| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Four Keys For Successful Foundation and Corporate Fundraising
Earlier in my career, I worked for a training and technical assistance service provider with significant revenue from foundations and corporations. What was the key to success? It was targeted fundraising based on the needs of the donors. Unfortunately, many organizations take another approach. They send a shower of requests hoping one might land in the right spot. As a board member of a grantmaking organization with no paid staff, I review requests that are based on this "shower" approach. They have little chance of being funded. Why? In most cases, the requests either do not relate to our grantmaking initiatives or the amount of money requested is well above our capabilities. In the current fundraising environment of fewer dollars and more nonprofits, you can't afford to waste your time and resources. There are four keys to more successful fundraising. Be clear about who you are You must be clear about: The community need you are addressing How your mission addresses that need The precise activities or services for which you are seeking support Who will benefit from these activities or services Your expected outcomes Your measures of success The type and amount of resources you need to achieve your desired results Invest in prospect research Once you are clear about your needs, shift your focus to the needs of your potential donors. Learn their history and their unique interests. Learn their guidelines, policies and grantmaking procedures. Learn their funding patterns, including the specific types of grants and the dollar amounts. The more information you gather the more likely it is that you will be able to find a realistic match. Create value All nonprofits exist to make a difference. But in order to attract funding, you must be able to answer two key questions: Will your request help the donor meet their philanthropic goals? In what specific ways will the donor benefit from contributing to your organization? If you can develop a compelling statement describing "what's in it for them", you have probably found a good match. In addition, you must demonstrate that you are a mission-focused, results-oriented organization by: Presenting a well-developed plan for implementing and evaluating your activitiesProviding evidence of your competence and capacity to deliver Documenting that you will be able to sustain your proposed activities. Build community partnerships Foundation and corporate funders receive many more requests than they are able to fund. They are keenly aware of the duplication that is prevalent in the nonprofit sector and the large number of nonprofits requesting funds to address related issues. Corporations and foundations are more likely to fund requests (and to give higher amounts) if the work plan demonstrates a true partnership among several organizations. Working through turf and other issues is difficult, but it is worth the effort. All of us spend a great deal of time raising money from corporations and foundations. Investing time and resources in researching the most likely prospects increases your chances for success. Focusing on the benefits prospects will gain from supporting you will increase your chances even more. Judith Rothbaum helps talented nonprofit professionals and volunteers grown their business and think more boldly about who they are and the changes they create in their communities. Visit http://www.datafordecisionmaking.com to learn more. She has worked with, and in, nonprofits for over 20 years. She is a foundation trustee and is a resource development instructor for the APHA Maternal and Child Health Institute. She publishes a monthly e-newsletter which is available at no cost.
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The First Rule of CRM for Financial Services Things have to change. Cross selling is not going to happen simply by installing new CRM technology. Recipe for Success Special event and a special recipe- hand it out on a business card.I have seen many real estate people, give out recipes with their newsletter. Who is Your Perfect Client When I started my coaching practice I believed that I could coach anyone. My marketing wasn't targeted. Marketing Tips 101 - Where Can I Get Clients From? The following tips have come from a wide variety of sources; some from other successful businesses we know, some from our Home-Based and Small Business Support Group meetings and some we've developed by trial and error. Some of the ways to get clients are: contact previous employers; mailing lists; cold call your target market; attend group meetings and seminars for your target market (conventions for doctors, lawyers; computer seminars); attend local Chamber of Commerce meetings; join groups related to your target market; if your target market uses a specific system, for example accountants use the SafeGuard system, contact them and tell them that you are available to teach them how to use the system or you can do it for them. Unique Marketing Ideas That Generate Cash! First of all - keep in touch with your customers! One of the best ways to do this is with a newsletter. Today it's easier than ever to have a newsletter - use email. SMS for the Estate Agent - Targeted Marketing Tool, or Legal Minefield? Imagine having at your disposal a means to immediately inform house buyers that you have just the property they are looking for. Potential buyers have given their details and their preferences - imagine that you can send them this information no matter where they are or what they are doing, they can read it at a time that's convenient and can act accordingly in their own time. Marketing is More Than a Token Process "Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I heard this was nearly twenty years ago when I was introduced to Tony Robbins' material. I was listening to, and applying, information from his thirty day series. Coupons that Work Turn a coupon into a business card (or vice versa).Coupons are seen everywhere; you clip them from the newspaper to save on groceries, you get them in the mail to save on brand name items, you even get packages in the form of booklets delivered to your door. Top 5 Design Tips to Create Eye-Catching Marketing Materials Great graphic design looks effortless, but it requires lots of attention to details. Think back to an eye-catching advertisement, publication, or flyer you saw recently. Limited Time Only (Shh! Its A Secret) Under normal circumstances, you'd shout it from the rooftops. After all, when you have something urgent to say, you want others to know about it, right? But when it comes to "limited time only" offers, lately I've noticed a disturbing trend. Defining Moment Do you know your audiences? I mean really know them. I've just been working on a project for a client to help him position his financial planning business and to determine who his key audiences are. Mortgage Marketing to Realtors - Creating a Memorable Positioning Statement Mortgage marketing to Realtors involves having a crystal clear position that establishes credibility, so that you can develop a consistent dialogue with prospects and guide them at every stage of the relationship building process.Declaring your position begins with creating a Positioning Statement. Direct Mail Response Rates Soar With Dimensional Mailers in Business-to-Business Lead Generation The toughest job you face as a B2B direct marketer is reaching your prospect with your message. Reaching C-level executives is particularly difficult because they employ mailroom staff and executive secretaries who screen their mail, or your mail, depending on how you look at it. The Exiler THE EXILER (your search for true brand attributes ends here!)With the advent of new marketing strategies and techniques, many theories have sprouted up telling you many ways to impress your target customers and make them buy your product. But when it comes to practical implementation of the theories, most of them fail, or give partial results because they are based either on buying behavior of customers or extensive surveysWhen the customers choose to buy a product they look only into very few features of product / service which are vital for their selection. How to Expand Your Target Markets Are your products or services geared towards only one target market? You can increase sales and profits by increasing your target markets. Below are some creative ways to increase your target markets by using your existing products and services you're selling right now. Using Alternative Media to Generate More Customers Last week I received a very nice thank you gift from a friend of mine, Eric Ruth, who is arguably the number one marketing coach to the personal fitness trainer industry.Eric, asked if he could interview me about a specific topic and I agreed. Writing Guarantees that Sell "This offer is good but can you guarantee it."Why write a guarantee for your product or service? It reduces the risk in the eyes of your customers, enough to turn a cynical customer into a convinced customer. Stop Searching - Joint Ventures are the Solution to Doubling Your Business First, define the end user (or ideal client) of your product. Many times when I ask people who their ideal client is they will tell me "oh everyone can use my product!". Avoid These 5 Web Site Blunders! The Web is intended to help people find information quickly and easily. So why do so many sites make it difficult for users to get what they need? While neat design can add impact to your message, make sure the message itself doesn't get lost in the mix. Optimizing Your Email Marketing Email CampaignsEmail marketing can be a tremendously valuable tool for web businesses. Because it is so fast, cheap and easy, and because it is everywhere, email lends itself ideally to direct marketing.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
