For the inexperienced and naïve,
setting up a fundraising activity might just sound and seem to easy, especially if you are
riding on the wave of confidence that whatever fundraising activity you may
have just thought to undertake is just a piece of cake.
Well, fundraisings may seem simple
at first but when you look at it, the very simplicity of the undertaking is
deceptive. Be wary of this simplicity and charm of fundraisers. Not doing your
homework before you undertake any type of fundraiser, whether it be a bake sale for your
local church, a bazaar for previously owned and loved items, a benefit for a
beloved personality, a telethon or fun run will only devalue not only the time,
resource, and effort of everyone involved, but it will most likely attract the
wrong investors you may have had in mind for your fundraising.
Yet, you may continue to argue that
it is only a simple fundraiser. Just put up a sign, hand out leaflets, bring in
a couple of people, make a sales pitch and pass the hat afterwards, and voila,
you have a fundraiser. Right? Wrong.
Consider this… Have you designed
your fundraising blueprint down to the last detail?
Have you given enough thought as to how much you really need and why you need
the money? This is perhaps the biggest question or the biggest part of your
blueprint that needs careful planning.
It may just be a statement if you write it down but many fundraising
activities have been flops simply because the people behind it have not given
this one or two sentences careful planning and consideration.
Just by keeping these two sentences
first and foremost in your planning activities for your fundraiser will keep
you from going astray from your plans. The methodology that you choose, if it
is the fun run, bake sale, fete, concert, or even rummage sale will not matter
as long as you have a central vision or mission tying the whole thing together.
Identifying the actual beneficiary
of this undertaking and the impetus behind the organization of the fundraising
will make your donors more reason to consider why they should back you up on
your fundraising. Make these two things
clear and you have a starting point for your sales pitch without going off-tangent.
You avoid lengthy presentations and keep prospective donors happy since you
need to capture their interest in a very short span of time. Your choice of
words for your sales pitch can all revolve around these central themes making
your convictions more solid and more grounded for your intended audience. Who
knows, they might really get behind your cause and that invaluable support is
what will propel them to help spread word about your fundraising or cause to
other people in their network. You therefore grow your network exponentially as
well.
With the solid reasoning behind your
fundraiser firmly tucked away, you would not have any problem recruiting staff
and “investors” to rally behind your cause. Building a solid case for your
project will make half the work done. With that squared away, the rest of what
you need for your fundraiser will follow fluidly.
With just the right presentation and
speaking skills, undoubtedly, you will be able to convince even the stingiest
or most cynical of your prospective investors to your fundraising to get into
the core of their charitable nature and really dig deep into their pockets,
whip out their flashy signature fountain pens and write that check to make your
fundraising a success.
