As you begin to adapt ideas for your non-profit group,
you will want to ask yourself some questions to make sure that
you choose the fundraising ideas that are most likely to
succeed for your group:
•Problems?
Naturally, you want to be optimistic about your
fundraiser, but you do need to consider what
problems could arise. If there are risks that
your group cannot manage, then you may want to choose
another idea. If your fundraising method will get you
into debt before you make any profit, you may want to
reconsider. If your idea involves food, you will want
to make sure that there is no risk of food poisoning that
could result in a law suit.
•Requirements? You
may need a special license to host a lottery or bingo
night. Even a movie night is ruled by copyright
laws. Consult with a lawyer to make
sure that you have all the legal requirements of a
fundraising idea taken care of.
•Costs? Add up costs of
supplies, services, rentals, and space. If the costs
are too high, you may need to start with simpler and less
expensive fundraising ideas and gradually work your way
up.
•Time? Consider not just
the time of the event, but also all the preparatory work
for the fundraising, all the paperwork, all the
organization, and the work that needs to be done after an
event (including cleanup).
•Hire help? Some
projects are more complicated and may need to have a
professional touch to appeal to people. This can be
very expensive, although for groups that can raise a lot of
money; this expense can be worth it.
•Trouble? If your
non-profit supports a controversial subject (gay rights,
for example) you need to decide whether a particular
fundraising effort will get you in trouble. Even
non-profit groups with very neutral causes that are widely
supported can get into trouble if a volunteer is injured or
of someone gets hurt through a fundraising venture.
Consider all the risks of every fundraising idea you
consider.
•Competition? Most
non-profits are trying to make the world a better place,
and it is not great to consider them "competition," but
competition they are. If the Girl Guides are selling
their cookies and you are considering a fundraising idea
that involves selling cookies, the competition may ensure
that you get little money for your efforts. Choose an
idea that no one else is currently trying and one that will
not overlap too much with another group's own fundraising
efforts.
•Variety, quality, and something
new? This is the secret combination that
will ensure higher fundraising earnings because it will
ensure that customers or donors will want to
contribute. Those who buy your products in
fundraising or offer money through donations want a quality
product or service. They want something new and
varied - if many groups in your area are selling
chocolates, donors are less likely to give to your campaign
because they are bored by the idea. Try to offer your
donors a choice and offer them something that is not
run-of-the-mill and they will reward you with
donations.
•Long term idea or one-shot
deal? Not every idea needs to raise money in the
long run, but if all your fundraising ideas seem to offer
short-term money in exchange for a lot of work, you need to
consider how you are going to get the money to run your
group on a day-to-day basis.
•Corporate help? Ideas
that at least have a chance of getting support form local
businesses are more likely to bring in more
money.
•How much? You may not
want to think about dollars and cents, but you need
to. You need to know how much money you need to raise
before you start your efforts. That way, you
you can switch to a new idea before using up precious time
and resources on an unsuitable fundraiser that will
not provide the financial results that your group
needs.
•Who? You need to decide
whether your fundraising ideas will appeal to a wide enough
range of people to be money-making ventures. If you
live in a bedroom community full of seniors, a
skate-board-a-thon may simply not draw the support of as
many people as a fair or a retro dance.
•Timing? If your
fundraising ideas are holiday-related, you need to start
planning well ahead of the holiday. Everyone gets so busy
around holiday time that they are less likely to be able to
volunteer. By starting early, people can plan around your
event.
•Responses? Anticipating
the possible reactions your event will have (both the
positive and negative reactions) will make it easier for
you to handle the various reactions that fundraising
efforts generally elicit.
•Essentials? Make a
large list of everything that needs to be done in order to
make the fundraising a success. Are you able to do
these things? If not, you may need to choose a more
suitable idea or find ways to accomplish all the tasks on
your list.
