College Goal Sunday NASFAA

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College Goal Sunday - NASFAA Fundraising
101 Effective Ways to Garner Financial
Support National Association of Student Financial
Aid Administrators BY Michael Thomas,
Sr. Director Partners Plus July 5, 2008
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• Welcome Why We are Here
• Discuss fundraising for College Goal Sunday
  - Someone Has Some Money!
• Trends in Giving
• Share Some Best Practices
• Share NASFAAs Development Tool
• Kit This Is An Excellence Resource

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Things to Remember

• Seek Out New Resources (People, groups,
  Companies, etc)
• Dont Go It Alone
• Talk and share with colleagues
• Stay Upbeat Have A Can Do It Attitude
• Think Of The Many Possibilities That New Funding
  Offers

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Developing Some Best PracticesWhen There Are

• So many pieces to bring together

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Developing Some Best Practices - (2)Bring The
Pieces Together

• Start Early Year Round Efforts
• Monthly Funding Targets
• Try Something
• Stick To
• Those
• Targets

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Developing Some Best Practices (3)

• Create A Funding Letter and Budget (Funding
  Package)
• Always have this information ready
• Keep Funding Package Updated
• Review package monthly
• Share Package With Others (Community)
• 5 or 10 a month

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Some Best Practices

• Establish A Monthly Calendar
• Set clear objectives and targets
• Measure those targets monthly
• What we did or did not accomplish?
• Example Talk With Individuals About College Goal
  Sunday At Community Events Get Out Of The
  Office!
• Local Awareness Does Help Fundraising

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Some Best Practices (2)

• Read NASFAAs College Goal Sundays Resource
  Development Tool Kit
• Make Contact With Local NFL Teams Community
  Affairs Representative
• Page 24 of Tool Kit has Step-by-Step directions
  on possible approaches
• Tell Them About The History Of College Goal
  Sunday And Its Ties To The NFL Be Open To Their
  Suggestions Page 1

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Start to Network Better

• Read Community News Of Local Paper
• a. Look for Leaders and who are leading in the
  community
• Get Funding Package In Their Hands
• a. Development Tool Kit has suggestions
• Contact Local Chapters Of Fraternities And
  Sororities They Understand Your Mission

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Start to Network Better (2)

• Locate Professional Association In Area
• a. Business Chamber of Commerce
• 5. Make A Case For College Goal Sunday
• Funding Package Letter
• Develop Program Newsletter 1 pager
• 6. YMCA/YWCA, Boys And Girls Club
• Team with them if possible They know
  people who fund youth programs

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Start to Network Better (3)

• 7. Look Up And Find Corporate Community Affairs
  Representatives In Area
• a. Explore joint marketing efforts - Giveaways
• 8. Form A Committee With Community And
• Corporate Leaders (Volunteers)
• a. Have short morning or lunch meetings. No
  more than 40 minutes. Create an agenda. Have
  time keeper or facilitator. Recap in the last 10
  minutes. Thank everyone.

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Who Makes A Good Volunteer

• People In Leadership Positions In The Community,
  Their Profession, Churches, Professional
  Groups/Clubs
• People In The Political Arena
• Medical Professional Or Their Spouse
• A Recent Retired Corporate Executive Or College
  Administrator

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How To Identify A Good Volunteer

• Scan Your Local Community Looking For Individuals
  With
• Good Integrity
• Public or Professional Image
• Consensus Builder
• Ability to Motivate
• Hard Worker Achiever
• Concern for People
• Some communities have volunteer networks they
  match volunteers with organizations

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Utilizing Volunteers in Fundraising

• Volunteers Bring With Them
• Different qualities
• Different skill sets
• Different levels of tolerances
• Different levels of commitment
• Seek special volunteers with special skills in
  fundraising people willing to ASK

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Utilizing Volunteers in Fundraising (2)

• Effective Practices In Volunteer Management
• Volunteers Must Believe In Mission
• Volunteers Must Be Given Meaningful Tasks To Fit
  Their Skills
• Volunteers Require Direction And Support In Order
  To Be Effective Dont Just Say, Do What You Do

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How To Keep Volunteers

• Pace their activities dont over work them.
  Some volunteers are eager and willing, but be
  cautious with their work load
• 2. Start them out slow (a few tasks) and add on
  task gradually they are not robots

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How To Keep Volunteers (2)

• 3. Keep an upbeat productive social atmosphere
  make them comfortable - limit gossip
• 4. Always try to have their activities done with
  someone else. Dont let them work alone.
  Volunteers reinforce each other

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Volunteers Make Effective Fundraisers

