A Few Fundraising Ideas For Worthwhile Causes

By Scott Bell


There are so many worthwhile causes pursued by organizations determined to help. There are animals in distress, orphaned children, abused women, poor people, exploited individuals and disenfranchised communities. They all need help to survive and if not for the efforts of well meaning organizations one shudders to think what would happen to them. These organizations need funds to operate, however, so they need donors. This requires innovative fundraising ideas that will capture the imaginations of potential donors and convince them to open their wallets.

So many charitable organizations appeal to all and sundry for support. Mass appeals will only work for a small number of organizations with a very wide support basis. In order to maximize efforts it is best to approach a very specific target market. To this end organizations need to analyse and define their most likely supporters and to focus their efforts on reaching them specifically.

It is time consuming to raise funds and in many cases it is not really worth the effort. Most charitable organizations are desperately short of help and cannot truly afford the time it requires to raise money and to focus on the aims of the organization. This is why it may be better to ask a professional fund raiser to do the job. They will charge a percentage of the money they raise, but it is often worth it.

It is certainly not easy, but finding a benefactor can hold untold benefits. People in the public eye often have numerous admirers and followers. Their opinions count and if the support a cause their followers will often follow suit. Many of these benefactor celebrities become the face of the organizations that they represent and support. Corporations, too, often act as long term benefactors to organizations that appeal to their sense of community involvement.

Many worthwhile causes benefit greatly from grants. Lottery and casinos in many countries, for example, has to spend a certain percentage of their profits on supporting charitable organizations. Many government departments and corporations also specifically budget for grants to such organizations. Obtaining such a grant can be time consuming but is most certainly well worth the effort. Professional help with the application process may be needed.

Organizations that organize their own events to raise money need to be creative and innovative. People are busy and they are selective about the events that they attend. These events need to draw new supporters and old stand by concepts such as a jumble sale simply do not work any longer. It is better to have just a few truly professionally organized events than a lot of smaller ones.

The gross abuse of donor funds by charitable organizations has been in the news constantly. This has cautioned many potential donors. Organizations trying to raise funds now need to make very sure that their potential donors know precisely how they intend to spend their money. Accountability has become the watch word and charitable organizations need to be open and honest about their operations.

Society will not be able to function if there were not organizations passionate about helping those in distress, the poor, the sick, the needy and the aged. Others have the plight of neglected animals or vandalism of the environment as their causes. They all need support in order to survive.




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