How has your fundraising season gone? Are donations up? Or down? Feedback we are hearing is that many nonprofits have seen declines in their donation base. But not The Salvation Army.

The Salvation Army reported record fundraising results from its 2011 Red Kettle. Reports are that they raised $147.6 million. Based on 2010 results that is a 3.4 percent increase in what would certainly be considered a season where people were worried about stretching their dollars as far as possible.

So how the Salvation Army raise record amounts of money? They developed the right strategic partners for their Red Kettle campaign. Reports show that nearly a third of their total came from Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores, where bell ringers collected $41.5 million

They also partnered with Square and with Sprint to accept donations by cell phone in some of the largest markets.

Essentially what the Salvation Army did was to identify better ways to reach people that would be inclined to offer support. They did not count on the way they had always done things and there is a good lesson there for all non profits. Fundraising ideas that made sense 10 years ago might not make as much sense now as they did in the past.

But it goes beyond fundraising ideas. It goes to methodology and implementation. Nonprofits that want to raise record amounts of money need to meet their supporters in the world in which their supporters live. Whether that’s in person, by phone, online or elsewhere, organizations need to stay in front of their potential supporters, create a message that compels people to donate and makes the donation process simple and fast.

The Salvation Army’s results should encourage all of us that even in hard economic times people will be there for organizations they believe in.

Times have changed and there is more to consider with Fundraisers for Youth Groups. In fact the entire process has evolved over the years.

Ten years ago youth groups typically counted on the kids to raise money. The group would hand our fundraising brochures and each child was expected to sell fundraising products to friends, family and neighbors. It was expected that the youth would take their brochure and knock on doors around their neighborhood. But those days are done for the most part.

Now more parents take control of fundraising. If the group is holding a cookie dough fundraiser the parent most likely brings the brochure and order form to work and solicits sales there. The same for candy fundraisers. Parents take the carrier of candy to their workplace and count on coworkers to buy the candy.

In the old days youth groups would offer incentives to the kids to increase sales. Those incentives were obviously geared toward the kids. But how well do child-based incentives work when its the parent who sells?

If you are going to offer incentives for your fundraisers for youth groups we suggest you develop incentives that excite the parents if you believe that the parents will be the main force behind your youth group fundraiser. That might take a little more effort than it did choosing incentives for kids.

If you have not changed with the times do not be surprised if you see diminishing returns on your Fundraisers for Youth Groups.

There are lots of people looking for ideas for church fundraisers and there are as many ideas as people looking.

So how do you choose the best fundraising ideas?

We believe there is one basic question that needs to be answered first and then you can choose the right fundraiser. Ask yourself if you or your group has money to purchase a fundraising product that you can sell or not. If you don’t there are as many options available to you but the concept is different in many ways.

Let’s assume you do not have any money to start. You should choose among the different pre sell fundraisers like candle fundraising, cookie dough fundraising or flower bulb fundraising. They all work basically the same way. You choose your program and order free brochures and order forms for each member of your group. They use those sales materials to pre sell products and collect the money during the selling process. At the end of your sale you can use the money to pay for your bulk order.

One of the top candle fundraisers is called Journey of Faith Candles fundraising. The candle labels are all based on well known scriptures and sell very well with faith-based groups.

If you have money to spend then there are other ideas for church fundraisers that offer higher profits.

Church groups with money will find they can make up to 90% profit with discount card fundraisers. There are tons of options here so we know you can find a product your audience will gravitate towards. There are pizza fundraising cards, portrait studio cards and other discount cards. These card are customized for your group, are easy to sell, offer great value to your supporters and extremely high profits to your group.

The other ideas for church fundraisers for groups with some money to spend are the old tried and proven candy fundraisers and lollipop fundraisers that are the easiest fundraising ideas as far as administration goes.

So before searching for church fundraising ideas we suggest you decide whether you have money to spend in advance and whether you are willing to spend it and then go from there.

