2021 edition
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A look into fundraising ideas and planning.
Fundraising
PHILANTHROPY & CHARITY FUNDRAISING AT IT'S BEST BASICS
Understanding
01
reflection
What fundraisers are we proud of? What fundraiser has raised the most money? What is the most popular fundraiser?
How to start.
Action
Understanding, development, tips, ideas, and resources.
Fundraising is a necessity for several non-profit organizations to succeed. Often, fundraisers present themselves in the forms of events or actions that are created to bring in funds. With the use of fundraisers, non-profit organizations cannot only gain funds to carry out their missions, but it is also an opportunity for them to connect with their communities.
Take action.
tips & IDEAS
contact us www.txokkiwanis.org txokdist@swbell.net (817)-640-7711 3010 W. Park Row Dr, Suite 100 Pantego, TX 76013
03
21 resources
13 Development
Where to begin.
A variety of choices.
Table of contents
DEFINING YOUR CAUSE GOALS EXPECTATION VS REALITY
resources
4 Understanding
19 Tips & Ideas
02
Do we have enough volunteers to aid an event? What new method should we implement? Who should run the fundraiser?
04
Development
What to keep in mind as you flip through the pages.
Everyone wishes to be able to help their favorite nonprofit, but not everyone knows how. Fundraising is a great way to do so. Fundraising is fundamental for various nonprofits. Running a fundraiser typically involves managing several moving pieces. The following concepts are key components to aid the management of running a fundraiser. PHILANTHROPY - In order to understand how to raise money you need to understand the concept of philanthropy. What encourages people to give? IDENTIFYING SUCCESS - Evaluating your past experiences and identifying successful events. BASICS - Taking time to go over the components of fundraising and following suit.
UNDERSTANDING
THE ART OF FUNDRAISING
Philanthropy & CHARITY
Humanitarianism
Defining the difference between philanthropy and charity helps clarify to donors what aid you are offering to the community. Philanthropy targets societal problems and tries to provide long term relief. Charity aims to provide direct relief to an immediate crisis, this can be considered as temporary relief.
is what makes fundraisers thrive and what fuels philanthropy and charity. Humanitarianism is why nonprofits exist. Humanitarianism is the active belief in the value of human life and promotes its welfare. Nonprofits are created to help aid societal issues and provide aid during a crisis. Identifying the objective of your organization allows you to clarify your goals with your donors. For example, during natural disasters, several organizations tend to rally together to provide immediate aid. One form is through a food drive, this would be considered a charitable act. By clarifying it is a charitable action versus a philanthropic one, it allows for donors to understand that it is a type of temporary relief. When you distinguish your fundraisers as philanthropic, it allows donors to understand that your organization is targeting the root of societal issues. When donors understand you are trying to implement long term solutions, these individuals, groups, and businesses typically become consistent donors. Take time to evaluate how the community views your club/organization. Is it clear to the public what your fundraisers' objectives are? Do people truly know what kind of aid you are providing to your community? Try to identify the individuals and groups who would be interested in what you do. Many want the best for themselves and their community.
02 fundraising return on investment (roi)
Identifying successful fundraisers can be easy when you know what to look for. Often, people new to fundraising jump to the assumption that huge fundraisers are the only way to bring in loads of donations. In reality, even the simplest event/project can bring in great profit. Below, we have listed a few main points to focus on as you identify successful fundraisers. On the next page, we explain how to calculate these identifiers. PROFIT - When you make a profit, especially a big one, on your fundraiser it is the first sign of success. ENGAGEMENT - A fundraiser can only run smoothly if it has a decent amount of engagement. You want to have volunteers and sponsors fully engaged in what you do. DONATIONS - The more you continue to repeat a fundraiser the more you can keep track of the growth of your donation intake. Higher or bigger investment are often a sign of increased support.
This calculation allows for you to see if you raised money, lost money, or broke even from a fundraiser. To calculate this, divide the total cost of expenses by the total revenue of the event. EXPENSE > REVENUE=LOSS EXPENSE<REVENUE=PROFIT Example: $500/$2000= 0.25, This means for every dollar your organization raised it cost 0.25.
5 calculations to IDENTIFY SUCCESS
01 Cost per Dollar raised (CPDR)
defining Success
Cultivating a relationship with a new donor can be quite time-consuming. Even though you should always work towards gaining new donors, you should also keep track of how engaged your usual donors are. Take time to analyze your relationship with your donors. You want your rate of engagement to be high and to show improvement.
