Nonprofit Fundraising

Fundraising Tip — Desperation Fundraising

Hint: Don’t do it.

I’m sure there is an official term for this. Desperation fundraising is just my term. It means that a fundraiser is often up against a wall, constantly getting calls or drop-ins from the ED or finance person (or worse yet, board members!) about how much needs to be raised RIGHT NOW!

Don’t do it. Don’t buy into.

Instead, create a plan.

Do you have a budget? I don’t mean the agency’s budget. I mean your personal or team budget for development or fundraising.

An example is: Your agency budget says that in July you will raise $25,000. That’s in the official budget. That means that in order to keep going smoothly, and to not adversely affect the rest of the year’s budget, you must raise $25,000. Your personal/team budget says exactly how you plan to do that:

Major gifts: $5,000
Gala sales: $10,000
Summer campaign: $2,500
Corporate partnership: $2,500
Foundation gift: $5,000