Archive for the 'Donor Development' Category

9 Ways to Convince Donors your Organization has Changed (for the better)

If you work in a school that relies on significant financial contributions to meet your yearly budgetary goals, it is possible that at some point there will be or has been a breakdown in confidence within the organization. As a result, donations have dropped, enrollment has likely declined, and school spirit is in serious jeopardy.

In essence, the overall health of the organization is very poor and the prognosis isn’t very good.

At these times, if the board of directors wishes to save the school, drastic measures must be taken to both “stop the bleeding” and set a new course to the future.

Below, I have suggested ten ways for schools to regain the trust and confidence once shown to it by parents, alumni, and donors.

1. New Leadership
The quality of leadership is vital to the overall success of any organization, especially a school. If your school is in dire straits, I would look at the person in charge of the day to day operations, whether he or she is called the principal, administrator, or superintendent. What has this leader done to either help or harm the community? What has he or she done to foster alumni development and what is the current status of donor relations? Has enrollment increased or decreased? All these factors are important when judging the leader. These questions can be summed up, however, when gauging the predominant “mood” of the school. If the teachers and students aren’t energized and happy to be in the school everyday, I would submit that the leader is not doing a good job. continue reading

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Developing Alumni Passion for an Elementary School

While it is totally understandable and commonplace for someone to have strong alumni passion for his or her university or high school, it is more unusual for a person to get fired up over a former elementary school. I mean, nobody is out spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on season tickets to a fourth grade intramural basketball game. And although I can’t prove it has never happened, I highly doubt people from one end of this country are purchasing clothing apparel from an elementary school on the other end.

Does that mean, however, that elementary schools shouldn’t consider developing a proud alumni tradition within their own community? Of course not! For all of the reasons that alumni are important to high schools and colleges, they can be a vital part of fundraising, student recruitment, and organizational leadership at lower level schools, as well. I would argue that an elementary school that is not out actively recruiting alumni help is missing a fantastic opportunity.

Here is a list of 15 strategies to get more former students involved at your elementary school.

1. Maintain Updated Address Lists
In order to keep in touch with people as they grow older and move on from your elementary school, it is important to maintain accurate and current mailing addresses and email addresses, as well. If this has not been done at your school, start now to develop a database for your current students. It may be a big undertaking, but it would also be wise to go back through past student records and match them with current high school students. This way, you have a jump on those kids who will be the next generation to go out into the “real world”. continue reading

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Where Does Your School Rank on a Families’ Giving List?

Is your school at the top of your families’ giving priority list?When I was employed at the summer camp, we worked very hard to raise enough money to supplement our annual operating budget. Like a vast number of non-profits, the revenue we generated by offering services and products (i.e. the money we “earned”) did not cover our yearly expenses. Therefore, we had to turn to fundraising events. This is pretty standard these days in the 501(c)(3) world.

And while we always seemed to find a way to make just what we absolutely needed, there was rarely a surplus of cash that we didn’t know what to do with.

At one point, we started asking ourselves where we “ranked” in the fundraising priority list that most families develop, either formally or informally. We got thinking about all the organizations that families are typically involved with during the year and tried to figure out how they decided which ones to fund. continue reading

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Can the Opt-Out Option Be an Opportunity For Your School?

Opt-Out of School FundraisingHaving worked at non-profit organizations for years, I know from experience that product fundraisers can be very effective. There is a built-in sense of obligation for parents to at least “try” to sell to family, friends, and co-workers. If you hook up with the right company, you will get a quality product coupled with a respectable (50% or more) cut of the profits. Overall, product sales are safe, predictable, and reliable.

However, in recent years, there has been an increasingly vocal opposition to these product sales. Back in the old days, we simply sold the cookie dough and didn’t complain. We took it like men. We saw it as our civic duty to trudge from door to door, set up tables in front of the five and dime, and harass our aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas into dropping at least $20, so we could win a model car or some such grand prize.

Now, things are changing. A growing segment of our population has risen up and claimed that they don’t need the cookie dough. They don’t want the wrapping paper. They aren’t going to fork over hard-earned cash for gourmet popcorn. They have even started to express their grievances to school administrators and PTO leaders.

So, what is a school fundraiser to do? Although we don’t want to alienate a segment of our community, we just can’t give up raising money to cover those items the school budget misses. And, it’s not fair to give the nay-sayers a free pass and thus hang the entire financial burden on the families willing to play along. continue reading

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Restoring Broken Relationships with Donors

You can always say you’re sorry.It is not uncommon that when you take a new job at a non-profit, you discover that at some point in the past, there was a donor or a group of donors who somehow became alienated from the organization. Perhaps thank you notes weren’t sent out in a timely fashion (or at all), a decision was made by the administration that didn’t sit well with the donors, or a long-standing tradition was discarded. Whatever the cause, you learn that there is a significant donor base that once gave generously to your group but now has nothing to do with you.

There is an old saying in business that it’s always easier to create a repeat customer than to create a new customer. Basically, this means that if someone has already put money into your product, it is easier to get them to do it again, than it is to convince someone to buy from you in the first place.

Therefore, I would argue that you should find out why the donor or donors split away from your group and then determine what you can do to restore the relationship.

The following is a list of steps to take in this healing process. continue reading

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10 Reasons to Communicate With Donors Other Than to Ask for Money

Donors Can Be Your Friends!Everybody knows that you should send a thank you note to a donor. And, in a previous post, I have written about how to write a decent fundraising “ask” letter. These two kinds of letters are the bookends, however, and should not be the only times you make contact with your donors. The following is a list of ten reasons you should stay in contact with your existing donors, without hitting them up for another donation.

1. Birthday Wishes
You should make an effort to find out your donors’ birthdays. It shows that you are considerate and thoughtful when you remember them on that special day with a nice card. Set up a tickler in your appointment calendar to remind you at least two weeks in advance, so you have time to buy a card, write a short note, sign it, and mail it. To be better prepared, I suggest you buy a stash of cards and stick them in your desk drawer, so you’ve always got one handy. Also, a quick, handwritten note shows a great personal touch. continue reading

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The Single Best Way to Turn Local Businesses into School Supporters

shop-local-button.pngA couple of years ago, one of our auction volunteers entered a local electronics store to ask for a donation. She happened to be there on a day that the owner was manning the shop.

Our volunteer introduced herself and explained what she was hoping to get and why. She even referred to the introductory letter we had sent out to all the local business we intended to visit.

The owner nodded his head and listened to her. When she had finished her spiel, he asked her if we had computers at our school. She said yes. He asked if we had radios or CD payers. Yes. TV/DVD players? Again, yes. She was puzzled by his questions.

“So basically, you’re telling me that you have a significant amount of electronic equipment at your school. Is that right?” continue reading

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