Grants are not my area of expertise, but I do like to be familiar with the basics. One of those basics of course is that there are many more requests out there than actual grants available. 80% of donations to non-profits come from individuals not foundations or corporations. Which are two reasons I’d rather focus on individual giving than grants.

But for many organizations grants can be a good (but not sole or primary) source of revenue. One of the organizations that I am a board member of has relied heavily on grants. It’s a young organization, less than 5 years, that began as a “project” under another NPO. This project status and the existing foundation relationships of the parent organization made grant funding a great match.

When seeking funds the emphasis should always be in building quality relationships with funders a.k.a real people, rather than relying solely on the written word.

There was an excellent article by Cassandra O’Neill that came out in today’s Charity Channel newsletter that expounds upon the point.

impact the relationships that you have with funders and the community by meeting with people, building relationships, and partnerships, measuring and communicating your great results, and finding champions, people who support your work and are engaged with your agency. These are things that will help you in the long run in many ways in addition to increasing your chances of getting a grant.

Read the full article: What is most important in getting a grant funded?

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Sending your thanks to people who have helped with a fundraising campaign, including volunteers, staff and donors, is very important.

Marc Pitman also advises us to be attentive and listen to what supporters say. How you respond or don’t respond to them can unintentionally communicate negative messages to them.

Just taking money without thanking donors and or letting them know how their gift was used speaks very loudly that you’re more interested in their cash then in them.

Sending your letters 6-8 weeks after a gift comes in let’s donors know you’re not very interested in them too.

Doing nothing about an issue even after people have complained about it or questioned it repeatedly, not even developing a succinct explanation for why it is done that way, speaks volumes too!

Read more of Marc’s thoughts on his blog post: What are you saying?!

Here are a few tips for thanking donors:

• Pencil in thank you activities on your calendar ahead of time. If you have just a one on one meeting with someone, make it a habit to send a note the same day. For special events, put your thank you note writing on the calendar for two days after the event (one day for a breather!)
• In addition to personal thank you calls, notes and/or letters, include acknowledgements for major gifts, volunteers who went the “extra mile,” and event organizers in your regular newsletter.
• Respect your donors wishes. For example, if they wish to a gift to be anonymous keep it that way. Just thank them in private.
• Make thank you letters specific to the campaign or project that someone gave to.
• Automate thank you letter process as much as possible using your database capacities and/or mail merges
• Delegate tasks when possible. For example, the director can write up several versions of a thank you letter for common giving situations. Another staff member or volunteer can be charged with running the mail merge and printing the letters. Then the director can review and sign.

Having an open line of communication between non profit leaders and donors is vitally important. Remember to thank early and often, practice active listening and follow up when people provide feedback.

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While press release writing is important, press release distribution plays an equally important role in your return on investment (ROI) with this marketing / public relations tool. Because without targeted distribution, many prospects, clients and other interested parties may not even read your latest announcement or hear about it via other channels; TV, radio, print publications, etc.

In order to bring your news to light with more of your targeted audience, try some of these tips for a more successful distribution:

Media List Management

Start a folder on your computer and in hard copy form for media lists in order to keep a list of contacts readily available and updated. Identify media outlets - both online and off - in your targeted industries; for example: Business and Marketing. Add local, regional, national and International channels to cover television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online publications, newswire and other services.

A targeted media list is an invaluable tool for most businesses. The best way to build your list is to carefully watch, read and listen, then track media publications and shows, and to identify reporters and producers who would be interested in your story. Contact the media outlets as needed for their most recent contact name, email address, phone and fax number, before sending your information.

Tip: Using a contact management software program such as ACT! or Maximizer for this purpose can help you build and maintain relationships with the media. Even using Excel to create your own spreadsheets helps with organization. There are several sources online that will help you build your media list; however, keep in mind that not all of these sources will have up-to-date media information.

Newswires

Newswires distribute your press release directly to editors, other media outlets like Routers and they also publish the press releases on their website. Many journalists rely on newswire sites for information and story ideas. Wires are often used by larger companies and non-profit organizations. They have the advantage of immediately reaching a broad range of media outlets across the country. The cost is usually $275 - $600 to send a single release, with pricing based on the number of words in your release (a minimum word count will usually apply.)

Mail, Fax, or Email

You can send the news release directly to the media yourself, using the mail, fax, or email. When in doubt about the best option, ask the journalists you will be sending your release to. This can have the advantage of creating a more personal connection with the people you send the release to. It can also be a more cost-effective option if you are targeting a small list of journalists.

Database Building

Newswires offer a fast way to send your press release to a large number of editors. However, you can also build your own list of media contacts using any of a number of media databases. Most charge either a monthly, annual or per use subscription fee. Search online for “media databases” and “media lists.”

Timing

It is best to send your news release early in the day and you will have a better chance of getting your story noticed if your release is not sent on a busy news day. For example, sending a news release out as a major strike or natural disaster was taking place would not be good timing. Monday and Tuesdays are usually busy news days and by Friday most assignments have been handed out as journalists get ready for the weekend.

