Whoo Hoo ! Fundraising Fun and Making It Work for You

1. Whoo Hoo! Fundraising Fun and Making It Work for You Megan Turak Military Family Network www.militaryfamilynetwork.com

2. Objectives • Expand Awareness and Build Community • Use Online/Offline Tools for Efficiency and Effectiveness • Evaluate Fundraising Opportunities to Determine Viability and Success • Learn How to Recruit and Retain Volunteers • Discover Fresh Fundraising Ideas and Resources • Meet Fundraising Goals with FUN

3. Disclaimer • Some Fundraising Topics in this Presentation May or May Not Be Appropriate for Your Organization or May Need to Be Modified to Meet Your Program Guidelines • Consult Your Organization’s Regulations, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or Directives for Guidance • Consult Leadership Regarding Questions or Clarification

4. Community Development Your Year Long Garden!

5. Why Is Building Community Important? • Generate Interest, Participation and Enthusiasm • Increase Support for Ideas and Projects • Create an Inspirational and Open Culture • Recruit High Quality Volunteers • Produce Income to Initiate and Sustain Programs • Build and Strengthen Relationships • Form Strategic Alliances • Engender Goodwill and Bridge the Gap

6. Result? A Deep and Sustainable Pool of Readied Resources

7. So, Let’s Start Planting!

8. Create Awareness • Become a Storyteller • Get Seen! • Share Your Mission, Work and Projects • Be Human! Talk About Your Successes and Failures, Your Needs and Wants • Become a Walking/Talking Billboard for Your Programs and Services • Stir People with Your Passion – Have Fun! • Communicate

9. Engage People • Invite Them to Activities, Celebrations and Ceremonies • Tell Them HOW They Can Help and What You Need • Reciprocate! Help Them Create Success with Their Cause • Switch to Their Perspective and Promote WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) • Present Your Story Throughout the Community: • Community Groups • Veteran Service Organizations • Faith-based Groups • Businesses • Establish Your Expertise and Become the Go-To Person for Advice and Referrals

10. Remember, You’re Not Soliciting – You’re Making Friends!

11. What Tools Will You Need?

12. Tools Online Tools Offline Tools Telephone Newsletter Flyers Brochure Business Cards Presentation Organizational Resources (e.g., experts, professionals, educational display, equipment, etc.) Program Support (e.g., position descriptions, recognition, etc.) • Email • Facebook • Twitter • Tumblr • Instagram • YouTube • Calendars • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system • Crowd Funding Sites

13. What Would Someone Most Like to Know? What Am I Most Excited to Share? What Would Best Include ‘WIIFM’? What Can I Do Today To Create Awareness and Engage My Community? Creating My Story

14. Let’s Go Indoors!

15. Fundraising Does Not Begin With A Need for Money • It Begins With Knowing Your Program • Its Purpose, Environment, Culture and Rules • Its Constituents • Their Needs • The Services Designed to Meet Those Needs • The Resources/Costs Needed to Provide Those Services

16. WHY IS EVALUATION NECESSARY? Because evaluation empowers you to move forward. Therefore, taking time to evaluate is never a waste of time. Courtesy of Fundraising-ideas-coach.com

17. Evaluation: • PROMOTES GROWTH. This works personally as well as organizationally. Evaluation of the past can open your eyes to the changes needed for your future! • PRODUCES CREATIVITY. Continuous evaluation of self, your organization and the market can spark new and creative non profit fundraising ideas! • FACILITATES CHANGE. As you evaluate, you have the potential to see past mistakes and even blind spots that can be corrected. • BRINGS SUCCESS! The time of evaluation forces you to face the facts of past successes (or lack thereof) and brings the opportunity to find new successes for today. Definitions Courtesy of Fundraising-Ideas-Coach.com

18. Planning! • Is Your Program and Its Mission Well Known? • Are Your Goals Outlined and Specific? • Are Your Fundamentals In Place? • Are People Assigned Specific Roles and Responsibilities? • Are Communication and Marketing Tools Set Up? • SOP’s On Hand? Annual Plan? Budget? • Are You Engaged In Ongoing Market-Testing to Monitor the Strategic Fit between Programs and Constituents' Needs, e.g. Surveys?

19. Why Gather Feedback? • If Your Services Are Responding to the Needs of Your Constituents, Then You Will Increase Participation in Your Program. • If Your Constituents Are Satisfied Customers, They Will Be More Willing to Donate to Your Fundraisers.

20. More Planning! • What Are Your Resources? Cash flow? Manpower, both Internally and Externally? • What Are Your Expectations? Are They Reasonable? • What Is Your Organization’s Financial Goal? • Do You Have Goals That Are Not Monetary? How Will You Build Them In? • What Types of Fundraising Ideas Will Your Organization Tolerate? • What Have You Done in the Past? Which Were Successful and Which Were Not? • What Is Your Timeframe for Your Fundraiser? • How Can You Creatively Involve the Most People?

