Most nonprofit organizations were started on a shoestring because someone wanted to help people or change a situation. A vision was cast and the adventure began. Unfortunately, the harsh reality of funding crept up fast, and instead of thinking about how to raise needed funds, founders learn to work within what they have.

It’s like trying to build a house and choosing the manual saw to cut the wood while the power saw sits unused. You’re limited in what you can get done, and everything will take much longer than it needs to.

Way too many nonprofit leaders and staff think small. They look at a book or a training program and say “we can’t afford that.” How about thinking about options and possibilities instead? What if you simply insert the word ‘how?’ Try saying “How can we afford this?” and then brainstorm a list of ways. There are always options.

Poverty mindset stunts a nonprofit’s growth. Adding or expanding programs is tough when you aren’t willing to think big. Think of a food pantry for example. Let’s say they’re serving 50 families a week and they’re satisfied with that. What if we start thinking about the need? How many families are not being served? How many families would the pantry need to serve to totally meet the need? Once the number is identified, fundraising goals should be based on it.

This kind of thinking is riddled with doubt, fear, and negative beliefs. It’s like a gray cloud of gloom that follows you around and keeps you from really moving forward in your organization. It keeps you stuck right where you are in terms of organizational growth.

So how about giving up the poverty mindset and small thinking for the next 40 days and see what happens?

Fundraising marketing at its simplest is about finding the those people who are likely to care about your cause and giving them the chance to support you. It’s not necessarily about sales, although that’s one part. And it’s not just about advertising.

Marketing can be complicated for the nonprofit.

I just finished reading Robin Hood Marketing by Katya Andresen and I recommend it for every nonprofit.

Katya has a gift for making marketing concepts easily understandable. In this book, she identifies the basic marketing principles used by many corporations and shows nonprofits how to use them.

Here’s one of my favorite lines from the book:

“The key to marketing is to focus on our audience and not ourselves.”

If you simply focused on that and applied it to everything you do, you’d be well on your way to raising awareness and money for your organization.

Another of my favorites is

“Go beyond the big-picture mission and focus on getting people to take specific action.”

Everything you do should have a call to action. Otherwise it’s a waste of time. And don’t assume that people will know what to do. Spell it out for them. Make it easy for them to know exactly what you want them to do like sign up to volunteer, make a gift, come for a visit, etc.

Robin Hood Marketing is easy to read, with case studies and interviews sprinkled in.

One interviewee says “Know your audience and how they experience life. Then ask them to do something small.” Great advice! Small steps are easier to understand and easier to take than big ones.

You’ll find great information about creating partnerships, telling stories, crafting a message, working with the media, and more.

Already read it? I’d love to hear what you think!

Read more from Katya as she blogs at http://www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com/.

What is crowdfunding and how can you succeed?

Crowdfunding has been rapidly growing in popularity. From the far corners of the Internet, crowdfunding now regularly attracts mass media attention.

A quick lookup for the phrase ‘crowdfunding’ on Google Trends gives a tangible insight into the heightened interest as search volumes rocket.

But what is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding has all the basic principles of traditional fundraising but with a few distinct traits:

• Crowdfunding efforts are usually conducted online
• Fundraisers often entice pledges by offering non-financial rewards
• Donations are typically quite small but benefits arise from the power of the crowd and collective involvement
• Crowdfunding websites make it easy to browse through different types of projects and they create a community feel

The increased use of social media has been a huge driving force behind the success of this new type of online fundraising. Great projects, ideas and causes can now spread a lot faster than was previously possible.

How can you take advantage of crowdfunding?

If you need to need to raise money for something, at least some of your fundraising efforts should be conducted online. And it’s essential that you pick the crowdfunding platform that best meets your specific needs.

The two key differences between most crowdfunding websites are:

1. How and when you are paid out. Some require you to reach your funding target whereas others pay you everything you raise immediately.
2. What your fundraiser is about. Certain websites are restricted to a specific type of project whereas others are more flexible.

We at Go Get Funding allow all types of fundraisers. From creative projects to medical fundraisers and everything in between. On our site, you’re paid when your project hits its target and our funding flexibility allows you to change all aspects of your campaign even when it’s live.

How can I succeed at crowdfunding?

Here are our essential tips for creating a crowdfunding project that succeeds:

• Include a thorough description. Talk about yourself, explain what you’re doing, how you’ll use the money and what rewards are on offer.
• Add a video to your fundraiser – it’s proven to hugely increase the success of projects. It doesn’t need to be anything snazzy – a casual 2-minute video of you talking through your project will do.
• Offer great rewards that would make you part with your money. Rewards could be a anything from a personal thank you on your website to a home-cooked meal or backstage passes to a special gig.
• Promote your fundraiser to your own network of contacts and get the ball rolling. All too many people think donations will immediately pour in from the public but unfortunately this isn’t always the case.
• Go beyond your personal network and connect with other people and communities that you think may be interested in your cause.

