3 Big Fundraising Mistakes

June 10, 2016 dscriven Comment

No More Mistakes

Life is about learning.  We live and learn. More importantly we should learn from history.  Learn from other peoples mistakes is what my mother taught me.  Another truth I found to be valuable is the fact that some mistakes have more impact than others.  Yes, some mistakes can be brushed off as sweat off your brow while others can cause long lasting injury.

Making mistakes when raising money for your personal goals or organization can cause long lasting damage!  These mistakes are avoidable if you take the time to acknowledge three components of your fundraising network.

I’ve created a Quick List (Cheat Sheet) of issues that may negatively affect your fundraiser.  The Fundraiser Accelerator Checklist highlights these issues in greater detail.

Fundraising relies on 3 fundamental components:

• Donors
• Members
• Volunteers

Donors

1. Prevent donor burnout.
2. Donors can feel used and abused if they are seen as money not human beings.
3. Solution. Allow donors not seeing the final result of their donation.  Donors need to see how their money is being spent!

Members

1. Some of your members don’t believe in your organizations mission.
2. Because some of your member lack belief, they go through the motions and suck the life out of your fundraiser.
3. Solution.  Stop letting anyone participate in your fundraising event.  10 excited members are better than 50 uninterested members.

Volunteers

1. Volunteers are stressed because of lack of organization and time issues.
2. People who help you fail to get compensated on a human level, i.e. food, drink or a simple thank you.
3. Solution. Appreciate your volunteers.  Respect their time by organiziing and planning your event.  Remember your volunteers are want to help and are not “forced labor.”

More Solutions

Clearly define the mission of your fundraiser.  Defining the mission provides clarity and helps people use their creativity to help bring more success. Your fundraising mission should fit within the morals of your organization. Choose fundraisers that don’t demand huge time and puts volunteers in an uncomfortable position. Also, don’t neglect to provide simple reward and award your donor and volunteers.  Certificates, small gifts and public acknowledgments can bring an abundance of positive energy to you and your organization.

Dale Scriven
PMP, Inventor, Fundraising Advisor

Top 5 Critical Fundraising Boosters

June 10, 2016 dscriven Comment

Boost Your Fundraising

These 5 incredible strategies and techniques can double your fundraising event and shorten the time needed to raise the money you need.

#1 A Gift for Your Donors/Supporters

Providing a gift of appreciation to a donor or supporter can boost fundraising by 2000%.  The gift doesn’t have to be equal value of the donation or contribution.  It’s the thought that counts.  Human beings respond to the laws of reciprocity.  If something is done for you, you are inclined to return the favor.

#2 Give Feedback – Avoid Donor/Supporter Burnout

Don’t burnout your donors! If you perform some the simple but important tasks listed below, it is much easier to ask for support every year. We constantly find ourselves asking the same people or organizations for donations year after year.  This barrage of asking can lead to donor/supporter burnout.  Especially if your cause isn’t near and dear to their heart. To compound the this issue, many of us only communicate with our donor and supporters when it’s time to ask for money or volunteer time.  This can be viewed as rude.  Some may may begin to view you as an opportunist (yikes).  Put your repeat donors on a calendar to where you just say hello.  Treat your donors/supporters as human beings, not ATM machines.

#3 Make Giving Easy – No Friction

I’m sure your know, we are in the electronic internet age.  More so, the mobile smart phone will dominate how we do everything to include collecting fundraising donations.  It is imperative that your fundraiser support the means to collect fundraising donations and contributions online.  The online website MUST be mobile responsive.  No exceptions.  This will allow you to direct traffic to your fundraising website via social media links, email and most of all text message.  At this point, your donors and supporters can easily donate via a credit card.

The days of asking people for a check is soon to be retired.  Additionally, cash is sometimes cumbersome and dangerous to handle.  Go digital for security and speed. It is still necessary to receive a check or cash payments. Just be prepared for extra logistics and security concerns.

