Fundraising is a team sport. It works best when there is a large team with minimal work for everyone. How do you create a team to do fundraising, which most people are reluctant or unwilling to do?
Team building starts with your friends. They are already on your team. They are very busy people but like everyone else, they have time to do the things they think are important. They share some of your interests because that is what connects us to our friends. You are important to them. Logic tells us that they have time to help you if one of the things that is important to them is the cause your favorite nonprofit represents.
Causes are different from missions. As an example, a cause might be youth development. Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs, and parochial schools are all involved in youth development. Each has a very different mission with some overlap between the organizations.
Someone who cares about youth development is likely to have friends who care about youth development in some form. They are also likely to know other people who care about youth development. Those people are likely to know other people who also care about youth development.
If you think about just one of your friends, you realize they represent a large group of potential team members. When you extend your thinking to 2 or 3 layers of his or her friends, it is a very large group of possible team members.
We have identified the prospective members of the team. That solves the first problem.
The second problem is gaining access to the prospect pool. It is almost as easy but takes a little time and effort. We know your friends will help you. However, we need to determine if your friends should help you.
A lunch or coffee with your friend will determine if your friend’s help is appropriate. While you are meeting with your friend here as some of the things to listen for:
Is your friend passionate about the cause your nonprofit represents?
Does your friend frequently talk about his or her interest in the cause?
Is he or she actively involved in the cause (volunteer, referral source for one or more other agencies, donor, etc.)?
Assuming the preceding questions create an accurate profile of your friend it is time to invite them to learn more about your nonprofit. This is the next step in the process.
Give your friend a private tour of the facilities so they can see the normal activities. Explain what is happening. Solicit your friend’s input about the activities, what he or she likes, and what he or she thinks is important about what your organization does. Ask your friend for suggestions so you can better present your organization. It will help your future visitors catch the vision.
At this point, your friend will be sharing your vision and passion. It is time to ask them to help you by inviting one or two of their friends to attend a small group tour. If they follow through, it will be time to invite him or her to commit to inviting a friend every month to your small group tours.
Next Step:
Create a list of your friends who are likely to be passionate about the cause your organization supports
Develop a plan for cultivating the interest and participation of your friends who share your interests
Engage your friends in the process of introducing their friends
Create a process for following up with tour attendees
A sustainable funding stream requires a growing list of donors. Growing a list of donors is more work than one person can handle. In addition, there is no reason to pay for help if there are volunteers who will willingly help.
Asking people for money is the easy part of fundraising. The hard and time-consuming work is finding people who care enough to give. With your friends’ help, you can grow a strong, sustainable nonprofit.
As always, contact Mission Enablers if you want help. We use a special process that offers a guarantee. For more information about our process and guarantee, you can click here.
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