From action.RAN.org

Fundraising Toolkit for RAN Groups: http://action.ran.org/images/e/e2/RANGroupFundraisingToolkit.pdf

Sample friends and family fundraising letter: http://action.ran.org/images/3/36/Friends_and_Family_09.doc

FUNDRAISING 101

INTRODUCTION

What separates a good organizer from a great organizer? You guessed it—the ability to fundraise! Some dread the “F” word, but fundraising can actually be fun and quite rewarding. If you think outside the box and get creative, you will be inspiring others to action and bringing in the bucks before you know it! Beyond just helping to pay for the materials and supplies we need to effectively achieve our campaign goals, fundraising actually helps us to “organize” by serving as yet another tool in our bag of tricks to bring together individuals and groups with a common purpose and vision for the future.

When first starting out with a new fundraising campaign, there are some important steps to take:

1. Determine how much money you need. Sketch out a workplan to determine what types of activities you’ll engage in over the course of the next 6 months or year. Then determine the types of materials, supplies, conference fees, research, and other costs will be associated with that work. You want to make sure that you know how much money you need before you start asking for it.

2. Set a fundraising goal. Just as with organizing, it is important that we keep ourselves motivated by setting a goal. Your goal should be to raise a specific amount of money in a specific timeframe, and should ideally meet or slightly exceed the needs you’ve identified in step one. It might be fun to put up some sort of barometer to measure success and motivate your team to meet their goal.

3. Develop a plan. Now that you know what types of supplies and materials you’ll need, and how much money they’ll cost, you need to figure out how to raise it! There are many different ways to raise money—house parties, bake sales, community auctions, tabling events…and the list goes on. We will go into some of these ideas further throughout the rest of the activist tool kit sections on fundraising. In the meantime, here are some helpful tips to remember when putting together a fundraising plan:

• Put the “Fun” in fundraising! Get creative and try to come up with activities that activists and supporters will enjoy being part of.

• Keep it simple. The more bells and whistles you add to the plan, the more things can go awry.

• Beware of hidden costs. Do your homework and make sure you’ll be making money, not losing it. For example, make sure that you can get enough food donations for an event before you decide on a suggested donation price, and make sure there’s no cost for that “perfect” community space you’ve scoped out.

• Know your audience. If you’re trying to target wealthy folks, perhaps a lemonade sale isn’t your ticket. Likewise, if you’re reaching out to students, a suggested donation of $50 might be a bit steep.

• Keep your fundraising goal in mind. Be mindful of how much you need to raise, and choose fundraising activities that can help you to successfully reach that goal.

WHAT TYPES OF FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES SHOULD I CONSIDER?

There are a variety of fundraising techniques—traditional and wacky!—that you should think about. Again, not all of these will apply to your campaign or situation, but here are some ideas that you may want to try:

1. Throw a House Party. House parties are a great way to get like-minded folks together and inspire them to give to a great cause. Here’s how the fundraising house party model works: an individual committed to your cause invites friends and contacts to his/her house for light food and refreshments. There’s a short program where individuals from your organization or community explain what you’re doing and why/how you’re doing it. At the end of the program, an ask is made, and pledge forms can be handed out and then collected. When folks see their friends opening their check books, they’ll feel compelled to give money too! You can maybe even convince an individual or company to “match” the proceeds that you make at the event, which might encourage folks to give at a higher level. See How To Throw a House Party for more detailed information.

2. Organize a Tabling Event. Tabling at local events—such as concerts, street fairs, neighborhood block parties, green festivals, etc.—is a great way to get the word out about your campaigns, raise awareness about important issues, and of course, raise moula. Be sure to have lots of swag on hand (stickers, magnets, posters, t-shirts, etc.), a sign up list to capture contact information, a banner showing the name of your group, and a money jar to collect donations. Also, come up with some fun and creative ideas to entice folks to visit your booth—maybe you can have an organic apple dunking contest or face painting for the kids—whatever you can do to attract attention and set your booth apart from the others. Last but not least, brush up on your elevator rap—you should be able to communicate in 30 seconds what you do, why you do it, and why table-goers should support your work. When you’re talking with folks, try to stress the aspects of your campaign that will inspire them to give money such as your (and RAN’s) track record doing this work, the urgency of the threats facing our planet, the fact that we achieve big results on a small budget. And most of all, remember to smile! See How to Run a Successful Tabling Event for more information.

3. Canvass Your Neighborhood. Perhaps you’re already familiar with this tactic? While some might view canvassing as “nagging,” it’s actually a long-proven tactic to raise awareness about important issues and inspire them to give. Again, first and foremost, know that elevator rap well. Folks are busy and they’re not going to give you much time to explain why you’re interrupting game night or an exciting episode of American Idol. Next, choose your targets wisely. Start by going door-to-door to folks that you know, and then branch out to others. Be sure to record which streets/houses you’ve visited so that you don’t hit up the same people too often. If they’re giving you cash, they’ll probably want proof that the funds are going to be put to good use, so be sure to have a business card or petition or some other type of document that gives you credibility.

4. Hit Up Family and Friends. The people that are closest to you want you to succeed, so why not ask them for their support? Some easy ways to do this:

• Write a letter explaining the work that you’re doing and the fundraising goal you need to meet to achieve your campaign goals. See Sample Friends and Family Letters for some ideas on what your letter might include. Encourage 10 of your friends to write similar letters.

• Ask them to sponsor you for a walk or a run or some other “a-thon” type activity. (See below more info on “A-Thons.”)

• Be sure to set a goal and include that goal in your letters.

• After the letter drive is over, send follow up thank you letters to the family members that supported you, and be sure to include in the thank yous that you met (or exceeded) your goal!

• When all else fails…beg!

Download the full fundraising kit for lots more fundraising ideas and tips: http://action.ran.org/images/e/e2/RANGroupFundraisingToolkit.pdf