Session Title: Year Around Fundraising September 24, 2013 Elisa Lewis, Executive Director Maple Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra

Today’s Agenda Year around fundraising Your Organization’s Economic Engine Fundraising without really fundraising Donor solicitation – “minor gifts”

Year Around Fundraising Do I really need to fundraise year around? YES you do! It’s about more than money Community Connection Volunteers & Staff Sponsorships In-kind support Yield = a better, more stable donor base and cash flow

It’s about more than money It’s about: Establishing your organization as an integral part of your community Getting more people involved in your organization Building relationships

Community Connection Are you connected?: With other non-profits? With your chamber of commerce? With local businesses? With your “general public?” Your city council? Your local school district? Are you giving back? NEVER try to function in a vacuum! Sometimes you have to “steam roll” your way in … nicely. MVYSO at 4 th of July

Volunteers & Staff Have the right people on your bus and treat them well! Get the “wrong” people off of your bus!

Know your weaknesses & staff accordingly Let your volunteers know what you need: You are not Super Man or Wonder Woman Volunteer Skill Set Survey When you utilize a volunteer’s gifts, they are motivated

Your Organization’s Economic Engine What keeps your organization in business? What do we do? What are we the best at? Where do we get our funding? What do we do that is of monetary value to someone else? How much of your day to day operations yield revenue? Do we know our cash flow highs and lows and are we planning accordingly?

What we learned: A strong student base was most important A strong student base = a stronger donor base Grants are great, but not something to rely on Source: “Good To Great” by Jim Collins

Fundraising without really fundraising Making your day to day operations pay off What are you doing that is of monetary value? Are you charging for it? What unique thing are you providing that your community needs? Are you duplicating services? What should you charge for what you do? Are you underselling organization? Are you spending your time on what’s most important for your organization and what your organization is best at?

Sponsorships Who are your community connections? For which business do your members or volunteers work? Do you know which donors work for businesses that do gift matching? Do you have a sponsorship program? How are your sponsors recognized?

In-Kind Support What are you paying for that someone might be willing to donate? What can you offer in exchange for the donation? Can you barter for what you need with a business?

Don’t forget to give & give back! It pays off in the end!

Minor Gifts They really add up! Small donations of $250 or less can add up. Do you have a process that makes it EASY for people to donate to your organization? Do you have members asking for donations? Do you do an annual sponsorship drive? Do you have a donation jar out at events? Or do you have a suggested donation for your events? Do you invite people to round up when you sell them something?

Pros & Cons of Minor Gifts Cons: More thank you notes Sometimes more work spreading the word about a drive More work reporting & bookkeeping Pros: Much more stable way to raise money When a “minor gifter” decides not to give, your organization isn’t out a large sum Minor Gifters tend to repeat their donations

What NOT to do when it comes to year around fundraising Fundraisers that are a lot of work and yield small profits (i.e. car washes, bake sales, etc.) *unless they are for a purpose other than fundraising or tied to another fundraiser “Emergency” Fundraisers Burn out your donors Burn out your members with too many fundraisers

PLAN Ahead! Communicate your fundraising plan to your members so they know what to expect Get buy in on additional fundraisers Combine little fundraisers with big fundraisers Keep other people involved Train and Cheerlead! Reassign counterproductive people PLAN AHEAD! Keeping Fundraising In Perspective

Resources Books: Good To Great by Jim Collins Trial & Error, a little bit of crazy and a lot of determination