HOW TO ARTICLES

USING NETWORKING TO FIND FUNDING SOURCES FOR
YOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

While there are many prospective major gift donors out there who will
fund your proposals based strictly on the quality and merits of your
funding request. The fact remains that, a good percentage of funds are
supplied to nonprofit organizations simply because someone in the
organization getting those funds knows the individual donor, or knows
someone in the organization providing those funds. This called
"networking."

To use networking effectively you need to find out who knows who
within your own organization, so that you can use the basic principals
of networking to your advantage.
To do this you need to prepare some kind of questionnaire for your
board members, past board members, senior staff members, and volunteer
leaders to fill out to supply this information.

This questionnaire should provide information on who their spouse’s
place of employment, their doctor, lawyer, banker, insurance company,
as well as their friends, associates, and neighbors who are affiliated
with local corporations, foundations, wealthy individual, and the
social, civic, religious, and fraternal they belong to. All of this
information can prove very valuable in finding network connections.

You need to also develop a worksheet to categorize who knows who with
a place on this worksheet for notations as the basic nature of their
relationships. In filling out these worksheet each member of your
organization who filled out a questionnaire should review every other
questionnaire filled out as a cross-reference as to who knows who.

Moreover, from your worksheets your network connections should be
rated as to their basic value. For example, all direct personal
connections would probably have a higher rating than indirect or
casual network connections. Some network connections at first glance
may seem to have great network possibilities and then evaporate right
before your eyes. And some connections that may not seem as promising
at first but turn out to be a great connection, so carefully study all
of your connections for their ultimate value to you.

Now just because you have a network connection with a prospective
funding source does not necessarily mean that this individual or
organization is the right for the funding needs of your nonprofit
organization. This you must determine through your research into this
funding source as to the kind of projects or organization they fund.
To see if there is a preliminary match between what they do, and what
your organization needs.

If there is such a match then you stand a very good chance of getting
the funds you seek, but you must carefully craft your approach to
each funding source to be most successful.

For direct network connection you can have your person write the
letter, and make the call to set up the appointment to meet with them
themselves, for someone else in your organization to meet with them,
or a combination, with them attending the meeting also.

Whereas with an indirect connection your person may write the letter
and make the call, let you use their name to do so, or act as your
organizations advocate, in helping you meet with the funding source to
establish a more direct connection. Too, keep in mind that the
variations and combinations on how you can most effectively use your
network connection are many.

In preparing to meet with any funding source you should have a fairly
good idea about what this source will fund, and the range of gifts
they provide so you’ll know how to much to ask for, which will require
some research on your part. During your meeting with a funding source
you should establish rapport. And let them make the first move, then
once their interest is confirmed sell your proposal and show passion
for your ideas.

And, after your meeting with a funding source, you should send the
person you met with a thank you letter for meeting with you. And
indicate your continued interest in them as a source of funds. You
should also write up a 200 word synopsis of your meeting with any
personal information on your contact you may have discovered, what you
promised to do and when, and what they promised and by when, for your
own donor files.

Berwyn J. Kemp is a fundraising consultant who helps nonprofit
organizations obtain funding. For full details on his funding
products, or to read more of his re-printable articles you can visit:
http://www.berwynkemp55.tripod.com

RAISING FUNDING FOR YOUR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
FROM AN ANNUAL DIRECT MAIL SOLICITATION LIST
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

There are very few nonprofit organizations that could not benefit from
an effective annual direct mail solicitation program. Whether you are
currently using such a program right now or not, one of the keys to
the success of such a program is the mailing list you’ll use. Thus an
annual direct mail solicitation list can be one of the best assets
your nonprofit organization has to raise funds. Because from such a
list you can find small, moderate, and even major donors, who will not
only support you financially but will volunteer their time as well.

Therefore in building a profitable annual direct mail solicitation
list the first group of prospects that you should add to it are users
of your services. That is, those people who have benefited directly
for the services your organization provides. However, in many cases
the users of your services may in fact not be able to support your
organization financially. For example, if you provide services to say
children. In which case you should seek to approach family members and
friends of users of your services for financial support.

Beyond adding the names of users of your services or family and
friends of users of your services to you direct mail list. The other
kinds of names you might add will depend on the marketing approach
that you take. There are two main marketing approaches you can use.
One is the "electric cause" approach, and the other one is the
"essential service" approach. Let’s take a look at both of these
approaches and ways to obtain names for your list for each approach.

With the electric cause marketing approach you will be more than like
focusing on a single issue or cause. And the appeal letter you use
will very often have an, "us vs them" theme. Or your appeal letter in
essence will say "support us or you will lose this or that."
While you will very often see this approach used for issues that are
national in scope such as gun control, the Moral Majority, and etc.
This is an approach that can be use by local organizations concerning
local issues quite successfully

To find prospective donor prospects for your list when using the
electric cause approach should seek out lists of those organization
that are ideologically similar to your own. And subscription lists
from publications that are read by people who share your same basic
ideological views. Also you can consult a list broker who should be
able to help you find lists of those people who will be most likely to
respond to your direct mail solicitations.

