HOW TO ARTICLES

A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE NONPROFIT FUNDRAISING TOOL:
YOUR ORGANIZATION’S CASE STATEMENT
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

One very effective fundraising tool for your nonprofit organization is
your "case statement," which is a short detailed document. That makes
your best case as to why an institution or individual should provide
financial support to your nonprofit organization. And, in essence your
case statement is really a mini-development proposal, which should be
keep to 2 back to back 8½ x 11 inch sheets of paper, or a total of
four pages. The short format of your case statement makes it easy for
it’s reader to grasp overall mission of your organization quickly and
easily.

Your case statement can be used to effective approach small
foundations, corporations, and individuals as an effective fundraising
tool, to get financial support of your cause. And it is composed of a
number of sections, each section relaying concise, specific, detailed
information concerning the mission of your organization. Here are the
various sections you need to prepare an effective case statement:

1. The history section: Start your case statement off with a brief
history of your organizations. Which should, of course, include when
your organization was started, who started your organization, and why
your organizations were started. Also, include information on how your
organization has evolved from it original mission, if any.

2. The success section: In this section you need to stress two kinds
of success which are your organizational successes, and your program
successes. That you have achieved over the last three years, and if
possible show an increasing progressive pattern of success for your
organization. Since both institutional and individual contributors
like to see this, and be associated with successful organizations.

3. Ongoing programs section: In this part of your statement you want
to give the reader of your case a nutshell view of the projects and
programs that you have going. Including a description of each program,
how many people where served with each, and other important
information to help the reader better understand what it is your
organization does.

4. Past supporter’s section: In this section you need to give
information on the financial supporters of your organization over the
last three years. Which will include: government agencies,
corporations, civic groups, religious groups, and individuals. In
providing information on institutional funding sources you should give
each funding sources full legal name. Whereas with your individual
donors you should not provide any names but only the number of gifts,
and total sum of all the gifts.

5. The leadership section: This section needs to have short
biographies of your board chairman, your executive director, and any
other biographies as needed. Such as, program or project coordinators
of programs and projects that are critical to funding objectives.
These short biographies should list the qualifications, their
successes, and their professional accomplishments, and etc.

6. Funding objectives section: This key section of your case statement
should list the capital, project, and operating goals and objectives
of your organization. What’s more you don’t have to head these parts
of this section capital, project, and operating needs. But instead it
would be a good idea create much more dramatic and interesting
headlines for these three areas, since a good case statement should
read, some what, like a good feature story.

7. The critical role section: In the critical role section of your
case is where you set the whole basic theme of your entire fundraising
effort. This part of your case statement is purposely designed to get
a strong emotional response for your reader, and to engender
enthusiasm for your cause. And tell just what your organization is
doing to make this old world of ours a better place, as well as share
with the reader your grand vision of this much better world.

Truly, your case statement is one of the most useful and effective
fundraising documents that your nonprofit organization can develop and
use, in your efforts to raise funding from small foundations,
corporations, and individuals. So be sure to put the time, very
careful thought, and effort needed into preparing a good case
statement, as an effective fundraising tool for your organization.
Because your time and effort will be repaid many times over on your
mission to help others from the great work you do.

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

DOING MAJOR GIFT INTERVIEWS WITH INDIVIDUALS
TO GET FUNDS FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

One of the keys to your nonprofit organization getting the funding it
needs involves your being able to obtain major gifts from individuals.
Because foundations and corporations only supply 15% to 25% of most
nonprofit organization’s funds. Whereas, 75% to 85% of the funds most
nonprofit organizations need comes from private individuals. Thus, it
is imperative that you seek out private individuals to contribute
major gifts to your nonprofit organization.

In getting major gifts from individuals your organization must be able
to conduct effective major gift solicitation interviews. Here are some
steps to take to help you do these interviews effectively:

1. Prepare a list of donors and donor prospects using your own donor
data bases, referrals from board and staff members, and printed
sources of information such as local newspapers, Who’s Who
directories, professional association lists, real estate tax records,
and other sources of information. Prospective major gift donors are
everywhere, even if you must cultivate and build a relationship with
them before they contribute to your organization.