21. And More Planning! • Who Will Be the Target Audience of Your Project? • Who Will Be Impacted and in What Way? • Who Are the Donors for Your Project? • Establish a Fundraising Goal. • Use a project budget to show total anticipated expenses and the funds that you hope to raise against these expenses.

22. Keep in mind that for most fundraising purposes, you will always want to show your project as a break-even proposition. Your organizational goal may be to surpass that break-even point and use the excess revenues as seed money for your next project, but if you show that on a budget, it appears that you have a lesser need for outside support. Adapted from Ballet Austin Tool-kit Texas Commission on the Arts http://www.arts.texas.gov/

23. Selecting Your Fundraiser • What Do You Enjoy? • What Don’t You Like? • What Is the Project and Financial Goal You Desire? • What Strengths and Skills Do You Possess? • How Much Time Do You Personally Have To Work On This? • What Skills Do Others Have or What Skills Do You Need on Your Team? • Research and List Fundraisers that Appeal to You. • Evaluate Against the Backdrop of Your Program Objectives, the Strengths of You and Your Team, Time and Resources, General Appeal and Anticipated Popularity. • Evaluate the Economy. Is It Timely? • Present Top Five Ideas to Your Team for Discussion.

24. Managing Limited Resources and Risk • Does Your Idea Have a Long Shelf Life? • Can You Lower, Limit or Eliminate Inventory? • Can You Obtain Funds from Other Sources? • Can You Develop Strategic Alliances, e.g., Establish Work or Supplier Relationships Where the Risk is Mitigated or Carried by Someone Else? • Can You Engage in Pre-Sale Activities? • Are Delayed Delivery Options Available?

25. Seek Low Risk Opportunities that Are Not Resource Intensive.

26. People: Your Most Valuable Resource

27. Recruit and Retain Volunteers • Promote Your Program Enthusiastically – Share Your Passion • Remember to Include ‘WIIFM’ (What’s In It For Me?) • Delegate and Give Ownership of Tasks to Your Volunteer • Do Not Overwhelm or Burn Out Your Best People – Just Because They Can, Doesn’t Mean They Should • Welcome, Include and Respond to New Team Members • Respect Their Opinions and Be Open to New Ideas –Let Them Win! • Create Opportunities and Value for Others – It’s A Team Sport! • Be Creative, Sincere and as Personal as You Feel is Appropriate. Be Fun!

28. Recruit and Retain Volunteers • Team Members Who Are Involved in the Process Make Better Team Players • Help Them Feel that They are Involved in a Collaboration and That Their Participation is Crucial to Success • People Help People, so the More Personal You Make the Relationship, the More Likely You Will Be to Attract Volunteers • Address Difficulties Swiftly – Consider Establishing Team Building Guidelines • Show Appreciation Genuinely, Frequently and Timely • Celebrate Volunteers Through Awards and Recognitions. The Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) is an Ideal Opportunity to Create Awareness and Say ‘Thanks’

29. Communicate • Clearly • Frequently • Honestly • Timely • Directly • Using Multiple Methods

30. When Asking for Money Is A Problem • Fear of Reciprocal Giving: If I Ask You to Support My Cause, I May Have to Support Yours. • Fear or Embarrassment: Money Is a Sensitive Topic. Prepare Your Team in Advance by Including Them in the Planning so They Understand the Reason Behind the Ask. • Lack of Ability: Some Simply Just Don’t Know How to Do It. Be Patient and Supportive and Provide the Materials and Training They Need. • Poorly Communicated Expectations about Fundraising Responsibilities: Lead to Misunderstandings and “I Didn’t Know I Was Expected to Raise Money.” • Make a specific dollar request for a specific project – that appeals far more to today’s donors.

31. And, If You Make a Mistake, Own It Remember the Golden Rule!

32. Meet Fundraising Goals by Inspiring Cooperation, Loyalty and Labor andBuilding Fun into Your Activities. Seek Out Inspiration. It's Everywhere!

33. Fundraising Fun! • Don't Come Event Do you ever feel that at times you would rather not go to that function? You feel that you would rather stay at home, grab a quiet night and help out a really good cause by doing so? Then the Don't Come Event is something that you should seriously consider using as a fundraising event. http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr06/dont.html • Coin Drops The silent fundraiser is always the preferred option when it comes to raising cash donations. People don't have to feel like they are begging. The silent fundraiser happens when you have donation receptacles placed in strategic places so that passer-bys can drop in coins at their convenience with out feeling hassled. While it's is an excellent way of raising cash you can make it more appealing by using your imagination. http://www.fundsraiser.com/feb01/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-coin-drops.html • Stick Lotto Here is a quick, easy, inexpensive and highly adaptable fund-raiser. All you need is a tray of sand, 100 sticks and some way of colouring the tips of the sticks either by paint or marker pen. How it works is really simple, take a few sticks and mark them as prize winning. Then stick them into the sand, marked ends in the sand. People then pay to remove a stick to see if they have won and if they have what their prize is. Easy! http://www.fundsraiser.com/mar01/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-stick-lotto.html • Speed Gun Good fund-raisers are always based on what people enjoy doing, and if others are interested in doing most of the work for you then you are on a winner. This fund-raiser is based on both these principles. One of the things kids love doing is throwing, from rocks to all sorts of things so get them to throw balls. That’s right - throw balls but you see how fast they throw by using a speed gun from the police. The police are always keen to be a part of community projects and have shown in the past to be agreeable to participating in this particular event. http://www.fundsraiser.com/apr00/fundraiser-of-the-month-speed-gun.html

