FUNDRAISING AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR SPSF AFFILIATES

• Creating Annual Goals
  


• Identifying Outcomes
  


• Developing Clear Fundraising Strategies
  


• Mobilizing the Board for a Fundraising Campaign
  


• Creating a Fundraising Schedule
  


• Diversifying Contribution Sources
  


• Developing Fundraising Materials
  


• Special Fundraising Opportunities
  


• Grant Proposals to Foundations
  

There are several key steps to successful fundraising for a Single Parent Scholarship Fund:

• Creating annual goals;
  


• Identifying outcomes to be articulated to varied audiences;
  


• Developing a clear strategy for fundraising;
  


• Mobilizing the Board for a fundraising campaign;
  


• Creating a fundraising schedule;
  


• Diversifying contribution sources; and
  


• Developing fundraising materials including letters, brochures, and background information.
  

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Creating Annual Goals:
Goals help set the agenda for the year. They give affiliate board members a clear target at which to aim. They should be specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and time-specific.

• Review your affiliate history. How many scholarships were awarded the previous year? How much money was raised? How many requests for scholarships were received?
  


• Review the external environment. Can a fundraiser be tweaked to raise more money? Is there a new source of funds? Is there adequate volunteer energy to have an additional fundraising activity?
  


• Set a goal for the number of scholarships to be awarded. Should more scholarships be given?
  


• Set a goal for the dollar amount of scholarships. Should they increase slightly?
  


• Set a goal for fundraising. Can 10% more be raised this year compared to last year? How will this be done? Who will be in charge?
  

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Identifying Outcomes:
While annual goals give a specific target, outcomes are broader and reflect back to the mission of the affiliate. Outcomes address specific audiences and do not necessarily change from year-to-year. The following are some examples:

• Fundraising results exceed demand by 10% each year.
  


• Scholarship applicant pool grows by 5% each year.
  


• Scholarship recipients grow by 5% each year.
  


• Scholarship recipients who complete their program will reach 95% and remain steady.
  


• Scholarship recipients will achieve employment status within three months of graduation and will be working for wages that are at least 100% above poverty level.
  


• Affiliate community support will be measured by a 10% increase in the amount of news coverage, three additional speaking engagements, and at least one new board member who represents local business or industry.
  

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Developing a Clear Strategy for Fundraising:
How one plans for fundraising is a direct determinant of success. Either the board as a whole or a fundraising committee should set aside time toward the end of each year to consider the affiliate's approach to fundraising for the coming year. The following are some issues to address:

• What "fits" our organization?
  


• What skills do we possess to carry out fundraising activities?
  


• What is the overall capacity within our county for making contributions?
  


• Do we have a list of contacts to make? Do we want to undertake an annual event?
  


• Are there festivals or charity fund-raisers with which we could become involved and receive a share of the revenue?
  


• Can we involve others in our efforts who have an interest in the education of single parents and might be willing to help? Civic organizations, church outreach groups, and college fraternities and sororities are just some of the types of groups which have conducted their own fund-raisers and made contributions to our affiliates.
  


• Can we do more than one type of fund-raiser during the year? Some activities, such as sending out written annual requests to individuals, require less total time than events such as benefit parties or dinners.
  


• Scheduling fundraising efforts so that committee members do not burn themselves out is an important consideration, as is avoiding conflict with other major fundraising events.
  

The outcome of this planning should result in a written plan that:

• Identifies specific dollar goals and how this relates to the number of scholarships and recipients;
  


• Lists specific prospective donors;
  


• Incorporates the history of the organization;
  


• Expands the capability of the affiliate;
  


• Lists Specific fundraising tactics such as special events, letters, etc.;
  


• Established a timeframe for action;
  


• Clearly defines people responsible for completion of each task; and
  


• Provides clear evaluation points.
  

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Mobilizing the Board for a Fundraising Campaign:
If your fundraising committee has devised a good, workable plan for raising scholarship dollars, it will want to present the plan to the full Board for input, approval and involvement. There are many different skills needed for successful fundraising and, most usually, a multi-talented board of directors will be in possession of those skills. Once the plan has been presented, a total board effort is needed to execute it. Even those who shy away from asking others for money have fundraising skills, whether they be in making preparations for an event, designing flyers or brochures, arranging for food to be served, or any other non-solicitation activity.

Leadership in fundraising is essential. For every event or project, someone with excellent organizational skills should be involved as chair or coordinator. This person must be able to delegate responsibility while keeping board members on task and on schedule. Leadership always involves good communication skills and good record-keeping; after all, clear and complete explanations of tasks to be performed are essential to getting the tasks done! Often, Board members who join the fundraising committee will have friends and family who pitch in to help. The more people who can share the tasks at hand, the more skills and knowledge will be brought to bear upon the activity, not to mention connections with others whose participation can make an event more successful.