With the "essential services" marketing approach first of all your
organization must be clearly seen as offering services that are truly
essential to the overall well being of your community. One such
organization for example would be the YWCA, which can be found in just
about every community of any size in this country. Using this
approach your appeal letter would stress clearly what the money will
be used for. And the good work your organization is doing within the
community, and well as what might happen if the services you provided
didn’t exist.

To find prospect names for the essential services marketing approach
you could use local real estate tax lists, which are public records,
of the community or area you serve, and anyone who pays $3,000 or more
in property taxes could be considered a prospect. Also you could seek
out membership lists of prominent local service organizations and
groups, who have members who are rather well to do. And, of course,
you can also contact a mailing list broker for their help as well.

Moreover, keep in mind as you build your annual direct mail list the
fact that such an annual list can potentially produce a regular source
of funding for your organization each year. But on the other hand such
a list may not work very well for your organization beyond the users
of your services, or the family and friends of users.

So don’t invest large sums of money into this activity until you’re
sure that your investment will give you a good return. If you do get a
good return it is a return that you’ll see year after year, providing
the funds that you need to better serve others.

GOOD FUNDRAISING PLANNING WILL HELP YOUR NONPROFIT
GET THE FUNDING IT NEEDS
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

While getting funding for your nonprofit organization is, indeed,
never ever really a very easy job, since it seems most nonprofit
organizations are always chronically short of funds to some extent.
Yet, in tough economic times like these your job is even more
difficult. However, with some very careful planning raising the funds
you need for your organization will truly be much more effective, and
a whole lot easier as well. Here are some steps you can take to help
you design good fundraising plans for the needs of your nonprofit
organization.

1. Appoint a Needs Assessment and Development Planning Committee about
30 to 60 days before your first formal board meeting of the New Year.
This is done because as organization is finishing up its current
fundraising efforts, this committee should be working on planning your
next fundraising efforts. This committee should be composed of 4 or 5
board members, and your executive director. The tasks of this
committee are to arrive at a suggested overall-funding goal for the
next year, and advise the board on how these goals and objective can
be achieved.

2. Set your fundraising goals for the next fiscal year by starting
with the major capital items you need funding for. Then set your
program objectives by carefully reviewing each program or project and
asking such questions as: Was this program a success? What was the
cost of delivering this program? Will this program be continued? Next,
anything that can’t be classified as a capital or program funding
objective will be an operating funding objective. Capital and program
objectives should be funded from foundations and corporations, while
your operating objectives will be funded from effective committee work
and individuals.

3. Introduce these preliminary funding plans at your January board
meeting, which should be done by your board chairman. The views of
each board member, and your executive director should be requested
during this meeting. And this meeting should end with a formal
resolution to the fact that all board members will work faithfully to
help implement these funding plans as both financial contributors, and
to solicit contributions from others.

4. Figure out how many committees you will need, and who will chair
each respective committee. Keeping in mind that about 20% of your
overall operating funding needs should come form your board committee
in the form of direct financial support, and solicitation of
contributions. Then set a reasonable goal for each committee of say 7%
to 10% of the overall operating goal objective. If your board can’t or
won’t fund 20% of your overall operating funding objective, then your
overall operating goal is too high.

5. Prepare as many of the fundraising document that you’ll need as
possible in advance. This will include such documents as: As
development proposals, proposal cover letters, case statements, sample
committee solicitation letters, donor solicitation report forms, and
etc. The preparation of these documents is usually the responsibility
of your Needs Assessment and Development Planning Committee.

6. Train your committee chairman in basic solicitation methods, who
should then instruct members of their committees on these methods.
This training could be through a short 4 hour training session held on
a weekday evening or on a weekend afternoon. What more, you’ll need to
prepare some kind of training manual to assist you in this training,
which will cover the three essentials of fund solicitation. Namely,
the approach, presentation, and the ask (close).

7. Kick off your annual fundraising drive with a kick off meeting to
inspire and motivate your volunteer workers. This meeting should start
with an inspirational keynote speaker, and set the tone for your
overall campaign. During this meeting you should also have a question
and answer period, where the technical question of your volunteers can
be answered, and make sure that each committee as the documents it
needs. This meeting should end with a brief summary of the overall
campaign by your keynote speaker, and a final positive uplifting
inspirational message to spur your volunteers into action.

Good fundraising planning is critical to your nonprofit organization
in achieving its fundraising goals and objectives. And while the
planning process does require time and effort to design and implement,
the fundraising success you can achieve doing this are well worth the
effort. Since good funding plans are so important to your
organizations success, it is something you must never leave to chance.
Because if you do this you won’t obtain the funds that you seek, and
you will not be living up to the responsibility you have to those you
serve.