Succeeding at crowdfunding requires many of the same skills as traditional fundraising with the greater upside of getting donations from total strangers. If you put in enough effort, pledges will come.

So next time you need to run a fundraiser, take a crowdfunding approach!

If you haven’t heard about the Susan Komen Foundation’s debacle, then you’ve been living under a rock. Their decision to cut grant funding to Planned Parenthood was met with such public outcry, that they’ve reversed their decision. The only problem is the damage is already done. Many have become disenchanted with the organization that began the movement that has resulted in a tidal wave of pink across the globe. I predict their donations will suffer and some will decide not to participate in their events because of this. Whether you agree or disagree with their decision, the lesson to learn is that you must think through the implications of the decisions you make. I’m not saying don’t do things that will piss some people off. Just be prepared for the aftermath. Think about the support you stand to lose and base your decision on that. And be very careful about thinking it will never happen to you. Arrogance is the grease that sends you into public relations hell.

In another case, country singer Garth Brooks asked for the return of a half-million dollar gift from a hospital. This sounds to me like a case of donor intent not being honored. The only reason a donor should EVER consider asking for a gift back is when they believe you as the nonprofit aren’t using it appropriately. The solution? First, have integrity and spend the money as the donor intended.  If you can’t do that, don’t accept the gift. Second, communicate. Talk with the donor.  Tell him/her what you’re doing with their gift and how it’s having the desired effect. By the way, this goes for ALL donations, not just the big ones.

Finally, in my local news is the story of a Board suffering from raging ignorance. It has come to light that the Executive Director’s compensation is excessive and some Board members said they didn’t know what her compensation package was. Really? How could you not know? Don’t you ask questions during the meeting? Don’t you look at the financials? That’s your job after all. Every Board has some basic roles and responsibilities, and one of the most important is fiduciary oversight. The Board’s job is to make sure that money coming into the organization is spent wisely and properly. If not, prepare for public outcry and angry donors.

The thing that each of these cases have in common is the nonprofits involved all have damaged reputations. It will take each of them some time to recover from this negative publicity and rebuild the public’s trust. When the public doubts an organization’s trustworthiness, fundraising becomes very difficult if not impossible.

So take a lesson. Always work to build trust with the public. Be a good steward of your resources. Be transparent with your records. Be accountable. And you won’t wind up on the front page of the local paper in a story of scandal.

I’ve been through his Financial Peace program (and loved it) and had heard from a couple of folks that they got lots from EntreLeadership, so I decided to treat myself to a ticket.

About halfway through the morning, I knew I had to share some of what I learned here with you. Some of this is straight from Dave, some of it has my editorial on it. Either way, I hope you get something good from these nuggets!

What I learned from EntreLeadership:

If you’re a Leader, act like it! Behave with integrity. Be authentic and inspiring. Be a role model and a mentor. If you’re not this, you suck as a Leader.

A Leader inspires others. An entrepreneur takes risk. An EntreLeader causes a venture to grow and prosper.

Your nonprofit will never grow beyond the skills of your Leaders. Organizations are limited only by their Leaders.

You cannot lead without passion. You must care about the work your organization is doing and engage others in that passion.

Passivity is NOT an option. Make bold decisions and move forward. If you don’t make the decision, it will be made for you.

Stagnation will not move your nonprofit forward.

Indecision is made by fear. Indecision is the greatest thief of opportunity.

Set goals and follow them. If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

Don’t ask your team to set goals when you have none.

Individual team members can’t have goals dictated to them; instead help the team develop their own goals.

Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until yu value your time, you won’t do anything with it.

If you’ve been through Dave’s EntreLeadership program, I’d love to hear what you thought about it. Leave a comment and share.

I hope by now you’ve got some fundraising goals set for the year. (If not, you better get busy!).  Have you set BIG goals?  You should.  Nonprofits that will be successful in 2012 are thinking BIG.  They aren’t being dissuaded by the economy or negative Board members.  They are focused on what’s possible, not what’s impossible. And they WILL be successful!

So, what’s your BIG goal this year?  Try this exercise:  Write down the amount of money you want to raise this year (like $150,000).  Then add a zero at the end (now it’s $1,500,000).  What would you have to do different to raise that kind of money?  You’d sure have to think different, wouldn’t you?  You’d need to get serious about the systems in your office, organize your volunteers, and focus on some major donors.

Now apply that level of big-picture thinking to your goals for 2012.  Feel more doable?  I thought so.