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Creating a Fundraising Schedule:
Once a strategy for fundraising has been developed an annual schedule should be designed. It may resemble the following:

January 1 - March 31

• Review of annual donor list;
• Letters written to request support that include a self-addressed envelope, and pledge or donation card; and
• Contact all civic organizations requesting a presentation opportunity and their commitment of support.

• Submit an annual United Way request.

• Submit TEA Coalition request, and
• Request inclusion in charity golf tournament.

• Commence planning of annual benefit party;
• Revise invitation list;
• Write public service announcements;
• Arrange design and printing of invitations;
• Finalize location;
• Solicit food and beverage donations; and
• Assign clean-up duties.

• Ask Board to participate in follow-up discussion of benefit party evaluation.

A fundraising schedule will allow you to involve Board members in those activities in which they are interested and feel they have something to contribute. For instance, one person may feel very comfortable helping to gather names and addresses for a mail solicitation campaign while another would prefer to contact restaurants in requesting hor d'ouerves donations for an annual benefit party. Board Member Applications may prove very helpful in determining which members to approach for specific tasks.

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Diversifying Contribution Sources:
Diversity has a very specific meaning when it comes to fundraising. Organizations should obtain support from as many different kinds of organizations as possible while building a strong donor base of individuals. If this is accomplished, the success of the organization will not depend solely upon the continued support of only one or two donors. ASPSF affiliates have a rich history of obtaining support from many different sources, which is a key to our success over the years. Research on charitable giving has shown that, on average, each donor will give to at least five different charities in one year. This should serve as encouragement to SPSF affiliates to approach prospective donors with a positive expectation that funding requests will receive positive consideration. A review of ASPSF matching grant forms revealed the following partial listing of donors:

The above list demonstrates the diversity of organizations that support our affiliates. It represents but a fraction of the sources that have shown an interest in our efforts. Each SPSF board should spend time brainstorming to create its own list of the most likely prospective donors in its area. Be sure to review chamber of commerce business lists, civic organizations, and church listings for contact names and telephone numbers.

Be aware that maintaining records of who has been asked, when, by whom, and for how much is essential to an organized approach to fundraising. This will prevent duplication of effort and embarrassment on behalf of board members. Good record keeping will enable fundraising efforts to operate efficiently and effectively, ultimately resulting in more community support.

Affiliates should explore every potential source of local contributions and encourage each source to make a contribution on an annual basis. This will require excellent record keeping so that those in charge of writing letters requesting annual support will know whom to contact and how much has been contributed in the past. If presentations need to be made in the context of making annual requests, the records should reflect who has previously made the presentation and who was the contact person.

An annual fundraising event can be very helpful in boosting your affiliate's community awareness level and in attracting increased support, both financial and non-financial. Some of the most active and generous Washington County Board Members over the years have had their first contact with ASPSF at the annual benefit party, held in a different private home each year. The 18th anniversary party held in mid-December earned almost $40,000! Benton County's annual benefit is held in a public building, allowing for publicity to be generated through newspapers, television, and radio prior to the event. Personal invitations are mailed out three weeks before the date of the event and enclosed response cards allow for both reservations and regrets, with checks mailed back to the affiliate.

Other annual events undertaken by ASPSF affiliates include tours of homes in Newton County, the Turkey Drop in Marion County, a golf tournament in Mississippi County, and a shrimp dinner in Pope/Yell Counties. Recently, the Cross County SPSF engaged the partnership of the local Masonic Lodge which held a barbecue in the Wal-Mart store parking lot. The Lodge donated 75% of its profit, or $750, to the SPSF and will be asked in the future to continue its support through future fundraising events.

Click on the links below to view more examples of affiliate fundraisers and annual benefits:

• Sample direct mail campaign letter
• Sample newspaper announcement #1 recognizing contributors
• Sample newspaper announcement #2 recognizing contributors
• Sample newspaper announcing celebrating fundraising success
• Sample fundraising campaign flyer
• Sample fundraising event PSA
• Sample fundraising event flyer #1
• Sample fundraising event flyer #2
• Sample direct mail campaign flyer

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Developing Fundraising Materials:
In order to raise money, it is necessary to prepare materials that present your SPSF in a positive, attractive light. What you send or give to people should project the image you want to convey: clear, neat, concise, descriptive, and interesting. Always proofread the copy for mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation before mailing out the materials.

