There is an old saying that
says “If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward.” This is incredibly true for charities that
experience success early. However, as
their charity ages, they tend to get set in their ways and lose track of reality.
Furthermore, no one likes to
hear the reality of things. Most
charities believe that their mission is the best and deserves the most but what
most don’t realize is this – people give because they want something in
return. Whether it is acknowledgement of
some kind, satisfaction or whatever, they want something.
The competition for charities
trying to fundraise is stiff. With over
104 Million charities in the United States, Non Profits need to be on their
game per se. They must grasp the plain
and simple fact that in order to attract people or supporters to their charity,
they need to be a “Dancing Monkey” of sorts.
Laying out the bait to gain the attention of people shopping the charity
superstore is extremely important. The
best way of accomplishing this – is to host an incredible event for people to
attend. Making it more about the event
and less about the charity and the fundraising aspect. Does this make sense? No it doesn’t but then why are BW Unlimited
events so large and always so successful?
Test Case #1: Recently, we were asked to help a charity
which had not been successful raising money for 6 years. However, when we came on board, we were given
“Carte Blanche” to do what we wanted and how we wanted. This charity had a very hard time getting
people to attend their small functions and within the 6 year period, they had
only raised a grand total of $6,000.00.
They did not question our
methods, in fact, we provided guidance and they followed it a “T.” Everyone prior to during the beginning
discussion stages, was very critical saying that it would never work, people
won’t come etc.
End result – 1,000 attendees
and close to $80,000.00 in profit in the bank “PRIOR TO” the event. People are excited about the charity and the
next event – which will be much larger and much more profitable.
However – this leads to the
next problem – a very real issue referred to as the “Sophomoric Syndrome.”
What is the “Sophomoric
Syndrome”? It’s when a group is
extremely successful and the following year, they lay back and think that last year’s
success will come rolling in without much work.
They don’t go after as many donations, they believe people will just buy
tickets because of last year, they don’t go after financial sponsors as hard…they
lay back and think people are going to come to them.
Oddly enough, you need to
work twice as hard. Remember the “Dancing
Monkey”? People get distracted and want
to be entertained. The event needs to
change and evolve to keep people interested and involved. The charity must GROW to stay relevant. They need to lay out the “Bait” thick and
keep attracting more and more to their event.
Their event has to grow bigger, become more impressive etc. Growing the committee is more important but
the committee too must understand the “Reality of Charity Fundraising.” Why people and businesses donate – because they
want something.
They must understand that
they are not the only Charity in existence, because there will be 100 charities
behind them asking them for donations and giving them what they want – the donor
can sit back and make demands to see who wants their money. This is reality folks.
Have you ever seen one of
those business graphs with profits and losses going up and down? Well the same holds true with a charity. Charities must think like a business and use
strategy to run it. They need to ask
themselves these questions:
#1 – “How do we grow and
become more profitable?”
#2 – “How do we stay more
relevant?”
#3 – “What can we do to
attract more people to us?”
#4 – “How can we compete in
such a competitive market place?”
And perhaps the most
important question….
#5 – “Are we doing this for
fun or do we want to do more, grow and become much more successful?”
Be realistic – ask yourselves
the above questions. How do you combat
the problem detailed above? Each year,
you need to start over, keep everyone engaged and excited about what lies
ahead. Get rid of any negativity and
grow your infrastructure. If not, this
is when the “Charity Flat Line” starts to happen. You can tell this is happening when donations
slow down.
Let’s be real for a minute –
do any of your charities walk out to the mailbox in the morning and find stacks
of checks waiting for you? No. That is why you must go nuts when it comes to
fundraising!!! You absolutely must work
even if you hire us – we will teach you how to stay relevant, how to stay
competitive but in the end, it’s up to you to ensure your pulse keeps beating.
Everything ladies and gentlemen
has a shelf life. Case in Point – there was
a very well-known Veterans charity with a very recognizable logo that just a
year or so ago everyone loved. Millions
upon millions of dollars poured into this charity but then they lost their
way. It became more about the charity
and marketing then it did about this mission.
People became very critical and before too long, investigations began,
news stories exposed them and now where are they? Gone.
Everything counts –
EVERYTHING. You must stay ahead of the
pace. Everything matters, your web
presence, your mission and your fundraising efforts. If not, your pulse will stop and your charity
will flat line. There are plenty of
examples of this.
BW Unlimited Charity
Fundraising is a charity fundraising leader in a “One Stop Shop” convenient
setting. We can help you and your
charity understand the competitive nature of charity fundraising and guide you
toward a bright future while helping you by planning, managing and hosting
highly successful charity fundraising events which will not only help you raise
the money you need but grow your charity in ways you could not have
predicted. Check out our website at www.BWUnlimited.com
or call us directly at 443 206 6121. We
would love to help you.
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