If you need a word of encouragement, please leave a comment here on the blog or better yet, post on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/getfullyfunded) and let me know how I can support you.   I’m happy to remind you of all the reasons why you CAN be successful this year and keep you thinking BIG!

I don’t think it really matters what the new year brings. The more important question to ask is ‘what will you do?’

Over the past few years, many nonprofits have faced a withering economy, nervous Boards, and more demand for services. The organizations that are flourishing (and yes, some are doing great!) have been proactive and purposeful about fundraising. I have several clients who have had their best years ever in 2010 and 2011.

Here’s what I see vibrant nonprofits doing in 2012.

Take fundraising seriously. Nonprofits that will raise big money in 2012 will take fundraising seriously. They won’t put it on the back burner to deal with ‘more important things.’ They’ll have a written plan of how they’ll communicate with their donors and prospects, and they’ll treat their donors as partners in their work, not as ATMs. They’ll be proactive, not reactive. And they’ll be successful.

Invest in themselves. Nonprofits that will raise big money in 2012 will spend money on training. Even with tight budgets, they’ll find a way to send staff to workshops or webinars. They know that their organization is only as strong as their staff, and to keep their skills sharp, they’ll focus on continuing education.

Invest in their Board. Nonprofits that will raise seriously big money in 2012 will invest in training for their Board. They know that they’ll need their Board in tip-top shape to help reach more people in the community, especially key supporters. Without training, their Board might now be willing or have the know-how to make these important connections. Seriously successful organizations know that a little training can go a long way with a Board.

Unwilling to accept mediocrity. Nonprofits that will have their biggest year ever in 2012 will be unwilling to accept mediocrity. They will demand (and get) the best from their Board, their staff, and their volunteers. Together, they will improve their service delivery, they’ll learn to be excellent at telling their story, and they will engage people in their work. And they will be successful. They’ll help more people and they’ll raise more money than ever before. They’ll see themselves as a vital part of the community, changing lives for the better.

As you look forward into 2012, remember this: it doesn’t matter so much what the year brings. What matters is what you do with it.

This is a line from a new movie called “We Bought a Zoo.”  I saw the preview weeks ago and I can’t get that phrase out of my head.  Maybe because I’m wrestling with a few fears right now and I keep thinking about what difference 20 seconds of insane courage would make.

If you think about it, we have lots of fears: fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of (fill in the blank).  As nonprofit Fundraisers, we have lots of fears too, like

• Fear of asking for a gift and being told “no.”
• Fear of not making our campaign goals.
• Fear of not making budget.
• Fear of what our friends will think if we ask them to support our cause.
• Fear of not being accepted and approved of by our boss or our Board.
• Fear of offending our donors by sending too many appeal letters.
• Fear of wasting money by trying something new.
• Fear of trying something like Facebook or mobile giving because we don’t understand it.

Fear is just worrying about what might happen.  It’s all in our head and can be overcome by a number of techniques.  Right now, the one that’s working for me is to think about what I can do with 20 seconds of insane courage.  In the past few days, I’ve overcome my fears and made things happen because of that.

If you are a Fraidy Cat, and you hide behind your fears, don’t expect to be successful in fundraising.  If you want to get serious about raising big money for your nonprofit, you must work through your fears.  I’ve heard it said that your organization is only as strong as the people who work there, and I believe it.  So, to raise more money, you have to learn to put your fears aside and do what must be done.

What can YOU do with 20 seconds of insane courage?  Can you pick up the phone and make an appointment with a donor?  Can you push on toward a campaign goal?  Can you plan fundraising campaigns now event though naysayers advise against it?

I’d love to know what you think, and if you decide to use the 20 seconds, what happens for you!  Be sure to come back here and share.

If you’ve followed me for very long, you know I live on a little farm with horses in my backyard.  We LOVE our horses.  They’re part of our family and we spend time with them every day (even if we don’t ride nearly as much as we’d like).  I didn’t have horses growing up, but like most little girls, always dreamed of having my own pony.  Somehow my dream didn’t turn out exactly like I’d planned - I ride an overweight, grouchy Appaloosa named Harley.  Don’t recall that in the dream, but I digress.

Last June, my daughter’s beautiful gray Arabian got sick and died.  It was a gut-wrenching 24 hours watching him pass away, trying everything we could, with nothing helping. It really tore us up.  Even now, all these months later, she and I can get teary-eyed talking about him. He was special and we miss him.

A couple of months ago, she started talking about getting another horse.  And being the beautiful person she is, she wanted to get one from a rescue group if at all possible.  We’re lucky enough to have Horse Haven of Tennessee close to us, and since Kristen and I have both volunteered with them before, it was a logical place to start.

