Marketing A Non-Profit.

What are some good ideas to get donations to a non-profit.

I will have a website and all the social media stuff.

Other than that, I am just renting out venues for fundraising events.

Can anyone think of any other ideas besides that?

 

the best way to get donations is to ask.

 

Ya think?

 

yeah, i know actually. i work for a non-profit, and we get by on a lot of donations. by far the most effective method is to go out, make personal connections, and ask people face-to-face for money.

 

Like on the sidewalk? That is considered panhandling, though, and could get you put in jail in many places.

I have a Solicitation of Contributions license is Florida.

What do you mean, ask face-to-face? Where?

 

well, it depends on what the purpose of your non-profit is. like where i work, the cause is bettering the local community, so we get involved in various community organizations and ask people there. like a big one is rotary club, because they have the same basic purpose and most of the members are business owners who can afford to give a little back.

if you're raising money for say cancer research or something, you should probably get involved in some healthcare related groups, or maybe a senior center or something where people have a personal interest in your cause.

 

There are a lot of things you can do. What is the purpose of the non-profit?

 

Spinal cord injuries. We give money to stem cell research. We WERE going to give money to actual patients, but I found that the patients didn't actually want our help.

And when I say "we," I mean me.

 

So how do I contact these people?

 

You have to be involved in the community and network. That's how you get to know who's who. You don't want to just focus on your project either. You want to show a willingness to be involved with other projects as well. Start volunteering your time for other causes and you may find that many of the same faces are involved in different causes. Those are the people you want to know and show that you're willing to help. From there....you have to have a plan. Not just an idea but an actual plan...on paper with numbers and goals. Why do you want to do this? Who and how many people will it help? Is there also a mutual benefit for the community in general? Exactly how much money do you need and how will it be spent? You don't have to show this to every person that you talk to but you need it in your back pocket for when you do need to pull it out. You can also apply for grants but you will definitely have to provide details in your grant proposal.

Edit to say...if you just want to know how to contact people in charge of various organizations so you can get involved....just pick up the phone. Call the local chamber of commerce, call the local hospital and ask if they have a foundation, etc. Lot's of people could use your help.

Edited again.....you don't even have to say anything that isn't 100% true. You can say "I'd like to get involved in the community and help where I can so I'm looking for opportunities to do that. Do you have any suggestions on who might be able to use more help?" Eventually, you will meet the people you need to know for your own project. But don't lay that on them for a while. Get to know people and get to be known a little before you float that out there.

 

I will just get back to everyone when my website is up.

And I do not have the ability to solicit (even online) outside of the state of Florida.

My goal is to raise as much as possible.

 

You don't have to solicit outside of your own community if you don't want to. Everyone wants to raise as much as possible but you can start at home...in your own community...and then help those in your own community. There are groups in my town that raise very impressive amounts of money and almost all of it comes from right here in our own back yard.

 

Where does the majority of their donations come from?

 

It just depends. There are a lot of revenue streams available. It depends on what you qualify for and that depends on a number of other things. There is also a lot of competition for those revenue streams. That's why you have to bring your "A Game" and be prepared with a plan. But you also have other things like fundraisers once you're more established. Contrary to what many people may think...there is money out there and there are people willing to give it to you if you can make the case impressively enough. But you have to have your shit together and it helps to have the right people backing you.

 

So who would I go to right now? The only current plan I have is to rent venues, like restaurants and clubs, etc. and to sell tickets and hold events.

 

No offense but that isn't a very solid plan. You will probably lose your ass on that deal. Like I said....make phone calls and volunteer your time. Then you will get to know the right people. Plus, you don't want to actually spend cash to rent venues. You can get them for free when you get to that point.

 

Phone calls to who?

I have looked into setting up a call center, but that is too expensive and they say I shouldn't expect a return on the investment for a few years.

Volunteer with who? How would volunteering with someone else's organization help mine?

 

Stop over-thinking this. You don't need a call center. Right now you're a one person organization (from what I can tell). I appreciate your effort and ambition but you have to work with what you have. Do you have the staff for a call center? Do you have the demand to warrant a call center? I'm going to guess that you don't have that right now on either front. So forget about that for right now. It can exist on paper in your plan for the future but you have to back up for the time being and deal with what really matters right now. I've already told you who you need to call. Call them.

 

So I should call the local Chamber of Commerce and a local hospital? Okay....

And as far as the call center.... I called a professional solicitor and you have to buy all kinds of leads and stuff and it's just not worth it.... I don't need to be that big.

I would love to get enough so that I could pay myself enough to live on (which isn't a lot) and not feel bad about it.

Like if I could raise $1,000,000 and pay myself $1,000 or something.

 

I was just tossing those out there as examples of who you might call. $1,000,000 is a great goal but you need to learn how to raise $5000 first. Again...don't over-think this. Be practical and logical.