1 / 20

Fundraising Through Annual Appeals

Fundraising Through Annual Appeals. Leah LaFera Kathy Naftaly Lynn Shanks. Appeal vs. Campaign Which is right for you?. Annual Campaign A comprehensive, year-long approach to raising funds, usually integrating a variety of activities. Annual Appeal

asta
Download Presentation

Fundraising Through Annual Appeals

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Fundraising Through Annual Appeals Leah LaFera Kathy Naftaly Lynn Shanks

  2. Appeal vs. CampaignWhich is right for you? Annual Campaign A comprehensive, year-long approach to raising funds, usually integrating a variety of activities. Annual Appeal A direct mail solicitation for donations. It may stand alone or be used as part of a larger annual campaign.

  3. Things to Consider • Amount to Raise • Time of Year • Delegation of Work • Budget

  4. · $4.43 million budget· 75% taxpayer funded. District includes three municipalities, population 57,000· 52,000 cardholders· Staff: Approximately 50 FTEs· Governed by elected Board of Trustees (15 trustees proportionately representing each municipality)

  5. ·A separate 501(c)(3) organization· Purpose: to fund programs and equipment not included in the Library budget and to promote the Library’s presence in the community· Governed by a board of 23 - one member per 2,866 people in the community· Membership 2013-2014: 156, 2014-2015: 122

  6. Let’s Talk About Foundations Benefits/negatives of the following options:· Separate foundation for the Library· Combined friends group and foundation· Combined friends and library fundraisingWhy Crandall Public Library works with the last model

  7. Friends Fundraising • Three book sales per year at an average of $10 - $12K each. • One membership appeal letter each spring. All donors are automatically “friends.” No specific benefits are provided, just contributing to the good of the whole • Raises $8 - $9K/year. • Library Annual Fundraising • Began in earnest in 2009 after capital campaign completion. • 2008 to 2013 comparison: • # of annual fund donors has grown from 69 to 688. • Annual fund has grown from $10K to nearly $90K. (Includes individual and business donations and special events income.) • 2013 annual appeal raised $32K. Combined Efforts

  8. Our Approach: A Work in Progress

  9. Canajoharie Library Population: 6,320 School District Association Library 9 Board members appointed Two directors (library and museum directors) No Friends of the library 2014 Annual budget of $224,000 • Only receives $950 in public funding • Large portion of budget is endowed • One local foundation donates $50,000/year • The rest is fundraised grants, fees, memberships,annualappeal. • Institutional Annual Appeal of $22,000. • ($5,000 library) • Institutional membership of around $21,00. ($5,000 library)

  10. Your Mailing List Targeted vs. generic. Consider the cost of expanding too widely at first: costs of purchasing lists, printing, and postage. If you don’t already have a mailing list though, you have to start somewhere! What are your resources: · Previous Donors · Cardholders? · Purchased List · All Regional Residents Grow your list (include emails!) · Checkbox on new card applications · Register for mailings at programs/events · Join the mailing list via your web site · eCommerce · Use social media Rate of Return How many will respond? That depends. A list of known supporters will see a better rate of return than a generic list. But consider moving a little outside your comfort zone. You may be surprised by the results. Getting Started

  11. The Letter • Personalized Heading • Examples of events or services from the previous year • Include mission statement • What will the money be used for? • Ask for the donation!

  12. Online Campaigns • Have a mini-campaign on your Facebook page to try and get new supporters. • Use photos from past events • Post daily or weekly progress towards your goal • Create a button/icon on your homepage to draw attention to your Annual Appeal page. • Create a theme • Add a thermometer to show progress • Create a webpage for your annual appeal. • Consider accepting credit cards or having a printable PDF of your Annual Appeal card

  13. Tracking Donations • Your Donor Database • Be able to track donations • Elaborate software package or well-formatted spreadsheet • Prevent Mistakes • Copy every donation and attach to reply form. • Deposit donations immediately. • Have bookkeeping checks & balances. • Create a secure, temporary filing system to manage your process. • Attach a copy of the signed thank you letter to the copy of the payment and file. • Record the Details • Name and address • Date donation was received • Method of Payment • Check # and date or type of credit card and last 4 digits

  14. Thanking Your Donors • Most Important - The Thank You Letter • Personalize it!! • Send it within 2 weeks • Email is acceptable if you can offer this option • If You Can • Public Recognition • Appreciation Event

  15. Bonus Tips!!! Create a Special Page on your website

  16. Bonus Tips!!! Personalize letters with handwritten notes

  17. Bonus Tips!!! Employer Matches Employee Auto-Draft

  18. Bonus Tips!!! High Donor Wall Addison Public Library  Duluth Library Foundation

  19. Bonus Tips!!! In Honor Of

  20. Further Readings Donor-Centered Fundraising by Penelope Burk Nolo’s Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits

More Related