You gotta start where you're at

You gotta start where you're at.

That may sound overly simplistic, but my experience is that many people, especially in fundraising, want to start way ahead of where they actually are.

Here's some of the things I've heard: she gives everything away... Don't undervalue your program... You should be able to get at least $10,000 for that.

The truth is what you are selling is worth exactly what people are willing to pay and not a penny more.

A few years ago, I was selling sponsorships in the County's annual Outlook Calendar. Each sponsor got an ad across the bottom of a month in the calendar.

Before I started working there, someone had assigned a value for each sponsorship at $550.

The prior year's calendar only had one ad in it so, theoretically, the calendar only generated $550 - hardly enough to offset the cost of printing, which was the point of having ads in the first place.

I decided I was going to do whatever I had to do to sell each and every month.

I started selling them for $100 each, two for one, an ad bundled with an event sponsorship... Whatever I had to do to fill those slots.

I sold them all. I think I ended up raising about $2200 for that calendar - not a lot, but a 300% increase over the previous year.

But if I had stuck with the initial estimated value of $550 a page, I probably wouldn't have sold any of them.

I had to start where I was at to set. That way, I could set myself up for a fantastic finish.

Five powerful minutes - Part 3

Two weeks ago, I told you how to get five minutes with a potential new sponsor.

Last week, I told you the most important thing to do when you get those five powerful minutes is ask the following question: "What are your biggest challenges for the next six months and how can I help you achieve them."

By asking that question, you are starting to create a win-win partnership. Your new contact is starting to view you as an asset - not just someone who wants something but someone who can also give something.

Your potential new sponsor will probably  say their top priority is bringing new visitors into their store. Maybe it is getting their website in front of more eyeballs. Whatever their challenge, you can use that information to start thinking of ways that you can help.

We've been trained to put company logos on t-shirts and company banners on fences at events, but many companies don't necessarily think those activities alone will bring them new visitors. Some companies avoid events altogether because they don't have the manpower to run their business on a busy Saturday AND send people for the day to an event.

That's why you have to ask what their biggest challenge is and then be prepared to offer up some real solutions.

It isn't as difficult as it sounds and you are in a unique position to help them with their challenges.

Here are some things that have worked for me:

1. Offer to put a link to their webpage on the main page of your website. Not on a sponsor page - sponsors know very few people will dive that far into your website.

2. Ask them what types of coupons they offer to drive new business. Offer to print a coupon in your organization's newsletter.

3. Give them the opportunity to put a stack of coupons in your lobby - or in lobbies of your board members' offices - for a specified period of time.

4. Give them the opportunity to sample/display products at your event and pass out coupons. Tell them if they don't have the staff for that, you will be happy to make sure their coupons are passed out near the event registration area.

5. Invite your contact to a board meeting to thank them for becoming a sponsor and let them do a 1 minute 'commercial' about their products/services in front of your board. Sponsors LOVE being able to present to new prospective clients.

6. Think creatively. Is there a space on the outside of your building that you could offer to hang their banner for a specified period of time?

7. Does your prospective sponsor have yard signs they use to promote their business and would you and your board members be willing to each take a yard sign and put it in your yards for 30 days?

I promise if you get creative, you can create win-win situations and you will not be viewed as just another person with his hat in his hand looking for a donation.

What topics would you like to see covered in future blogs?

Five powerful minutes - Part 1

Say you have a big event next year and you want to start prospecting for new sponsors (and in fundraising, who doesn't)?

Many sponsorship seekers - and I've experienced this first hand - will put together a list of companies/contacts they'd like to recruit, put together a proposal, and email it to as many of those people as they can, with attachments, of course, that might not ever get read. (See previous blog on attachments).

Its not a completely terrible approach. I've done it myself and with some success.

But here's a better idea: call your potential sponsor/contact and ask for five minutes of their time. Just five. That's it. And be very specific about it when you ask.

'Hello Joe. This is Susan from the Springfield Rescue Mission and I would love to stop by and introduce myself and only take five minutes of your time. That's it. Just five minutes. I will be near your office on Wednesday morning. Can I just stop in and introduce myself? I promise I will be in and out in five minutes.'

I promise you will get a meeting, if you are flexible with your time.

The person you are calling on will either say, 'Sure' or 'Wednesday is horrible, can you make it Friday?' or something similar.