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Increase Revenue in Your Product Sale Fundraiser

1. Use a company that guarantees your organization gets to keep a higher percentage of the profits. There are many so-called fundraising companies out there that think it’s ok to rip the non-profits off and take 60% or more of your hard work. If this is what you have encountered, I suggest you check out FastTrack Fundraising, where you absolutely get the highest percentages on high-quality products.

2. Pick a product that is proven to be popular. Don’t just pick what you personally think would sell well. You need a broad sampling. For instance, your fundraising company will be able to tell you what their best sellers are. Again, FastTrack Fundraising has a website that is packed with a wide variety of products you can sell and make money on. Each product has reviews by actual customers that relate their experience. There is also a profit calculator which you can use to figure out how much you can make on each product. You just have to type in the number of people you expect to be selling and you’ll get a very good estimate of what you can make.

3. Give your supporters plenty of notice that the sale is coming and clearly state your goal. Communication with your customers is key. Don’t just expect them to buy whatever it is you are selling, when you are selling it. Do some homework, find out when there is a lull of fundraisers at local schools and other non-profits. Also, be up front with them about how much you’re hoping to make and what that means for every participant. If you need every person to buy $20 worth of product, tell them that.

4. Tell your group members what this money will be used for (Make sure it’s for a reason they will support!). In order to get people to part with their money for something they may not really want or need, you’ve got to make a compelling case. Work on developing a story about why you need the money and what exactly it will be used for. Don’t just say all the money goes toward the “general fund”. People want their donation to mean something important. Even if you have to move things around in your operating budget, find an expense that is directly related to the participant’s experience. If you can make it personal to each one of your members, you’ve got a much better chance of getting them to respond as you want them to.

5. Keep the participants enthused about the sale. Don’t just pass out the information about your fundraisers and then don’t mention it again until the day you’re supposed to collect the money. Keep people fired up each step of the way. Set benchmarks you’d like to meet. Offer fun incentives, but don’t spend any money on them. Save your money for the group. Something fun and free would be like you offering to shave your head bald if the group reaches the goal. Be creative.

Photo by: R/DV/RS

Getting your charity auction volunteers to buy-in and work

Got problems getting event volunteers energized to do what is needed to be done?

Here’s one tip: Give volunteers something new and creative to learn which simultaneously solves a problem your charity auction is experiencing.

Volunteers will remain engaged if they believe the solution you are sharing is 1) fun and 2) will solve the problem. When it’s fun to solve the problem, your volunteers will do it.

Watch my video to hear four tips I have for getting volunteers fired up.

About the Author
Benefit auctioneer Sherry Truhlar’s entertaining stories and advice is often picked up by publications (e.g. Town & Country, The Washington Post Magazine, AUCTIONEER, The Eleusis, The Virginia Auctioneer) and television (e.g. E! Style, TLC) where she inspires and teaches volunteers how to hit new fundraising records in their auction galas. Enjoy her FREE Auction Item Guide(listing the 100 best-selling items to sell in your benefit auction) at www.RedAppleAuctions.com

Author, coach, copy-writer, nonprofit marketing consultant and political junkie, Pamela is the author of “Five Days to Foundation Grants”  and  the creator of Simple Development Systems, the only online coaching program created for the overwhelmed fundraiser in the one-person marketing and development shop.

Pam segued from six years working in programming and communications at a regional grantmaking foundation to the world of fundraising in 2001.  In her first position as a 15-hour a week development director for an agency with a $3 million dollar budget, she increased individual giving by 25% – while reducing costs by 31% – and increased foundation funding by an astonishing 93%! She’s raised over $10 million in funding since then and has been positioning small nonprofit organizations on the path to sustainable funding ever since  with her “Simple Development Systems” of donor-centric fundraising methods.

With an eclectic 20 year background in politics, sales, marketing and philanthropy, Pamela’s greatest satisfaction lies in teaching the small community-based nonprofits how to, in her words,  “market like the big boys” with limited time and resources.

How Simple Development Systems Will Create Sustainable Funding

In the past six months my daughter has lost 45 pounds. She watches her diet, runs several times a week (she’s surpassed me – a runner or over 30 years – in that department!) and looks and feels amazing.

