I’m A Clubwoman

Fundraising for Non profits

by rosemary on 10/19/09 at 2:10 pm

This past Saturday, I and three of my fellow club board women attended a most thought provoking and practical seminar on fund raising for non-profit boards. The seminar was sponsored by our local Peace and Justice Action League, PJAL.   The speaker was Andy Robinson, an experienced fundraiser and author working out of Vermont.  PJAL originally expected 40 people, tops, to attend, but the response was so large [over 100] that the that they had to change the location to a larger venue.
My fellow non-profit board members listened intently. We are all in the same boat, finding money in a difficult economy in order to continue the funding of our various good local causes. Myths about who we really think are giving were crushed, and the truth about who really gives [hint: the most ordinary people, not corporations] was revealed.  Effective methods of finding donors, and keeping boards accountable were clearly laid out.  At the end of the session we all participated in role playing the hard part of fund raising; actually asking for donations from interested parties.
On the evaluation form for the seminar, I said the most important thing I learned was: that 75% of charitable giving comes from individuals, and of that 75%, 70% make less than $70,000 a year. Individual Americans are great givers. We should not be blinded by well advertised ‘corporate giving” that is only 5% of all charitable giving each year. Remember that your friends and neighbors may want to give to your cause if you can explain it simply and just ask for their donation.