An important side note: keep calling until you reach your contact's live voice. Do NOT leave a message and ask for a return phone call. Why? Because then you have just actually added to your potential sponsor's already busy day of tasks and have immediately created a negative neuro-association. Trust me on this one. They also might start mentally preparing their 'We are already over budget. Contact me after the first of the year' speech and you will be out of luck.

When you go in for your five minute power meeting, lead off with, 'I just wanted to say hello, introduce myself, and I will be out of your hair in five minutes.' And take a watch so you can be sure to keep it to five minutes.

Your contact will be shocked. Nobody ever wants just five minutes. If you stick to that, you will be putting a friendly face to your charity's name and building a relationship with your new contact.

Do not give them any paperwork to look over. And don't ask for anything. I repeat, don't ask for anything. Not at your first meeting.

Tell them why you got involved with your charity and make it personal.

Next, use your five minutes to ask a powerful question.

That powerful question - one that almost never gets asked by fundraisers - will come in Part 2 of this blog.

Keep it simple!

Several years ago when I was raising funds - especially early in my career - I would create proposals that were very wordy.

I wanted to impress upon the would-be sponsor just how big of an event I was creating and I really wanted, maybe even more, to impress upon the potential donor what kind of impact the organization was making with its mission.

Word, words, words.

I really tried to put every last detail in those darn proposals.

I've learned that not only is it unnecessary, but it also sometimes counter-productive and confusing to the donor.

That's because the person you are sending it to might get up to FIVE - or more - similar pitches EACH day. It is hard to believe, but it's true. They don't have time to wade through all the information.

Your job is to make it easy and to remove barriers. That means sending out a very brief proposal that the potential donor will be able to read quickly with no attachments just links. (See previous blog on attachments).

Include up front in your email or proposal very basic things like dates, times, and locations, and SPECIFICALLY what it is you are asking for and what they will get in return. Don't make them guess or have to play a word hunt just to find out.

And then put a link or website in the email or proposal directing your would be donor to all of the information that you'd like them to have - if they are interested.

And leave it at that.

Some thoughts on Twitter

Like it or not, Twitter is a part of our lives.

If you do these five things, your organization can turn Twitter into a strength:

1. Make sure everyone in your organization knows your Twitter handle. Everyone. I can't tell you how often I am working with people - particularly at events - who don't know their own organization's Twitter handle.

2. Make sure your organization follows those it will be working with a few days before the big event or fundraiser. This will make Tweeting at the event much easier. If you have an event coming up, plan ahead and follow the companies, organizations, and news media organizations that you expect to be working with.

3. At events, Tweet @ those companies, organizations, and news media outlets that you are working with. Sponsors, in particular, will love that your organization is Tweeting about them. If a sponsor's logo is visible, Tweet a picture with the logo or banner in the background.

4. One thing I like to do if I'm at an event and a TV crew shows up is ask the reporter or camera person during what news program or show the story will likely run on. Then, I Tweet to our followers for them to watch the story on @ (Twitter handle of news organization) during the time the story is expected to run. First, you are letting those who couldn't attend have the opportunity to see a story about what they missed. Second, news organizations are businesses first and foremost and they might be more likely to work with your group in the future if you also help drive people to watch their programs.

5. A day after a big event, thank those who came out to support your event through a Tweet @ all of them, if possible. You will be thanking them, but also gaining more followers in the process. When you Tweet @ those businesses and organizations, their followers might potentially follow your organization.

By following these five tips, you can gain more followers, strengthen your relationships, get more publicity, and come off as more sophisticated with social media.

FindingFunds Revisited

In 2011, I created a blog called FindingFunds based on my years of experience raising a lot of money for a lot of causes.

My blog was very short and practical with tips and tricks for how to raise money, find corporate sponsors, and find in-kind donations for programs and services.

I stopped writing the blog when I stopped actually raising money and I joined the ranks of the blue and yellow, as the Local Marketing Specialist for IKEA Charlotte. Part of my job includes giving away stuff.

Now that I've been on the other side of the fence for a couple of years - actually answering emails, calls, and in-person requests for donations, I've decided to resurrect my blog.

Now, my blog will be even better with real experiences shared on how to successfully make the ask and, now, experience on the side of the person who has to divide up and hand out what is available to donate to the many, many worthwhile causes, charities, and organizations that come a knocking.

It is going to be a fascinating look at what works from the eyes of the fundraiser AND what works in the eyes of the corporate sponsor.

I hope you will follow my blog and come along for the ride!

For God sakes, cut your expenses!

