Raising Funds: Investments – Donations – Events – Grants

This course is for anyone involved in fundraising for their organization.  From a start-up seeking investments all the way to a not-for-profit seeking donations – board members, finance executives and other executives are involved not just in the final decisions, but every step of the way.

What can you gain – and what do you have to give away?  Who gets a seat on the board? How much “people power” does it take to work your fund-raiser?  What are some ideas for fund-raisers and which is right for my needs? What are grantors looking for?  All these and more will be discussed in this extensive course.

This is a stand-alone course, over two hours in length – and is also the seventh and last course in the series:  Mastering Board of Directors Participation.

The Investment section reminds you that there are stages and levels of fund-raising and each might require a slightly different approach but all require a quid pro quo.  

The donation section quotes heavily from Dr. Diamond’s book:  The “Please” and “Thank You” of Fund-Raising for Non-Profits: Fifteen Essential Ingredients for Success and each of the 15 ingredients is discussed.  

The ingredients are:

• Have a powerful and emotionally compelling mission
• Proven Ability to Execute
• Charismatic Leadership
• Fund-raising:  Long Term Relationships
• Manage Staff and Volunteers
• Esprit de Corps
• Do your research
• Small Donors become large Donors
• Create the buzz – Public Relations
• ASK – The “Please”
• ASK them to invest with you
• Create Energizing and Exciting Events (a lot of suggestions)
• Loop around and do it again
• The “Thank You”
• Excellence Counts

Although the examples in the 15 Ingredients are primarily for non-profits, the information offered is valuable for seeking investments, managing associations, or even finding and keeping volunteers.