BUILDING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH DONORS WILL
HELP YOUR NONPROFIT FOR YEARS TO COME
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

The institutions and individuals who financially support organization
are very special group of people indeed to the long-term success for
your nonprofit. And each and everyone of them must be treated as an
all-important ingredient to the present and future existence of your
organization.

The beginning of this long term relationship all starts with their
first involvement with your organization, and usually with a smaller
level of support. Which very often will grow to more modest and major
gifts, providing you build and cultivate long-term relationships with
them.

In addition to providing your organization with direct contributions
themselves, if properly cultivated, your donors will give your
organization access to other sources of funding known to them but not
known to you. That’s is, those all important network connections to
other foundations, corporations, and individuals that can provided
support to your organization as well. Here are some guidelines to you
build and cultivate long term relationships with your donors:

* Carefully study all the reasons why donors would support your
cause. Some of the more general reasons are feelings: of wanting to
make the world a better place, of joining together with others for a
good cause, or seeking greater spiritual fulfillment, and a host of
other human motivators. The more you know about just why most of them
support you cause in particular the better, since this will help you
give them what it is they want, which is a key part of any
relationship.

* Always tell them "thank you" for their gift no matter how large or
how small. From the sincere thank you letter, which should be standard
for each and every gift of any size, to the thank you phone call for
more modest and major gifts, of course. In addition to any other ways
you can creatively come up with to say thank you to your donors in
proportion to the size of gift they’ve made.

* Develop clear written donor recognition guidelines, as to what each
level of donor recognition each size of gift will receive. Such as,
thank you letters, thank you phone calls, wall plaques, and donor
walls. As well as the naming of walkways, special areas, and
buildings. Moreover, it’s important that you stick to your written
guidelines so that all donors understand that they are being treated
equally and fairly.

* Keep them informed on the work of your organization and how their
funds are being invested. You can do this in numerous ways like
sending them your annual report, your organizational newsletter,
clippings of articles that appear on your work, invitations to your
donor recognition events, and in numerous other ways. Thus, think
through a regular and ongoing plan for keeping your donors updated on
the progress and successes of your work.

* Make them feel as if they are really special to your organization
as, in fact, a part of a very special club. Go out of your way to be
nice to them, particularly your major donors by escorting them to your
special events and benefits, asking them to serve on your fundraising
committees, asking them to sit on your board of directors or trustees.
And any other ways you can think of to really make them feel just what
they are, very special to your organization.

* Ask them to network you to the attention of other institutions and
individuals who can provide support to your organization also. A large
percentage of funding that most nonprofit organizations get is the
result of someone in or associated with the organization knowing
someone in the funding sources organization, or someone in or
associated with the organization knowing a significant individual
donor prospect directly or indirectly. Your success in tapping into
these funding sources will depend on your ability to effectively use
your donor network connections.

By following these guidelines your nonprofit organization can
cultivate productive long-term relationships with all those
institutions and people who will provide financial support for your
organization today, as well as tomorrow. They will provide small
moderate, major, planned, and exit gifts to your organizations.

And your donors will provide your organization those important network
connections to other sources of funding, and all you have to do is
build and cultivate them. Then use those funds to help insure the
future of your organization, and the future of those you serve.

MAJOR GIFTS FROM INDIVIDUALS SHOULD BE A REGULAR
PART OF YOUR NONPROFIT REVENUE
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

If your nonprofit organization focuses mostly on getting grants from
institutions, and annual giving methods, such as, annual direct mail,
special events, donors clubs, and other lower level annual giving
methods. Yet you neglect to devote enough time and effort into seeking
major gifts from individuals, then you make be making a big mistake.

A mistake that could very easily be costing your nonprofit
organization many thousands of dollars in funding each year, that an
effective major gift solicitation program for individuals could
provide.

A major gift program soliciting gifts from individuals can potentially
supply your organization with as much funding, if not more, than your
grant solicitation program seeking funds for institutional funding
sources like foundations and corporations. Providing that you set up
your major gift solicitation program to individual right, and do all
those other things that makes for a successful fundraising effort.
Here are some guidelines to help you do this:

* Prepare a list of prospective individual major donor prospects, by
first carefully reviewing your own donor records for such prospects.
And from your own organizational network contacts by preparing a
questionnaire for your board members, past board members, key staff
members, and key volunteers leaders to fill out. Which list their
family, fiends, business, and professional contacts, since all of
these may be or lead to qualified major gift prospects. What’s more,
study local published sources of information on possible individual
donor prospects as well.

