Fundraisng Do’s and Don’ts

Any time of year is the right time for fundraising, as more and more entities (schools, charities, youth teams, community organizations, etc.) search for ways to supplement their budgets.  In these challenging times it’s become increasingly hard to raise money, which translates to an open door for you — assuming you’ve got a simple, effective fundraising program that works.

Here are four things to do, and four things to make sure you DON’T do, to help ensure a successful fundraising campaign:

DO… Create a presentation, preferably in a program such as PowerPoint, that details the role of your company before, during, and after the fundraising campaign or event.

DO… Keep complete, accurate records which report all sales, total the proceeds, and calculate the amount due to the fundraising client.

DO… Provide assistance to the client, including pre-written press releases, promotional email copy they can use, flier design, etc.

DO… Maintain regular contact with the client, return all messages and answer all questions promptly, and follow up after the campaign to make sure everything is wrapped up.

DON’T… Assume the client will be organized enough to successfully promote the campaign.

DON’T… Leave all the paperwork undone until the campaign is complete.

DON’T… Rely on a verbal agreement.  Too many misunderstandings can result.  Get your agreement in writing right up front.

DON’T… Entrust the client with the task of unpackaging and organizing the final order upon delivery.  You should be there.