Fundraising Tips from

Fun & Fundraisers: “The Good, the Rad, and the Ugly”

If you were going to give someone 1-3 basic concise tips about fundraisers, what would they be?

“1. Have a clear purpose for the event – is it a ‘friend-raiser’ or a ‘fund-raiser’ - so that the event achieves that (or both) goals. 2. Give yourself enough time. 3. Be clear how the profit happens

and focus on achieving that – e.g., if it’s a ticket driven event then do you have the strategies in place to sell enough tickets, if it’s a sponsor driven event then do you have the strategies to garner

enough sponsorships?”Kelly Causey, Executive Director, Mile High Youth Corps

“1. Give people something they will remember and talk about – hopefully something positive! 2. Always remember an event may

be the first interaction, with your organization, by many of the attendees. 3. If it requires a professional, find a professional – or

at least be willing to ask them if they can donate their time/services…taking the cheapskate/D.I.Y. route can turn ugly.”

Jay Bell, Program Manager, The Sustainability Institute

“1. Take good notes along the way and debrief shortly afterwards. 2. Set clear goals upfront – e.g. do you want to raise money or raise friends. 3. Carefully calculate the complete costs

including what is the “opportunity lost” by staff not doing something else. 4. If possible, the fundraiser should very simply

and clearly be connected to what the organization does.”Paul Schmidt, Vice President of Operations, Vermont Youth

Conservation Corps

“1. Get help! Form a committee to spread the word and secure sponsorships and donations. Get volunteers. Staff can’t do it alone. 2. Events have the highest cost per

dollar raised of any fundraising strategy. Host fewer events so that you can focus on getting more out of each one. 3. On average, nonprofits make only $.50 per every $1.00 spent. Sponsorships are critical to increasing the return on money

and time invested in an event, and they take time to develop. - Source gailperry.com 4. Events take a lot of staff time, a lot of planning and a lot of organization to pull off

well. Start planning before you think you need to. Consider every aspect, even down to the smallest detail. If staff aren’t

given enough time to do their portion of the event, important pieces could fall through the cracks.”

Parc Smith, CEO, American YouthWorks

What’s the UGLIEST fundraiser you were ever were part of? Why was it so UGLY and terrible?

“1. Staff involvement in fundraising is a real cost and it needs to be tracked. It is best to rely on help from partner organizations,

and volunteers to help with the planning and organizing of a fundraiser. 2. Make sure all staff understand fundraising policy to avoid unsanctioned fundraising events. 3. Whenever possible out-

source your fundraising. Keeping mind that you want to fully understand how funds will be raised and how your organization

will be promoted." Matthew Bauer, Director of Operations, KUPU

“1. Don’t plan a fundraiser simply because you want to generate a lot of money. There are more efficient ways to do that. 2. Fundraisers are about a combination of raising money,

strengthening existing relationships, building new relationships, and raising organization visibility. 3. Fundraisers

can be a lot of work. Structure events to limit work where possible.”

Steve Dubiel, Executive Director, EarthCorps

Kelly: “Our fundraisers haven’t been ugly, some just haven’t been ideal. One event, which we held for several years, was challenging

for two reasons. The collaborating groups did not have the capacity to fulfill their responsibilities so we assumed more of the

work than we wanted to commit. The event did not generate enough funds or friends to warrant the effort required to carry it

out.”

Jay: “Although not necessarily ugly, terrible or specific, even…We’ve had an event where we ran out of beverages – staff ingenuity prevented an uprising in that instance. Through

many of our fundraisers, we’ve had a recurring problem of capturing the contact or follow-up measures for every person who attends – often resulting in first time touches without a

second opportunity for us to follow through.”

What’s the RADDEST fundraiser you were ever part of? Why was it so RAD?

Paul: “An event that was thrown together very last minute and was reactionary. It wasn’t clearly or completely thought

through including what the money raised would go towards. It also included activities which were inconsistent with the

values of the organization.”

Parc: “We lost relationships and support during a time of downsizing in our development department. These

relationships were associated with a major fundraiser that we organized for about five years. As our development

department shrank, we had to stop hosting that event and we didn’t have a method for maintaining relationships with those donors. The lesson learned: have a stewardship plan

for major donors so that you don’t lose supporters.”

Matthew: “Lanikai Canoe Club had a "booze Cruise" (Boat with a lot of alcohol). The sea became very rough and there were a

lot of sick people on the boat.”

Steve: “Nothing stands out other than- make events mission focused, fun, and limit speeches.”

Kelly: "Our 20th Anniversary event was exceptional. Each component of the event was intentional, thoughtful and

successful. The silent auction and wall of wine were big hits, the program was entertaining and well executed (video,

Corpsmember speeches, two awards), the food was delicious and the pace was brisk yet appropriate. We hit the budget

goal, generated new corporate relationships and received rave reviews."

Jay: “Our first-annual SuperHero Soiree – it’s hard to create a new event in a restaurant town where there is an event

going on almost every day, so we created the first costume party of season and a great opportunity to celebrate all

those who work to make our community more sustainable and energy efficient. We ended up with a party that

brought in new memberships, opened doors to potential donors, covered all of our costs – and we had such a blast

people are still talking about the next one!”

Paul: “In general, active events that are consistent and clearly linked to an organizations purpose, such a ski event on trails maintained by a ski club. In order to reach the Rad level, they

also need to be incredibly well organized with great contingency plans in place and adequate resources

committed.”

Parc: “We love it when supporters host fundraisers on our behalf. All we have to do is a little promotion ahead of time,

show up on the night of the event and send thank you letters. We’ve made between $1,500 and $5,000 on small events and

didn’t have to do anything. However, there is some work involved in cultivating relationships with individuals who can

do this for your agency.”

Matthew: “Kupu's Capital Campaign Kick Off in August 2012. Although a lot of funds were not raised, we did a great job of

friend-raising and authentically showing Kupu and how we hope to impact our community.”

Steve: “Events with good energy that engage the audience, highlight mission, and are fun.”