Fundraising is a team sport! Team members are very busy and need to work together to accomplish their fundraising goals. Working closely with your Board will help your organization meet its fundraising goals. In this piece we provide simple steps to getting your staff and board to stop thinking about fundraising as an unfortunate cost and instead, an essential investment! Here are a few ways that staff, Board Members, and Committee Members can all pitch in:
- Communicate with current donors more frequently through newsletters, emails, and phone calls
- Identify new prospects
- Strategically solicit gifts
Here are our 7 simple ways to help you get started!
- Invite major donors and VIPs to events over the phone. Ensure your organization’s biggest supporters know their presence would be missed at the upcoming event. They’re a lot less likely to reject or ignore an invitation when it’s personalized from one of the leaders of your organization.
a. Make this as easy as possible by supplying a sample script to reference in with all the important details on registration, ticket sales, the night’s agenda and goals.
b. Limit calling responsibilities to no more than 4 major donors per person (about an hour of their time). Then keep everyone accountable by checking in on their progress at the next board meeting.
- Bringing in new and exciting details and revenue opportunities prevents events from growing stale and limiting revenue potential. Create an environment that donors and board members are excited about and want to share with each other. Fundraising will come easier if each year everyone knows your events are exciting!
- Donating auction items for an upcoming event. See if members can donate items like a weekend stay at their vacation home, case of wine or a professional service.
- Fill a table at the gala. The need to fill up tables at a gala can keep event chairs and staff up at night. Board members may be among the most well-connected of your supporters – Ask them to invite ten of their contacts and get one of the tables filled early.
- Brag about your event on social media. Ask them to try posting about the event on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. A social post is a great way to engage social professional networks without having to make a direct ask, plus serves as a natural conversation starter.
- Pitch in to achieve new ideas. Board meetings should address new revenue opportunities and fresh strategies keep your events from feeling stale. On the other side of the fence, sometimes board members can overwhelm staff with creative ideas that do not result in fundraising dollars. Be sure to always consider how new ideas translate to more fundraising!
- Call donors to thank them after the event. A personalized, timely and sincere gesture of thanks goes a long way for donor retention. Show supporters they are truly appreciated by having a board member reach out with gratitude.