We need to share how their money, time and/or energy has directly impacted our cause.

Beyond saying Thank You, did you:

• Did you share a personal story of a person who benefited from their contribution?
• Were the results shared of last years victories or achievements?
• Did you clearly communicate how their donation will help? (i.e. does a $20 donation purchase two backpacks?)

How do these simple things boost your fundraising? If some or all of these things are done, you increase your chances of getting repeat support year after year. The hardest thing to do is to seek NEW DONORS OR SUPPORTERS.

#4 Set Micro Goals

The key component of any goal is the time you have to achieve that goal. I know, there are more components to goal setting such as S.M.A.R.T goals. As it pertains to fundraising, time is always an issue. To many people or organization wait until the last minute to hit 3rd gear and make that final push. This can lead to a dangerous situation to where your fail to meet your goal. Try to avoid waiting until the last minute. This last minute push can be avoided by setting micro goals to combine to make that master goal. Create an award system that is intermittent to the final goal date. This will ensure that no one (including yourself) is waiting until the last minute.

#5 Ask For The Referral

After receiving the donation, kindly ask this question, “Do you know someone almost as good as your who would be interested in supporting X Cause?” Ask them to send their referral a text message informing them that you will contact them. If there referral turns out to be a good referral, you can offer to elevate them to elite referral status or provide an additional gift. Referrals is the #1 mistake people neglect to perform. It is soooooo hard to find a new supporter or donor. It only makes sense to ask your existing contacts for help.

BONUS TIP

Get an professional advisor. At Mind Fizzle we help all of our client refine all the points listed in this post. Whether you use seek help from Mind Fizzle or another source, be sure to enlist the help of an expert when conducting a fundraiser. A professional advisor will help you avoid mistakes and help you maximize your fundraising experience.

Dale Scriven
PMP, Inventor, Fundraising Advisor

14 Point Critical Checklist For Fundraising

June 9, 2016 dscriven Comment

14 Critical Points

You want to be successful when fundraising.  For individuals and small organizations you may be missing the 14 critical steps that can ensure your success.

How do I know?  I’ve managed hundreds of projects.  All projects start with a simple foundation. “Plan your work and work your plan.”  As a Project Management Professional (PMP), I’ve applied this key principal to hundreds of fundraising events.

A checklist is a great way to create a snapshot or a cheatsheet of the plan. Checklist help guide your thought process and help keep you on track.

Below are the 14 critical items listed in the Fundraising Accelerator Checklist.  Click Here to get the .pdf document and the in-depth detailed version of the checklist.  People who are serious about raising money speed and ethics in mind should click.

The checklist include the following:

• 50 PEOPLE OR LESS — USE F.A.C.T (FOCUS, ACTION, CAUSE, TARGET)!
• DEVELOP A CAUSE STORY
• USE A CUSTOM SCRIPT TO TELL YOUR STORY
• PLAN YOUR FUNDRAISING TARGET
• USE TIME WITH URGENCY
• MOTIVATE AND EDUCATE
• PRIZES
• USE RECIPROCITY (A SUPPORTER GIFT)
• SUPPORTER GIFT — NON-PERISHABLE, DURABLE, HEALTHY
• USE ONE (TWO MAX.) PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SUPPORTER GIFT
• HIGH-CASH YIELD AND PROFIT MARGIN
• ONLINE ORDERING
• FACE-TO-FACE ORDERING
• PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

This checklist has proven to be a life saver for many fundraising events.  We have clients who have exploded their fundraising participation and surpassed their fundraising target by leaps and bounds.  MindFizzle.org provided the necessary coaching and mentorship to these successful individuals and organizations.

CLICK HERE to get a full .pdf copy of the checklist with a detail explanation of all items.  You will also receive a bonus infographic outlining the F.A.C.T Fundraising strategy.  F.A.C.Ts are the cornerstone of a fundraiser that will absolutely erupt your success to another level.

Dale Scriven
PMP, Inventor, Fundraising Advisor