Fund Your Nonprofit Working Effectively With Your Board,
Staff and Volunteers
by Berwyn J. Kemp
Published on this site: July 14th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
Effectively raising funding for your nonprofit organization
require lots of committed, dedicated people working together
in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Without this your
organization can not achieve the full fundraising success
you desire.
Because without enough people your board, staff, and the
few handful of volunteers you have will be asked to do far
more than they are really capable of doing. Which will cause
them frustration, resentment, resignations, and of course
not enough funds being raised for the needs of your nonprofit
organization. Here are some steps you can take to help you
avoid these many problems and obtain the funds you seek:
- Build a good board of directors of 12 to 20 people that
represents a good cross section of your community's business,
professional, civic, and religious organizations. Your board
of directors must have resources to contribute financially
to your organization and lead the way by their example of
giving. They must also have the business and professional
connections to induce others to support your organizations
as well.
- Set up a Central Coordinating Committee because you can
not succeed to your fullest financial success without one.
The role of this committee will be to make recommendations
on the various fundraising methods to be used, prepare the
documents needed for each method, and oversee the progress
of all fundraising activities. As well as report regularly
to your board on the progress of each fundraising activity
being used.
- Establish the other committees you'll need which, of
course, will depend on the make up of your organization.
If your organization provides a critically needed service
to a broad spectrum of your community, then you'll have
far more committees that a more private kind of nonprofit
organization such as a church or advocacy group with a more
select kind of agenda.
- Set clear realistic goals for your capital, project,
and operating needs. Once your capital objectives are set,
then set your program objectives by carefully reviewing
each one of your programs with your program coordinators
or project leaders. These evaluation should cover the relevance
of each program, the cost of each program, and whether or
not the program will be continued, merged with other programs,
or eliminated all together. Any objectives that can't be
classified as capital or program are operating objectives.
- Prepare good development documents for the fundraising
methods you'll use. Some of the many kinds of documents
you will need are development proposals, case statements,
fundraising letters, solicitation training manuals, and
numerous others. These document should be clear, concise,
and persuasive, and not only detail the importance of your
cause to those you serve, but also the benefits those who
support your organization will receive either directly or
indirectly.
- Effectively manage and implement your fundraising efforts
through your central committee, by holding regular meetings.
And taking task action minutes of these meetings so that
everyone knows who should be doing what, and by when it
needs to be done. These task action minutes should be filed
in a Project In Progress Log for each fundraising activity
you're using so that you have a clear record in once place
to monitor your progress, as well as take any needed actions
when goals and objective aren't being met.
Yes, to effectively raise the funding you need for your nonprofit
organization will require the efforts of lots of people. From
an effective board of directors who not only take the lead
in fundraising matters through their own example of giving,
but who also take the lead in getting others to give too.
To capable staff members and scores of well trained highly
motivated volunteers.
And when people work together in a spirit of cooperation
and teamwork to achieve worthwhile and noble goals there are
many great things that can be achieved. For the good of those
you serve, for the good of those that support you, and for
the good of your community as a whole.
Berwyn J. Kemp is a development consultant who
helps nonprofit organizations obtain funding. For free subscription
to his newsletter Nonprofit Funding Solutions, or full details
on his funding products and services, or to read more of his
re-printable articles you can visit: http://www.berwynkempassoc.citymax.com/
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