Scrubbed and Polished… All Set for the Fundraiser

For the inexperienced and naïve, setting up a fundraising activity might just sound and

seem to easy, especially if you are riding on the wave of confidence that whatever fundraising

activity you may have just thought to undertake is just a piece of cake.

Well, fundraisings may seem simple at first but when you look at it, the very simplicity of

the undertaking is deceptive. Be wary of this simplicity and charm of fundraisers. Not doing

your homework before you undertake any type of fundraiser, whether it be a bake sale for your

local church, a bazaar for previously owned and loved items, a benefit for a beloved personality,

a telethon or fun run will only devalue not only the time, resource, and effort of everyone

involved, but it will most likely attract the wrong investors you may have had in mind for your

fundraising.

Yet, you may continue to argue that it is only a simple fundraiser. Just put up a sign,

hand out leaflets, bring in a couple of people, make a sales pitch and pass the hat afterwards,

and voila, you have a fundraiser. Right? Wrong.

Consider this… Have you designed your fundraising blueprint down to the last detail?

Have you given enough thought as to how much you really need and why you need the money?

This is perhaps the biggest question or the biggest part of your blueprint that needs careful

planning. It may just be a statement if you write it down but many fundraising activities have

been flops simply because the people behind it have not given this one or two sentences

careful planning and consideration.

Just by keeping these two sentences first and foremost in your planning activities for

your fundraiser will keep you from going astray from your plans. The methodology that you

choose, if it is the fun run, bake sale, fete, concert, or even

rummage sale will not matter as long as you have a central

vision or mission tying the whole thing together.

Identifying the actual beneficiary of this undertaking

and the impetus behind the organization of the fundraising

will make your donors more reason to consider why they

should back you up on your fundraising. Make these two

things clear and you have a starting point for your sales pitch without going off-tangent. You

avoid lengthy presentations and keep prospective donors happy since you need to capture their

interest in a very short span of time. Your choice of words for your sales pitch can all revolve

around these central themes making your convictions more solid and more grounded for your

intended audience. Who knows, they might really get behind your cause and that invaluable

support is what will propel them to help spread word about your fundraising or cause to other

people in their network. You therefore grow your network exponentially as well.

With the solid reasoning behind your fundraiser firmly tucked away, you would not have

any problem recruiting staff and “investors” to rally behind your cause. Building a solid case for

your project will make half the work done. With that squared away, the rest of what you need

for your fundraiser will follow fluidly.

With just the right presentation and speaking skills,

undoubtedly, you will be able to convince even the stingiest or

most cynical of your prospective investors to your fundraising to

get into the core of their charitable nature and really dig deep

into their pockets, whip out their flashy signature fountain pens

and write that check to make your fundraising a success.