from the suburbs, indicating a certain socio-economic status. Of course, we did offer a scholarship program ourselves and awarded thousands of dollars of tuition aid each year, but there were other camps that had more of a reputation of serving either the inner-city or the rural poor. So, were they more deserving of a grant than we were? Would our camp have been more deserving than a non-profit program that taught upper middle class kids how to yacht? Or horse jumping?

What does “deserving” really mean? I’m trying to think of the most “deserving” charities in existence. I think a battered women’s center would be right up there. So too would a treatment program for babies born addicted to drugs. I’m sure that you could come up with a few more that are this rock-bottom deserving.

But does that mean that these kinds of non-profits should be the only groups ever to receive a donation? Of course not.

So, what then, should deserving actually mean? I think that it’s important for us to really understand this word, if we are in the business of both receiving and making grants. Should “deserving” be defined as the result of something bad that has happened to you and therefore you are in a disadvantaged situation? Or, should it mean that you have a proven track record of making the most of what you have been given? Or is it something else?

I’d like to know what you think. Please share your thoughts with us in your comment section.

Photo by: kevinspencer

Today, I have a question for you, the StepByStepFundraising community. First, a little background: My wife is a web designer and developer. From time to time, she picks up freelance work. Occasionally, she’ll look on Craigslist for such jobs.

Just recently, she came across this job posting and showed it to me. Being married to me, she has a lot of experience with the non-profit world. She understands that most non-profits are on a tight budget and have to be creative in how they reduce expenses. She knows that sometimes non-profits have to ask for volunteers to provide their services at reduced rates.

However, this particular ad that she showed me went a little too far, I think. To be honest, it kind of embarrassed me for the non-profit industry. However, I tend to over-react to things, so I thought maybe I’d throw it out to the group to respond.

Here is the “help wanted” ad:

So, what do you think? Is this group asking for too much?

Maybe what bothers me most about the ad is the line, “But this is the type of connection that may play out big later on, trust me on that.” What does that even mean?!  Or for “Compensation” they list: “great letter of recommendation and lots of good energy”.  I”m not a texter, but IMHO, OMG!

Now, I know that freelancers, when they are first starting out, need connections and good references, but they also need to be paid. At least something. Not just anyone has the skills to design and develop websites. If you’ve ever tried it, you know it’s hard. These people put in a lot of time and effort to gain these skills that are so in demand today.

But, they also have to build a business, and they have to start somewhere. I get that.  So there may be a few people who will respond to this ad, but I personally think it’s insulting to dangle some kind of big unspecified pay-off, when really, how truthful and sincere does that actually sound? And then to add, “…trust me on that” makes it sound like a slimy used car salesman.

Of course, this is just one non-profit. Most credible organizations wouldn’t approach this situation so tastelessly. However, how do you entice a professional to donate his or her professional services at a fraction of the normal cost or even for free without sounding desperate or worse- cheesy?

I don’t think we need to be ashamed that our resources are limited, and that we have to be creative with how we manage our finances. That’s just part of the deal. However, the way in which we ask people for their help is so important.

If you were to be in this situation, how would you write this ad? Or would you even have written it and put it out there on Craigslist in the first place?

I’d love to read what you would do.

Thanks!

I saw a video report recently that had the headline “Groveland’s 21st Century PTO”. I write a blog on school fundraising (TopSchoolFundraisers.com), as well as this general fundraising blog here, so I was interested in viewing this video.

Basically, the report talked about one school district’s efforts to raise money for the tools that children will need to learn to compete in the 21st century. The PTO and the school principal specifically mentioned how iPads are being used to help students learn to read.

But we know all that. What I had hoped the article would have been about was how fundraising at the local level has changed in the 21st century and contrast the methods and outcomes from the last century.

So, that got me thinking: what are some of the things that have really changed in the past 11 years in fundraising? Are we much better off now than we were in the dark ages, long before the Internet started to dominate everything?

Well, let’s go back to 1999. The “Information Super Highway” was nothing like it is today, and only a small fraction of the general public was spending any significant time online. E-Commerce was still in its infancy. Personally, I was working for a non-profit summer camp, actively engaged in trying to raise money to support our program. We had a couple of computers, mainly for word processing and printing out mailing labels.

Even though that was a long time ago, I do remember that, as far as fundraising went, we had an annual auction, which was easily our largest fundraiser. We also mailed out donation envelopes at the end of each calendar year, and we always published a “wish list” of items the camp needed but couldn’t afford in our quarterly “snail mail” newsletter.

I remember that our director at the time regularly made a verbal appeal to the campers’ parents to contribute to our tuition assistance fund, when they showed up at the end of two weeks to pick up their kids. (You know, hit ‘em when they’re feeling all warm and fuzzy!) I also recall that our small alumni association (former campers and counselors) put together a yearly golf outing that generated a few thousand dollars after expenses.

Looking back on it, the only thing that sounds dated, really, is the “snail mail” newsletter, and some groups are still doing those.

Auctions and golf outings are still huge generators of cash, and verbal appeals are still one of the best ways to connect emotionally with donors. Every non-profit should have a wish list ready to be passed around, and alumni associations are still an essential part of an organization’s fundraising “team”.

So, what do we have today, that we didn’t back then?

One is better donor software to track donations and manage our various campaigns. Another is the advent of social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. A nice-looking website or blog has also become standard-issue. We’ve also seen the rise of smart phones that can be used for texting one another. Most phones are also now equipped with video and digital cameras, so everyone can now be a “photo-journalist”. There are also very affordable high-definition webcams, which can easily be installed on a computer network. Some summer camps use these to let parents “peek in” at their kids while they are away.

One of the most important developments, however, has been the public’s growing willingness and trust to make financial transactions on secure websites. For non-profits, that has been a boon for online donations.

Overall, the technological advancements have been incredibly positive for non-profits, because they have made the task of creating a closer-knit community much easier.

If someone had walked into my office, back in 1999, and told me about how an invention called Facebook could bring a group of people closer together, I wouldn’t have thought such a thing were possible. It would have been too good to believe.

So, do you agree? Has this surge in technology been a good thing for non-profits? Do you miss the good old days before everyone’s pockets were constantly ringing and buzzing? Do you want to go back to a time when the only tweeting going on was by the birds?

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please share them in our comment section!

Thanks!