Are some people in your fundraising team spreading themselves too thin while others are kicking their feet up, cruising through the campaign? Or maybe there’s a volunteer excited to help fundraise but they don’t know how they fit into the bigger picture. In continuation from last week’s column, we give in-depth tips on how to define fundraising roles and why it’s important to do it before you start fundraising.
Ready…set…fundraise! But wait, does your fundraising team know who’s doing what? Without defining roles and responsibilities, the road to a successful fundraising campaign will be bumpy. To ensure things run smoothly, we’ve crafted a questionnaire that help to organize and delegate responsibilities amongst your fundraising team.
What does it take to generate momentum towards reaching a goal? At Monroe-Smith College it involves all hands on deck to advance the school from it’s current despair. Building and maintaining connections is key for President Taylor to get the school back on track, though some things are easier said than done.
Roaming around from meeting to meeting, with disruption on their agenda. The notorious zoom bomber wreaks havoc with a noisy background, munching on snacks mid-meeting and not showing their face in the name of “multitasking”. Although we’re all guilty of some of these some of the time, we can step up our game and do better. Stay engaged and don’t be a zoom bomber!
Whether it’s $500 or $500,000, it’s essential that your organization has a clear understanding of how awarded funds will be dispersed and managed. Getting the grant is just the beginning! Take the time to assess your action plan of how and when the funds will be use.
Congratulations! You organization secured the funds necessary to fulfill the work of your mission and vision. What happens next? There’s so much to keep track of when your nonprofit receives a grant, you might feel overwhelmed. Not to worry, we’ll help you navigate what’s next after your nonprofit hears “you’ve got the grant!”
Money alone is not enough! To truly maximize impact, more funders are shifting toward offering capacity-building, technical support to supplement their financial contributions to grantees. There is strength in collaboration: it takes money, expertise ad relationships to create change!
If there’s no work, there’s no worth! A written contract or agreement isn’t the beginning and end of a project. Are you aware of the payment terms and deliverables? Is the work being produced in alignment with the project schedule or are multiple deadlines being missed? Don’t let a dream collaboration turn into a nightmare!
You need the best minds within an institution to move it forward. But the best minds doesn’t always have job titles or affiliations that broadcast “I am a best mind….” Come visit the fictional Monroe-Smith College and listen-in on what could be called gossip but which is actually the groundwork for fundraising strategy.
Happy Holidays! Fundraising and nonprofit life are full of intrigue, twisted paths, pure luck, genius, generosity, and more. This is the third in an occasional series of fictional fundraising short stories.