34. Fundraising Fun! • Answer Back Record funny messages for people, relieve them of the hassle of doing it themselves. Help them to have a unique message. Invite celebrities or prominent local personnel. This is a real fun way to raise funds for you project or group. http://www.fundsraiser.com/oct99/grassroots-fundraising-answer-back.html • Souvenir Game Pay to Play! Provide prizes for winners of the ugliest, hokiest, strangest, etc., travel souvenir. • Seasonal Fundraising Events Next time you're casting about for a new fundraiser, look to your calendar for inspiration. Calendar related occurrences and events like changing seasons and holidays can provide excellent opportunities for fundraising. http://www.fundsraiser.com/mar01/focus-on-fundraising-seasonal-fundraising-events.html • Conducting a Community Clean-up Fix-up Campaign A clean, attractive community is not only a more pleasant place to live, but the value of the good impression it makes on prospective employers, professionals and others who visit your community should never be underestimated. Clean-up campaigns can involve a large number of citizens and give them a sense of accomplishment. They can even be fun. http://www.fundsraiser.com/feb00/conducting-a-community-clean-up-campaign.html • A Creative Walk of Your Local Area with A Historic, Educational Element Military Family Network created a walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh, PA that crisscrossed the City: underground through tunnels and subways, through buildings, up and down escalators, over skywalks, across bridges leading into a State Park. During the journey, we planned ‘pit stops’ for cookies, water and ice cream and concluded the day with a historic educational program offered by the Fort Pitt Museum. The collective cost was less than $300 (offset by donations), prep time was 6 to 8 weeks and the walk lasted 4hour and was open to family members of of all ages. It was very successful and additional offerings of the walk have been requested.

35. Word Travels Fast When People Have FUN!

36. Summary • Cultivate Community and You Will Have an Abundance of Resources and Relationships for Your Program and Fundraisers • Use Multiple Communication and Promotional Tools like Telephone, Email and Social Media to Share Your Message and Engage Others • Take Time to Evaluate and Plan Your Fundraising Ideas for Certain Success • Treat Your Volunteers Well and They Will Repay You Tenfold • Don’t Be Afraid to Think Outside the Box When Considering Fundraising Activities • Be Creative and Have Fun –It’s Not Always about the Money

37. Resources • Common Fundraising Mistakes (Part I and II): http://www.fundsraiser.com/aug02/common fundraising-mistakes-pt1.html and http://www.fundsraiser.com/aug02/common-fundraising-mistakes-pt2.html • Members Resource List: http://www.fundsraiser.com/oct04/list.html • General Fundraising Hints: http://www.fundsraiser.com/jan05/general.html • Lessons and Strategies: http://www.fundsraiser.com/jan03/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-lessons-and-strategies.html • Goodwill http://www.fundsraiser.com/aug02/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-goodwill.html • Ten Tips for Choosing a Fundraiser: http://www.fundsraiser.com/sep00/ten-tips-for-choosing-a-fundraiser.html • Less for More: http://www.fundsraiser.com/nov00/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-less-for-more.html • Creative Fundraising Activities: http://www.fundsraiser.com/jul99/creative-fundraising-activities.html • Free Checklists And Sample Plans For Your Fundraising Events! http://www.fundraisingip.com/checklists/fundraisingchecklists.html • Ten Steps To Creating Your Fund Development Plan http://fundingchangeconsulting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/creating_a_fr_plan_worksheet.pdf • Winners and Killers http://www.fundsraiser.com/oct02/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-winners-and-killers.html • Market Research http://www.fundsraiser.com/nov03/fundraising-idea-of-the-month-market-research.html • Creative Fundraising Ideas – http://www.ourmilitarykids.org/how-to-help-our-military-kids/creative-fundraisers/

38. Resources • GoFundMe makes it incredibly easy to raise money online for just about any crowdfunding campaign you can imagine. http://crowdfunding.com/ • Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. http://www.kickstarter.com/ • The Fundly online fundraising platform is used by thousands of organizations big and small, along with individuals who need to raise money for a cause, because we provide easy fundraising tools, online donation processing, a donor management system, customer support, and much more. http://fundly.com/ • 10 Crowdfunding Sites To Fuel Your Dream Project http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/crowdfunding-sites/ • How to Use Crowd-Funding Sites to Raise Money for Your Non-Profit http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com/internet-fundraising/crowd-funding-your-non-profit/