We all know it’s important to make your organization’s message clear. This is especially true as you begin making plans for figures at the year’s end. Now is the time to take a look at the identity of your organization and the way that identity is being communicated to the masses. What makes your organization stand among myriad others? What makes it worth a donor’s attention? There are a few places you can start in making an evaluation of your organization’s exceptionality.
-- Be investigative – think about the people who make up your organization and where they are geographically. Then consider how your organization is categorized, why it has an impact, and what makes it singular.
-- Don’t rely on your lone perspective. Talk to a volunteer – someone who saw your organization from the outside and was inspired to come in. What does he or she see as being different about your organization? Why did he or she choose to be a part of your organization rather than another?
--Take a fresh look at your organization’s heart, the reason it exists at all. Think of what your organization accomplishes that others can’t, the people it serves that others don’t, and how your approach differs from everyone else’s.
After you’ve established the character of your organization, consider how that new or renewed perspective translates into decisions involving new programs, fall fundraisers, etc. All this soul-searching is goes to building your organization’s marketable identity, to finding the connection among what makes you different, what’s important to your supporters, and what your organization does well.
Information taken from www.fundraising123.org
--Kelsey Luffman is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online.