The other day I suggested to her that her experience would be prime fodder for a book, even an e-book, to help others struggling with their weight. After all, she has been struggling with her weight for over ten years and seems to have hit upon the perfect solution!

“Are you kidding mom?” she responded. “I lost this weight through diet and exercise! It was hard work! No one wants to hear that! Everyone wants a quick fix or a pill …”

You know what?

She’s right.

Lately it’s occurred to me that many of us in the field of nonprofit fundraising have the same mindset.

Whenever I’ve met with potential clients, I always hear the same questions or concerns:
“What about a signature event?”
“How do you get major donors?”
“How do we use social media to raise money?”
“We tried grants a few years ago and it didn’t work …”

As Charlie Brown used to say: “Argh!”

What I have found, in my 14 years working in the nonprofit arena, is that organizations who commit to their development in the same way that they commit to their mission, and who establish sound fundraising systems will always have the tools at their disposal for sustainable funding.

Great development is all about systems and relationship-building. There is no magic pill. There isn’t one single technique or tactic or trick that will set your organization on the path to sustainability.

Nonprofit organizations need tried and true systems – systems for:

• Grants management
• Individual giving
• Donor stewardship & communications
• Website creation & management

And the backbone of all these systems is a strong case statement presented with engaging story telling.

An organization doesn’t “try” grants one year and decide it doesn’t work! You’ve got to engage the foundations, reapply, research on a consistent basis and steward the grants that you have received well.

After all, you wouldn’t go the gym once, decide exercise didn’t “work” and never return would you?

Repeat my mantra: systems and relationships, systems and relationships, systems and relationships …

I’d like to welcome back Kirsten Bullock to Step By Step Fundraising.  Kirsten is a CFRE consultant, trainer and coach who works with leaders of non-profit organizations and ministries to bring professionalism, excellence and effectiveness to their board and fundraising efforts.

She earned her designation as a Certified Fund Raising Executive in 2002. Kirsten is currently serving as president elect of the Association for Fundraising Professionals Greater Louisville Chapter. She is an AFP Master Trainer, compiles ‘Kirsten’s Fundraising Headlines’ Blog, authors the ‘Growing Your Donors’ blog and is a contributor for SOFII (The Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration).

Kirsten holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a Master’s of Business Administration. When not working to equip and empower people in the nonprofit sector, Kirsten sculpts, is attempting to learn to speak Danish and enjoys living in the Highlands in Louisville, Kentucky.

Building a ‘Level Four’ Vision

Gayle Thorsen (pictured at left) is back with another great article to share with us here at Step By Step Fundraising!  Over the past year, Gayle has been kind enough to share with us her recent articles from her blog ImpactMax.  

Gayle has been in the nonprofit communications world for more than 25 years, the last 12 as the communications head for two large foundations:The Minneapolis Foundation and The McKnight Foundation.

Take a few minutes to visit ImpactMax and read all the terrific articles Gayle has posted there. It will be time very well spent!  Thanks, Gayle!

Blogs vs. Facebook for Nonprofits

Over the past few months, I’ve helped a couple nonprofit clients who are ready to move into social media decide whether to go with a blog or Facebook. (I’ll talk about Twitter strategies in a future post. It’s kind of a different animal.)

Once again, I’d like to welcome back Maureen Carruthers (pictured at left).  Maureen is a non-profit consultant, and the force behind the excellent blog “Low Hanging Fruit Communication” which covers many topics including social media for non-profits.

Maureen’s goal is to help nonprofit leaders reach their right people more quickly so their organizations have a greater impact,  She has over ten years experience working in and around nonprofit organizations, most recently as the Workforce Development Program Manager for the Dayton Tooling and Manufacturing Association, where she managed a robot competition based on theBattleBots television series. Previously, she managed the Orchestra Forum program for theInstitute for Cultural Policy and Practice and served as House Manager for the Delaware Theatre Company.

