With summer winding down, ministries are gearing up for the fall fundraising, planning for the year end giving, and many other things. It has been quite a year already, but there still are some things that need to be accomplished.
1) Use social media—If you have been following our blog for awhile, you may have noticed that we have spent a fair amount of time following the trends in social media and making you aware of the best practices. Your job now is to do something with this information! Get set up on Twitter, start a Facebook cause, or begin your own blog. If you are looking towards year end giving, social media is a must have.
When you do so, let us know! We want to hear about your growth—success & struggles. You may even have the chance to be featured in our blog. Send an email to info@christianfoundationgrants.com with your stories.
2) Invest in training—Many donors are feeling the same effect as you are when it comes to money. Times are rough, and those desperate last minute appeals are not opening doors for your fundraising. One of the most important things you can do is to invest time in learning how to build those relationships.
Bob Vickers has been teaching seminars for many years now on grant-writing, all the while emphasizing the theme of the importance of relationships. We have teamed up with Mr. Vickers in order to provide the best training possible at the most affordable price. You can visit www.christianfoundationgrants.com to view more information on the upcoming webinars.
3) Learn how to reach your audiences—This idea is going to be especially critical for year-end giving. What are you going to do about lapsed donors? How will you reach the next generation of givers? Do you understand the Web 2.0 donors? These are just a few of the questions you need to consider.
The good news is: the answers are all right here on this blog! Take the time to review some of our previous posts, and you will find much of the information you need. Still need more answers? Comment on one of the posts and let us know what you have questions about.
4) Expand your fundraising sources—The economy has especially hurt organizations that have relied primarily on one source for fundraising. Some thoughts to consider:
-- Foundation giving was the only area of giving to increase in 2008.
-- 91% of wealth is in non-cash assets yet only 20% of giving is done via non-cash gifts.
These are two very important statistics because they give you two very powerful fundraising sources.
Here at Christian Foundation Grants, we are proud to offer you the most comprehensive database of foundations that all accept applications and have a history of giving to faith-based causes. Even better yet, the fee for a year-long subscription is only $99.00 with our summer special. When you subscribe, you receive many other free features such as access to the grant-writers network, downloadable templates, and grant coaching. Visit www.christianfoundationgrants.com for more information.
If you want to investigate receiving non-cash gifts, visit www.idonate.com Their process of converting non-cash items into funding for your organization is a simple yet cutting edge idea. Non-cash giving will become a very powerful tool when people find that cash is tight. You will find this tool especially useful for your year-end fundraising.
5) Love God and live well—This last item is simple but important. I continue to read the emails and hear the stories from ministries who are struggling to maintain fundraising and are worried about how to continue. There are a lot of things you can do (that’s why I wrote this list to help give you some of the most important ideas), but in the end, it just comes down to God.
Your call simply is to be faithful. Be encouraged that a sovereign God is taking care of you. He knows every one of your needs. Draw on His grace each day, and DO His work. That is most important.
Blessings to you readers! Enjoy this journey. As always, if you have questions, send an email to info@christianfoundationgrants.com or leave a comment on this post.
-- Jessica High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a 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