Non – Profit Fundraising Challenges
The lifeblood of a non-profit organization is fundraising. Without it you could not achieve your mission, help others, or keep bringing in resources to further fund your efforts.
But coming by those funds? This is where it gets tricky.
Fundraising is one of the many challenges non-profits face and is in most cases the main source of revenue for any organization. The challenges of fundraising are many and at times unique to the organizations. But it is equally true that fundraising has increased during the pandemic.
Nonprofits are playing an active role in helping marginalized communities throughout the world. Whether it is a grassroots organization or an international organization, all the help provided has been extremely overwhelming.
Unfortunately, the good work doesn’t always speak for itself and often is not enough to encourage them to donate, and many non-profits are struggling to keep their heads above water.
Here are a few of the challenges every non-profit faces
Telling Your Story
Many non-profits focus on several issues at once so giving a clear message can be a challenge in and of itself. Your message needs to be delivered in such a way that anyone reading it will comprehend and understand the work being done.
Fundraising efforts that are engaging in a way that appeals to the contributor’s emotions and demonstrate the effect they can have are typically the most successful. Success stories and meaningful triumphs naturally encourage people to be more giving and involved in your cause over time. Give your supporters exactly what they desire – how their money will be used, visual presentations, and clear organizational goals.
Becoming Complacent
So, you’ve launched a fundraising campaign and gathered cash for a set period. What happens if you’re faced with the possibility of a discouraging deadlock with your fundraiser and how do you re-engage your donors to keep the momentum going?
We have found that one of the best ways to avoid this situation is to continually keep your funders up to date throughout the process. By doing so, they will continually receive updates on the progress of the project and know how their support has successfully helped you reach each milestone along the way. Once again, whether they are a sponsor, a donor, or an attendee, they’re contribution was made because they believe in the work you are doing, so allow them to be part of the success story. Impact statements are an easy yet powerful tool that you can use to provide this information. Whether it be direct to funders and sponsors through email or indirect on your website or social media to the masses, make sure your success is visually seen and known by all.
Lack of Resources
Most of your resources are probably going toward your overarching mission – as they should. But tight cash flow doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get your name out there. Partner up with other organizations in your area and feed off each other’s strengths and resources. The Coordinated Assistance Network http://www.canportal.org/ is a great place to become a resource and collaborate with other non-profits.
Through new connections co-host events and build on your success through the success of combined efforts. With the world at your fingertips, utilize free tools such as social media platforms and dedicate time to research how similar organizations in your industry use each type of social media platform to their success. YouTube is a great place for “How-to” videos when it comes to navigating these different platforms for new and even experienced users. Lastly, continue to spread the success of your journey everywhere, especially with local media sources (TV, Newspaper, etc.), to receive coverage. It might take some time, but isn’t it worth sending success stories or press releases on the regular basis for the possibility of local or even national coverage of your work?
Fundraising will forever be a challenge for non-profits, but it has survived and brought immense, meaningful change in society.
So, passionately tell your story, don’t get stuck in the mud, and collaborate as much as possible. Although this is just scratching the surface of the non-profit pain point list, sometimes getting back to the basics is the best place to start.
With that said, we hope these tips and the insight we provided will help ease the burden of the process and please know, as another non-profit making our way through the process ourselves, we are always here to lend a helping hand when and where we can and look forward to the opportunity of working with you too soon!
