Recently Ann and I met with an organization just getting started in their fundraising. They have no paid staff, an ambitious objective, and a group of devoted group of volunteers with busy lives.
The question around the table: how do we get started?
While we could have buried this group in spreadsheets, templates, and fundraising -speak, we challenged ourselves to make it as simple as possible and we came up with this:
- Why should anyone care?
- Who is it that does care?
- How do we reach them?
Let’s start with the first:
Why should anyone care?
Whether you want to call it a case statement, a strategic plan, or your first grant proposal, your organization has to be able to articulate a reason for why others should care about the work you want to do. Yes, it’s all fine and good for founder to really love helping students in Guatemala, but why should anyone else give a hoot?
Not to sound harsh, but people want to know what is in it for them and that messaging is absolutely necessary to raise money. (Hint: the answer is not because they should care. It’s notabout badgering or guilting people into something.)
Who does care?
Once you’ve articulated WHY someone should care, you have to identify WHO it is that is most likely to care. In this case, the world is not your oyster. You need to identify specific key audiences that are likely to be interested in your work. (The general public is not a key audience!)
Does the local government care? Students? Local business people? People who travel? Who is it? And what is it about your story that resonates to this particular set?
It may be that you have several constituencies that value your work. But if you’re starting from zero, you are going to have to prioritize. Pick 1 or 2 with which you have a connection or some “in” and save the rest for when you have more capacity.
How do we reach them?
Once you think you have found your key audiences, you need to determine how to reach them. You may have heard the old saying, “money follows good ideas”, but how can the money come if no one has heard of your ideas?
The important piece is to be smart and targeted. Really think about HOW your key audiences might best be reached and WHO within your sphere might help you to reach them. Don’t just throw out your message and hope it lands! Consider how you can engage each group in the work you do in a way that benefits them.
Once you’ve got your key audiences engaged, the “asking” part of the fundraising plan will practically write itself. If you’re listening, you’ll know what to do next.
By following along this path, we took our client, who had no fundraising plan, to having two distinct prospect pools and plans for contacting and engaging each one – all in one evening. It’s a do-able set of steps with real possibilities. It’s a great start!
So, if you are just getting going on your fundraising – or you are stuck mulling over a new initiative, channel, or audience – start out by asking yourself “Who Cares?”
p.s. And if you are looking for some fundraising fundamentals to along with your plan, check out our “Back to Basics: Fundraising 101” workshop coming up on February 26th in Longmont.
photo by Oferico.
