| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Fundraising: How To Avoid Three Common Mistakes
I'm a board member of a local nonprofit and we are about to launch our annual campaign. Like other nonprofits in our community, we are facing a very competitive funding environment. There are more agencies seeking more money from more sophisticated donors. It's enough to make you run for cover. The reality is that fundraising is not easy, but it isn't impossible. There are some mistakes to avoid if you want to be more successful. 1. Overestimating what your donors know about you A recent ad in "The Chronicle of Philanthropy" made this point very well. There is a picture of a couple with their checkbook. The text on the picture reads: "They don't know why to choose your organization over another, how you handle your finances, if your letter is truthful." The text ends with the question, "And you want them to donate money?" Raise awareness of your mission. Let people know that you are good stewards of your finances. Let people know your results. Then, ask them for money. 2. No investment in donor research When I was growing up, my father used to say, "Sometimes you have to spend money to make money." His advice applies to fundraising. Invest time and resources in donor research. The first place to start is with your donor records. Look for the donors who have given the largest gifts. Then look for the donors who have given the largest number of gifts. Then, look for the donors who have given recently. Make a list of those donors. They are the donors most likely to give again. Continue to build on that relationship. Learn more about these donors. Gather information to find out what they think of your organization, why they give, what they want from their philanthropy. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups or inserts in mailings. There are two benefits to this approach. First, you will understand your current donors better. Second, you will have credible information that can help you find new donors or bring lapsed donors back into the fold. 3. The wrong fundraising strategy Sometimes organizations try to implement ideas that other organizations have used successfully. Before you do, you need to answer some key questions: What were the specific conditions that made that idea work for that organization? Do those conditions exist for your organization? Do we have the capacity to implement that strategy? What are the real costs? What can we realistically expect to receive? A better approach is to learn what strategies have been successful for you. Build on those strategies. Build on what you know about your capacity, your fundraising history, and your donors. Avoid these mistakes and you will build better relationships with your donors, raise more money and create more sustainable financial support. Judith Rothbaum's passion is helping nonprofits thrive. She publishes a monthly e-newsletter with practical management, fundraising and communication solutions for bold nonprofits on the move. She presents seminars, workshops and coaching programs nationwide with one key message - - think boldly about who you are and the impact you have in your community. Visit datafordecisionmaking.com to learn more.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Boost Your Business With Testimonials When used correctly, testimonials can boost your response dramatically. They help build the prospect's perception of believability, stability, honesty, and value in your product or service. Read Your Markets Mind - 3 Great Market Research Resources Starting a new online business, developing a new product, launching a new marketing campaign, buying advertising can all depend on how well you are able to research your market.All business is based on demand. The 7 Commandments of Marketing Marketing is the key to success with any business, online or traditional. You can have a website or business location. Loyalty Cards - Tips To Consider Before Committing To One Loyalty marketing has been around for as long as retailing - attractive stores, good service, and a quality product line all contribute to building up a loyal customer base.With the growth of larger stores, a relatively new marketing component - the loyalty card - has been added by many retail outlets. Ten Easy Marketing Tasks You Can Do NOW Who says scientists can't market? Here are 10 easy marketing ideas that a group of folks at the National Institute of Standards and Technology came up with today during our monthly Marketing Action Group:1. Listen to (and write down!) the questions your clients ask. Why Referral Business Is So Valuable With so much money invested on innefective advertising, it's time to look at some good old fashioned ways of generating new business. One tried and tested way is by referral. How To Sell To Howard Stern... Oprah Winfrey... And Paul McCartney! Do you know what Howard Stern.. How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common? How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common?Now before you decide I've gone totally bananas, there is a connection between these two subjects but it's not perhaps obvious straight away.For most - men anyway - they learn how to do one of these before the other. A Perfect Partnership for Business Too often we small business owners get caught up in our day-to-day bottom line, and miss the needs of the community outside our door. By doing this, we miss an opportunity to include "socially responsible marketing" -or sponsorship- in our yearly promotional plan. The Exiler THE EXILER (your search for true brand attributes ends here!)With the advent of new marketing strategies and techniques, many theories have sprouted up telling you many ways to impress your target customers and make them buy your product. But when it comes to practical implementation of the theories, most of them fail, or give partial results because they are based either on buying behavior of customers or extensive surveysWhen the customers choose to buy a product they look only into very few features of product / service which are vital for their selection. Marketing The Real You I often wonder how the practice began of pretending to be someone else in order to market your business. You know what I'm talking about -- it's the marketing face, the selling voice, that you often put on in order to attend a networking event or make a sales call. Your Ideal Client A lot of small businesses make the mistake of thinking that their product or service is good for just about anyone. The logic is "why should I limit my market to a smaller segment of the whole and sacrifice a sale. 25 Ways To Make Your Next Direct Mail Campaign Work This list contains 25 powerful strategies to improve your direct mail results. It would be wise to use this as a checklist to ensure you've included as many as possible in your advertising. Roping In Loyal Customers While Making An Extra Profit! You've probably bought a book or two at one of the major chain bookstores. When you're checking out, you get asked if you have the "discount card. FREE Means MORE Business Why give freebies?We have all seen freebies at trade shows and we have all probably seen the person that goes from booth to booth collecting as much of it as possible. There is always someone that only goes to get the free stuff, but then again there are also people that go there to learn about new products or services. Simple Marketing Idea - Big Marketing Results! Have you ever noticed how many times it's the simplest concepts that end up working the best?The same is so true when it comes to marketing. I'm constantly amazed at just how powerful some of the simplest concepts are. Looking for Sky In All The Wrong Places Ever sit with a single puzzle piece of clouds and wonder how you will ever put the entire sky together? Life as an entrepreneur is often just like that-- lots of the little pieces, creating products, taking care of clients, wrestling with computers, finances, taxes, etc.-- and a whole lot of sky. A Tool For Selling New Ideas! Imagine tossing a pebble into a crystal clear pond on a still day, & watching the ripples make their way to the shore. A tiny cause has a massive effect. Creating Your Own Lead Capture Pages Having a downline can be golden. A downline is a group of folks who have either signed-up or have already agreed to at least look at what you send them. 20 Tricks to Help Get That Envelope Opened When your envelopes aren't opened, you can't make money! Beforeyou can get an order, the recipient of your mailing package mustfirst open the envelope. Unfortunately, many recipients ofdirect mail simply discard the material without opening theenvelope.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
