I love this list from Get Fully Funded: Top Nonprofit Fundraising Strategies for 2015. These are no-nonsense things you can start doing right now — and they will make a difference:
- Focus on WHY, not HOW. Talk about the impact you’re having, not the process for how you get it.
- Refocus the communication. Stop talking about “we, we, we.”
- Give the donor a great experience. Thank them warmly and sincerely, and help them feel confident they made a good decision to give.
- Ask often.
- Simplify. Eliminate every activity that loses money or generates less than stellar ROI.
- Leverage the “Tom Sawyer” effect. Make volunteering so much fun that people might pay to do it.
- Take responsibility for your Board. Start educating Board members about how to do their job instead.
- Write plans down. If your fundraising plans aren’t in writing, they aren’t real.
- Stretch for a goal.
- Invest in yourself. Investing in training for staff is one of the best investments you’ll ever make.
Seriously, these things can meaningfully improve your fundraising. Whether you had a good or a not-so-good 2014, here’s how you can have a better 2015.
Jeff Brooks has been serving the nonprofit community for more than 35 years and blogging about it since 2005. He considers fundraising the most noble of pursuits and hopes you’ll join him in that opinion. You can reach him at jeff [at] jeff-brooks [dot] com.
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