Fundraising Pack
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting
different results.” Albert Einstein
In these uncertain times, charities and community groups should be doing all they can to diversify their income streams. Recent figures showed that nearly a quarter of charities in the UK are funded by government, and with cuts in government funding imminent, there will be more charities in competition for less funding from other means.
Are Albert Einstein’s words true for fundraising? Should charities do things differently to attract support/funds/donors?
Increasingly, charities want to recruit supporters with a different profile to those on their existing donor list – younger/older/richer/more committed, but this can be a struggle. If you want to attract different supporters you need to do something different.
Ensure your fundraising contains a variety of elements – direct mail, press, text messaging, email, street, community, events or raffles. Use the medium that is appropriate for the supporter base that you are trying to reach. Colours, words and images can attract different ages and different genders can react differently to an emotional or rational message.
A recent trend shows that people want something in return for the support they give to a charity. Can you offer membership, sponsorship, a lottery or raffle?
You may decide to apply for trust funding. Don’t be afraid to explain to funders what you need, or to ask for funding for activities that may be seen as complicated or boring. Prepare carefully and explain what will happen if you don’t get the funding but also the impact of the funds if your activities can continue.
I hope the information that we’ve included in this Fundraising Pack, will give you some help and guidance on the rocky journey we all have ahead of us.
Good Luck!
Contents:
1) 100% Somerset – the brand
2) Four Strands of Fundraising
3) Community Fundraising
4) Corporate Fundraising
5) Using Social Media to Fundraise
6) Trust and Grant Fundraising
7) Legacy Fundraising
8) Gift Aid made easy
Gift Aid - from HMRC website
Sponsorship and Gift Aid Declaration Form from HMRC website
Gift Aid Declaration from HMRC website
9) How to Write a Press Release
10) Contact Us – is your webpage working for you?
11) Useful Contacts
12) Somerset Fundraisers Group
last updated on 3rd December 2010