Small organization fundraising
You’re not alone. Here in the U.S., most nonprofits are smaller organizations, with nearly one million organizations having annual revenues below 50,000 U.S. dollars.
Here are some tips to help small organizations fundraise:
- Invest
- Plan
- Communicate
- Ask for help
- Don’t play the fundraising lottery
- Nurture your data
- Keep your mission in sync with your resources
1. Invest
Most small organizations struggle with money. How to get it. What to spend it on. So your financial decisions – right from the start – are critical.
It may sound harsh, but you can’t let your dreams outpace your means. Be wise; build a strong base to grow from. That means investing in fundraising. Nothing else you do will allow your mission to thrive if you haven’t planned for a strong fundraising program.
2. Plan
Sometimes, I enjoy driving around – no map, just a general sense of direction. It’s relaxing. No plan, no rush, no worries.
But that’s not how to approach your organization and its growth! You need to know where you want to go and how you plan to get there.
Invest: A fundraising consultant can be a huge help here. If you’re fortunate, you might have a board member or other volunteer with the skills. But it’s also worth investigating funding for this particular project. If you have a community foundation, ask if they fund fundraising planning.
3. Communicate
Begin with a strong message about why you are. Why is your organization needed? Who needs you? And then, importantly, why should someone give you money? (Hint: this is where you connect donors and potential donors to your mission. “Help us meet our annual fund goals” is not persuasive. “Your neighbors are hungry. You can feed them.” is much better!
Then think about how you will share that strong message.
Depending on social media platforms, like Facebook, is dangerous. You’re building on rented land there. Ask the folks in the EU.
Likewise, don’t rely only on email. According to Small Business Trends, the average click-through rate is 3.71%. Ouch. And while you might find providers who will allow you a certain number of emails and/or records per month free, you may be hollering into the darkness. Email is useful, but real mail still gives better results.
Donors and potential donors won’t give if they don’t know you exist and need support. Including mail in your mix will give you better results – even if it costs more.
Invest: Take time to learn how to communicate well with donors. Or to hire a skilled fundraising copywriter.
Save: If you have a very small list, ask your board members or other volunteers to pitch in. They can buy stamps and help you prepare mailings. Any personal touch they can add should increase your response rate!
4. Ask for help
Many tiny organizations are trying to brazen it out. But here’s the secret: even huge organizations need to be vulnerable enough to ask for help if they want to succeed.
As a nonprofit organization, you’re not meant to do it all alone. And people can’t help if they don’t know you need help.
Invest: The time to be sure everyone understands that fundraising is critical to your mission. And that inviting people to be part of that mission is critical to your future.
5. Avoid the fundraising lottery
Your resources are finite. So while it’s tempting to “spray and pray” your messaging, resist the temptation.
With individual donors, find your people. Then ask the people you find to help you find more people. Consider asking donors for introductions.
For foundations, don’t try to create one generic proposal and send it to every foundation you can find. Though that sounds like it will save you time and money, you’ll do better if you build relationships with foundations in your community or those whose funding priorities match your mission. Call. Talk to them before sending a proposal they’ll ignore.
Working with a skilled grantwriter can also help you succeed. It’s worth it!
Invest: Work with a skilled grantwriter – at least at the beginning. Then invest the time to build relationships at foundations interested in your mission.
6. Nurture your data
You need a safe place to keep your critical information. Choosing a database is a big decision – and not one to base on price alone. If you’re tempted to try to pigeonhole your needs into software that’s not made for fundraising, you’ll end up spending lots of time making it work.
Understand that you may need to change systems as you grow. But start with a good base, and those upgrades down the road will be easier.
Your data is one of your most valuable resources. Care for it properly!
Invest: A good fundraising system. Do the research!
7. Keep your mission in sync with your resources
Keeping your mission in sync with your resources is hard. You see the need and it’s urgent.
But if you spread yourself too thin, you’ll fail. You need support. Focus on what you can do. Do it well. And ask for help: with what you’re doing and what you want to do. Here’s where small can be a strength: you don’t need to explain why you need money. Be very clear about your mission, have a plan to do more, but first, bring supporters along with you.
Invest: In fundraising. Keep your team focused on your mission. And grow as your support grows. If you outpace yourself, you won’t accomplish what you need to do.
Small organization fundraising
Here’s the straight talk: if your mission is very specific, and you serve only a particular, small group of people, growing large will be hard. Consider joining forces with another organization doing similar work.
But if you serve an urgent and growing need, getting the word out is key. People won’t support what they don’t know about. So create strong communications, including effective asks, and invest in your fundraising.
Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash
Leave a Reply