Do you seminar?

This post will be all about doing seminars and workshops as a means to augment your fundraising income or increasing your ministry's exposure.

A lot of non-profit organizations can already be considered as experts in their field. Some can be called authorities in disaster relief, community transformation, livelihood training, adoption, health care, a host of other things.

So ask yourself, what is your organization's asset that you can make a seminar out of? CBN Asia's humanitarian arm, Operation Blessing Philippines has been invited to disaster management conferences. CBN Asia's missionary training arm, Asian Center for Missions, has been doing conferences on how to take care of missionaries. It provides these organizations with awareness and networking opportunities.

You need to evaluate yourself to find out what your organization's strengths are and you feel that it is unique or not so many are are teaching or sharing it, then you may have something that may be worth selling to other organizations.

Is your non-profit Green?

You hand out your non-profit's flashy annual report to your major partner and then the guy lashes at you for using so much excessiveness in your annual report. And you thought you were giving the partner a favor by making the report look oh so good! Hehehe.

Ther are partners who understand the value of showing your best foot forward in terms of communication. And then, there are those who smack you in the face for not being a good steward of your non-profit's money. So how do we balance it?

In reality, a non-profit should not be using all sorts of flashiness in any communication that partners will misconstrue as a misuse of money. There should always be restraint even if another partner is paying for all the flashy stuff.

So think wisely, and also use your non-profit's money wisely.

Visiting Your Partners

One of the greatest things that the Pinoy Fundraiser can do with her time is to visit partners. There is nothing like getting the real score, for the partner in this case, to hear personally the accomplishments of their non-profit.

The PF should visit at least one major partner every week and meet four or five others for the balance of the week. Visiting is cherished in the Filipino home. We are well-known for hospitality and how take care of our visitors, the PF will be treated same, a perk of the job. But that is not the issue here. The critical point is that partners should be visited.

And when you do visit, make sure that you can handle all the queries the partner may have. It may be about the status of the organization, to how much that partner has already given to the organization, or complaints about partner or donor care. You may also learn a thing or two about the state of your fundraising from your partners' point of view.

You also need to provide solutions to your donors' problem with your organization. Some may think that you are not doing enough. A few may praise you for even the smallest thing. All of these should be important to you, the PF! This is the time to have all your senses working. You need to see if they read the materials you send their way. You need to read between the lines of what your partner may be saying about you.

You also need to build rapport and trust withyour partner. You are representing your non-profit and your partner should be able to see the best of the organization through you. You are a mirror of how your organization works.

More on this next time. God bless you!

Capitalizing on Holidays

Its a day before the 4th of July weekend in the US. What is your non-profit doing about it? Oh, this is supposed to be Pinoy Fundraising. I apologize. Let me repeat. Its a few days before the Philippine-American Friendship Day (is it still being celebrated??). What is your non-profit doing about it?

Sad to say, maybe a lot of haven't even thought about it. Maybe it does not relate to your organization. But if you thought hard, would you have thought of something. Probably some lame, old excuse to do fundraising. But wait, isn't that what you are supposed to do?

Mother's and Father's Day went by. What did you about it? Did you thank, congratulate, call, write or even SMS the mothers and fathers in your database? (I don't have database, some of you groaned). Oh well...

Events are hyped in this highly commercial world we live in. The Pinoy Fundraiser can use these holidays to grab a share of the fundraising pie. You can write a direct mail package themed from whatever holiday is coming. You can organize special events revolving around a holiday. You give out freemiums (stickers, note cards, pens, etc.) based on a holiday. You can make a holiday a lot more special to people. What you do can make it meaningful to a lot of people.

Now that you read this, do you have something in mind of Christmas?

See you next time!

Are you a Boy (or Girl) Scout?

As they say, the Boy Scout is "Always Ready!"

The Pinoy Fundraiser should be the best opportunistic person in the organization. Why do I say that? The PF should always be ready to grab an opportunity when it comes.

Is your resource development (this is another term for the person that handles the fundraising) person always updated with what is happening in the non-profit? Does she have a brochure of the organization on the ready when a potential supporter asks? Does that person even have a business card? Does she look professional and credible?

These and a lot more others are the issues facing the PF. Can she even take a potential supporter to a coffee shop so they can talk more comfortably and be able to present the cause? Or do they stand in the local "Jollijeep" munching on turon (fried banana roll) and sipping sago't gulaman (i'm vexed! i don't kow the english for this)?

As they say, "first impressions last,". So are YOU prepared? You can't tell people that you don't have a brochure because you have channeled all your support to helping make this world a better place--one person at a time. It does not work like that. Oftentimes, you need to sow seeds in fundraising. And when you sow seeds, you need, get ready for this, seeds! If you don't sow, you don't harvest. If you can't sow becuase you were'nt prepared then maybe you are in the wrong job.

See you tomorrow!

X-Deals!

Exchange deals--a transaction where one product is exchange, traded or bartered. Usually, there is no cash involved, mainly products or services.

Now that we have some sort of definition, how can the Pinoy Fundraiser use it? Let's say you have a project for an orphanage. You will need food, furnitures, fixtures. clothes, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Some of these you will eventually buy yourself but some of them can be had for x-deals. As the term implies, there should be something traded or exchanged. In our orphanage's case, the PF can partner with companies that manufacture or distribute food stuff so that the orphanage will not have to buy them. In return, the orphanage can drum up the "deal" via banners, press releases or newsletter articles. Getting a company to deal with you is a whole lot of a different matter that I will not be discussing today.

When things like these happen, the orphanage will save on the cost, in whole or in part, of purchasing food stuff. This goes the same for furnitures, equipment, computers. Everything can basically be had for x-deals.

Now, there are companies that will just give you a donation instead of going through an x-deal. And those companies or individuals that are truly admirable.

God bless you and see you tomorrow!

Good and Great Testimonials

With the work that each of our non-profits are doing to make this world a better place, we will surely encounter good words coming from our beneficiaries and supporters. It is important that we are able to capture these words that we call "testimonials."

These words are very important for the Pinoy Fundraiser. It means that the non-profit is doing a good job of fulfilling its mission. It is also an affirmation for the people behind the work. If these words come from important people such as the heads of government agencies or from the local government units, they are all the more special because it gives you credibility. And credibility is very improtant in the non-profit world.

Credibility makes it easier for you to ask for money. You can use these words in your fundraising letters, in your press releases, newsletter, websites or blogs. You can use these as conversation pieces. That is why it is so important.

People who support your non-profit will appreciate these testimonies because they will know that their donations are going to a good cause. This will give you a better chance of getting long-term donors.

More to come tomorrow!