The basics of fundraising all revolve around one common factor – raising money by asking. So, in order to run a successful fundraiser, whether it be a straight out “ask” for a donation or an event that will generate funds, there are basic fund raising strategies that, when applied, generate a substantial amount of money.
Any fundraiser takes planning and people. Planning because any successful fund raising endeavor takes time to develop and people because one person can’t raise all the money or put together an entire event. A good team with several committees to do the planning is definitely the way to go.
The next basic step is deciding what type of fund raiser to plan. What are the goals and what planning steps will it take to reach the goals that have been set? The easiest way to begin is to decide whether you want to solicit funds through a mailing or through an event. Once that decision is made, a timeline needs to be drawn and committees need to be assigned tasks.
In the case of a mailing, a compelling letter asking for donations needs to be written, a mailing committee needs to be assigned the task of gathering mailing lists and creating a master list – collating, stuffing and stamping envelopes and tracking returns. If an event is planned, there is a greater need for planning and more committees need to be put in place. The larger the event, the greater the need for committees with strong chairs or co-chairs to make sure tasks are completed ensuring a successful fundraising event. Finally, a very BASIC “basic” is to always thank everyone involved in the fund raiser including volunteers and donors.
About SmartRaise:
SmartRaise is an easy-to-use and completely free online tool that is the perfect complement (or replacement) for the traditional fundraiser. In a matter of your minutes, your group can have its own personalized fundraising website where supporters can log on, learn about your cause, and earn you cash with every purchase they make at over 300 popular online stores.
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