Fundraising Resources
In this section you can link through to a variety of resources on fundraising. If you would like to add a link please email nfpn@nfpn.com.au
Trends, Statistics & Perspectives
From the Inside Out - (Martin Teitel, Contributions Magazine) Science fiction is full of first contact stories. Most popular are those Star Trek episodes in which humans meet beings from an alien civilization. The inevitable mayhem usually illustrates the danger posed by creatures with radically different priorities, and usually greater power. In first contact between grant seekers and foundations, gatekeepers like me play the role of bug-eyed monster: we're alien, difficult to understand, and possibly dangerous…read more
Negotiation Guide launched - charities warned not to just 'accept what they are given'. Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations .
New philanthropy: a micro-world of busy youngsters. By Olga Alexeeva, March 2007. When talking about new philanthropy, those in the donor service profession immediately get a vision of social entrepreneurs and their supporters - perhaps Muhammad Yunus and Bill Gates. New philanthropy is associated with new approaches to philanthropy or with new philanthropists in traditionally philanthropic countries such as the USA or the UK. But new philanthropy is also emerging in countries that have traditionally been seen as recipients of help – in South East Asia, in Latin America, and in countries such as India, Russia and China where dollar millionaires are now produced in industrial quantities.
Community Manifesto – Valuing Australia’s Community Groups - Community Groups stand on the threshold of a revolution. Increasingly the public and Governments are recognising the enormous impact strong community groups can have on the health and wellbeing of our towns and regions. At the same time, community groups remain under-resourced and vulnerable. They need more than rhetoric - they need to be be valued and supported in the work they do. This manifesto is not a magic pill or intended to proclaim solutions. It is an attempt to identify and clarify issues arising out of the 2003 Communities in Control conference. It seeks to define the issues facing Australia’s community groups and the challenges that need to be overcome if they are to be supported in developing the social capital needed to create a better Australian society…read more
Facts About Australian Foundations – Philanthropy Australia Fact Sheet
The Nonprofit Sector in Australia – Philanthropy Australia Fact Sheet
Giving in Australia – Summary of Findings
Donor Burnout – Is there a crisis of confidence in fundraising? - By Penelope Burk in Contributions Magazine - Is donor burnout real? I’m asking myself that a lot lately as the fundraising industry takes stock of its performance in 2005. This has been an unusual and volatile year for raising money. For some organizations, revenue is way up, especially for NGOs on the front lines in natural disasters. For other not for profits, however, giving is down, and “donor burnout” is often cited as the reason… read more
Grassroots Rising: A Conservative Call for Philanthropic Renewal - By William Schambra with Krista Shaffer from the Nonprofit Quarterly - At a recent meeting hosted by the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, I found myself on a panel facing a hotel conference room filled with leaders of small, grassroots groups from around the country. They were eager to hear advice about how they might raise funds from the philanthropic sector, to meet the matches required by grants from the various federal agencies represented at the conference. My remarks on that occasion could not have been very encouraging…read more
High-Engagement Philanthropy: A Bridge to a More Effective Social Sector - Perspectives from Nonprofit Leaders and High-Engagement Philanthropists - Published jointly by Venture Philanthropy Partners and Community Wealth Ventures in June 2004 - High-Engagement Philanthropy: A Bridge to a More Effective Social Sector examines the inextricable link between greater effectiveness by nonprofits and their access to capital—money to fund and grow their organizations. This report consists of a lead essay and six dialogues between high-engagement philanthropists and their investment partners (grantees) that provide a window into the ongoing give and take nature of high-engagement philanthropy, highlighting its benefits and pitfalls and depicting the push and pull inherent in and essential to authentic partnership…read more
How the wealthy give: comparisons between Australia and comparable countries (USA, Britain and Canada) - A report for the Petre Foundation by the Asia-Pacific Centre for Philanthropy and Social Justice…read more
Laying the Foundation for a Decade of Innovation - By Ann E. Yoders and Ryan W. Ozimek in OnPhilanthropy - Non-profit technology, and technology in general, tends to come in waves. You don't have to espouse the futuristic beliefs of an Alvin Toffler to realise that this is true. In 1995, when the Web was still relatively new, its use to achieve non-profit goals was novel. At that time, it was simply about getting any and all information up and in circulation. It was the equivalent of a Sam's Club - bulk is better, no matter if it is needed or not. Almost ten years later the opposite is true. The hot topic now is how we "manage" all that information…read more
Philanthropy Australia Resource Centre – Philanthropy Australia has a range of resources and fact sheets on the sector available.
