While giving tends to increase in the wake of a well-publicized emergency, such as a natural disaster, this fact doesn’t necessarily extend to the kind of emergencies many nonprofits are facing today as traditional revenue sources – government aid, earned income, etc. – are suddenly drying up. Following are six tips for making the best of a challenging situation:

1) Advocate for a multi-faceted organizational response to the crisis that doesn’t depend solely upon fundraising. Donors are reluctant to fund band-aid solutions to systemic problems, but may be more receptive to increasing their support in the short-term if it is part of a plan for achieving increased long-term sustainability. Coming to the table with lots of good ideas will make it easier to make the case for a multi-faceted response. For more ideas see this link to the Wall Street Journal article, “Helping Themselves”: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124025204612335931.html

2) Set realistic expectations by assessing the giving potential of your donor base just as you would for a capital campaign or other major gift effort. Donors who have reduced their giving due to their own financial concerns or prospects who have never given before are unlikely to be the saviors you are looking for. However, other funders remain eager to offer assistance in response to challenges faced by the nonprofit community. An example of what at least one foundation is doing is illustrated on the Meyer Memorial Trust blog posting “The View from Now”: http://www.mmt.org/weblog/archives/the_view_from_now.php

3) Determine what fundraising strategies will be most effective. Best practices don’t change just because you are facing a crisis. The majority of dollars are still likely to come from the small minority of donors with the highest giving capacity and interest in your organization. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need if additional human or financial resources are necessary to achieve your goals. For more ideas about strategies and resources follow this link to TCG’s free resources page on our website: http://www.collinsgroup.com/pages/events_news_resources.html#resources

4) Act quickly to recruit, train, and mobilize staff and volunteers who are feeling anxious about the future so they can channel that energy into helping with fundraising. This can turn finger-pointers into allies and will enhance your fundraising program even after the crisis is over. For more on this see Barb Maduell’s recent posting on the TCG blog: http://www.collinsgroup.com/blog/2009/09/29/why-do-development-directors-dress-up/

5) Craft a case for support that focuses on the impact of the crisis within the broader community rather than just within your organization. Donors will respond more favorably to a call to action to save vulnerable populations or community resources, than they will to save a shaky program or organization. A good outline to use can be found on the TCG website at: http://www.collinsgroup.com/documents/annual_case_for_support.pdf 

6) Reach out to other fundraising professionals and volunteers to share support, ideas, and lessons learned. If your organization is facing a financial crisis, take comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Check out the inspiring story of Oregon Ballet Theater’s efforts to raise the emergency funds it needed to keep the doors open this past June: http://www.obt.org/news_features.html

Filed under: Trends by Dedee Wilner-Nugent on October 6, 2009