How to Successfully Raise Funds?

Answer 1

Maybe your church youth group wants to help hurricane victims rebuild their homes. Or perhaps your local high school association is trying to raise enough money to enable the junior class to visit our nation’s capital. No matter what the cause, your group needs to come up with effective, profitable fund raising strategies that will enable you to reach your goal.

Before you do anything else, take some time to assess your resources. Do you have friends or contacts already sympathetic to your needs who might be willing to contribute sizable sums? Such benefactors can often take away a significant portion of the financial burden you are facing. Then examine the capabilities of the members of the group. They are, after all, a ready-made fund-raising team and are powerfully invested in the success of the project. Each of them has numerous family, friends, and acquaintances who might be willing to support the cause.

At this point, it is important to emphasize one cardinal fact about fund-raising. People will work harder and give more money if two things happen: they need to understand the purpose of the fund drive, and they should have a positive attitude about the product or service used to raise the funds. Let’s say, for instance, that you decide to have a car wash to bring in funds for your mission trip. If passers-by are aware of the underlying reason for the activity, they might stop and let you give their SUV a bath—even if it is not all that dirty, just because they want to be a part of the team that sends your group to help disaster victims.

Countless businesses make their living by helping organizations in their fund-raising efforts. Because they are a dime a dozen, you will find that some are much more lucrative than others. Before making a commitment to any of these outfits, be sure you have a complete understanding of the product they will have you sell, the profit margin you will earn, and the time frame involved. Many such businesses are more than willing to make a presentation to your group detailing everything you need to know. Just remember that you will only get a fraction of the cost of each item you sell through these companies.

There is no doubt about it: raising money is hard work. However, with careful preparation and a bit of elbow grease, your group will see tangible benefits. Before you know it, you will have successfully achieved your goal.