Helpful Tips:

1. Don’t send email press releases with attachments - they will be deleted immediately upon receipt.

2. If sending an email release, make sure to write the release within the body of the message.

3. Don’t bug editors. Editors receive hundreds of press releases on a daily basis. Chances are you will irritate most editors by making a second contact to ask if they received your press release.

4. Know editor’s deadlines. If you are sending a time-sensitive release, don’t expect a magazine editor to cover your event scheduled for next week. Find out what the appropriate “lead time” is to send your press release for possible distribution in their media.

5. If writing about a web site, make sure the site is updated before you send your release. Editors will visit the site if they have an interest in your product/service.

6. For further assistance and other helpful information visit www.prweb.com

So when you focus on getting your press releases out, focus on distribution, too. Try some of the tips above to increase success with your promotions, and keep a copy of the these tips around for handy reference!”

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Michael Gilbert will be leading an online seminar on June 15, 2007 on the topic of online and email fundraising tools.

Here is the annoucement from his ezine:

As social networks and social media continue to become larger parts of people’s lives, these are the principles and practices that will allow us to scale up our fundraising efforts. By focusing on transitioning existing donors, leveraging the Internet’s capacity for cultivation and stewardship, and publishing an email newsletter that truly builds trust, we can fundamentally deepen our relationships with our stakeholders and raise more money in the process.

The Internet has the potential to bring the art and science of fundraising back into balance, restore the confidence and trust of donors, and deeply enhance the relationships our organizations have with our stakeholders. Or it can be yet another way to alienate our supporters and disempower our fundraising professionals. The Frictionless Fundraising workshop will help you avoid the easy pitfalls and set you on a path of success.

The seminar will have three main topics:

Section 1: Save Money and Make Money by Converting your Donors to Email
Section 2: Ten Ways to Improve Cultivation and Stewardship of Donors
Section 3: Effective Email Newsletters

Get the Details about this Seminar

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Awhile back I had the pleasure of speaking with Verna Gates, a reporter doing a story about unusual fundraisers. I mentioned several ‘out there’ fundraisers that I’d heard of such as Jump for the Cause, a group that skydives to raise money for Breast Cancer research. Even with some of the odd stories I’d heard of, Verna uncovered some that were even more extreme… including running through fire!

Just a decade ago, the riskiest thing people would do to raise money for charity might have involved pulling hot cookies from an oven. These days compassion fatigue has forced fund-raisers to drive themselves to increasingly outlandish deeds — climbing the world’s highest mountains, motorcycling at breakneck speed across continents, or jumping out of airplanes.

Keep Reading: Extreme fundraisers take charity to the limit

Find out more about extreme fundraisers such as marathons, 500 mile runs, 100 mile bike races and even less extreme events such as 5Ks and walkathons at CharityMile.com

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When planning a raffle fundraiser it’s important to pay careful consideration to the raffle prizes that you choose. First of all, put yourself in your potential supporter’s shoes - What if someone comes up to you and says they are selling raffle tickets? What prize would you like to win?

Here are some prizes that attract many people’s attention:

Travel - Always a winner. Roundtrip Airfare, a package deal, a cruise, hotel stays, even airline miles all make great prizes. Most people love to travel and the biggest obstacle is usually cost. Now if they win this raffle, they’ll just have to take some vacation time and go.

The larger trips such as week-long cruises or packages with airfare and hotel may draw more ticket buyers. However, travel doesn’t have to be exotic to make a great prize. Even a weekend getaway within driving distance could be a great prize. As long as it’s a place people in your area would want to go to for a vacation. A one night stay at a local hotel is not usually as appealing.

Electronic Equipment - Big screen TVs, DVDs, and stereos. These are big incentives, especially for the guys.

Gift Certificates - For stores like Home Depot, Best Buy, and local or chain restaurants. These make great secondary prizes.

These are just a few examples. As mentioned earlier, it is important to offer a prize that your potential sellers will place a high value on. A Barbecue Grill, a Handmade Quilt, a Gourmet Dinner, all of these could be great prizes for the right audience.

Okay, okay. So I know what you are thinking. How do I go about getting these prizes?

The absolute best way is to survey the members of your organization. Every member could possibly have something of value to contribute to the prize pool. And if not, they may know somebody who can. Go for your biggest prize first, though. You need to secure that “hook” in order to have a viable raffle.

Use some creativity and any connections or opportunities that you have. One year I planned a raffle that raised over $1000. In case you are wondering, our prize was a big screen TV. The company I worked for at the time had a point system incentive program. I pooled my points with some of my co-workers to get the big prize.

I also sent out an email asking my friends and the other ticket sellers for donations. I quickly got several more donations including some nice watches. Lastly, I went to several local restaurants and they were more than happy to donate gift certificates. And BINGO, we had the makings of a great raffle!

For a general guide that will help your group set up a raffle see How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser. For a more extensive course check out Raffle Secrets.

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Whether you’re a small, medium, or large nonprofit organization raffle ticket fundraisers can greatly benefit your charity. If you’re organizing your first or fifth charity raffle, these tips I’m going to share with you will help you reach more targeted donors faster, easier, and for pennies on the dollar.