I have spent some time on Maureen’s blog, and I highly recommend you check her site out.  I learned a lot!  You can even sign up for Maureen’s free e-class and newsletter.

Want Better Meetings? Know when NOT to meet

Here is another great article from Gayle Gifford for Step By Step Fundraising- (pictured at left).

Gayle brings over 30 years of experience to her work with nonprofits – from her personal activism for peace, disarmament, environmental, human and civil rights, to her professional work as a consultant and former director of development and senior nonprofit manager.

She is one of fewer than 100 individuals in the US who hold the advanced fundraising credential, ACFRE, issued by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Gayle learned her craft as Director of Development and Communications at PLAN USA, as Deputy Director/Director of Development and Marketing at Save The Bay, and as Director of Development at CityYear RI.

I urge you to read more from Gayle’s fantastic collection of articles and learn about her consulting services by visiting her site, Cause & Effect. I also would recommend that you check out the book Gayle wrote called “How am I Doing, the 1 hour guide to evaluating the performance of your nonprofit board” available through Contributions Magazine. – Jim Berigan

How often should a board meet?

Posted by Gayle Gifford

- Richard Chait et al in Governance as Leadership

If your board is like many in the US, July and August might be time for a scheduled break from board meetings. Maneuvering around vacation schedules so the board can still make quorum seems a futile exercise, so many boards just skip meeting in these summer months (in other parts of the world, your break may be at another time on the calendar).

But this is a good time to ask, how often does our board really need to meet?

In many organizations a monthly schedule is sacrosanct. Why?

A common rationale I’ve heard for keeping to a monthly schedule is that board members will be less engaged in the organization if they don’t show up each month. But I wonder if too many of us are unwisely using the board meeting as the only touch point with board members. (Asking directors to a meeting that isn’t a good use of their time won’t build director passion and engagement, no matter how often they meet.)

When you’ve cleared the board meeting agenda of the clutter of committee reporting, gotten adept at dashboard monitoring and instituted a consent agenda to efficiently deal with  routine, noncontroversial actions, your board may find itself  facing a very BIG question: what is the real governing work that this board has to do?

That’s when you might find that you don’t need so many board meetings after all.

A useful way to determine how many board meetings you might need is to draw up an annual board meeting plan.

First, schedule the dates of the action items that you know your board routinely needs to accomplish, e.g. electing directors and officers, holding the annual board meeting, reviewing your 990 and audit, approving your annual budget, discussing your Executive Director’s annual workplan or performance review, or approving the annual board workplan.

Then consider what other big items the board needs to tackle this year. Maybe it’s a review of the assumptions behind your strategic plan. Maybe it’s a thoughtful inquiry into those most difficult questions, like what’s the impact that we are trying to have? how will we know?

Decide at what meetings you’ll schedule these important discussions.

If you find that your board meeting schedule shrinks, that’s okay. I’ve found that meetings that have no significant governing tasks are an open invitation to board micromanaging.

Charity watchdog Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau sets a minimum of three board meetings a year in its Charity Accountability Standards.  Some organizations may need a bylaws change to have more flexibility in board meeting scheduling.

You may find that with fewer meetings, board members will be up for a longer meeting where they can get much more accomplished or tackle bigger discussion questions.

If you are meeting much less frequently, you’ll need to be even more attentive to building that board team and keeping members informed and engaged. Some things to consider:

• Plan out social time at that longer board meeting so that members can get to know each other.
• Or consider other ways to help board members learn more about each other. Blue Avocado is promoting  the 7X7 where a board member gives a 7 minute briefing followed by no more than 7 minutes of questions.
• Develop a communications plan for keeping directors up-to-date between meetings. I’m a fan of the Executive Director’s eNewsletter to the board with quick updates on items of interest, links to important information or events.
• Craft a plan for engagement with each individual board member… what will each member do this year to advance the organization? That might include committee work, but what else? And what support will they need from staff or each other?

I’d love to hear from those of you who have trimmed back the number of board meetings. How did you solve the “engagement” question? How do you keep board members sufficiently informed between meetings?