Tag Archives: prosper

Help a Donor Choose your Cause

Details below are given to businesses in order to help them choose a cause for their donation.

Excerpt from blog by Abby Quillen.

With more than 1 million non-profit foundations and charities in the U.S., it may be daunting to decide on a cause to support. Paradoxically, the more choices available, the harder it is to make a decision and act. Use these tips to find a cause that fits your company and gets results.

Find a charity that aligns with your company’s values
What does your business do? What is your mission? If you’re in food service, for instance, maybe you’ll reach out to a non-profit focused on urban food insecurity or recycling. Or if you’re in the financial sector, you could look at one of the many nonprofits devoted to increasing financial literacy. Finding a charity that aligns with your company’s values is a great place to start.
Focus on impact
Do you want to help women start small businesses, communities rebuild after disasters, children learn to read, or needy families have access to nutritious food? Visit a charity evaluator website, such as GiveWell, the Open Philanthropy Project, or the Foundational Research Institute, to compare the costs and effects of different interventions.
Do your research
Before you commit to a cause, make sure it’s legitimate by checking a charity watchdog site such as CharityWatch, Charity Navigator, or BBB Wise Giving Alliance. Ideally, a charity should spend a majority of its funds on programs, not fundraising or administration.
Pay a visit
By partnering with a local non-profit, you can help people in your local community and make it a better place to live. You’ll also have opportunities to sponsor team volunteer work days or local charity events. Before you partner with an organization, visit and observe their work first-hand.
Verify tax-exempt status
Donations that meet certain requirements are tax-deductible. Before you commit to a cause, verify the non-profit group’s tax-exempt status by checking with the group or visiting the IRS website, and talk to your tax expert.

Gayle Gross developed a way for people to SOAR. Very valuable information is shared above, which is an the excerpt from the full article linked here at Zerocater. Aligning a non-profit with a business to create social impact is paramount for today’s cause marketing approach. Gayle knows this and works with organizations to determine the best way to move forward in developing collaborative networking. There’s a program she helps organizations implement. It is the Nonprofit Cooperative. Schedule a call or send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org

Fundraising Goals – In the Bag!

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Basically, “in the bag” means your fundraising is secured! You know it’s true because you’ve already accomplished the goal. Whew – a sigh of relief.

Last quarter of the year…is it really in the bag or are you kidding yourself?

As a nonprofit, it can be hard to focus on year-end goals when it’s only August. You undoubtably wear many hats in the organization. It can be even harder to decide what you need to do to achieve success when you’re still trying to meet Q2 or Q3 financial goals. Q4 builds powerful momentum for 2019. Speaking of ways to do this:

1. HAVE A CONSISTENT STORY TO SHARE

A story builds trust in your mission. It has the potential to increase donations when the story is one people repeat to others. The same story has time to build momentum, and you’ll also save resources when you avoid creating something new. ALL. THE. TIME.

2. CUSTOMIZE HOW YOU COMMUNICATE

A donor is different than someone new learning about your program. Look at your connections and specifically at your monthly donation amounts. Align the way you communicate with different donor segments. Check your social media accounts to see which posts get the most engagement, and build articles for newsletters and subsequent posts based upon those topics. Share with people donating to your organization (time, money, resources).

Customizing communication increases trust in your organization.

3. APPRECIATE DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS

Connect with highly engaged donors and volunteers, who frequently support your mission. They are your advocates. They share your mission with others in a GOOD way when they feel respected. Now is the time to make sure there’s a program of appreciation in place, which is well-developed within your organization.

4. CONNECT WITH BUSINESSES AND SPONSORS

Increase awareness and revenue for your nonprofit when you grow the awareness of your organization within your community. Meet with people and share your mission. This is not asking people for donations unless they are ready to give.

Get to the top of your market because people have confidence and trust in you. Take the test! Prove it. Here’s a quick way to decipher your trustworthiness:

Do you serve the best interests of others?
(Not your own interests)
Do you communicate all the information people need to be successful?
(Don’t make assumptions about what you think “they can handle”. Leaders who underestimate the intelligence of their teams generally overestimate their own.)
Do you keep your commitments?
(Leaders must watch their words because even a casual comment can be interpreted as a commitment.)

Keeping commitments is very important to establish trust.

SOAR is dedicated to helping businesses, non-profits and donors build community. Email us at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com with questions.

Raising Money? A Result of Good Choices.

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You have choices to make.
You weigh the options while educating yourself.
You make a choice.

This is an ideal scenario but it’s not always the way it goes.

A corporation growing market share (AKA raising money) often limits their options to what they’ve always done and then expects different results. You’ve probably heard a quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein:

“Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results.”

