5 tips for a better fundraising strategy for your charity
If you are a Trustee or charity leader, fundraising constitutes a considerable part of your activities. Because of this, you should form the best strategies for fundraising and make the most of opportunities to generate and secure income. Here are some valuable tips for developing a sustainable fundraising strategy for your charity.
- Begin with a Detailed Plan
Before you begin your fundraising, you have to have a plan. Know what you want to achieve in your fundraising. For instance, do you want to improve the overall financial status of the organisation? Or, do you want to support a specific project or program? You have to have a firm focus on your fundraising strategy to ensure it will have the most beneficial impact on your target market.
You also have to think about an appropriate target market for your fundraising. For example, if you are organising a fundraising event, make sure you choose an event that will be of interest to those who will be able to support its activities. If you want to raise funds online, then it’s crucial that you choose a platform that provides opportunities for people to make donations.
- Think About Your Goals and How They Match Your Beneficiary’s Needs
Setting fundraising goals is the first step in developing a successful fundraising strategy. Not all goals are the same. Some goals are short-term, while others are long-term. Short-term goals are set for specific fundraising activities, while long-term goals are set for the whole organisation.
After you have set your goals, you have to focus on how they align with your beneficiary’s needs. This will help you target a specific group of people and entice them to support your cause.
- Learn from What Has Not Worked Before
Whenever you are planning on new fundraising activity, you have to look back and assess whether your previous efforts have been successful or not. Not all fundraising events will succeed, and you need to learn from these shortcomings. You need to understand why your previous attempts failed so you can address the problems in your future strategies.
- Build on Your Charity’s Strengths, Skills and Resources
Continuing from the last point, you will have a better chance of succeeding in your fundraising if you build on your organisation’s strengths, skills, and resources. You need to know what you are good at and what your organisation can do.
For instance, if you are a charity with strong ties with a particular community, you should think of how to use the community’s influence to your advantage and encourage people to support your charity. Alternatively, you can use the skills and resources of your staff members to attract more people to your campaigns.
- Understand That Fundraising Success Depends on a Team Effort
Fundraising is only successful when you have a team effort. You should involve your staff members in the fundraising efforts because they are the ones who are going to be at the frontline of your campaign. If you want to inspire them to participate, you have to make them feel like they are an integral part of the fundraising drive. It’s also essential that you let them know their efforts can have on your organisation.
Final Thoughts
Fundraising is not an easy task, and it can be challenging whether you are an organisation that is just starting, or growing and adapting to changing needs. You should make strategic decisions and continue to review and evalute to get the most out of your efforts.
If you’re looking for funding consultants in the UK, check out Craigmyle Fundraising Consultants. We are an established firm passionate about offering fundraising services to charities and non-profit organisations. Book a consultation today to learn more.
