5 Reasons to Start Focusing On Fundraising
Why is fundraising so important for our nonprofit organization?
In a perfect world, every nonprofit organization with an important cause wouldn’t need to worry about money. Budgets would be fully supported by governments or some other entity, staff would be compensated well for their work, and communities would be treated to consistent and sustainable programs and services.
But unfortunately, that is not exactly the case. Despite the importance of the nonprofit sector, which affects the lives of nearly every Canadian, many organizations find themselves in a situation where they are continually figuring out how to fund their initiatives. So fundraising has become a necessity for most organizations if they hope to sustain their work into the future.
In fact, fundraising has become so important that larger organizations who can support bigger budgets often hire experienced fundraising professionals who can take on the work of finding donations. Because of this work the average Canadian has likely either participated or heard about a run, walk, gala, or raffle for a larger nonprofit. But how can small, grassroots organizations compete for funding in this environment?
What if your nonprofit organization doesn’t have money to hire fundraising professionals?
Luckily, all is not lost. There are plenty of ways that even small shops can raise the funds needed to sustain their operations, but it will take some planning and strategizing to ensure organizations can complete all the things on their to-do list besides just fundraising.
The best way to start focusing on fundraising is to get buy-in from staff, volunteers and board members as your entire team will have to help out to successfully implement your plan. Especially for small shops, the “all hands on deck” approach is definitely important.
However, this often leads to a little bit of an issue. Generally, the idea of fundraising doesn’t exactly get people excited. But no need to fear, we’ve got you covered. A great way to get others on board is to explain the importance of starting a fundraising plan, now. So we’re sharing our top five reasons to start focusing on fundraising.
To plan for short and long term initiatives. It is very difficult to plan for current and future activities if your organization is unsure of what the budget will look like. Fundraising can help to take the guesswork out of planning since it helps your organization focus on what initiatives are important, and then working to raise funds to support them. Great fundraising plans will also include ways to measure and track your organization’s progress so you can celebrate your successes.
To spread the word of your work. One of the most important parts of fundraising is telling stories about the great work your organization does in the community. Sharing the story of your work helps to raise the profile of your organization, and attract potential donors and volunteers. The trick here is to develop strong, compelling wording that will appeal to prospective donors, and provide support for your entire team as they work together on your organization’s fundraising plan.
To make life easier. Having a strong fundraising plan can create efficiencies for your nonprofit’s work in a number of ways. Firstly, once an organization develops a narrative for attracting support, that wording can be re-used for a number of purposes. It makes completing grant applications and proposals easier, helps develop marketing materials, and even shorter content like social media posts. Also, having a fundraising plan helps focus your team’s efforts on the specific fundraising activities that you choose and have the capacity to complete. This is particularly helpful for small shops with staff and volunteers who have to balance multiple responsibilities.
To show donors you value their support. Ok, this could be surprising, but focusing on fundraising doesn’t just mean asking for money. There are many ways to incorporate fundraising into your organization’s activities, and one of the most important ones is creating a plan to consistently build relationships with donors. In fundraising lingo, this is often referred to as donor stewardship. While it is very important to attract supporters, organizations who can maintain the support of their donors and volunteers are much more successful long-term. However, this is an important piece that is often overlooked if not planned for.
To build confidence. As we mentioned earlier, when most people think of fundraising, not many of them think of “fun.” But with planning, and practice, fundraising can actually be much easier than you might think. So an important reason to start fundraising now, is to build confidence and experience, because in the future your organization may benefit from those skills when needing to embark on a major project like a capital campaign. Focusing on fundraising today will help your nonprofit build the skills and donor base it needs for tomorrow.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll live in that perfect world where nonprofit organizations are fully funded. We hope to see it. In the meanwhile, we have to work with what we have. We often hear from clients that they want to focus on their mission, not on fundraising. But, the truth is, when you’ve created a plan to sustainably fund your organization into the future, you are focusing on the work of your mission, and the communities it supports.