This calculation allows you to keep track of the success of your goals. To calculate this take the number of people who completed the goal set and divide it by the number of people who had the opportunity to do so. For example, if you sent out an email with a link to a donation platform to 100 people and only 30 of those people used it, your rate is 30%.
05 average Gifting
03 donor retention rate
Recognizing and taking note of the average gifts donated for/at your events are important. To calculate this divide your revenue for a certain fundraiser or time period by the amount of gifts you received during that time. You can do this for annual fundraisers or even for a fixed time period. You can even keep track of it to find out what event brings in the most donations.
The calculation for CPDR is VERY similar to ROI. CPDR is better used by nonprofits when trying to budget costs. ROI is typically used as a great indicator of the effects of making strategic changes to increase revenue. To calculate ROI divide your total expense cost by total revenue from your fundraiser. a number greater than 1 indicates that you have raised money.
04 Conversion rate
Hosting is all about the experience of your event. This not only includes proper management of volunteers and venue prep, but it also involves following up with donors and equipping your event with the necessary tools.
Hosting
Marketing
Marketing allows you to better your chances of raising awareness and money. In order to bring in a crowd, you need to spread the word about your fundraiser. This also involves branding and promotional items.
Basics
There are many phases for a fundraiser. Three main components that they can be categorized into are planning, marketing, and hosting. Each category faces its own challenges. When executed well, it puts you on the path of success. Depending on the kind of fundraiser you choose to run or the size of your club, only certain aspects of each would need to be implemented. For example, doing crowdfunding is a different way of raising funds than hosting a gala. Crowdfunding is a way to collect donations online; it lacks an event to plan but requires software management, marketing, and communication. A gala differs vastly in planning as it requires seeking out a venue, planning entertainment, and catering. The type of fundraiser is often determined by your club's size and ability. If your club is fairly new and small, it is more of a challenge for it to conduct a larger event that would require more hands-on planning. Thus, it may conduct a smaller simpler fundraiser. All fundraisers, no matter the size, involve the three aforementioned categories. Understanding these elements better allows you to execute a triumphant event. The following pages will go into more detail about the three sections.
The best way to begin planning is by having a planning, hosting, and event day committee along with sub-committees. They help set goals, a budget, and schedules. Without planning, you put your fundraiser at risk of failure.
Planning
04 set schedules
Marketing is the process of selling and promoting services or products. This includes advertising.
When commencing a fundraiser, forming committees, helps to ease the heavy load that is event planning. The suggested committees include one for planning, hosting, and day of the event. It is also important to consider creating sub-committees that are able to take care of menial projects such as decor, catering, advertising, and entertainment. By delegating tasks you can ensure that every base is covered for your event.
03 Solidify a budget
From decor to software, there are a lot of opportunities to spend money to elevate your event. However, as planners, your club must be responsible and set a budget. By setting a budget you can better estimate your profits and can establish budget cuts. This allows you the ability to gain a higher profit margin. When creating a budget take into consideration: venue, software, catering, printing costs, marketing, and entertainment. If you have a favorite fundraising event that your club does yearly, it is good to analyze its yearly profits,. By analyzing the performance of a past event with previous times it was done, you can better determine where to make cuts.
Each committee will have a lot to do in order to keep the fundraiser on track. With so many things to manage it is easier to create a schedule. Have members make a list of what needs to get done and assign each of those a due date. For example, if your event requires a venue, it is best to have it set 6 months prior to the event. Thus, whoever is in charge should have a set date in their mind as to when to have that checked off of their list.
05 recruit sponsors
It is very easy for organizers to isolate their focus upon profits. However, there are other goals and points to consider when establishing goals for your fundraiser. Such things include successful club promotion, gaining sponsors, gaining members, and raising money to complete certain tasks. As a team, reestablish the purpose of your event, how it will improve your club, and the type of impact it will have in your community.
should always include time set aside to properly advertise your fundraiser. There are various methods you can put into action to get the word out to your community. A popular method is through social media outlets. If your club already has a Facebook page and Instagram profile this makes it far easier! By using those two social media outlets you have an opportunity to boost your event. By boosting your event, an ad is created and then shared in your community. The range of community members your event reaches through the boosting method depends on your budget. The more you pay for your ad to be shared the more people it will reach. Another method of advertising is through your local radio and TV stations. By being able to share your story with local stations, members who are interested in local events are more likely to consider attending yours. When advertising don't forget the simplest of methods, flyers, and invitations. A physical flyer can allow you to make direct contact with future guests, thus establishing a deeper connection with your community. Personal invitations are an extension of that. When hosting fundraisers, it is important to consider making personal invitations for donors, community leaders, and those closest to your organization. Marketing is vital to expand your event's attendance. Remember to set aside a budget for marketing as it can be costly.