2. Start setting up interview appointments, using your prepared list.
These major gift solicitation interviews are usually set up by first
writing the prospect a letter, and enclosing some materials on your
organization like a case statement. Then this letter is follow up by
telephone to set the actual appointments. If someone in or associated
with your organization knows this donor prospect directly or
indirectly, they may be the actual one who writes this letter and
makes the follow up phone call.

3. Use the first five to ten minutes of your solicitation interview on
a bit of small talk to get a feel for the prospect, and to get to know
them a little better. Moreover, many times it is highly effective to
bring who referred this individual to your organization as a major
gift donor prospect to this meeting, particularly if your connection
knows this person directly or indirectly, and who can then help you
sell your ideas to the prospect.

4. Make your presentation by telling your full story, and be sure to
show passion and enthusiasm for your ideas. Since these emotional
qualities are indeed contagious, and will be pick up by the donor
prospect, if they are truly interested in your cause, ideas, and
organization. Your overall gift interview should take between 30
minuets to an hour, which is much more than enough time to make a
clear professional presentation.

5. When you feel that the time is right make your "ask." And when
making your ask don’t tense up, or change your tone and expression
from what the prospect has become use to during the course of your
presentation. If they agree to make a gift find out when you can
expect to receive it. If they ask for more time to decide, find out
when a decision may be reach. If they decline to make a gift, gently,
find out why if at all possible, and inform them that you’ll keep them
updated on the work of your organization, then make a graceful exit.

6. Follow up on each solicitation interview that you conduct with a
letter. For those who have agreed to make a gift, of course, thank
them. For those who needed more time, thank them for meeting with you,
and indicate when you’ll re-contact them for their decision, based on
what they’ve already told you. For those who declined to make a gift,
thank them for their time, and let them know that you’ll keep them
updated on the work of your organization, as you promised after the
interview and do.

Yes, being able to do effective major gift interviews with individuals
will go a long way towards helping your organization get the funding
it needs. Since the largest percentage of funding your organization
will, normally, receive comes from gift from individuals. So start now
to locate individual major gift prospects, set up appointments, and
conduct effective major gift solicitation interviews with them. On a
regular and ongoing basis to get the funds you need to do the good
work you do to help so very many people.

THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: PRE-CAMPAIGN PLANNING
THE BIG KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

A major capital campaign can be a very effective way for your
nonprofit organization to raise a large amount of capital for the
needs of your organization. But one of the first keys to successfully
doing your capital campaign is effective planning. So that you can
successfully raise the funds you seek with your campaign, and avoid
all the potential pitfalls and problems. And you will face many such
difficulties therefore careful planning of your capital drive is a
must.

The effective planning of your major capital campaign is what will
ultimately help your campaign to be the success you want it to be. And
will cover the following five important areas: Doing your feasibility
study; Developing your master plan; Developing your strategic plan;
Developing your budget plan; And, developing your timeline. Now let’s
study each of these important areas.

First, a feasibility study can save your organization a great deal of
time, money, and prevent your organization from being publicly
embarrassed by doing a very poorly planned capital campaign. While
such studies are always needed, you need not spend large amounts of
money to have it done, because you can more often than not do your
own. In doing your study what you want to do is to: Evaluate your
donor bases for giving capacity; Evaluate your leadership for their
ability to do a capital campaign, And evaluate your organizations
public relations image.

Second, your "institutional master plan" will help your make important
management and fundraising decisions so be sure to prepare one.
Because it will also help you to do both short term and long term
planning, and keep you from focusing only on short term survival
thinking. And help you answer that all important capital campaign
question: What’s the money for?
Your master plan is composed of the following four components: A
mission statement; A vision statement; A financial plan, and a capital
needs plan.