Insanity is a BAD choice when it comes to building confidence in your community for increasing market share. People wonder why an organization is STILL ASKING for money. Why have they NOT MET their financial goal? Will they ever be sustainable? Are they using their dollars wisely? Many times a development professional at an organization becomes the scapegoat. In reality, it costs more money to replace that professional than to work on building them into the model fundraiser. Most times, an employee challenged with raising money is so lost on what to do, they lose sleep at night, and their health deteriorates. Their self-esteem suffers. They feel they’ve let the organization down. They stop trying because it’s too painful.

Organizations choosing to SOAR lighten the burden on their fundraising professional. SOAR is an acronym for a system. People who have followed the program double awareness within two months. They increase fundraising 126% in four months. The metrics in every scenario are off the charts. SOAR only works with organizations and a fundraising professional who are willing to step outside of their box and see relationship building as a necessary tool for raising money.

CAUTION: Grants and donors seeking tax benefits are NOT guaranteed. Recently, a client lost their $100,000 block grant. It’s something they’d received for many years. Now, GONE with the blink of an eye. Fortunately, they are growing their program with SOAR. They’ve found ways to educate people about their mission. They are developing a culture with people in the community. They will survive.

Your choice is to SOAR for success. Discuss options. Schedule a quick call by clicking here.

The 8th thing to do when asking for money!

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1.) KNOW the person/organization you’re asking. AND, know why they will say yes when you ask for a donation. Ideas for getting to know them:

Invite them to attend activities you’re hosting (when you’re not asking for money or anything else in return) so you can talk and learn
Take a genuine interest in the things they do
Get involved in things they support
Attend something of their choosing

2.) Discover a general overlap of interests. This helps with building lasting relationships. It is always good to focus part of your appointments on a friendly discussion. Ideas:

FORM – family, occupation, relationships and mission/message

3.) Avoid boring anyone with information they already know. ASK for perspectives upfront. Find out what is already known and what participants would like to learn. Questions to ask to get clear:

What would you like to get from today’s meeting?
How would you see me being more involved in your mission?
Do you have a specific interest in the mission I’m involved with?

4.) Set an agenda for your meeting. Let anyone involved with the meeting know the meeting’s agenda. Also, ask anyone involved to add items ahead of time. Tips:

Set the agenda one week in advance
Send the agenda to everyone with a deadline date for adding new items
Always have the last section scheduled for new business and setting the next meeting

5.) Determine mutual benefit. Share this when asking for an appointment. What will the attendees gain through your meeting?

6.) ASK for the donation. Realize the benefit of giving to your organization and feel good about someone doing so. When you know why they will say yes it is time to ask.

7.) Thank everyone involved with a phone call and/or hand written note. Respect and appreciate others for the time they give to you.

If we were to add #8 it would be to attach yourself to a system for fundraising. Whether it is one you develop or one you adopt from someone else. A system is the way you implement fundraising. SOAR lays some groundwork below for our system.

Share your message with others.

Offer opportunities for people to be involved with your mission.

Accept the way people want to participate.

Respect and appreciate others.

We also have a networking event, which helps organizations increase their volunteer base, engage people interested in growing the program, and see the benefit for being involved. Want to learn more? See this link.

Raising Money & Building Networks!

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“The more people you know, the more places you’ll go.” Sounds like a familiar quote, right? It’s close but not quite the same as Dr. Seuss (if you’re wondering).

Building networks goes hand in hand with raising money and increasing market share. Take the text literally. The more people you know and share your message with, the more growth you’ll have. NOW, the caveat. There are ways to do this without appearing overt and this is where developing your skill comes in.

“I want what I want, not what I need” may seem familiar if you know the band The Federal Empire. Take this text literally and ask for what’s needed while also giving what’s needed to the person you’re asking. Confused? You’re not alone. What a person needs is not always what they ask for because they ask for what they want, remember? There are ways to get everything sorted out to put yourself on the right path toward achieving fundraising success and asking for what you need. There’s a simple system, which you may not want to do BUT it is what you need to do!

Organizations go through growing pains – that’s right – growth in fundraising through a new system causes the same pain you feel while growing in other ways. The good thing is that it doesn’t last long. The reality is 4 – 8 weeks and then, the process and persistence pays off. It’s happening now. Statistics prove raising money is done through building networks. SOAR is the way to go when you’re ready to fly.

FREE strategy sessions available – Schedule Now – Click Here!

