Posts tagged Revenue Sources
15 Non-Profits and Counting
Dec 15th
It has been a while since I’ve posted any general information or perspectives about fundraising or non-profit trends. That is mostly because I’ve been happily busy working with wonderful organizations to get them started with Click. Buy. Help. I am pleased to say that there are now 15 organizations or sub-groups participating and it is truly rewarding to be helping these groups help others.
As a way to showcase the member organizations to each other, potential members and the general public who visit the site, I will begin an ongoing series of short focus stories for each group. Then, as new groups join, a story will be added, introducing them to the Click. Buy. Help. community.
Look for the first profile soon. They will appear in the sequence they joined Click. Buy. Help.
This is a wonderful opportunity to thank the Group of 15 for allowing me to be a part of their work. Although I don’t participate directly, I am able to provide assistance through the commissions earned on supporters purchases. Fundraising is difficult and assistance is needed from any available direction. I am pleased to be able to provide support.
Dave
Fundraising’s Elusive Silver Bullet
May 8th
Recently, my wife and I attended a friend’s fundraising event. An excellent cause; a fun time; a good use of our entertainment dollars. All is good, right?
Not necessarily.
We all know the level of effort that is required to successfully orchestrate any sort of fundraising event. In this case, it was coordinating the hall and the dinner, the silent auction items, the wine that was donated from it’s members for the raffle, the post card announcements, the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, the… well, you get the idea. Sure, money was raised, but at a significant level of invested effort by many of the group’s members.
My friend shared with me a sentiment from his group that is a common refrain coming from most non-profit organizations: “If we just had that one source of revenue that didn’t take all this effort by all these people.” Of course, there isn’t a “Silver Bullet” that will solve all the revenue issues for a non-profit, but there are ways to improve your position, or better yet, ability to earn revenue from other sources.
Look at diversifying the sources of revenue. More >
Click. Buy. Help. Gains International Attention with a U.K. Guest Post
Mar 22nd
Guest Post - A Passion to Understand
In the blogging world, it is thrilling to think that someone is actually reading your written word. In the film, Julie & Julia
Given the excitement a blogger (yours truly included) gets when someone reads and actually comments, you can imagine the exhilaration I felt when I received an offer to write my first guest post. A Passion To Understand is a blog that chronicles the author’s interest in world affairs and explores her passion to understand why certain events occur.
Based in the U.K., the blog’s author, Emm, manages Emm in London (The Adventures of An Eternal Tourist in London) and Addicted to Media (Music, television, film and book reviews by Emm) as well. After commenting on her post called Running for Autism, she asked if I would share more about Click. Buy. Help. on A Passion to Understand.
Naturally, I obliged!
Expanding on my original comment on Running for Autism, I focused my Guest Post on “Donor Fatigue” as a growing challenge for all non-profit organizations.
I’ve made references to Donor Fatigue on Click. Buy. Help. before, but it bears closer scrutiny. The site, Donor Fatigue, defines donor fatigue as, “a general weariness and diminished public response to requests for aid to needy people or donations to charitable causes.” In my opinion, a very appropriate definition. Simply, the more times one exercises one’s arm, the more fatigued it gets.
The worldwide financial crisis was a significant factor in slowing, and subsequently holding back the global economy from growing. Only recently has the U.S. begun seeing some dim glimmers of hope. As the economy contracted, so did the philanthropic gifts made to needy organizations. However, in spite of the economic challenges, the earthquake in Haiti on January 12 saw record-setting donations through the American Red Cross. Donors can text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10. The campaign has been very successful due to its simplicity – your donation just appears on your phone bill.
On the heels of the Haitian disaster was the earthquake in Chile on February 27. The American Red Cross and many other humanitarian organizations around the world continue to plead for support, but as you can imagine, donors are beginning to tire. They are continuing with their texting campaign. Supporters can direct a $10 donation to Chilean support by texting “CHILE” to 90999.
The American Red Cross can be reached at http://newsroom.redcross.org/.
There is plenty of rhetoric in the media about the ever-growing “donor fatigue” syndrome. As the climate and socio-political temperatures both heat up (yes, I believe the world is warming), strife in all parts of the world continues to grow and the need for assistance with it. Donors’ fatigue also continues to grow as the requests for financial assistance from humanitarian organizations continues unabated.
Click. Buy. Help. is positioned as an alternative to asking supporters to “dig deeper.”
One of the many challenges non-profit organizations face is in growing its revenue. Similar to the basic rule of investing, organizations must also diversify. They must grow not only the number of donors, but also the type of donors. The thinking is that when the economy deals a blow to one group, maybe another is doing better. But donors are only one revenue source. Ultimately, it is the revenue sources that must be diversified. Click. Buy. Help. simply offers a new, additional, and more diversified source of revenue.
For the complete Guest Post, please visit Emm’s blog, A Passion to Understand.
Thank you, Emm for this opportunity. I hope you and your readers found it valuable and look forward to future discussion and debate.
Dave