Donor conversations are free! Part I

I am a pretty outgoing person (many who know me would call that an understatement) and one of the things I absolutely love about my job is that I get to talk with people about our agency's mission all the time. And I get to ask them to financially partner with us, knowing that their support enables us to do even more!

As I considered what my next topic would be I kept looking out my office window, which means I have to directly look at what is lovingly called here as my "comfy chair". My comfy chair actually came to me free, an exchange for helping a local company with their Twitter and Facebook. Now I have this gorgeous, comfortable chair for donors, potential donors, sponsors, and co-workers to relax in while we converse.

Conversing with donors. Sounds easy, and yet I recognize for many in fundraising it is challenging. As I hear on Nike commercials, Just DO It! And it doesn't cost anything!

I try to have a face to face with a donor at least once or twice a week. The amount depends on how many donors you have and how easy it is for them to meet with you. You don't need a comfy chair (but it helps!). If you share an office use the staff meeting room or arrange to meet at a coffee house. I prefer my office, with the donor seated in the comfy chair, so they experience our staff and see all of the great things we are doing which are posted on my office walls.

Once we have a conversation I take them on the tour, and there are two places that make the entire visit worth while: our HIV testing room and our food bank. The "testing room" is on our second floor and once the donor is in the room I close the door and tell them what someone getting tested experiences. Many times the donor gets tears in their eyes. It is almost impossible to not get even more connected to our mission after a visit to the testing room.

Our food bank is in our basement and it is so important to show off to donors so they have a better idea of how important our food bank is.

If you are one who is uncomfortable meeting face to face or making a donation ask face to face, don't let that stop you! They are many ways to go about this that will make the experience better for you, and I promise that once you've done this once it almost becomes addictive! Include staff, and if possible, include a client.

The end result is that you will begin to build a lifelong relationship with your donor and they will become even more committed to your mission after a face to face meeting with you.

It works. I really does!

Consider what you have read here and create a list of five to ten names of people you can meet with. Part II will have a checklist and some tidbits that have really helped me in the past.

Fundraising For Free!: Dining Out Days Part II

Fundraising For Free!: Dining Out Days Part II: We are in the midst of planning our 2011 Dining Out Days and there are several ideas that I am thinking about and want to share.

Your Dining Out Day can be a HUGE success for your agency AND the restaurant. Make sure you tell everyone. You can send an email blast, use Twitter, and use Facebook, all for free. In addition, we have found it helpful to design and mail a postcard to our donors. Many cities have newspapers that print events for free and you will definitely want to take advantage of that.

The bottom line is that you want the restaurant to be PACKED.

In all of your information make sure people know the date, the time, the percentage being donated, the address, and the phone number for reservations. Ask people to make reservations as that creates energy at the restaurant.

Communicate frequently with the restaurant and create a document that they can pass to staff. You want to ensure that everyone knows about your event and the importance of it. There is nothing worse than showing up at a restaurant to set up before the meal and finding out that staff have no idea what is happening.

If your local paper has a food section, send a press release to the food editor. An event that supports a non-profit and a local restaurant is a great story.

Make sure you check in with your contact at the restaurant several times before the event. Keep them in the know of everything happening around your event.

If having volunteers help you during the day, find people who are outgoing and know about your mission. More than half of the money we raise comes from people who have made an additional donation during dinner, and it's vital that the ask comes from someone who is really friendly and knows about your agency.

Speaking of making the ask, we use past remit envelopes and leave them at the table. When I approach a table I simply let the guest know what we are doing, that it's OK to eat a lot,including dessert because this is a fundraiser, drop off the remit and make the ask, then make my exit.

Dining Out Days can be so successful that you will be able to add it as a budgeted event next year.

Now create a plan and think of where you want to have your first Dining Out Day!

Dining Out Days Part II

We are in the midst of planning our 2011 Dining Out Days and there are several ideas that I am thinking about and want to share.

Your Dining Out Day can be a HUGE success for your agency AND the restaurant. Make sure you tell everyone. You can send an email blast, use Twitter, and use Facebook, all for free. In addition, we have found it helpful to design and mail a postcard to our donors. Many cities have newspapers that print events for free and you will definitely want to take advantage of that.

The bottom line is that you want the restaurant to be PACKED.

In all of your information make sure people know the date, the time, the percentage being donated, the address, and the phone number for reservations. Ask people to make reservations as that creates energy at the restaurant.

Communicate frequently with the restaurant and create a document that they can pass to staff. You want to ensure that everyone knows about your event and the importance of it. There is nothing worse than showing up at a restaurant to set up before the meal and finding out that staff have no idea what is happening.

If your local paper has a food section, send a press release to the food editor. An event that supports a non-profit and a local restaurant is a great story.

Make sure you check in with your contact at the restaurant several times before the event. Keep them in the know of everything happening around your event.

