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Fundraising is a thankless and never-ending task for most charities, nonprofit or booster organizations. Although you may raise money with various campaigns for different programs within your agency or group, you have to start somewhere. 

As with most programs, timing is everything. Sometimes the economy takes a turn, causing contributions to your organization to slow down. You may need to revamp your fundraising message to make it clear that demands on your program have increased, but donations are down. Here are some easy reference tips to help you get started:

501(c)(3) s and Non-Profit Groups

• Review past programs and evaluate the success of each effort
• Do your homework…find out what’s new and if it could work for your organization
• Write a formal mission statement
• Develop a fundraising plan, identifying a budget and timeline
• Consider a dynamic leader or well known community personality to help
• Get buy in and support from your board and committee members
• Use technology to manage your donor list
• Extend your reach through an active social media campaign
• Always evaluate your progress

Community and Booster Fundraising:

• Determine what you are raising fund for – and how much it costs
• Look at your committee, what are their strengths and weaknesses
• Review past programs and evaluate the success of each effort
• Do your homework…find out what’s new and if it could work for your organization
• Look at what other organizations in your community or school are doing so your efforts don’t compete or overlap
• Develop a fundraising plan, identifying a budget and timeline
• Consider a dynamic leader or well known community personality to help
• Get buy in and support from your board and committee members
• Use technology to manage your donor list
• Extend your reach through an active social media campaign
• Always evaluate your progress

Regardless of who you are, what your goals are or what/who you are raising money for, these tips can help you get started:

• Know what your organization needs, daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly.
• Make contingency plans for slow donation periods
• Be as realistic as possible — and be candid with your planning team
• Keep your finger on the beat of what works and share your findings
• Maintain an attitude of “we’re all in this together”
• Cut costs where you can — by reducing print pieces or increasing e-mail contact
• Use reliable resources such as past chairpersons or repeat donors to help you navigate through challenging times
• Use technology and social outreach when you can to save time and money