02 create goals
Sponsors are important to fundraisers and your organization. They are there to assist in helping you earn more at your event. Spend time identifying new potential sponsors, establishing sponsorship levels, and creating sponsorship packets. Your event is a prime time to gain new support. The event, when done well, can prove how much community support you have, how hard-working and organized your club is, and the impact you have made. All of these can be attractive to new sponsors.
01 Form Committees
Fundraisers can take months of planning, even years depending on the intricacy. Yet, if the day of the event not everything is set and organized as it should be, it can cause chaos. Of course, not everything can go as planned, but you can still manage to minimize the damage. That is where your day of event committee comes in. As your event begins you want to make sure you have assigned members to check off your list of items that needed to be done. It is important to delegate members and volunteers to tasks for the event. Volunteers are very helpful for set up and clean up at events, yet, when equipped with the proper tools they can handle much more. Consider training volunteers and members for technical aspects and to have the ability to answer questions guests may have. After your event is done, everything went as planned, remember to follow up! Update your supporters on social media, send personal thank you cards to your sponsors, send out event surveys, and evaluate the budget.
TIME FOR ACTION
Now that you have learned about philanthropy and some of the basics you may be asking what is next. Now it is time to put that knowledge into action! The previous information can be applied to any fundraiser you set your mind to. When deciding which fundraiser to implement consider the following questions: What fundraisers are we proud of? What fundraiser has raised the most money? What is the most popular fundraiser? Do we have enough volunteers to aid an event? What new method should we implement? Who should run the fundraiser? You might have a fundraiser in mind- that is fantastic! If you want to try something new check out some of our following fundraising ideas.
being the best host
These are merely a small look into the possibilities of events you can host. Check out our other booklet listing wide ranges of events. Due to new technology you can even host events online. The possibilities are endless when you have the motivation and the team.
Charity Ball
Radiothon
A radio campaign can be quite exciting. Listeners can phone in and pledge money. Another take on this event is that sponsors can pledge money beforehand and members advertise them on air.
Tastings are exciting and taking off for Kiwanis clubs. From wine to beer, the event features samplings for guests. It is possible to get local businesses involved or even receive donations.
Summer fun is the best fun. Set up some obstacles and watch families have fun. Charge an entrance fee or concessions. This event can get you closer to your community.
This is a popular Kiwanis fundraiser event. People in the community gather to eat delicious pancakes and breakfast foods prepared by Kiwanians. Money is raised through ticket sales and donor support.
fundraisers
Balls can be quite an extravagant event. When you gather entertainment, food, and rope in local business the event can be quite profitable. Due to the level of work tickets sell at a higher price.
Tasting
Summer Field Day
Take your own spin on a cook-off: chili, pizza, burgers, all food is good food. You can charge people to try foods from local eateries involved or you can charge entrance fees for cooks and offer a reward for the winner.
Pancake Day
A LOOK INTO THE POSSIBILITIES
Cook Off
03 Raise awareness
03 Gain Donors
01 Raising Money
Goals
Gaining new donors is always a positive for nonprofit organizations. However, the process of gaining new donors is not always easy. By meeting donors and inviting them to a fundraising event of yours makes this process much easier. A fundraising event proves your capability to organize and shows your dedication towards your cause. By proving what your organization is all about, it encourages new donors to aid you in your journey.
Many fundraisers are created with the goal to raise money. It is important to establish this goal during your planning phase of the fundraiser. By doing so you can establish a budget and maximize the profits from your event. If you establish an amount that you wish to reach, you can better plan on how to raise that money. For example, let's say you want to raise $1,000 from your fundraiser this year, $200 more than what your actual profit was the year before. Knowing that difference can help you evaluate what course of action to take, such as selling more tickets or pursuing a new sponsor.
defining your cause
02 Finding new members
Every fundraiser should have established goals. This helps you keep sight of what you want to achieve. Such goals include the following:
Fundraisers help bring awareness to your cause. By bringing together a community to support your event, it gives people a chance to learn more about the issue. An event serves as the perfect venue for you to share information about your cause. By having posters and pamphlets to inform people about your cause, you can expand their awareness. This encourages people to spread the word about your cause.