Learning to Raise Money

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How fast are you learning to use social media, hash tags, and your phone for everything?! It’s a necessity when doing business these days. What if your job is raising money? How you use the tools improves your chances for being successful. Learning is education and systems are easy to learn when they are introduced step by step.

At SOAR with Network Fundraising there’s a proven system, which works for raising money in any community. You are encouraged to learn more. And, if you want to talk 1:1 then send an email to iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com and let us know!

Raise Money Fast

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What’s the simple truth? Buy-in! When people believe in what you’re doing and they can see you’re also interested in their mission, it’s win/win.

Raise money fast by putting together opportunities for people to network with each other. Think about it – networking events – they bring people together AND people like them. You’re not asking for anything in return at these events. It is about spreading your word and creating opportunity for your guests so they can also share their message. There’s nothing selfish about it. Open the doors, let everyone share, and open people’s hearts to what you do.

You may/may not know how to get started with planning a networking event. Here are some ideas.

Choose a comfortable location where you can have people min n’ mingle in one area while you’re also presenting to a closed group in a different area.
Put together a four-part program where there’s an MC (2 min. intro), a person sharing updates and letting everyone in the room introduce themselves (10 min.), a person or two sharing a story about your organization (4 min. each), and the MC closing out the session. In total, this program is less than 30 minutes.
Group two of your programs, like the one discussed above in #2 around a networking opportunity AKA mix n’ mingle. Basically, program/mix n’ mingle/program. Everyone at the two programs comes together for the mix n’ mingle in the middle, which is the actual networking portion of the event.

When your program is solid and you have processes in place for bringing advocates (volunteers telling people about your mission) on board then you are on track for raising money fast. It all begins with your networking events where people choose to become deeper involved in your mission. THE KEY is to be ready for advocates. Learn more here!

The Best Time to Raise Money Is…

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You’ve heard a watched pot never boils. Let’s just say you’re fundraising and pushing to fill the pot. You’re watching, watching, watching and not seeing the huge increases you were hoping for.

The best time to raise money is when you’re not needing to raise money! Watching the pot and expecting it to grow at a specific time is just not reasonable. Raising money is truly a full time activity. For example: You host an annual fundraiser and expect to raise all of the money you need. When this does work it’s because the organization is putting together activities leading up to the event. They work on the program all year long. Their fundraising plan is strategic.

The beginning of a fundraising plan:

How much money by when?
Methods for raising money – past, present and future
Timeline for each method
Participants – past, present and future
Resources (current + what’s needed)
Tracking mechanism
Maintaining focus of your program with your team

Focus more on the steps involved and not a specific event. You will get further faster. The pot will simmer, shake, and create a rolling boil. Before you know it the results you want will be happening because you’re not so focused on the end result.

Resolutions Raise Money

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Do you believe resolutions help you raise money? We think of making resolutions for the new year and here we are – already IN 2018 for a week!!

Literally, making a resolution is the act or process of resolving. We often think of ways to improve our lives at the end of a year for the NEXT year. It’s a concept, which really could happen at the end of EVERY MONTH…or EVERY WEEK…or EVERY DAY, right? Why do we wait for the end of the year?

Resolving is the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones. It’s the act of answering or solving. It is determining. Raising money is one of those complex acts, don’t you think? Certainly, it takes time to plan out the steps involved. Fundraisers usually do this by putting together a fundraising plan, which is simple enough. We have a page committed to doing just that at SOAR with Network Fundraising. You can take a look through this link – Click Here! It will give you a step toward a successful resolve.

SOAR also gives flight to fundraising plans through discussions with qualified fundraising professionals. You are guaranteed to resolve a bigger smile! Email iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.com with your interest to learn more.

“NO DOUBT” – A Sign for Raising Money

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A non-profit has many things to focus on and first and foremost it is the service they offer to help others. The mission is most-important – NO DOUBT!

There’s also no doubt when it comes to raising money. A non-profit generally has the majority of their funding acquired through grants and donations. There’s NO DOUBT the people they get their money from can certainly put those resources somewhere else. What happens then? It’s a very difficult time for a non-profit if they haven’t diversified their fundraising.

Think about your own money and the way you approach life. Did your mother ever mention something to you about putting all of your eggs in one basket? Have you found yourself saying the same thing to others? All of your eggs in one basket have a tendency to break when you trip and fall. Having numerous baskets with numerous carriers simply increases the odds of success. The same is true with raising money.

SOAR with Network Fundraising increases the odds of financial sustainability because we help organizations build networks of people, a V-formation, which works together to reach the destination!

It’s time to SOAR, raise more money and reach new heights – there’s NO DOUBT in the minds of successful non-profits who are working to SOAR with Network Fundraising.