One of the easiest ways to raise more money is to cut your expenses.

Quite a few years ago, I was asked to lead the state golf championships of the American Cancer Society's golf program.

Winners of local fundraising tournaments had been "qualifying" to play in the state championships, which were held over a weekend, which had always been at the beach.

The state organization's overall income from golf tournaments was a couple hundred thousand and then the state organization spent more than $20,000 putting on what amounted to a big party at the beach for the local winners.

That carrot at the beach basically amounted to an additional ten-percent expense on a program that wasn't really all that successful and that also had expenses at the local level.

When I took the program over, I decided to get a committee of volunteers together from across the state to make some changes, reduce expenses in the state championships, and still try to leave people with a good feeling about the whole thing.

Here's what we did: moved the tournament to a nice course in the middle of the state, made it a one-day event, and held an optional dinner the night before the event that featured a silent auction and some other "income enhancers." We dramatically decreased expenses and added a few new income sources.

The result?

We actually netted about $5,000 on the state championships, which actually was a net gain of about $25,000 in the overall golf program, since we eliminated an overall $20,000 expense.

There's ALWAYS a way to reduce expense without sacrificing quality. Always.

What are some of the things you have done to reduce expenses?

Create winning partnerships with radio, television

I rarely do an event that doesn't have some sort of radio or television component as part of the communication strategy.

First, it increases your organization's profile. Second, having a radio or TV station logo on event collateral material is a great way to attract attention from additional sponsors and participants because it gives the signal that your event has some serious promotions behind it.

There are a number of things you can do to get free media to promote events - besides sending out news releases and hoping that the reporters cover it.

First, ask a local television personality to be your emcee. This practically guarantees that your event will make it on the evening news - if nothing else - the day of your event. Call the station a minimum of three to six months before your event and ask to be transferred to that personality directly. Leave that person a message with the basics - who, what, when, where, and why. If the event fits into that person's schedule, they probably will be your emcee.

Second, figure out what radio station's audience most closely aligns with the audience you expect to participate in your event. Make a call to the station a minimum of three to six months before the event and ask to speak to someone in promotions. Tell them about your event and ask them if they'd like to partner with you. You'll put their logo on your collateral, let them have a DJ speak on stage at the event, and give them space for a tent or a vehicle at the event to give out prizes.

If possible, tell the radio station's promotions person they can also get some of the station's business clients involved, put their logos on your materials, and give them spaces at your event. This will heighten their interest.

In return, they just need to give you spots in their inventory to promote your event. For most events, 20 to 40 spots on a radio station will do wonders for the profile of your event, in conjunction with the other suggestions in this blog.

Don't expect a live remote - that's difficult in the new economy with shrinking audiences and shrinking ad revenues. Besides, you need the promotional spots in advance of the event more than you need a live remote.

For larger events or events that attract more impressions, seek a radio partner that can give you 100 spots or more. They also will gladly post your event on their website.

The biggest mistake I see is organizations asking radio or television partners to get involved with their events three to six weeks beforehand, when it almost always is too late for them to get involved.

By following these rules, I have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in free radio and television spots to promote event that I have worked on. You can do it too.

Three magic letters - ROI

ROI.

Return on investment. That's the bottom line.

That's what businesses and marketers want when they spend money on something.

If you are asking a company for money, make sure there is some ROI for them.

For many businesses, especially small businesses, the ROI is measured in how many new customers you can send in their doors.

Many business owners and marketing directors have told me getting their logo on a banner or the back of a t-shirt in and of itself does not get them a significant return on their investment.

They want to put something in potential new customers' hands that will drive those would-be new customers into their business - like a gift certificate, coupon, or sample of a product.

It's really pretty simple. When is the last time you went into a business you had never been to and spent money because you saw their logo on the back of a t-shirt?

But I'll bet you can think of a time when you went into a business and spent money because you got a two-for-one offer, sampled a product, or got a free appetizer card.

Think about giving businesses a return on their investment rather than the standard logo placement benefits in a traditional sponsorship package and they will return to invest more money in your initiative.

How to host a killer kickoff party

Nothing, absolutely nothing can get a fundraising campaign, event, or program off to a better start than a kickoff party.

But you have to do it right and plan the kickoff like it is an event in and of itself, because it is.

A great kickoff party can help energize people, is a great way to get early publicity to promote your cause, help recruit corporate sponsors, volunteers, team captains, and participants.