Once you narrow down an event it is time to define your cause. By defining your cause you raise awareness of your mission. When it comes to fundraising events it is important to be as transparent as possible. Transparency to your donors and sponsors allows them to better understand where their money will be going towards, thus encouraging donations. A solid mission statement allows you to take the first step towards transparency. Your mission statement must specify the intent for your fundraiser. Whilst some Kiwanis clubs may generalize where the proceeds of their events will be going towards, it is more beneficial for them to list specific organizations they donate money to and the specific programs the money funds, such as Bringing Up Grades or Teacher of the Year. For example, instead of just "serving children" you can specify which children you will be serving and how you aim to do so. Once your organization irons out details for the fundraiser it is important to share that information with volunteers at your event. This will allow them to be ready for any questions from your guests regarding the fundraiser.
Fundraising events can be a great opportunity to introduce potential new members to your organization. It can be very inspirational to people to see volunteers working together for a new cause. A fundraiser is an opportunity for people in the community to see your organization in action. By setting this goal you can prepare informational material to provide to potential new members. You can also prepare volunteers with information to relay to people who may inquire more about your organization.
With technology constantly developing there are many more tools at your disposal. One recommended tool is Google Drive. With it, you can make surveys, a website, documents, presentations, and more!
Fun
TIPS & IDEAS
Fundraisers take a lot of time and effort to plan. This is why it is suggested that you plan diligently for your event. However, as you plan, it is important to keep in mind that not everything goes to plan. Sometimes volunteers are unable to attend the event, you can receive unexpected reactions, and might even have to postpone or cancel your event for reasons that are out of your hands. The unexpected can derail the best of us. What is important is to avoid going into a panic. No matter the unexpected, what is important is the need to continue your efforts. Sometimes the best solutions are thought of on the spot. If an event is derailed and your goals are not met, you always have other opportunities to meet your goals. Consider this an opportunity to improve upon incidents that might have occurred. You can always grow from experience.
EXPECTATION VS REALITY
Technology
What makes events enjoyable? Fun! when your volunteers have fun they deliver a great experience to the community. When the community has fun they support your efforts.
Research
There is a world of information at your fingertips. It is always helpful to learn more about your community. It allows you to better understand their needs.
One of your goals should be to have a full house for your fundraiser event. To accomplish this some of the best people to ask are those closest to you. One of the best ways to start is by shooting them an email. Family and friends are known to be more likely to donate to your efforts than people who do not know you. By making sure they are some of the first invited, you guarantee to have a good group of people willing to donate at your event.
TAKE THE TIME
This booklet was made possible through the information online. Please take the time to peruse the following sites to view more of the information they have available. https://www.classy.org/ https://fundly.com/ https://www.fundraiserhelp.com/ https://www.kiwanis.org/clubs/member-resources You will be able to find more resources online through simple searches. Remember to always verify your sources!
04 Educate each other
After your fundraiser, take the time to celebrate your efforts! Go over the successful portions of your fundraiser, find time to thank your donors and volunteers. Consider thanking volunteers by throwing a little party or taking them out to eat. The more you celebrate and revolve positivity around the event the more likely your volunteers would like to join you again for your next project. The more your donors hear about how well your event went the more interested they would be in supporting a productive group.
03 Contacting everyone
The best way to ensure a great fundraiser is by catching up on new tools and resources. As a team, you should work to educate yourself and each other on how to be successful with the tools at your disposal. Whenever you start a new fundraiser consider having material readily available to share with members. Such materials could include tip sheets or files with your organization's logos.
Resources
Many donors may be less inclined to donate when they cannot see where their donations are spent. Consider laying out what donation amounts can do for others. For example, donations of $10 help feed a child for a weekend. By typing donations to a clear action donors become more inclined to donate. Consider including such information in pamphlets or posters at your next event.
02 Shows of Action
05 Rejoice
other TIPS FOR SUCCESS
01 Soft Launch
When you launch a campaign you want to give it your all and have everything run smoothly. To launch your fundraising campaign successfully it is beneficial to launch a soft campaign. A soft campaign allows you to communicate with close supporters of your cause before you invite all the members of your community. It allows you to test out any promotional material as well as interactive links. This is also the perfect opportunity to engage with close members and ask them for feedback that may be useful for your official launch.
Texas Oklahoma Kiwanis District 3010 W. Park Row Drive, Suite 100 Pantego, TX 76013 txokdist@swbell.net 817-640-7711
The information and the images in the booklet are provided by the following sites: https://www.classy.org/ https://fundly.com/ https://www.fundraiserhelp.com/ https://www.kiwanis.org/clubs/member-resources https://unsplash.com/ This booklet has been put together by TX-OK Editor, Evelyn Herrera.
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TXOKKIWANIS.ORG
This booklet has been put together by TX-OK Editor, Evelyn Herrera.
TEXAS.OKLAHOMA.KIWANIS