Your Annual Fundraising Strategy

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Your AnnualFundraising Strategy

• November 11, 2008
• Alberta Council for Environmental Education
• Facilitator Pat Christie, CFRE

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Todays Session

• Key messages
• Case for Support
• Annual Giving strategies
• Effective Board involvement
• Looking after your donors
• Begin to design an Annual Giving timeline and
  plan

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What is your key message?

• Elevator Speech
• Compelling and Urgent
• Case for Support
• Internal document
• All asks, proposals and grant applications flow
  from it

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Case for Support

• Self-Confidence
• Effective Management
• Efficient
• Proactive
• Continuity
• Tradition
• Meeting a critical need
• Your donors must believe you are all of these,
  and that you can successfully fulfill your mission

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What is Annual Giving?

• Gifts received every year
• Not for capital expenses such as building or
  equipment
• Pays for salaries, paperclips

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Pyramid of Giving
Planned Gifts Few donors,
large gifts
Major Gifts Smaller number of donors, larger
gifts
Annual Gifts Large number of donors, gifts
usually small
Original Pyramid of Giving James M. Greenfield
CFRE
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Advantages of Annual Giving

• Brings in new gifts
• Reliable unrestricted source
• Uses diverse methods
• Funds everyday operations
• Gets renewed gifts

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Looking for Supporters

• Start with those you know
• Look for connection to organization
• Seek people with interest in your cause
• Keep good records

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Fundraising Strategies

• Grantseeking
• Special Events
• Mail
• Direct Mail
• Email
• Individual solicitations

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Grantseeking

• Government
• Form a society
• Charitable organization 25,000 annual
• Lotteries funding www.tprc.ab.ca
• Corporate/Foundation Grants
• Corporate websites check focus
• www.imaginecanada.ca
• www.bigdatabase.ca

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Special Events

• Events are good for
• building awareness
• raising funds
• Are very labour intensive have one signature
  event per year
• Choose an appropriate event gala or grassroots
• Take time to plan and have a back up plan

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Raising Funds at an Event

• Create a budget and timeline
• Find Sponsors
• Get whatever you can donated
• Partner with another group
• Always evaluate afterwards
• Keep good records

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Requesting Gifts by Direct Mail

• Compelling and urgent
• Easy to read
• Make it personal, add stories or quotes
• Ask often, be specific re amount
• Make it more than 1 page, add photos and P.S.
• Make it easy to respond

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Direct Mail Facts

• Direct mail can reach a lot of people
• Helps to find new supporters
• Does not result in many gifts
• Timing is important
• Writing letters is hard!
• Keep records

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Website and Email

• Growing numbers make gifts on-line
• Use Canadahelps.org
• Ask for support on all materials
• Keep in touch by e-newsletter
• Constantcontact.com
• Send them to your website

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Board of Directors Your Champions

• Belief in and support of the mission of the
  organization is the most critical requirement for
  serving on the Board
• Important to find diverse, connected members who
  can support fundraising

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Board Roles in Fundraising

• Policies
• Monitor revenue streams
• Planning
• Giving
• Asking Other to Give
• Create a fundraising committee

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Looking After Your Donors

• Build donor loyalty
• Never take a donor for granted
• Donor policies
• Immediate thank yous
• Provide recognition for donors
• Keep donors informed

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Giving Clubs

• Receipt versus recognition
• Tax issues
• Giving Clubs membership
• Corporate versus individual

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Sample Giving Clubs
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Fundraising Timeline
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The Annual Giving Plan

• Sets goals for year
• Decides on methods to use
• Outlines time needed
• Renewable document
• Retains flexibility

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Why Have a Plan?

• Energy spent on worrying how to get everything
  done is energy gone to waste.
• Energy spent on planning how to get everything
  done is energy well used . Anon

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Summary

• Need strong diverse base of funding
• Build on your strengths
• Dont try everything new all at the same time
• Take time to plan
• Questions?