Here are the MUSTS for a successful kickoff party:

1. Have the kickoff party at an extremely convenient location at an extremely convenient time for the people you want there.

2. Do both electronic and hard copy save the date cards and make sure you get them in the hands of people you want at your kickoff party. Don't rely on electronic invitations only - we all know people are inundated with those. Keep these cards with you and distribute these cards everywhere you go for a month prior to the party. Give your friends and colleagues a plentiful supply and ask them to do the same thing.

3. Use a good old fashioned RSVP phone number for people to call and confirm they will or won't be there. Tell them you need them to RSVP so you know how much food to have at the kickoff. This is important because it lets you know if you are going to have a good turnout or if a week or two prior you need to get on the phone and call those people you have invited and encourage them to RSVP.

4. Invite everyone you think would have an interest in being involved - participants, potential sponsor, potential committee members, potential volunteers, and give these people a wide variety of options of things to sign up for when they are at the kickoff party.

5. Have a BRIEF but POWERFUL speaker at the kickoff party to explain the mission or cause, why it is important, and why their participation will make a difference.

6. Pass out commitment cards at the kickoff party after the speaker is finished that give people the option of signing up for more information about corporate sponsorship, participation, being kept informed, volunteering, etc... with all their contact information.

7. Give out a really nice door prize that will be raffled out at the end of the party from the commitment cards that are turned in. This is also KEY because everyone there will want the prize and will check one of the boxes and turn their card in so they can be in the drawing.

8. Send out a communication IMMEDIATELY afterwards, thanking those who signed up and reiterating how what they signed up for is crucial to your mission.

9. Keep the kickoff party to one hour or less and make sure the save the date invitation says the party will only last one hour. Anybody can give you one hour of their time.

10. Hold a follow up business meeting less than two weeks after the kickoff party to get those people who signed up INVOLVED. Strike while the iron is hot!

By putting a significant amount of time and energy into your kickoff party, you really can cut your work planning an event or campaign in half and you can raise more money for your mission in the process.

Look at the cars in your parking lot!

Need to raise money quickly for a specific project?

You could spend a couple hours creating a sponsorship proposal, research who to send it out to, start sending it out to people, and then wonder why nobody is responding.

Or you could take a walk out to your parking lot and look for company cars that frequent your establishment. You know, the ones parents drive to pick up their kids, the one a patron drives to stop in the box office and pick up tickets, or the one being driven by the HVAC guy who you have had a lengthy relationship with.

Why?

Because those are the people who know the value of whatever it is that you are doing and they likely work with or for people who can write you a check. It really is as simple as that.

You don't have to educate them on your mission; they get it. If you are treating them right, they will help you IF you can muster up the courage to ask them and if you are willing to give them something of value, like a link on your website, a banner in your parking lot, or an ad in your newsletter.

And if that person isn't in a position to write a check, he or she probably knows someone at their company who can write a check for $500 for something they care about!

If you want to raise more than $500, the point to the story is still the same. People who are familiar or connected with your mission are far more likely to give you money than someone who doesn't reallly know what you do.

People give money to people, not ideas

When I started my first full-time job in fundraising, I met with a very successful newspaper ad sales friend. I asked her what the key to a successful sale was. "People buy from who they like," she said.

Think about the last time you gave money to or volunteered for a charity. What made you give? Why did you volunteer?

Chances are REALLY good that a specific person you already knew - and probably knew well - asked you to give money, walk on their team, raise funds for their cause, etc...

Rarely do people give money or volunteer for charities that they are not familiar with or do not already have a personal connection to.

Remember that when you are looking for funds or even new volunteers for a project you are raising money for. Don't sit in the office creating sponsorship packets, get out of the office and network!

It sounds simple, but the most likely people to fund your project or get involved with it are people who are familiar with you or your work. They will donate if you just make the ask!

Conversely, people who are not familiar with you and your work are FAR LESS LIKELY to donate to it or even read your appeal, email, letter, solicitation, etc... From personal experience, it really doesn't even matter how good your sponsorship packet is.

One of my corporate friends told me she receives up to ten or more sponsorship proposals via email EACH day. She reads the ones she gets from the people she knows first!

I remember one time attending a fundraising seminar on how to raise money through golf tournaments. The one particular session I attended was on creating sponsorship packets. I asked the guy leading the workshop how he found his Gold sponsor. He said that the owner of the company was his wife's brother.

Truth is, you can have the best sponsorship packet in the world, but it's not gonna do you any good if you don't have relationships.

Nuff said!