Fundraising Introduction"We need help raising money!" That's the plea we hear most often from nonprofit personnel who need startup funding to launch their organization. Unfortunately, many fail because they did not realize that funding was not going to come easy. Due to this, many nonprofits come and go, even those with worthwhile causes and devoted personnel; all because they didn't build the proper fundraising foundation. No matter how worthy your cause, you won't automatically attract funds. Successful fundraising requires planning, a simple implementation strategy, a plan to motivate your volunteers and something to offer in return for the "donor" support. On the bright side, many nonprofits are sitting on a pile of gold and they don’t even realize it. There are numerous volunteers, private foundations, businesses and individuals interested in helping, but it's up to the nonprofit to network and engage the community in their mission with proven fundraising strategies. Those fundraising strategies go way beyond selling chocolates or washing cars, for some organizations, fundraising events produce hundreds of thousands of dollars. Fundraising can be a lot of work, however; it is generally the fastest way to get income and should be an ongoing strategy to help deliver alternative sources of funds for the nonprofit.
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