Fundraising in the Time of the Coronavirus HOW T O CONNE CT WHI - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Fundraising in the Time of the Coronavirus

HOW T O CONNE CT WHI L E SOCI AL DI ST ANCI NG: WAYS T O K E E P YOUR DONORS CL OSE

These are challenging times

• E

ve nts c a nc e lle d

• Unc e rta inty a b o ut upc o ming

e ve nts

• Ca mpa ig ns whe re we c a n’ t me e t

fa c e to fa c e with o ur la rg e r do no rs

• F

e a rs a b o ut fundra ising fa lling b e c a use o f lo st inc o me / fa iling sto c k ma rke t

• I

nc re a se d ne e ds fo r fundra ising —

• the r so urc e s o f re ve nue drie d up
• Yo ur limite d re so urc e s just b e c a me

mo re limite d

• And yo u a re pro b a b ly wo rking fro m

ho me

With all that is going on, how can you

Keep doing what you are or planning on doing—but you may have to think about it a little differently

Fundraising too often focuses on the dollars

F

• c us, inste a d, o n

yo ur do no rs

And think a b o ut ho w yo u c a n de ve lo p lo ya l do no rs who will sta y with yo u thro ug h thic k a nd thin

Think Development

instead of fundraising

Othe r wo rds fo r de ve lo pme nt inc lude g ro wth, e xpa nsio n, pro g re ss, inc re a se .

Put yo ur fo c us o n the o the r pa rts o f ra ising funds: Pro spe c ting , Cultiva tio n, a nd e spe c ia lly Ste wa rdship

Be realistic—for example, a virtual gala may sound fantastic

BUT DO YOU HAVE T HE ABI L I T Y T O PUL L I T OF F ?

Instead, after you send out that mass communication cancelling the event, reach

• ut personally to every

sponsor asking what you can give to make them be a non-event supporter.

And a sk e ve ry tic ke t/ ta b le b uye r to c o nside r do na ting the c o st a s a fully ta x-de duc tib le g ift

Dear Pat and Sandy:

T ha nks so muc h fo r wa nting to a tte nd o ur g a la this April. But, a s yo u kno w, we ’ ve ha d to c a nc e l. I ’ m disa ppo inte d tha t I wo n’ t g e t to se e yo u—a nd I ’ m a lso ve ry c o nc e rne d. T he $XXXX we usua lly ra ise a t this e ve nt a llo ws us to ……..witho ut the se funds, we will ha rd pre sse d to c o ntinue se rving (o ur missio n, c a use , c lie nts). F

• r tha t re a so n I

a m ho ping yo u will c o nside r turning the c o st o f yo ur (tic ke ts)(ta b le )(spo nso rship)into a fully ta x- de duc tib le g ift…..

While you might be willing to gamble that things will go back to normal and plan for an event later this year, first consider

• Will pe o ple b e willing to c o me to a nd

suppo rt a n e ve nt—e spe c ia lly if the e c o no my do e sn’ t c o me ro a ring b a c k?

• Will tho se who usua lly spo nso r yo ur e ve nts b e

willing to suppo rt yo u in o the r wa ys?

If you are in a campaign

Unde rsta nd the ra mific a tio ns o f pulling b a c k Ha ve re a l c o nve rsa tio ns with yo ur ma jo r pro spe c ts a nd e xpla in the o ptio ns yo u a re fa c ing

Reach out also to your existing donors. And your lapsed donors. And those who have yet to become donors. And yes, your volunteers

I n a ll c a se s

Remind them why you are important

Pull

Pull the m in c lo se r b y re minding the m ho w muc h the y ma tte r

Sha re

Sha re sto rie s tha t sho w why yo u ma tte r

Se nd

Se nd the m vide o s a nd pic ture s, o f to da y if po ssib le , o r o f ye ste rda y

T e ll

T e ll the m ho w yo u a re mo ving yo ur missio n fo rwa rd during the se time s.

As we become more physically isolated, use technology to stay connected

Have virtual meetings with your board, your donors, your prospects

Increase your social media presence

• Write a b lo g
• Re c o rd a po dc a st
• Put a vide o o nline
• Co nside r so me ne w pla tfo rms
• Sha re sto rie s a nd e spe c ia lly suc c e sse s

But first—kno w why this ma tte rs to yo ur

• rg a niza tio n a nd ho w yo u will b e

pre se nting yo urse lf.

Beyond social media—think videos

Cre a te a virtua l to ur o f yo ur fa c ility Sha re a virtua l sc ra pb o o k tha t sho ws the wo rk yo u do Ma ke a vide o c o mpa ring wha t’ s (no t) ha ppe ning to da y with wha t no rma lly g o e s o n—a nd wha t will, with the ir suppo rt, ha ppe n a g a in

Much of what we’ve been talking about is more cultivation than solicitation

BUT T HE RE I S AL SO AN OPPORT UNI T Y F OR A SPE CI AL F UNDRAI SI NG APPE AL

I don’t suggest pleading poverty, but…

• T

his is a time to te ll pe o ple a b o ut the fina nc ia l impa c t to yo ur missio n

• Ask fo r a o ne -time

e me rg e nc y g ift o r to ma ke it mo nthly

• I

f yo u do n’ t a lre a dy ha ve a pla nne d g iving , no w mig ht b e a g re a t time to sta rt o ne

Look for emergency funding options

Che c k o ut: https:/ / g ra ntspa c e .o rg / re so urc e s/ kno wle dg e -b a se / e me rg e nc y-funding / https:/ / c a ndid.o rg / e xplo re - issue s/ c o ro na virus/ funds https:/ / no npro fithub .o rg / fundra ising / e me rg e nc y-funding / Do a n o nline se a rc h a nd re a c h o ut to funde rs a nd c o rpo ra tio ns in yo ur a re a

Mobilize your board

T a lk ho ne stly a b o ut the situa tio n, b ra insto rm ide a s, a nd g ive the m c le a r ro le s to pla y

I t sho uld me sh with yo ur e xisting fundra ising pla n—a ssuming the re is o ne

Identify what you are doing and when you are doing it

What you are doing

We e k 1 We e k 2 We e k 3 We e k 4 We e k 5 We e k 6 We e k 7 We e k 8 We e k 9 We e k 10 We e k 11 We e k 12

Consider what each activity will take

What ste ps ar e ne e de d? Whe n will this oc c ur ?

ACT I VI T Y:

T ha t me a ns e xisting a c tivitie s must b e inc lude d in yo ur pla n

Be flexible…the best laid plans will

• ften go awry

• WE

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• E

MAI L : ja ne t_le vine @ ma c .c o m

• T

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