How To Raise Money To Survive And Thrive

Just why and how do organizations raise money?  Like most endeavors in the world of capacity building, fund raising is an art form.  In this blog article, I’ll focus on the reasons and mechanics of doing this.

Underexposed Cotton Candy by Alice Merkel. On Flickr.

How To Raise Money To Survive and Thrive by Tom Romito, Facilitator

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Just why and how do organizations raise money?  Like most endeavors in the world of capacity building, fund raising is an art form.  In this blog article, I’ll focus on the reasons and mechanics of doing this.

Many organizations struggle trying to achieve their goals because their efforts are fragmented and unfocused.  They don’t have much money, their leaders are tired, and they have no plan for the future.  Some have the attitude that if they could just get a grant, everything would be okay.

Organizations like this may also be faced with inertia.  They know they need to raise funds.  Why don’t they?  They don’t know how, nobody wants to, it’s so hard. 

If your organization is like this, there are a few principles of fund raising you should know about if you really want to survive and thrive.  They comprise a fund-raising strategy.  Having one is especially important when the economy gets tough and funders pinch their pennies. 

Here’s What To Do:

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• First, study your past performance in fund-raising.  Find out if you raised enough money to accomplish your objectives.
  

• Second, evaluate the receptiveness of donors to your fund-raising techniques.  Research who was responsive to your requests.
  

• Third, assess your fund-raising methods.  Find out if you used traditional techniques referred as “earned income”.  They include annual appeals, fund drives, grant proposals, and direct requests to big donors.
  

• Fourth, form a fund-raising committee to launch or renew your methods, and get as many people involved in the effort as you can.  Make sure they try these things: Find ways to cut costs in the production and distribution of your annual appeal. Organize a fund drive.  Write grant proposals, send someone to training to get that experience, or hire a professional to do this for you. Develop relationships with potential big donors and ask them for large donations.

How To Develop A Fund-Raising Strategy by Tom Romito, Facilitator

In the video above, I outline the steps an organization needs to take to develop a fund-raising strategy, whether they think they do or not. I show you how I lead people through a process of developing strategies to break down barriers, evaluate and maximize methods, and how to identify potential funding targets to achieve the organization's goal. 

• Lastly, identify your fund-raising targets.  Determine what projects you need to fund, how much money you need to do them, and where you can get the money.
  

If you do these things, you’ll do more than just survive during the hard times.  You’ll thrive and have enough money in the bank to accomplish your objectives under any circumstances.

Share Your Experiences!

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Share your successes and failures raising money for your organization, community or business start-up. Add your story in the comment box below. We'd like to hear from you! 

Tom Romito, Facilitator, and a Director, I-Open, helps organizations build capacity to survive and thrive with Team Building, Action Planning and Strategic Planning. Tom is also interested in Climate Change Effects on Reforestation, Wetlands, and Birds and Other Wildlife. Learn more about facilitation techniques at Tom's website Tom Romito, Facilitator and follow him on Twitter @ThomasRomito

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