Make sure you build something about your mission into ALL of your fundraising efforts. Every single one of them!
When I worked for the American Cancer Society, during presentations I always said, "by participating in the Relay for Life, you are making a major impact in the fight against cancer" and I would tell people what, specifically, was happening in their community because of the money we raised through Relay for Life.
I always wanted to bring their participation back to why they were being asked to participate, raise money, and give money. What were they getting out of it?
This may sound obvious, but I've been to a lot of events that are really nice and well done, but you leave and you can't even remember what the cause was or how your attendance helped anyone. Then, when I get a solicitation letter in the mail, I don't even connect the letter with the event I just attended.
Find a way to remind people what your mission is at every turn.
Here's a few examples:
1. Ask a beneficiary of your programs to write a thank you letter to your volunteers or donors once a year.
2. Tell a real story of a person who receives benefits from your program on marketing materials whenever possible and include a quote from them about how your program has impacted their life. Even if it is a theater group - tell a real story of how a recent production touched someone. That moves people to give more.
3. Never, ever, ever hold a board meeting, committee meeting, or kickoff party without having at least some brief comments of gratitude from a recipient of your services or at least a reminder of what your mission is. Tie everything back to the mission.
4. Include program beneficiaries - not just the board president and the executive director - on the agenda to speak briefly at events.
5. Have program recipients pass out t-shirts and hand out water at the watering stations to thank participants at your next 5k.
When I was working in Savannah, GA, we did an event called "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer" featuring a life-size exhibit of real breast cancer survivors from Savannah called "Voices and Faces of Breast Cancer."
I was lucky enough to accidentally sit next to a woman on a plane shortly after that who was one of the voices and faces of the exhibit.
Being a part of the exhibit changed her life; it changed mine, too. It is a reminder to me of how I need to always lead off fundraising efforts with the power of the mission by telling personal stories whenever I get a chance.