Since the advent of the computer, the development of materials such as brochures, flyers, stationery letterheads and other documents has become easy and inexpensive so that doing the work yourself on your own computer, is now possible. Certainly, if you can engage the services of a professional printer and/or graphic designer who will prepare materials for you at little or no cost, this is the preferable course of action. You may be able to find a local graphics business that will offer free or reduced printing and graphics work in exchange for publicity at your event.

The brochure. When asking for contributions, it is essential to be able to hand the prospective donor a brochure describing your SPSF. The brochure should consist of a brief, clear explanation of why the Fund exists, what it has accomplished thus far, a listing of your board of directors, and a contribution form that can be clipped out and mailed in with a check. Of course, the mission statement should be prominent in any publication. Feel free to use the ASPSF logo, modified to include your county's name. Any other attractive graphics help gain readers' interest. As noted above, you may be able to find a printer or graphic artist who will donate the design of the brochure and perhaps even the printing.

It is important to keep in mind the purpose of this brochure. It must interest and inspire the reader to make a contribution. Be careful not to confuse this one with a brochure for prospective scholarship applicants: they should be two different designs with quite separate messages.

The letter. A quality fundraising letter will always be written on letterhead stationery and will be addressed to an individual. It will be brief, but it must describe the purpose of your fund and the particulars of your fundraising effort. It is best to ask for a specific amount and to include as an enclosure a self-addressed envelope. There are many effective ways to compose a letter: making reference to successful recipients, the amount of scholarship money you have awarded, and the fact that graduates enter the local workforce and pay local taxes. Tailoring a letter to a particular audience, be it churches, civic groups, businesses, foundations, or individuals, is an art worth developing.

There are many different types of letters, of course, each written for a particular purpose. What should characterize each of them is that they are personalized, clearly descriptive of your SPSF, well written, and concise.

The response card and self-addressed envelope. If you are sending out a letter asking for a contribution, you should enclose a response card, offering a simple and direct way of indicating the amount and the name and address of the contributor. A range of contribution levels can be listed on the card, including "other" for those who want to choose an amount not listed. The response card should be accompanied by a self-addressed envelope for the convenience of the giver. Stamps are not recommended.

Other funding materials:
Although the letter, brochure, response card, and self-addressed envelope are basic to a mailed solicitation of contributions, there are other materials which may be appropriate, including:

• copies of news articles;
• testimonials by well-known contributors;
• a history of your organization's achievements;
• brief descriptions of successful scholarship recipients; and
• photographs.

Do not make the mistake, however, of filling an envelope so full of materials that you run the risk of overwhelming the reader. You want the letter to have a strong impact. Try not to detract from it with too many other items. Be aware of the potential for creating an envelope that exceeds minimum postage costs.

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Special fundraising opportunities:
Some special fundraising opportunities with corporations and organizations in our area also exist. A program entitled Volunteerism Always Pays encourages Wal-Mart associates to volunteer with non-profit organizations and charities. Wal-Mart then computes the number of hours contributed by the associate, multiplies that number by the equivalent monetary value of those hours, and makes a donation of the resulting amount to the organization where the associate volunteered. Wal-Mart store community managers have annual charitable budgets of up to $30,000 and can make donations of up to $500 per charity. It is extremely important to make contact with community managers in February to apply for a charitable donation.

The enterprising SPSF can contact the nearest Arkansas Bikers Aiming Toward Education group (ABATE). This may result in a wonderful fundraising partnership. ABATE members have poker runs, motorcycle outings designed to raise money for charities. In the past, the White County SPSF received $1,000 from a local poker run in which Delta Scholarship Project Field Organizer Kim Dollins participated. To contact the ABATE state office email info@arkansasabate.org or access their website at www.arkansasabate.org.

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Grant proposals to foundations:
Foundations come in all sizes and shapes, private and public, family-based, church-based, and corporate. If there is a foundation in or near your county that you would like to ask for support, try to develop a contact within the foundation who will provide you with instructions on the most appropriate way to make a request. In most cases, you will be asked to write a brief letter describing the need you are trying to meet. On occasion, there will be an application form to complete. Be sure to ask for a specific amount and to be very clear about the use of the money.

As a rule of thumb, the nearer the affiliate is to a donor source of support, the better the chance of success. Having an advocate in a decision-making position within a foundation is most certainly an advantage but making a good case for why the support is needed and why the Single Parent Scholarship Fund is a good investment of the foundation's money is the most important element in any request.

To identify foundations in your vicinity, consult your local library or conduct online research. For assistance in proposal development, call the ASPSF office at (479)927-1402.

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