« How to Keep Your Nonprofit’s Emails from Being Read as Spam | Home | Are Going Green and Running a Nonprofit Mutually Exclusive? »
Four Ways to Have a More Profitable Fundraiser
By Lorna Doone Brewer
Fundraisers are a part of life in pretty much every nonprofit organization. They’re hectic and complicated and a whole lot of effort. They’re also incredibly important, which is why we keep doing them.
In order to get the most out of your next fundraiser, keep these things in mind:
- Create a budget early, and stick to it. - Oftentimes we forget to set a budget for fundraisers and end up trying to pay for things on the fly. It’s no fun to add up receipts after the fact only to find out you lost money on your fundraiser!
- Consider what you can borrow or barter to keep costs low. - Is there a service you could trade in order to get your venue, catering, prizes, etc. for free or at a discount? Get creative. If you have a volunteer with a special skill they’re willing to donate, perhaps you could trade it to get event programs printed, for example.
- Look at what has been successful (and what hasn’t) in the past. - If you have an annual event, it’s really easy to just get stuck on autopilot. If you don’t look at what works and what doesn’t you’re not going to get the most out of this year, either.
- Plan as far in advance as possible. - This seems so obvious, but you know you’re going to be running around at the last minute taking care of stuff. Spend some time at the beginning of the process to plan ahead, and you’ll have more time later to take care of the little details.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to preparing for a fundraiser, but even taking the time to do these four small things can have a huge impact on the money you’re able to raise.
Topics: Fundraisers |