Fund Your Nonprofit Working Effectively With Your Board, Staff And Volunteers

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FUND YOUR NONPROFIT WORKING EFFECTIVELY WITH YOUR BOARD, STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS By: Berwyn J. Kemp

Effectively raising funding for your nonprofit organization require lots of committed, dedicated people working together in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Without this your organization can not achieve the full fundraising success you desire.

Because without enough people your board, staff, and the few handful of volunteers you have will be asked to do far more than they are really capable of doing. Which will cause them frustration, resentment, resignations, and of course not enough funds being raised for the needs of your nonprofit organization. Here are some steps you can take to help you avoid these many problems and obtain the funds you seek:

1. Build a good board of directors of 12 to 20 people that represents a good cross section of your community's business, professional, civic, and religious organizations. Your board of directors must have resources to contribute financially to your organization and lead the way by their example of giving. They must also have the business and professional connections to induce others to support your organizations as well.

2. Set up a Central Coordinating Committee because you can not succeed to your fullest financial success without one. The role of this committee will be to make recommendations on the various fundraising methods to be used, prepare the documents needed for each method, and oversee the progress of all fundraising activities. As well as report regularly to your board on the progress of each fundraising activity being used.

3. Establish the other committees you'll need which, of course, will depend on the make up of your organization. If your organization provides a critically needed service to a broad spectrum of your community, then you'll have far more committees that a more private kind of nonprofit organization such as a church or advocacy group with a more select kind of agenda.

4. Set clear realistic goals for your capital, project, and operating needs. Once your capital objectives are set, then set your program objectives by carefully reviewing each one of your programs with your program coordinators or project leaders. These evaluation should cover the relevance of each program, the cost of each program, and whether or not the program will be continued, merged with other programs, or eliminated all together. Any objectives that can't be classified as capital or program are operating objectives.

5. Prepare good development documents for the fundraising methods you'll use. Some of the many kinds of documents you will need are development proposals, case statements, fundraising letters, solicitation training manuals, and numerous others. These document should be clear, concise, and persuasive, and not only detail the importance of your cause to those you serve, but also the benefits those who support your organization will receive either directly or indirectly.

6. Effectively manage and implement your fundraising efforts through your central committee, by holding regular meetings. And taking task action minutes of these meetings so that everyone knows who should be doing what, and by when it needs to be done. These task action minutes should be filed in a Project In Progress Log for each fundraising activity you're using so that you have a clear record in once place to monitor your progress, as well as take any needed actions when goals and objective aren't being met.

Yes, to effectively raise the funding you need for your nonprofit organization will require the efforts of lots of people. From an effective board of directors who not only take the lead in fundraising matters through their own example of giving, but who also take the lead in getting others to give too. To capable staff members and scores of well trained highly motivated volunteers.

And when people work together in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork to achieve worthwhile and noble goals there are many great things that can be achieved. For the good of those you serve, for the good of those that support you, and for the good of your community as a whole.

About the Author:

Berwyn J. Kemp is a development consultant who helps nonprofit organizations obtain funding. For free subscription to his newsletter Nonprofit Funding Solutions, or full details on his funding products and services, or to read more of his re-printable articles you can visit: "http://www.berwynkempassoc.citymax.com/"