Fundraising Urban vs Rural

Pros to Rural

• On a personal or professional level you tend to know everyone or they know you

• Decisions can be made at local levels

• Communities tend to be very pro when it comes to supporting local projects

Challenges to Rural• On a personal or

professional level you tend to know everyone and they know you

• Every non-profit and service organization in town is asking the same businesses for money

• Fewer people, same services

• Relationships can be complicated

Pros to Urban

• Residents can change often

• Corporate donors can give a lot more financial support and many times ongoing if they buy-into your programs

• More places to choose from or go to for support

Challenges to Urban

• Residents can change often, it can be transient

• Community buy-in can be harder to achieve without corporate support

• Lots of service groups, non-profits, clubs, choices for people to get involved with

What are some of the differences?• R – Take it slow and easy;

don’t barge right in.• U – focus on a direct

message, don’t run around a subject.

• R – Community meetings and one-on-one asks effective methods for raising funds and recruiting volunteers.

• U – Technology, e-mail, make appointments.

Both communities

• Technology today• The main difference in

each community can simply be by virtue of the type of life that happens in them.

What’s in it for us?

Event vs. Letter

Dinner, Dance

• Volunteers needed: Everyone to sell tickets, 10 to staff the event

• Sell price: $25.00 each• # of tickets needed to sell:

100 (x $25.00 = $2,500.00)• Who Will Buy: Club members

and community members• Who Will Sell: Club volunteers• Cost of Goods: Dinner and band

$20.00 per person = $2,000.00• Total Raised = $500.00• What’s In It for the attendees?

Letter

• Volunteers needed: 1 to write letter and follow-up with call and visit

• Sell price: $500.00 for inclusion in press release

• # of Letters needed to write: 1 • Who Will Buy: Local business• Who Will Sell: Club volunteer• Cost of Goods: $0.0• Total Raised: $500.00• What’s In It For the business?

Who is right? Which is the better fundraising program?

• How do you determine it was a success?• How will you evaluate? • Next step?

Activity

1. Make a List of 50 People you know

–Where do you do business

–Who do you know personally

–Who do you know through other groups – chamber, church…

Fundraising - Elevator Speech

• 30 seconds• KISS Philosophy• Service organization• Projects• Advertising

Set a goal

• How much do you need to raise?

Essence of Fundraising

Building relationships… Successful fundraising of any kind requires ingenuity, commitment to the cause, love of people, common sense, a willingness to ask for money and an understanding and deep appreciation of human nature—especially of the natural desire of all humans to be appreciated.