[Strategies for Success - Smart fundraising ideas from Kinetic]

Lead in Fundraising: Outsource!

The old adage is true: “You need to spend money to make money,” but how often do fundraisers find they don’t have the money necessary to get a fundraising task accomplished? How often do they come up short to pay for professional services or hire a new staff member who could help solve ongoing problems, even when those investments would pay for themselves with more money raised?’

Typically, smaller nonprofits are staffed by passionate, tenacious individuals who believe they can pull off the impossible. So, when it comes to fundraising, their first reaction is: “We can do it ourselves.”

Instead, maybe it’s time to show true leadership in fundraising, and wisely target your time and resources. Use the following tips to help your organization lead in fundraising:

Look
Always be looking for new and creative ways to serve your clients. Donors want to see tangible outcomes before they give, so keep those positive results coming. Be open to using professional fundraising counsel, so you can remain focused on your mission and outcomes.

Lead
There is a reason you are working with your nonprofit. You understand and care about the mission, but that doesn’t mean you are as familiar with the latest fundraising strategies. Now, it’s time to lead in fundraising by giving your staff, board and volunteers access to the best information and strategies available.

Learn
Every good leader knows that in order to lead, you must continue to learn. Instead of becoming too comfortable or complacent, continue to step out of your comfort zone and challenge the status quo. Very often, the process of bringing in an objective third party can open you up to new ideas.

There are strategies available today, including research-based approaches to fundraising that you may not be aware of yet. Use your leadership skills to access the information available to your organization – and that may not mean “doing it yourself.”

Kristy Burns, Vice President (Columbus, Ohio) kburns@kineticfundraising.com

logoJoin Us on the Growing Philanthropy Tour

Next stops on the road to achieving Kinetic’s mission of growing philanthropy by 25 percent in the next 20 years:

Nashville, Tenn.
March 21-23, 2018
NSFA National Conference
Exhibitor: Kinetic

Dallas
May 23-25, 2018
Boy Scouts of America Annual Meeting

Bergen, Norway
June 18-19, 2018
NHH – Norwegian School of Economics
John List

Taipei, Taiwan
June 21-22, 2018
National Taiwan University
John List

Canberra, Australia
June 25-26, 2018
BX2018, Australian Government
Keynote: John List

Richmond, Va.
July 18-19, 2018
2018 Virginia Fund Raising Institute Conference
Lead Sponsor: Kinetic

London
July 2018
Iof Convention 2018
Adrian Sargeant
Jen Shang

Clayton, Australia
August 13-24, 2018
Monash University
John List

Washington, D.C.
August 29-31, 2018
Boy Scouts of America Top Hands

Chicago
September 19-20, 2018
Science of Philanthropy Institute Conference 2018
John List

Boston, Mass.
October 5-6, 2018
Boston University
Advances with Field Experiments
John List

Basel, Switzerland
October 16-18, 2018
University of Basel
8th Bernoulli Lecture for the Behavioral Sciences
John List

Past Stops on the Tour

Resources for Smart Fundraising Available on Kindle

Keep up to date on the latest fundraising trends with the Kindle ASR Media collection:

  • Fundraising Leadership – The definitive source for empowering board members to become pro-active fundraising leaders by Karin L. Cox
  • Performance-Driven Fundraising – Handy, yet entertaining reference tool for new and seasoned fundraisers by Matthew J. Beem

 

On the Web

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Visit the Kinetic website for:
– Educational opportunities
– Books/reference articles
– Conference/workshop speakers

Strategies for Success explores smart ideas, connecting with thousands of fundraising professionals. We welcome your best practices contributions or comments. Send to Strategies for Success editor Karin Cox, kcox@kineticfundraising.com. If you’d like a free subscription to Strategies for Success or its monthly companion, Philanthropy Success, contact info@kineticfundraising.com.