Third, you will need a strategic plan. What is a strategic plan? It is
a detailed analysis those specific projects taken from your master
plan that you want to fund with your capital campaign.
These items should have an estimate of each project’s costs. Also this
plan should include timetables for the completion of each of these
projects, with clear completion dates, on an item by item basis.

Fourth, in order to successfully do your capital campaign you must
know how much it is going to cost you to raise the funds that you
need. Thus, you need, of course, for a preliminary budget plan
outlining just how much you anticipate spending on personnel and the
non-personnel cost associated with your capital drive. Also once
you’ve arrived at the amount of money you anticipate your campaign
will cost, you’ll more than likely have to add this amount to your
overall campaign objectives, which is perfectly acceptable.

Finally, all fundraising efforts must have a timeline, that is a start
and finish date. With major
capital campaigns most are two or three year endeavors. Yet you can
also have a one-year capital campaign, or even a 9-month capital
campaign, as you will very often find in church fundraising. How long
will it take to do your capital campaign? Well, of course, the answer
to this question depends on many factors such as the capacities of
your organization, and how much money you want to raise.

Yes, there is a great deal of planning that goes into successfully
doing your major capital campaign. The guidelines in this article will
help you to more effectively plan your major capital campaign to get
the funds you needs.

Yet, you can attempt to do your capital campaign without the adequate
planning required. In which case there will probably be many things
that can and will go wrong, which could have been avoided. And your
organization will fail to raise the funds it needs, and face the
public humiliation of attempting a capital campaign that fails, with
far reaching consequences for your organization now and long into the
future.

YOUR NONPROFIT SPECIAL EVENTS AND BENEFITS NEED
EFFECTIVE PLANNING TO BE SUCCESSFUL
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

Because of the very public nature of special events and benefits you
can not afford to do a special event that is ever less than
successful. And if you do your organization’s fundraising moral will
be seriously impaired. Making it much harder for you to do other kinds
of fundraising, to say nothing of negative publicity for your
organization. The key to successfully doing special events and
benefits is first of all very careful planning, and then the
successful execution of your plans.

There are a number of different plans and other documents that you
need to effectively do your special events and benefits, which are: An
event master plan, a timeline, a funding plan, a volunteer plan, a
budget plan, a publicity plan, and a logistics plan. Now let’s take a
look at each of these items:

First, your event master plan should answer the following kinds of
questions, namely: What kind of event will you have? Where will your
event be held? When will your event be held? And, what will be the key
attractions to your special event. Your event master plan will answer
all of these questions clearly, with all the relevant details that you
will need to successfully do your special event or benefit.

Second, in doing any kind of fundraising like special events you’ll
always need a timeline. Your timeline should detail step by step what
you need to accomplish in what amount of time to be on schedule. In
preparing your timeline keep in mind that you should normally allow
yourself between 3 to 6 months lead time for small events. And between
9 to 12 months lead time on large major events.

Third, you need to develop a funding plan because to do your special
event you must invest some funds to get the ball rolling. Yet, more
often than not, you may need the new income sources that a special
event can provide. But your capacity to invest any funds from your
current operations may be very limited, since those funds are usually
urgently needed elsewhere. Thus your funding plan should address how
you’ll raise the funds needed for your event, which will be through
gift solicitations, and ticket sales.

Fourth, once you’ve prepared your funding plan you’ll need a volunteer
plan to help you raise the money you need. First start with a Special
Event Committee, then decide what and how many specific committees
that you’ll need to do your event. Of course, you will need Gift
Solicitation Committees, a Ticket Sales Committee, a Publicity
Committee, and numerous others.

Fifth, you need to develop your event budget plan. Start by making a
rough estimate of all your big item costs. Next, make a rough estimate
of the gross income objectives you’d like to realize from this event.
Now subtract your estimated gross income objectives from your
estimated costs to give you a ballpark figure on the net income
potential of your special event. You need to earn a profit of at least
50% over and above your event costs, which is always a fairly good
return for any special event.

