Fundraising 101

An overview for board members and "accidental" fundraisers

Created byMarc Pitman

Last updated 6/2015

English

What you'll learn

Know where the money donated for charity comes from--the facts always surprise board members
Effectively allocate whatever time you have for fundraising--whether it's your fulltime job or just a volunteer gig
Know what funds every nonprofit should be fundraising for
Identify what messages you should use for fundraising--there are basically only 3!
Strategically use what tools you can use to communicate your message--and easily act on the tips for doing each effectively,
Raise money or awareness for your nonprofit an an easy to run house party--a terrific use of board members time and effort

Course content

1 section • 5 lectures • 1h 8m total length

Where donations come from, how to schedule your time, & what funds you need15:18
Many of the basics of fundraising can be counterintuitive like where the money for donations actually comes from. We cover that in this class as well as how you should structure whatever time you have for fundraising. And we'll look at the 3 types of funds your nonprofit should be raising money for and some warnings on what to avoid.
Part 1: What to say, how to say it, & what to do to be effective in fundraising16:30
Now that we have some basics under our belt, we'll look at the messages we should be communicating to donors and when in the solicitation cycle we should be sharing them.
Part 2: What to say, how to say it, & what to do to be effective in fundraising17:33
Now we'll continue with how to share those messages most effectively. Fundraising works better when we don't confuse our donors!
How to avoid irritating donors, plan your fundraising year, & LOVE what we do!14:56
Congratulations! You've reached the last class. We look at how remembering shoes can save you lots of heartache and ill will. And we'll give a broad overview for who should handle what in a normal fundraising year.
Bonus Lecture: The importance of being human4:15
In this bonus video, I drop the bowtie to make a point...to remind us that the best fundraisers are human beings, not one-sided monologuers.

Requirements

You will need a strong enough internet connect to stream the video tutorials.

Description

This 3-part video course provides board members and "accidental" fundraisers - including CEO's and executive directors - with the essential terms & strategy for successful charitable fundraising. Nonprofit fundraising isn't a "guess," it's a fully developed profession. There is a growing field of documented research, academic certifications, and professional associations. You wouldn't tell your cardiologist you thought she was using the wrong stent - you'd risk making a huge mistake with your life! This course helps you avoid taking a similarly huge risk with the life of your nonprofit! The material has been tested in live trainings and proven true for over a decade. Now it's available to you on-demand!

Who this course is for:

This course is perfect for board members and people that are surprised to find charitable fundraising is part of their responsibilities. Often these are nonprofit founders and CEOs.
This course is also well liked by nonprofit staff members new to fundraising.
This isn't a good fit for people looking for complex, complicated methods and strategies to use as an excuse for NOT fundraising. FR101 is specifically designed to be a "big picture" overview with incredibly practical assessments and tactics.