Everyone involved in an organization can help raise funds—even those who think they’re “not good at it.”
You care about the cause, and you want to make a difference. Now the organization you support is asking you to help with fundraising. If you feel yourself backing toward the door, you wouldn’t be alone. But before you say, “Fundraising is not for me,” I ask you to stop and consider the following:
- Fundraising is more than making the ask. If asking is not your thing, there are many other important roles to play. They include making connections, building relationships and engaging prospective donors long before a gift is requested. And once a gift is received, there is thanking to be done (at least seven times, to be specific).
- Of all the time a successful group spends on fundraising, only 10 percent of their time is spent asking for a gift. The remaining 90 percent is spent building relationships, providing recognition, and expressing gratitude.
So there IS a role you can play, no matter your past experience or comfort level.
Raising funds isn’t just the responsibility of the development director or the executive director (though they may steer the effort), and it’s not just the job of the organization’s other staff members. It’s everyone’s responsibility, and it begins with the board of directors.
The board must be willing to engage in the effort in a meaningful way, as well as demonstrate their support by making a financial contribution of their own. After that come volunteers and staff, who also share responsibility for the fundraising effort. Eventually, the fundraising effort extends even further, involving the people who are served, as well as their families and friends. And at its fullest extent, the fundraising job expands to include the general population.
With an organized plan, defined roles, and the confidence that comes with basic training and skills development, fundraising can be easier and more effective. You and your organization have the potential not only to fulfill your mission, but to further your purpose.
Learn more about how you can engage your entire organization in the fundraising effort. Contact me for a free, no-obligation 30-minute consultation.