NAILBA Perspectives - July/August 2014 - (Page 20)
nailba charitable foundation
The First Rules
of Fundraising
I
JOHN RIPPINGER,
CLU, CFP, CHFC, RHU,
LUTCF, REBC
PRESIDENT, NAILBA
CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
20 perspectives JULY/AUGUST 2014
thought I knew what the first
rule of fundraising was. I
recently Googled the phrase to
see if what I thought was anything
like what anybody else on the web
with an opinion about it said. I was
surprised to find that, not one, not
two, but more than a dozen different "first rules" were cited.
By far the most common first rule
was "ASK." We know this in our line of
work, too, in the for-profit world-you
can't get a YES unless you ask, right?
Makes sense that this applies to fundraising. People don't give you money
because you're just sitting there.
The second most common first
rule I found quoted was that "people
give to people." The NAILBA Charitable Foundation tries very hard to
show you the faces of the children
and families we help every year.
Nothing tells a story better than
being able to see how our contributions change lives in our communities. You might just write a check to
the NAILBA Charitable Foundation,
but we believe you do it because you
know that money goes right back
to children and families in need.
Which ties nicely into another first
rule: "appeal to the donor's sense of
social responsibility." You know supporting a charity in your community is the right thing to do, and contributing to the Foundation is too.
Another oft quoted first rule was
to "set a target." For the past couple of years, the Foundation's Board
of Directors has stated an annual
fundraising goal of $300,000. We've
increased our fundraising dollars
more than 20% per year since 2011,
and we are SO CLOSE, but not quite
there. We're counting on the contin-
ued generosity of our members and
corporate partners to put us over
the top this year.
"Don't annoy your donors" was
another first rule I came across that
made me smile. It's our job to keep
you informed, to make that important "ask," but we never want to be
annoying! It's supposed to be fun!
(That was somebody else's "first
rule.") I think the annual silent and
live auction events are a fun and very
successful vehicle for the Foundation
to raise needed funds. And trust me,
nothing is more fun than being the
sponsor of a successful grant application when you get to present that
check. (Speaking of which, don't forget the deadline for this year's grant
applications is July 18!)
"Make it easy for your donors to
give" is a first rule that makes a lot of
sense. Bidding For Good, our online
auction platform, does just that,
and we've been brainstorming more
and different ways to make donating easier than ever. Watch for more
news soon on some ideas we're working on for automatic monthly donation options, and for some ideas on
planned giving. We're in the business
of helping people plan for life's inevitabilities, and it would be a great
thing to have the Foundation and its
grant recipients benefit from some of
that planning.
And finally, the first rule that
made the most sense to me. After
asking, of course, is "saying thanks."
Thank you to our members, to the
marketing groups who have partnered with us to match their members' donations, and to our corporate
partners, without whom we would
not be able to do nearly the amount
of grant giving that we do. We appreciate your past support, and look
forward to a continued partnership
toward our goals in the future.
A first rule I can get behind:
Thank you.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NAILBA Perspectives - July/August 2014
NAILBA Perspectives - July/August 2014
Contents
Chairman’s Corner
CEO Insights
Social Skills
NAILBA 33 Preview
NAILBA Charitable Foundation
Life Happens
The Remote or Virtual Office
Member Profiles
Mooers Award Nominations
Agency Successor Networking Group
Agency Resources
BGAs Leading Technology Through Connections
Reading Ahead
Calendar of Events
Index of Advertisers
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