* Make a "best guess" estimate as to how much your should ask each
donor and donor prospect to give, keeping in mind that you will be
always walking a fine line here. Because, if you ask for too large or
too small of a gift the prospect may feel you have not done your home
work. And there is nothing worse than asking a donor prospect for
modest gifts, when in fact they could make a more major contribution.

*Draft as many of the documents you need for your gifts solicitation
program from individuals in advance, and then save them of computer.
Some of the many kinds of documents you’ll need include: development
proposals, proposal cover letters, case statements, cold gift
solicitation letters, network connection solicitation letters,
solicitation report forms, and other similar kinds of documents.

* Start your gift solicitation program to individuals by writing your
prospects then calling to arrange the actual appointment. This is the
basic approach you’ll use to set up the vast majority of your
appointments for more major gifts. Whereas, modest gifts can be
effectively solicited without an actual appointment, but simply by
letter and phone.

* Conduct good gift solicitation interviews with your individual
major gift prospects by starting your interview with a brief period of
small talk to get acquainted, then tell your full and complete story
passionately, and always ask for the gifts. These interviews should
last between 30 minutes to one hour at the longest, and always follow
up each interview in the appropriate manner.

* Understand that many of your individual donor prospects will not
respond to your gift solicitation efforts, the first few times you
approach them. But if you continue to approach them, you will over
time get a good percentage of them to respond. Which of course
suggests that you need a bit of patience in implementing your major
gift program to this group effectively.

Don’t be one of those organizations that puts most of its time into
obtaining grant funds from institutions, and doing annual giving
campaigns, yet neglect the hidden treasure that is buried in an
effective major gift program seeking gifts from individuals.

Because if you do decide not to put the time and effort needed into a
major gift solicitation program for individuals, you may well be
throwing away many thousands of dollars in contributions. Funds that
I’m sure your organization could put to good use helping more of the
people your organization serves.

EFFECTIVELY USING VOLUNTEERS TO DO YOUR NONPROFIT
SPECIAL EVENTS SUCCESSFULLY
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

All good fundraising is a very people intensive activity, and this is
nowhere more so than in doing special events and benefits. Without
enough people to do your special events effectively the people you do
have will be asked to do far too much. Which will cause frustration,
resentment, resignations and a host of other problems your
organization, I’m sure, would like to avoid.

Therefore, you need to know how to find the people you need, and how
to effectively put them to best use to help you do your special event
successfully. To raise the funds your nonprofit organization needs, to
increase your donor bases, and obtain valuable publicity for your
worthy cause. Here are some guidelines to help you:

Start by selecting a special event chairman, who is hopefully one of
those special people that have a certain talents for doing such
activities. Obviously, if your organization already has someone with
these particular qualities and talents, so much the better. If your
organization doesn’t have such a person already involved in your
organization in some way. Then you must find the talent that you need
for your special event chairman. As a rule, the locating of such an
individual should be the responsibility of your Nominating Committee.

You need to set up a Special Events Committee. This committee could be
made up of prospective future board members, staff members,
independent volunteers and such. The primary functions of this
committee is to decide what subcommittees are needed, make sure each
subcommittee has a chairman, define specific job descriptions for each
committee, develop timelines for the completion of tasks, and report
to board on special events’ progress

After your Special Event Committee is set up, you need to decide what
kind of subcommittees is needed for your special event. Of course, the
kinds of special event subcommittees you require will be determined by
the kind of special event you plan to hold. Yet, in any case you will
need some of the following kinds of subcommittees: A Facility
Committee, Program Committee, Printed Literature Committee, Publicity
Committee, Mailing Committee, Ticket Sales Committee, Hosting
Committee, Underwriters Committee, and a Clean Up Committee.

Be sure to provide your committee members with some kind of training
depending on the job they will be doing. This training session should
last about 2 to 3 hours, and at the start each committee chairman
should distribute to their committee members the following materials:
an event fact sheet, a case statement, a list of key contact with
phone number, a list of subcommittee meeting, and a complete job
description for their committee.

Then each committee chair should be allowed to go through the various
aspect of their committees’ job description. And, all committee
members should have answered any technical question they may have on
their job descriptions.

What's more,hold regular committee management meetings, to effectively
manage your various special events committees. During these meetings
you should keep task action minutes, as to what needs to be done, when
it needs to be done, and who needs to do it. The purpose of these
meetings is to make sure that special event timelines and objectives
are being achieved on schedule. And if not what actions needs to be
taken to correct these situations and keep things running smoothly.

Now use article to help you effectively use your human resources to
make your special events and benefits produce the funds you seek, and
get positive publicity for the work of your organization. But if you
don’t take heed, and try to do your special events and benefits
without building and cultivating relationships with the people you
need to succeed, your organization will face a host of problems.

Problems that come from asking too few to do far too much, very often
far more than they can really do. Which will cause your special events
to not raise the funds you need, nor get all that good publicity for
the work of your organization, with very sad consequences for the
people your organization serves.