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An Online Resource Library on Gender-Based Violence.

Fundraising

At its most basic level, fundraising is getting people interested and engaged in your cause. It is not sufficient to participate in fundraising merely to meet annual income goals; your fundraising program should also focus on how to build and sustain long-term relationships with your donors.

Fundraising can be an intimidating subject to board and staff members. You can change this by breaking it down to its most fundamental aspect, relationship building. The Fundraising Effectiveness Survey, an annual project led by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, has repeatedly shown that:

The average nonprofit has a 60-70% chance of getting additional contributions from existing donors and less than a 2% chance of receiving a gift from a prospect. (Funding Effectiveness Project)

In other words, your current donors are the gold mine for a successful fundraising program! Connect with your donors regularly, thank them, keep them informed, ask for input, and invite them to participate in any way that fits for them. The most successful fundraising programs are built around the premise that it's the long-game that matters most and building relationships with donors and supporters is the way to assure sustainable fundraising efforts.

The resources provided here emphasize that fundraising must be a collective effort of board members and staff regardless of the size of your organization. Everyone can participate in efforts to increase the number of people who know about and want to support your organization.

A helpful resource that you can share with your board is this handy one-page overview Stages of Fundraising that provides examples of how board members can be involved in the different stages of fund development.

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Building a Grassroots Fundraising Culture: Answering the Tough Questions

Grassroots fundraising efforts can be a valuable tool for diversifying funding sources, building community investment in your organization, and developing grassroots leadership. This guide from RoadMap offers responses to some of the most commonly asked questions about grassroots fundraising.

The F Word and How to Use It

This blog post from BoardSource provides an excellent basic overview of fundraising, the different models of fund development, as well as a description of who is responsible for the various aspects of an organization's fundraising efforts.

Nonprofit Funding Models

There are numerous different methods that can help organizations successfully build a donor base. The NH Center for Nonprofits offers this excellent overview of the types of fundraising in an easy-to-read pdf document on their website Nonprofit Next.

Ten Nonprofit Funding Models

A strong fundraising campaign uses diversified approaches to soliciting funds. The Stanford Social Innovation Review provides this overview of the different ways that nonprofits can raise support for their organization.

A Guide to Donor Retention

Nonprofits have a far greater chance of obtaining gifts from current donors than they do of acquiring new donors, which makes donor retention one of the most important tenets of a successful fundraising program. This resource from Bloomerang is designed to help organizations better understand how best to retain donors.

A Guide to Writing a Compelling Case Statement

This short blog piece provides a quick overview of a) what "case" means; b) simple, starter tips on how to generate your case; and c) where and when to use your case once it is written.

lightbulb icon.pngWebsite Resources

Additionally, fundraising experts Gail Perry and Jerry Panas have helpful websites that include free newsletters, webinars, and other resources.

Best Practices for Fundraising Success: Diversifying Giving Channels

Nonprofit organizations that rely on just a few sources of funding often struggle financially and have a hard time sustaining their efforts. Assuring that an agency has diversified revenue is vital to its future. This resource provides information on best practices for various revenue streams.