Kurt Walker
Asa brand-new non-profit, you will ultimately need funds to establish and strengthen your organization. Being a new NGO (Non-governmental organization), you need to know and use some strategies to raise funds that will strengthen your establishment. Fundraising at the onset is vital because it goes a long way to determine your ability to hit the ground running and your efficiency afterward. Here, we shall reveal to you, some ways of raising funds for your newly established NGO.
Tipson how new NGO can fundraise
All things have strategic ways of doing them. Many NGOs fold up shortly after their establishment, due to a lack of funds to keep them operating. You can save your NGO from folding up by raising enough funds for its operation. Let’s carefully analyze how you can do this.
- Evaluate your needs
Before you begin much work on how you want to raise the funds, sit down and analyze the needs of your organization. Estimate the funds you have to raise. Ask yourself how urgently you need them and how you want to direct the funds to different areas or projects when you raise them.
The reason, why this is important, is that it will enable you to know what target you have to hit. Some individuals and cooperate bodies will be interested in knowing your analysis before donating funds to you so that they will know where their donations will end up.
- Create a strong presence for your organization
Willing donors can reach out to you when you have a strong presence. Your organization must have a means of interacting with society. The presence you create for your organization can either be offline or online. You can build an offline presence by organizing special outreach events in the form of the movie premiere, art exhibition, marathon, etc. Through these events, you can let the public know the organization and objectives of the organization. Let your special events show that you are frugal and well-organized. This will help you gain the trust of your potential donors.
An online presence will equally be very helpful. Most organizations have realized the importance of a strong online presence. Create a website where everyone can easily follow your programs. Even if your online presence is not 24/7 like that of HR software that serves clients across various time zones and must always be online, it will be very important that you state all your programs on your webpage and update it regularly.
You should also make good use of social media. Facebook and an Instagram page will go a long way in helping you create awareness. You can integrate call-to-action into your social media messages. By posting pictures and videos of your activities on social media, your donors can easily track your progress and this will inspire them to give more. 2012 MillennialImpact Report shows that 55% of millennials learned about nonprofits via social media and 92% of them have actually ‘liked’ Facebook pages of various nonprofits. So, social media will offer you a large audience.
- Researchdonors who can fund your organization
The task of getting those who are ready to fund your brand-new NGO rests solely on you. You should know as much as possible about donors who are capable of funding your organization. You can do this by checking the website of related NGOs to see if they have a list of their supporters and donors on their webpages.
Conduct your research in a professional way. Find out if some prominent figures or philanthropists be willing to be your sponsor.
Some prominent people such as politicians are sometimes willing to be your sponsor, especially when they realize that your NGO program will draw a lot of attention. They are willing to be your sponsor because they know their popularity will increase when they become your sponsor. Asa brand-new NGO, this is a good way of fundraising.
- Reselldonations received in kinds
Sometimes you get donations but it’s possible they are not just in the form of funds and the donated items may not be the type your organization requires for its running. In such cases, you should resell such items and raise some money from it. One of the things a brand-new NGO must know is this; “Your primary aim is to fundraise and you can convert item donations to funds, especially when you can’t use the items directly”. Get buyers for such items and sell them out. This is one of the ways you can be resourceful.
- Give your supporters feedback and appreciate their support
Your supporters are entitled to know how their funds help you run your organization. Be transparent and keep donors updated. Donors will be more willing to support you when they realize that their money is indeed, very helpful to your organization.
You should also thank your supporters sincerely for their contributions. Thanking them will fetch you more support. Your supporters will also multiply when they realize that you will sincerely appreciate their support.
Conclusion
Now you know that one of the main challenges which brand-new known-profits face is fundraising. By evaluating your needs, getting closer to donors, and being frugal, you’ll be able to establish and operate along-lasting non-profit.
