Fundraising Tips and Tools
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More Details on the Popular “ 10 Rules to Fundraise By”
In June 2010 I brought you the Top 10 Rules To Fundraise By and I received a good deal of positive feedback about this particular newsletter. Building on this initial offering, in 2011 I’ll provide you with more details about each “rule”. And, as always, feel free to offer your insights so I might share them with others. Just contact me at sblack@allenefundraising.com.
#10: Measure it! Don’t neglect to take a hard look at
what you are accomplishing and the only way to do this is by the numbers.
Metrics and fundraising should go hand in hand but if you’re
like me, it’s the last thing you want to tackle on your to-do list. Measuring your outcomes against the
goals set at the beginning of the year can be daunting but it is the only way
to create the change your organization needs to improve. So as Nike declares: just do it!
Here are a few thoughts on metrics, evaluation, and
measurement:
1.
Start with the end in mind. When you are setting your budgets and
making your plans for the year, be realistic. For each line item you are responsible for, consider the
specific donors you will tap, then estimate how many new targets you think you
can hit based on existing cultivation and finally consider new relationships
that could pan out this year. Set
a monetary goal that is achievable but shows you are willing to stretch. Don’t set yourself up for failure or
allow your Development Committee or CEO to do so by setting unrealistic and
unachievable goals. This will make
that mid-year or end of the year analysis much more comfortable if you know
you’ve hit the mark.
2.
Consider all the costs. Recently I spoke to a
non-profit CEO from Cleveland who asked if spending fifty cents to raise a
dollar was too high (apparently this is what was happening in his
organization). I had only a few
minutes to speak with him but after saying “yes” I left wondering if his
fundraising staff was including their own salaries in the cost of raising
dollars - -as the CEO obviously was - -or if they only considered direct costs
in their analysis of net funds raised. Often as fundraising professionals, we
think of the time it takes us to raise dollars as the cost of doing business
and fail to include it in our cost-benefit analysis. While your organization needs to make an investment in you
and your staff in order to build your base of support, your hourly cost and
that of volunteers should be included when considering net profits. This may make those net profits much
smaller or even eliminate them but it will show you what may need to change
about how you are raising dollars or how much you should be raising based on
what you are being paid.
3.
Create the metrics before you have to use
them. This is similar to “keep the
end in mind”. Make sure you have
the measurement tools to be able to analyze your donors’ giving and provide
critical information about trends before you need to measure those things. Most donor database software packages
can provide this type of capability but you must collect and input the
information in order to use it. Consider what you want to measure as you are designing your
backroom operations. If you aren’t
sure how to do this, get outside help or check with your database vendor.
