Does your fundraisin​g strategy need a reboot?

Last week, I attended an event for nonprofit fundraisers. The participants included both newbies and seasoned fundraising professionals. Interestingly, both the newbies and the veterans expressed similar challenges in achieving their fundraising success. I heard things like: “My board just wants to me 'get the money” and “Everyone is expecting me to bring all the money in by myself.”

The comments I heard suggested that each of the nonprofits was missing a critical component to fundraising success: a culture of fundraising.

Fundraising is not the job of a single person or single department. Fundraising is EVERYONE’s responsibility.

Does a culture of fundraising exist at your organization?  It does if the following statements are true.

• All staff members understand their responsibility to generate support for our organization and know how to ask people to support our work.
• Our diverse board of directors actively engage in fundraising, regularly asking for money from individuals and corporations with whom they have affiliations.
• We have systems and processes in place to track donations, manage donor relationships, and ensure regular communication with donors.
• We have a strong corporate identity (brand) that reflects our high-quality, professionalism and impactful, mission-focused programming.

Were all of these statements true for your organization? If yes, congratulations!! If no, contact The Word Woman LLC now to get your fundraising reboot started today!