Capitalize on Local Media

They’re read and watched every single day by people in your community. It’s the local newspaper and radio stations. By using these outlets, your raffle will see a nice boost in ticket sales and organization awareness. It’s quite simple to approach these outlet’s.

How to Approach Local Radio Stations

There are many local radio stations that will announce public service announcements and news happening within their city or town. What you want to do to have your charity fundraising event announced on the airwaves is to first contact the radio station and ask to speak to the community events program director.

Always be sure to have your raffle tickets handy to provide one or two to the local media outlets. Offer to give them some tickets for their announcement on the radio. Most radio stations will join forces with local charities to kick off and promote their fundraising event.

You will be able to get on the smaller AM and FM radio stations fairly easily, but to get on the larger sized radio stations may be some more work. Just help them add more value to their listeners. Offer to give away some tickets to callers at the station.

Local Newspapers

Newspapers almost always have local events. These are pretty simple to get announced within their paper. The method is quite the same as with the radio stations to get in the newspapers. Simply call up the paper and ask to speak with the community events writer. Tell them about your charity raffle coming up, send him some information, and don’t forget to send him a “thank you” note for speaking with you. You always want to make an impression on the papers for future fundraisers and raffle ticket events.

Internet Fundraising

The internet has given the chance for smaller foundations to reach more people, but be careful be sure to follow your state regulations when using the internet for donations or raffle ticket fundraisers. A great example on how to use the internet for your raffle is to find and approach website’s that cater to your prizes. For example, if you have a Ford Mustang Raffle, there are hundreds and thousands of websites that cater to the Mustang enthusiasts. Wouldn’t these be great candidates to buy a raffle ticket.

Call up the owner of the website and tell him about what you are doing and the prizes you have. Your Mustang Raffle is perfect for their Mustang website. A perfect match! This will also work great for Harley Davidson raffle, house raffle and smaller and larger raffles.

For a general guide that will help your group set up a raffle see How to Organize a Raffle Fundraiser. For a more extensive course check out Raffle Secrets.

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Do you use the Internet (hint: you’re using it right now). Well, there is a strong likelihood that you also use a search engine on a regular basis. What if using a search engine, just as you are using now, helped your not-for-profit organization much-needed funds each and every month?

Prodege.com is a search engine website that helps not-for-profit organizations raise money through using a search engine powered by Yahoo! There some powerful benefits to using Prodege.

Scott Dudelson from Prodege explains that their service is easy to use and can help many organizations. “Some people are partial to using Google.com. They don’t want to switch their search engine. But for the most part, if they are passionate about a charity, they will use this (Prodege), it is very similar – and it helps something that they really care about.” Dudelson says that Prodege has worked with 501c3 and 501c4 organizations. They have not worked yet with any 527 organizations but that they would consider working with them.

“We actively want to work with schools, that’s a key demographic for people who could raise a lot of money. Kids use the web all day and parents use the web quite a bit,” said Dudelson.

It is easy for organizations to sign up with Prodege. “It is absolutely free, and in less than a week they have a search engine up for them and they will get their own URL and toolbar,” said Dudelson.

• Prodege pays organizations .03 cents per search, compared with GoodSearch.com, which currently pays .01 cent per search.
• Prodege pays organizations every month
• Prodege creates custom-branded search toolbars for charities. These toolbars have quick links to news, events, donation pages – or to links that you can custom create. The toolbar also features the organization logo.
• Organizations can see how many searches are done through these right from the administrative site, which is provided at no cost.
• Organizations are also given their own URLs.

Dudelson explains that it is very important to inform your supporters that you are joining Prodege, so they can also use the search engine. The more people using the search engine, the more .03 cent searches that will be done for you each day. “The easiest way to send this out is through their newsletters. Every time they (an organization) sends a message to their supporters, tag the bottom telling their supporters that .03 cents will go to the organization. You can also put it at your website,” said Dudelson.

Something Prodege supporters know and love about them is their wonderful customized toolbar. The toolbar feature, just like everything Prodege offers organizations, is free. The toolbar gets installed on people’s browsers so that people can do searches using Prodege. It is easy and simple to use.

A great feature that the toolbar has is that it connects people using the toolbar right back to their relationship with the organization. The customized buttons such as “News” “Events” or “Donate” link back to your organization’s website. You can change information, such as adding a special event or news that you would like your supporters to know about. The organization can even put its own logo right on the toolbar which will help keep the charity “top of mind.”

This is a wonderful marketing and publicity tool for any organization to have at its fingertips – the ability to communicate with so many of its supporters. Creating the toolbar is easy and Prodege walks organizations through step-by-step in a friendly and very caring way. “Once the organizations signs up, we give them instructions on how to set it up (the toolbar).

Prodege has big plans for 2007. Dudelson admits that they are headed in “multiple directions” for the year. They are in the music industry as well as in the not-for-profit environment. “In terms of the charity work, signing up more organizations and helping as many as we can to utilize this tool and raise money. I think this is the wave of the future for fund-raising. It’s easy, it’s continuous, it’s effortless and it’s 24-7.”

Get more information about Prodege

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