• They are not getting paid to ask for money or
  judge by how much they get they have little
  fear in asking
• Their endorsement can influence others to follow
  their lead. People want to be working with a
  successful leader

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Volunteers Are Happy When

• Expectations are clearly communicated
• Given the tools that will help them succeed
  Good history and package
• Acknowledgement that their role is important to
  the project Honor your volunteers occasionally

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Honoring Volunteers

• Say Thank You often and mean it. Be sincere
• A published acknowledgement (Newsletter) A
  plaque if major funds are raised
• A fun recognition event token gifts or
  certificates

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Utilize and Involve Student LeadersCollege or
High School

• Co-op, College Work Study, or Community Service
  Students can assist you in creating a list of
  potential supports, etc They can do the little
  tasks that consume your time mailings,
  research, setting up data base, copying, etc

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Utilize and Involve Student LeadersCollege or
High School - 2

• Student leaders can give talks at local high
  schools to drive students to College Goal Sunday
  
• Remember awareness leads to funding

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Overcoming Funding Challenges

• Asking For The Gift (Money)
• Let me make this very clear Sometimes you will
  hear the words, NO, not at this time
• Do not think it is always YOU or Your Project if
  you have done all the things the Development Tool
  Kit suggest
• It could be timing
• Find that Special Volunteer to assist you in
  asking for gifts

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Special Volunteer

• Remember or review what we discussed about
  volunteers use the criteria above
• Find someone with skills or the personality that
  makes them stand out This will help them ask
  for the gift
• Ask them to lead the funding effort with you
  Yes, with you (So you can learn)

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Special Volunteer - 2

• Make Sure The Mission Is Understood And Why
  Funding Is Needed

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Asking for the Gift

• You may need to ask a lot of people, because some
  might turn you down
• So, rehearse your message!!
• Practice with colleagues, and other Committee
  members Ask them what they think
• This should not be a cookie cutter process.
  Everyone might need to hear something different
  to give their money

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There are many ways to approach a person who
gives money

• A letter/newsletter or funding package describing
  the program before you ask
• Give people something to hold and review
• If it is compelling and informative, people will
  contact you Be Ready

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Asking for the Gift - 2

• Asking for money should be done face-to-face
  unless you already know the person
• Be upbeat
• Recap the history of College Goal Sunday
• Share with them the achievements of your local
  program the number of families helped last year
  and how many will be helped this year with
  additional funding

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Asking for the Gift - 3

• Prepare and practice a list of leading questions
• Examples
• What do you think about College Goal Sunday and
  the help that it provides to students and their
  parents?
• Is there anything that we could do better?
• Can you think of any reason why people might not
  support our efforts?
• What would it take to bring you on board for a
  short period of time to make this more
  successful

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Asking for the Gift - 4

• Remain focused and on task during any meetings
• Show that you are a good listener and that you
  are passionate about the project
• If your request is not accepted, ask what they
  would feel comfortable giving
• Reassure them that any significant gift is
  appreciated and would be helpful

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Securing a Gift

• After a meeting when you get a YES, or a NO
  follow up quickly
• If YES forward a letter with date funding
  should be in. If possible have students sign a
  over sized Thank You Card

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Securing a Gift - 2

• If NO thank them for their time and ask them to
  consider College Goal Sunday in the future
  because the opportunity to support young people
  will always exist
• Ask, if they know of someone else who can assist.
  If possible, ask for a referral and introduction
  to that person

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Useful Tips

• Do Not Let A NO Side Track YOU
• If You Have Trouble Asking For Money, Dont Go It
  Alone. Take Someone With You Find That Special
  Volunteer
• Fine Tune Your Request Try Different Approaches

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Useful Tips Part 2

• 4. Go Out Into The Community
• 5. Meet Leaders Respect Them Follow Up With
  Printed Material On Program
• 6. Give Them Your Business Card Take Their
  Contact Information
• 7. Seek Out Colleagues Those In This Room,
  Share Contact Information Share What Worked In
  Your Efforts

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Useful Tips Part 3

• Review, Review, REVIEW
• THE DEVELOPMENT TOOL KIT
• BRAINSTORM WHEN YOU ARE LEAVING HERE
• Ask, What Do I or We Need to Do Now?
• List 2 things right now you are going to do
  before the end of July
• List 1 person you think would make a good Special
  Volunteer

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Fundraising
Make some calls
Bite your nails..
Get a stress ball..
JUST KEEP AT IT!
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• Just Keep At It!
• Thank You!!
• Michael T. Thomas
• Director Partners Plus - The University of
  Michigan-Dearborn
• mthomas_at_hfcc.edu -- mtthomas_at_usa.com
• 313-845-9696