AKA – Can We Raise Money for Our Nonprofit?

There are so many ways that this question is asked, but everyone in fundraising hears some form of it on a regular basis. Maybe you’ve heard something like this:

“Should we hold off on our capital campaign? Organizations A & B are already mid-campaign and many of our supporters also give to them.”  

Or

“Why would they increase their gift to us? They are already giving to so many other organizations.”

These questions all boil down to the same essential question – Can We Raise Money for Our Nonprofit? The answer is, of course, yes.

Want proof?

Consider your own philanthropy. You may be the type of person who sets an annual amount and divides that up among nonprofits which you like. Alternatively, you might be the type who gives small amounts to a range of organizations – some on an annual basis and some depend on your friend’s marathon run or to honor someone who has died. Then again, you may give a larger share of your financial support to one or two organizations with smaller amounts supporting a range of causes. But, there is one commonality – you give.

Statistically, most of us donate to charity – according to Giving USA 2014 (2015 should be out shortly with rumored predictions of higher giving than we have seen since before the recession) – the average U.S. household giving was $2,974. Of course that includes the $100 million donations but the facts are still the same -more people donate to charity each year than vote for the President of the United States or have an annual wellness checkup.

So, the question should not be a version of, “Is there enough money to go around?” Instead, I would encourage you to ask a version of, “What should I be doing to ensure that I raise more money this year?” Or maybe it is, “How can we prepare our donors for our new initiative?”

Of course, you could always ask, “How can Mersky, Jaffe & Associates help me raise more money this year?” We are always happy to help.