Seize the Opportunity! 10 Things you Can Do

Feb 26, 2001

1. Always have brochures, newsletter and return envelopes for your group with you in your briefcase, at your house, or in your car. When people ask about what you do, their interest is usually high. That is the moment you should give them an appropriate piece of material about your group, and tell them how they can help. If you do this consistently (and find several others in the group who will follow suit), you will be surprised at the steady stream of donations you will generate.

2. Use social events such as parties, meetings, etc. to publicize your group. When you are at a social event, don’t be shy. Tell people how great your group is and how important your work is! (Practice doing this with a spouse or friend a few times first if it doesn’t come naturally.) Then you can casually mention that you are getting a lot more individual donations lately and how much that kind of support helps! You don’t need to ask outright for money --although it doesn’t hurt to say "Would you like to join us? --but just mentioning individual gifts reminds people about the importance of giving.

3. Wear a T-shirt bearing the name of your group whenever possible. When people ask you about it, tell them they can have one too, for a donation of $25 (or whatever). Then tell them about your group, what you’re doing (don’t get too complicated; tell them about one project you think would interest them), and why you need their support.

4. In all your literature, including newsletter, brochures, fact sheets, etc., always include a form people can use to make a donation and join. You can even include a little membership form on the back of your business card. Too often, groups forget to include information in their literature about how to join. These kinds of materials are often passed from one person to the next, and you never know when someone will say, "What a great group--I should be a member!".

5. At your "real" job (not the group you volunteer for), have a jar on your desk with $5 bills in it. When people ask about the jar, say "Those are contributions to the group I volunteer for. I’m trying to raise $500 for a new computer. Would you like to chip in?"
   
   One board member who owns a store has a raffle going on for a beautiful quilt. Whenever anyone asks, she tells them that she is raising money for GLSEN XYZ and asks if they would like to help by buying a chance.

6. Piggyback your fundraising on other community events. Set up a table at the county fair, Apple Blossom Festival, or Fire Department Barbecue (with the appropriate permissions, of course) and aggressively market your organization. Often, you will have to offer something (a free T-shirt or a book about the LGBT youth, for example) to get people’s attention. Set up shifts for selling memberships (people tire pretty quickly) and get some competition going to see who can sell the most memberships.

7. Ask your natural allies for help. If there is an LGBT bookstore, LGBT-owned restaurant, or other business ally in the neighborhood, ask if they will sponsor an event for you, or give you a portion of the proceeds of their sales on a particular night or weekend, or on a particular product, or even put a jar in their store with your name on it that customers can drop loose change into.

8. Incorporate fundraising into your program activities at every opportunity. If you are conducting a canvass to inform the community about an important issue, ask everyone you meet to make a donation (not everyone will give, but a very high percentage will contribute something). If you are holding your annual meeting, add a dinner and raffle, and charge a modest amount. Try to have a fundraising component for all your program efforts.

9. Take advantage of special opportunities. Your particular community, and the places LGBT and progressive people hang out, probably present you with some special opportunities to fundraise you may not have thought about. Is there a particular bar or coffee shop or movie theatre people hang out at? How about setting up a table at the busiest times and asking all users for a contribution.

Opportunistic fundraising means creating a different mindset, one that incorporates fundraising into your life on a daily basis. It takes practice and discipline, but if you do it, your group will reap the benefits.

By Pat Munoz of the River Network. The idea for this article came from one by Kim Klein, entitled Opportunistic Fundraising, published recently in the Grassroots Fundraising Journal, P.O. Box 11607, Berkeley, CA 94712.