I’ve been in fundraising for 30 plus years, and in that time, I’ve watched nonprofits struggle to figure out what they need to do to be successful in raising funds for their organization.
A common mistake nonprofits make is believing fundraising is the “hard” part of running an organization, but in my experience that assumption can’t be further from the truth.
The fact is, the “hard” part of overseeing a nonprofit is developing and running an effective and well-respected organization that continually strives to meet its mission. The “hard” part is the time and effort that goes into the work you do. In retrospect, after all the blood, sweat and tears you’ve given to make your organization great, asking members of the community to provide financial support to continue the work you are already doing should be the “easy” part.
The Recipe for Success
Think of your fundraising efforts like a bake sale. The organization who puts in the work – who dusts off Grandma Sally’s 13-layer chocolate cake recipe and spends days getting the ganache filling just right – is going to have a much easier time soliciting money than an organization who peels open a pack of off-brand cookies and dumps them on a plate just before the doors open.
Document Your Progress
However, the work doesn’t end in the preparation. Even the organization selling Grandma Sally’s chocolate cake has to communicate to the public the work that went into the cake sitting before them – the time it took to perfect the cake, the story behind the recipe, etc.
The end result of your hard work, whether it be a cake, the number of animals adopted from your shelter or students graduating from your leadership program, will never really tell the whole story. And if your organization doesn’t communicate the work it took to reach your end result, how will the public as donors know the difference in effort your organization devoted versus the efforts of another similar organization down the block or a national organization with more clout?
Your organization has to communicate the work you and your staff are doing day-by-day, week-by-week and year-by-year. The key to fundraising success is not having the sharpest logo or a team of charismatic networkers; it’s in making your hard work visible to the community.
Back at our bake sale, the organization that prepared Grandma Sally’s cake will not be successful because their cake looks the best. The organization that will succeed is the one who communicates the struggle it took to get where they are and how a donor’s contribution will help the organization keep moving forward.
Let Them Eat Cake
After you’ve put in the work and told your story then you’ve reached the “easy” part of your fundraising efforts. This step, as simple and important as it is, is ironically the one thing many nonprofits fail to do and do well in their fundraising efforts.
So, what is the step? How do you convince people who you’ve already captivated with your hard work to donate to your organization – to buy the whole cake, if you will?
Well.
You ask them.
Back at our bake sale, team Grandma Sally has told shoppers the tale of their efforts. They’ve put in the work to make their cake the best, and people are crowded around the table, listening to the story, impressed by all of the effort the organization has put in.
One of the lead bakers steps forward, looks into the crowd and says, “Thank you so much for your compliments on our cakes! My team and I love being able to bake delicious treats for people, and we want to keep going and expand our operations to not just this bake sale but bake sales throughout the state. Would you please support our efforts by donating to our cause?”
Just like that, wallets start coming out of pockets and purses because of course the community surrounding you, already emotionally invested in your story and the work you are doing, wants to help support your organization.
After all the hard work you put in, all you had to do to get the community’s financial support was to ask.
About Vince Connelly
Vince Connelly is the president of Connelly & Assoc. Fundraising, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in feasibility studies, and major gift and capital campaign coordination. Vince has over 30 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in Baltimore and throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
