Sarah B. Lange - The Field Guide to Fundraising for Nonprofits

The Field Guide to Fundraising for Nonprofits

The Field Guide to Fundraising
for Nonprofits

Fusing Creativity and New Best Practices

Sarah B. Lange

Copyright 2018 by Sarah B. Lange

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Lange, Sarah B., author.

Title: The field guide to fundraising for nonprofits : fusing creativity and new best practices / Sarah B. Lange.

Description: Santa Barbara : Praeger, [2018] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017034837 (print) | LCCN 2017047060 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440854606 (ebook) | ISBN 9781440854590 (alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Fund raising. | Nonprofit organizationsFinance.

Classification: LCC HG177 (ebook) | LCC HG177 .L356 2018 (print) | DDC 658.15/224dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017034837

ISBN: 978-1-4408-5459-0 (print)

978-1-4408-5460-6 (ebook)

22 21 20 19 18 1 2 3 4 5

This book is also available as an eBook.

Praeger

An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC

ABC-CLIO, LLC

130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911

Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911

www.abc-clio.com

This book is printed on acid-free paper

Manufactured in the United States of America

Materials from Abbys House, Jeremiahs Inn, the Worcester Community Action Council, and Worcester Interfaith have been reprinted by permission.

This book is dedicated to:

Lee Staples, who kept asking, When are you going to write that book?

Hubie Jones, Cheryl Hyde, Ken Schulman, and all the others at Boston University School of Social Work who helped me channel my natural tendency to be a rabble-rouser into a career!

My Oma, whothrough storytellingtaught me who I really am in this world.

My father, who never treated me any differently than my brothers.

My mother, who spent her life helping others.

My brothers, who love and support me unconditionally.

And my son, Christopher, who inspires me to be the best version of myself I can be and to leave this world a better place for the next generation.

Id also like to acknowledge Carol Hess, who provided invaluable feedback as the book unfolded, and Steve Catalano, who helped make all of this possible!

Contents

Introduction

If youre holding this book in your hands, then youre probably someone wants to make a difference in the world. Someone who cares about the nonprofit sector, and the people it serves.

You probably also have some experience with fundraising. Maybe youre feeling frustrated or worried that your favorite nonprofit isnt going to be able to raise enough money to fulfill its mission or reach its potential.

If you work at a nonprofit, sit on the board of one, or care about one, you know how hard it can be to make ends meet, to raise enough money to really get things done in the way you know they need to be done. Fundraising and nonprofit work present specific challenges and require no small amount of fortitude. If you have this book in hand, perhaps youre facing some of these obstacles now.

Believe me, Ive been there. I get it!

Ive been in the sector for 30 years, so I know that you can sometimes feel that:

if we had just a little more money,

if our board were a little more organized,

if more people knew about the great work were doing,

if our agency had a clearly articulated, inspiring vision,

... we could have a bigger impact.

I know from experience that it can be:

a struggle to make budget every year.

a challenge to engage your board in fundraising.

an uphill battle to communicate with donors, volunteers, and stakeholders on a regular basis.

difficult to articulate your agencys mission and vision in an easily understood, inspiring way.

I know that nonprofit staff often feel stressed out, overwhelmed, and overworked.

But it doesnt have to be that way!

I wrote this book because I want to help, because Ive experienced what fund-raisers face. And Ive figured out a different way to go about it, a way that leads to better results.

I believe that nonprofit is a tax status, not a business model.

I believe that in the United States, the nonprofit sector is where the rubber meets the road; its the sector that enhances the quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens. Yet I see the nonprofit sector sufferingnot just because of the economy, but because of its own set of limiting beliefs.

I want to change all that. I want to see your organization soar, to reach its potential so you can better fulfill your mission and touch peoples lives in meaningful ways. Thats why we all got into this business, isnt it?

Over the past three decades, Ive had the honor of partnering with more than 200 nonprofits to raise money ($74 million and counting), build stronger and more dynamic boards, chart a course for an exciting future, and brag about the great work theyre doing.

This book will help you:

raise more money,

build a dynamic board,

invest in strategic planning, and

communicate with the world about the great work youre doing.

Because when you do, you:

can serve more people and have a bigger impact,

experience less stress,

have more time to truly help your clients, connect with your donors, and conduct outreach with prospective donors and volunteers,

can increase your visibility and credibility, which attracts new donors, volunteers, and board members.

Why This Book?

This book adopts an out-of-the-box approach to fundraising, infusing creativity with the best practices for incredible results. For example, I use marketing and graphic design techniques such as photos, pull quotes, and infographics in my grants, which helps convey the story that Im there to tell. There are other tips and techniques Ill teach you that will enhance your ability to raise the kind of money you need to really make a difference.

This book explores the limiting beliefs that keep nonprofit professionals, board members, and organizations from reaching their fundraising potential. Fundraising is equal parts skill and attitude. I have always been a good fund-raiser, but I became a fundraising ninja after I identified and eliminated my own limiting beliefs. Most of us dont even know we have limiting beliefs, let alone how powerful they are in driving our decision making and behaviors. Im here to explain what those beliefs are and, more importantly, how to change them.

This book also addresses the fundamental mistakes that many nonprofits make. For example, most nonprofit professionals believe that fundraising is all about raising money. Its notits about building and deepening relationships with people who care about your cause. Most organizations focus solely on the bottom line (how much money they raise), and treat donations like transactions rather than as extensions of their relationship with the nonprofit, which leads to poor stewardship of the donor. As a result, todays donors are feeling used, mishandled, and jaded, which is why the average nonprofit can lose up to 30 percent of its donor base each year. If nonprofits are going to thrive, these practices and attitudes must change! Im here to show you how you can change them in each area of your fundraising program.