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14. Scaling Capacity 6 - Key Lessons Learned
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Connecting Fundraising to the Mission
• Organizations that approach fundraising as an opportunity to build support and connect people to the organization’s mission are more likely to develop fundraising strategies that also directly contribute to mission achievement. These programs tend to be more rewarding for donors and supporters and, as a result, are more sustainable.
• Fundraising becomes easier and more effective when there is a culture of development that encourages viewing fundraising as expanding participation in the organization’s mission. Teach For America’s Kevin Huffman says the organization owes its success in large part to the fact that “People here get that very little of fundraising is asking people for money. Much of it is helping to communicate what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
• Raising money costs money. Whether it involves hiring more staff, investing in technology, or putting out a mailing or publication, fundraising often entails a substantial initial investment. This can require organizations to make a difficult choice: many nonprofits are loathe to divert resources from program work, and development staff frequently cost more than program staff. Yet, organizations that make the investment in professional fund development capacity reap the rewards in terms of more effective and successful fundraising.
• Organizations broadened their support and resource base by pushing fundraising responsibilities outward to local offices. This capitalizes on the closer connection between organization and community at the local level, and also fosters a greater sense of ownership by the community.
• The earlier organizations prepare for the financial costs of scaling and sustaining a scaled operation, the more effectively they are able to raise funds. Not planning ahead means trying to raise money in the middle of scaling which can reduce the leverage that organizations have with funders.
• Cultivating partnerships with governments and business is a successful resource development strategy employed by many of the organizations in our study. The for-profit and public sectors are increasingly interested in supporting win-win partnerships with the nonprofit sector. Cultivating partnerships can help a social entrepreneurship generate substantial revenue as well as leverage the power and scope of the other sectors to broaden its own audience and impact.
• In the age of mass media, celebrity spokespeople can generate tremendous awareness and support for an organization. Several organizations engaged well-known and influential people to serve as spokespeople. Their support led to dramatic growth in the interest and support that the organization received.
• Organizations that approach fundraising as an opportunity to build support and connect people to the organization’s mission are more likely to develop fundraising strategies that also directly contribute to mission achievement. These programs tend to be more rewarding for donors and supporters and, as a result, are more sustainable.
• Fundraising becomes easier and more effective when there is a culture of development that encourages viewing fundraising as expanding participation in the organization’s mission. Teach For America’s Kevin Huffman says the organization owes its success in large part to the fact that “People here get that very little of fundraising is asking people for money. Much of it is helping to communicate what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”
• Raising money costs money. Whether it involves hiring more staff, investing in technology, or putting out a mailing or publication, fundraising often entails a substantial initial investment. This can require organizations to make a difficult choice: many nonprofits are loathe to divert resources from program work, and development staff frequently cost more than program staff. Yet, organizations that make the investment in professional fund development capacity reap the rewards in terms of more effective and successful fundraising.
• Organizations broadened their support and resource base by pushing fundraising responsibilities outward to local offices. This capitalizes on the closer connection between organization and community at the local level, and also fosters a greater sense of ownership by the community.
• The earlier organizations prepare for the financial costs of scaling and sustaining a scaled operation, the more effectively they are able to raise funds. Not planning ahead means trying to raise money in the middle of scaling which can reduce the leverage that organizations have with funders.
• Cultivating partnerships with governments and business is a successful resource development strategy employed by many of the organizations in our study. The for-profit and public sectors are increasingly interested in supporting win-win partnerships with the nonprofit sector. Cultivating partnerships can help a social entrepreneurship generate substantial revenue as well as leverage the power and scope of the other sectors to broaden its own audience and impact.
• In the age of mass media, celebrity spokespeople can generate tremendous awareness and support for an organization. Several organizations engaged well-known and influential people to serve as spokespeople. Their support led to dramatic growth in the interest and support that the organization received.