The thing about getting a rescued horse is that you don’t really know what you’re going to get. You have no idea if the horse has been ridden or beaten or what. We were prepared to invest a little money in training if the right horse came along. The day we visited in November they had just received an emaciated red dun quarter horse from a humane society in the next county.  This horse and 2 others had been taken out of a situation where they’d had no food and little water for quite a while. By the time they were rescued, they were all in very bad shape. This horse was lucky – his two pasture mates didn’t make it.  At Horse Haven, he received great care, lots of food, and plenty of love from the dozens of volunteers who come twice a day to feed and check on the herd.  When we met him in November, we were struck by his gentle spirit. Our only question – was he broke to ride?  We needed a horse that was ridable.  Kristen really wanted one she could practice on and develop her riding skills with. Broke was definitely a requirement!

Turns out, this guy has lots of training under his belt.  He’s very responsive to leg commands (which for you non-horsey people means she can put a little pressure on him with her leg and he’ll respond by moving over or going faster).  We were so excited!!  Last Saturday, we visited Horse Haven and she rode him, but it didn’t go very well.  It was like they were speaking two different languages.  The commands and cues she gave him didn’t seem to mean anything to him and he just did whatever, which was kind of scary for her and me!

We left with Kristen in tears, frustrated with the experience and unsure if this was the right horse.  I hated it – I’d felt a connection with this horse from the moment we met him and was sure we were supposed to bring him home.  Lord knows when this guy had been ridden last and what all he had been through since then.  After lots of discussion and sleeping on it, Kristen wanted to try again to ride him, so yesterday, we gave it one more shot.  And he was perfect!  It was like he knew this was his chance to have a young girl of his own and he didn’t want to miss it.  He moved when she asked him to, he stopped when she asked him to, and the whole time he was as gentle as he could be.

So, later this afternoon, he’ll be coming home to live with us!  And we can’t wait!

What’s the difference one person makes?  Nina Margetson made a big difference when she decided to start Horse Haven of Tennessee many years ago.  She saw a need to step in and take care of abused and neglected horses, so she did.  Sonja Cowsert made a big difference when she decided to hop on this horse on Monday afternoon to see what his deal was. She’s an experienced rider and trainer, and in a matter of minutes, reminded him about working with a rider.  I think that’s what made the difference between Kristen’s experience on Saturday and the one yesterday. Both of these ladies made a difference to this horse, me, and my daughter.  And we’re only one success story they’ve cranked out.  In fact, our horse isn’t the only one going home today.

It’s been awesome being on the receiving end of the dedication of others. I’ve spent so much time on the giving end, that I forgot how wonderful it is to receive. I’m overwhelmed with the gratitude I feel for the folks who work tirelessly at Horse Haven to take care of these animals who can’t speak for themselves. I wish I was a millionaire so I could make a big gift to help them keep up the good work, but I’m not so I can’t. But what I can do is share my story with you to help spread the word about the amazing work they’re doing.

Never doubt that what you do makes a difference. It does.

Oh, and you can learn more about Horse Haven and check out their website at www.horsehaventn.org.

Couple that with the fact that the last week of the year is THE BIGGEST week for online donations, and it’s time to give your website a little tune-up.

Your website’s purpose is to provide an online resource for donors and prospects about the work your nonprofit is doing.  You might also use it to recruit volunteers, communicate with clients, and more, but be sure that its main purpose is education about your mission and your work.

Here are some things to help you maximize online giving this year.

1. Make it user-friendly.  Your website needs to be clean and easy to navigate.  People are very impatient online, and if your website looks too hard to wade through, people will go elsewhere.  Make it very easy for people to find what they’re looking for.

2. Make it sticky. Include lots of juicy info that your donor will be interested in.  Tell stories about the people you’re helping.  Highlight a few ket statistics of your cause.  Write short bits that your website visitor will be captivated by.  If your website contains lots of long paragraphs about your organization, donors won’t stick around.  They aren’t interested in your organization – they want to know about the people whose lives are being changed by your nonprofit.

3. Make your Donate Now button big and red and in the upper right corner of every page.  People won’t work hard to make a gift, so make it very easy for them.

4. Use simple language and great photos. Dump the acronyms and industry jargon.  Don’t talk about “at-risk populations” or “service recipients.”  Your donors and website visitors won’t know what that means.

5. Tell stories. Tell short, human-interest stories about the people your organization serves.  We want to read about the underdog overcoming adversity or tales that make us believe in the goodness of the world.  Share how your nonprofit is helping to make them happen.

Get these things right and you’ll dramatically increase the online donations you’ll receive this year!