Sixth you need to prepare a publicity plan by making a list of all the
available print and electronic media in your area, which you should
contact about two to three weeks before your special event. Also be
sure to prepare good media releases detailing your special event, and
public service/calendar announcements for submission to your list. And
for best results these should be always followed up by a telephone
call.

Finally you will need to prepare a site logistics plan which will be
one of the last plan you do. Your logistics plan will cover what
vendors are needed, when deliveries will be made, and when they must
be paid for. This plan will also cover seating arrangements, parking,
guest check ins, how cash will be handled, who will do clean up, and
other important logistical issues.

The effective planning of your special events and benefits is your
first step to successfully doing yours. This article will help you to
effectively plan your special events, if you use this information
fully. By doing this your special events and benefits will be
successful. And, will not only get the funds that you seek, you’ll
also increase your donors bases, and get great publicity for the good
work your organization does to make our world a better place.

LOCATING FUNDING FOR YOUR NONPROFIT’S ANNUAL
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEES
By: Berwyn J. Kemp

It’s very hard for your nonprofit organization to raise unrestrictive
operating funds from foundations and corporations. Since these
institutional funding sources prefer to funds capital and project
objectives, rather than operating needs objectives. Therefore, to
supply your need for operating funds you must seek out private
individuals for this purpose, through an effective annual committee
fundraising campaign. One of your keys to successfully doing this
involves finding sources of funding for your annual committees.

Yet, effectively identifying gift prospects for your committees to
solicit can be a very trying process for most nonprofit organizations,
and at this point is where many organizations fail in their committee
fundraising efforts. This process of selecting gift prospects to
solicit should be approached in a positive, upbeat, organized and
systematic manner. There are basically three classes of prospects for
your committees, they are:

* Your General Universe of Prospects
* Your Committee As Prospects
* You Top Committee Prospects

First, in putting together your list of general committee prospects
the name of the committee is your lead in selecting these prospects.
There are numerous directories for most of the groups you’ll be
soliciting, such as small business directories, foundation, and
corporate directories, professional association lists, as well as
local phone books and other readily available sources.

But be sure that you don’t ask those that can make larger gifts to
make a small gifts. And be sure that those who can help you secure
larger gifts from say foundations and corporations are singled out
worked with effectively. Also make sure that all prospect lists are
crossed checked so that no duplicate names are on any list. Which
would cause these prospects to be solicited by more than one
committee.

Second, your committee chairman and members are, of course. All
committee chairmen who are not board members should make their
pledges, and too all committee members should be solicited as well. In
fact as much as 50% or more of all committee fundraising goals can and
probably will actually come for the committee member themselves.

And even in some cases with a well committed committee, as much as
75%-80% of all committee objectives could in fact come from committee
gifts. Too, make sure that no board members are solicited twice,
because for the most part all board members will have already been
solicited, or should have been, by the board committee chairman.

Third, your top committee gift prospects are key to the success of any
committee effort to raise funds that your organizations does. Why is
this? It’s because it’s better the secure a number of larger gifts, as
well as smaller ones, than it is to try and reach your goals with a
large number of smaller gifts.

The process of identifying top committee prospects does take a bit of
time and effort, and there really are no clear easy answers. But to
help in this process you can start by developing a "Gift Pyramid" that
will suggest the number and size of gifts that each committee will
need to reach it’s goals.

This basic rule used to develop these pyramid states that your top
three gifts should equal 50% of the total amount of funding being
sought. After your top or leadership gifts are figured out, the
remaining gifts amounts are set by doubling the number of gifts
sought, then dividing those amounts in half. Until the total amount
equals or approximates the total funding amount each of your committee
is seeking to raise.

Yes, your organization can raise the operating funds you need through
effective annual fundraising committee work. And one of your main keys
to this success is your ability to find the individual prospects your
fundraising committees need. So use this article to help you do just
that, to keep being able to do the good work your organization does,
for the betterment of those who’s problems you help solve, or those
who you create more opportunities for.