If having volunteers help you ruing the day, find people who are outgoing and know about your mission. More than half of the money we raise comes from people who have made an additional donation during dinner, and it's vital that the ask comes from someone who is really friendly and knows about your agency.

Speaking of making the ask, we use past remit envelopes and leave them at the table. When I approach a table I simply let the guest know what we are doing, that it's OK to eat a lot,including dessert because this is a fundraiser, drop off the remit and make the ask, then make my exit.

Dining Out Days can be so successful that you will be able to add it as a budgeted event next year.

Now create a plan and think of where you want to have your first Dining Out Day!

Your first Fundraising for Free event! Part I

I am many months in between posts with no excuses.

Because of that, I am going to skip some basic information I wanted to share (I'll share it another time) and move forward with an idea. Your first Fundraising for Free event!

The idea is called Dining Out Days. Some call it Dining Out For Life, Dine On Us, Dine For Us, or a multitude of other names, yet the basic idea is the same: invite friends and supporters to dine in at a specific restaurant on a date coordinated with that restaurant, with the restaurant donating 15 - 25% of sales for the day.

Why on earth would a restaurant just donate that much to your group or cause?

The answer is simple: you will fill their restaurant on a day that it is typically not filled. The goal here is to make the event so successful that the restaurant makes more money than they regularly would AFTER they make the donation to you of a portion of their sales from the day of the event.

It works, it really does.

And it doesn't have to cost your group or cause a penny!

A Dining Out Day benefits your cause and the local economy. It's a great way to not only build a relationship with a local business, but to get your cause in front of people who may not know about you. Here's a quick "to-do"list:

1. Think of your favorite restaurant. One where they know your name and maybe know a bit about your group or cause. Approach the owner about this idea, telling them that you would love a day where they are normally slow and you make the promise that they will be busy. Every restaurant is different, but usually a Monday or Tuesday could work.

2. Once you find a place, agree on a percentage of sales that the restaurant will donate and whether or not that includes all sales or food only. This number is not only important to you but also important to your donors who will want to know what the percentage is.

3. Pick a date. If the restaurant serves more than one meal (breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner) decide up front which meals will be part of the fundraiser. Ask for all of the meals that they normally serve.

4. Get their logo and put the date on your website as soon as possible, with a link to their website.

5. This part is not necessarily free, and it really helps in getting your supporters out. Print a postcard that you can mail to your list and hand out to everyone you know. Remember, you want to FILL the restaurant. You want to blow the owner's mind!

6. Send an email blast.

7. Work with your volunteer coordinator to make sure you have people representing your agency or cause the entire time at the restaurant. Two per shift would be great. This is an awesome opportunity for board, honorary board, and staff to get involved. Make sure you ask people who are outgoing as they will greet guests as well as drop off an "ask" envelope at each table once guests are settled in at their table.

8. Depending where you live (size of city) you may want to do a press release. Some reporters love to write about non-profits collaborating with local businesses.

9. Post an event on Facebook and invite everyone. Post on Twitter. If you have the capability, make a YouTUbe video and post it. Again, you want to FILL the restaurant.

10. Be at the event as much as possible. Great past donors and past supporters. Have conversations with every table. Speak with guests as they are waiting.

I think this is enough for Part I. More to come about Dining Out Days and I promise it won't take months! Meanwhile, seriously consider a Dining Out Day for your group or cause.

Can you fundraise for free?

This is my first official blog and I am stoked to be part of this world. Of course I'm not sure if anyone will even read this, yet will be thrilled if someone does, and actually is able to raise money for their passion, without having to spend money.

I work as the Director of Development for a small HIV/AIDS agency in Boulder, CO. Our budget is under $1 million. I am always chatting with my staff about ways we can fundraise with little or no cost. Many will read this and immediately think "well, I have wanted to do the same thing with no luck". My experience is one that includes raising money without having to spend money. Not always. Of course if you do direct mail that will cost you. If you have an annual gala event, you will most likely spend money.

In the bigger picture of spending I began looking at all agency expenditures that related to development. If you are like me and come from grassroots fundraising, please know that fund-raising and development are one in the same. I don't say this to sound pious or even arrogant, but say it as to this day I am asked what I develop when I tell people that I am the Director of Development.

So here we go!

Working for a small non-profit I am always trying to increase our donor list and decrease the amount of lapsed donors. A lapsed donor is one that gave a couple of times or more, yet in the last year or so has not given. Different agencies probably have different amounts of time that put a donor in the lapsed category. For me, if a donor gave up until 2008 and did not give in 2009, they are a lapsed donor.

A great idea to make a little money, add donors, and work at decreasing lapsed donors is to have a Dining Out Night. Most likely you have been to one of these: a non-profit you support invites you to dine at a local restaurant and a portion of your meal ticket goes directly to the non-profit.

Can I really do this for free?

Tune in next time!

Thank you so much for reading this. I look forward to getting to know many new people as I commence my journey into the world of blogging.