Types of Foundations in Australia – Philanthropy Australia Fact Sheet
Report of findings of a survey of public trust and confidence in charities - Charity Commission (UK)
Articles - General
Philanthropy Australia is delighted to announce that the highly anticipated PhilanthropyWiki is now live! - The PhilanthropyWiki now provides a first-port-of-call to the philanthropy and not-for-profit sectors, nationally and internationally, on philanthropy, charitable trusts, philanthropic foundations and the charitable sector in Australia. It is a vehicle to capture, access and manage the wealth of information and knowledge held by various individuals and organisations in the philanthropy sector, forming a comprehensive bank of knowledge, and securing a research base for the sector and promoting the sharing of learnings and knowledge amongst practitioners. Visit the Philanthropy Wiki at www.philanthropywiki.org.au. The types of information contained within the PhilanthropyWiki include: Philanthrpedia, Structures & Models, Practices, Theories & Debates and Program Areas
Hapiness? It's simply a gift. It's proven! Giving makes people feel good - By Terence Kealey: Science Notebook
Charity, Bill Gates-style - Successful entrepreneurs launch their own charities - ByIan Mount. When entrepreneur Tom Pirelli sold the medical software company he founded, Enterprise Systems, for $250 million in stock in 1997, the 59-year-old decided to devote his time and capital to helping the needy. He started a foundation but soon found that philanthropy wasn't as enjoyable as he'd anticipated. "I started by writing checks, which was incredibly unsatisfying," he says... read more.
FundView, BreakOut & CorporateCitizens - The Funding Information Service's data is available by subscription or in public libraries and council offices. It is searchable by geographic area, demographic target and activity type.
Grants Online - Enables visitors to complete online applications to Community Organisation Grants Scheme (COGS) and/or Lottery Grants Board. The site offers helpful prompts to ensure information is easily understood and applications are quickly and efficiently completed.
Cultural Funding Guide - Developed by Creative NZ, National Services Te Paerangi (Te Papa) and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage with the Funding Information Service, the Guide is hosted by www.NZLive.com and aims to help cultural groups match projects with potential funders.
The Good Practice Funding Website - Hosted by the OCVS. This website helps public servants follow good process in funding community, voluntary and Maori organisations.
Directory of Potential Funding Sources - A directory of potential funding for sporting organisations is hosted by SPARC.
From the inside out – How to improve the first contact between your cause and potential funders - by Martin Teitel
Purple pantyhose and load of manure force nonprofits to get creative - Statesman.com. Prosthetic legs. A truckload of manure. A bag of diapers signed by a celebrity. Charities love donations, and most nonprofit groups can find a use for almost anything
Grants in Australia - CPA Australia. CPA Australia has published a free, online manual to help not-for-profit organisations manage grants and satisfy accountability requirements. Grants in Australia: management and accountability made easy for not-for-profit organisations covers key aspects of grants management, including applying for a grant, accepting a grant, financial management, reporting and acquittal, and audit and verification... read more
2007 - An Important Year for Charities in New Zealand - NZ Charities Commission - The registration of charities under the new Charities Act will begin next month, marking a new era of transparency and accountability for New Zealand charities... read more
Funding for Impact: lessons learned from overseas - By Philanthropy Australia – In their recent publication, “Creative Philanthropy”, Helmut Anheier and Diana Leat suggest ed that endowed philanthropic foundations the world-over are not fulfilling their “enormous potential to add to the problem-solving capacity of modern democratic societies”. “That foundations have done much good in the world is beyond doubt. But the key question is not ‘do foundations do good?' but rather ‘do foundations do the best they possibly could in the current environment?'…read more
Breakthroughs in Search of an Audience - Some confessions of a conference junkie - By Ken Burnett in Contributions Magazine – Amongst professional fundraisers and their suppliers, wherever in the world they congregate to practise their profession or promote their wares, there exists, it seems, a near insatiable appetite for fundraising seminars and conferences…read more
Calculating Your ROI For Development Costs - By Barbara L. Ciconte from the Nonprofit Times Website - In today's highly competitive environment for raising charitable dollars, your nonprofit needs to maximize its efforts to achieve greater success. To do this, managers need to evaluate the various types of fundraising activities to be certain the cost-benefit ratio or Return on Investment (ROI) is indeed favorable…read more
Closing America's Largest Charity - By Carol Kellermann, Executive Update Online - The September 11th Fund, a charitable organisation of unprecedented scale and funding in America, sought to ease the financial, emotional, and societal pain caused by the terrorist attacks of 2001 — a lofty goal. Its toughest challenge? Closing down with class…read more
Do-Gooders Need Not Apply - By Cheryl Dahle - Bill Leeson doesn't have much patience for do-gooders. Ask him to talk about most nonprofits -- outfits bound by tradition and filled with self-importance -- and the hot-headed Brit finds it hard to contain himself. "I hate the idea of charities as holier-than-thou organizations that set themselves apart from the world, as if they are the chosen ones that will fix things," Leeson complains. " 'We are the do-gooders that will sort out all of these problems. You just give us the money.' That's a bloody crock."...read more
How Robbie Burns Inspired the World’s Best Fundraiser - The Scottish Bard’s priceless gift - By Ken Burnett in Contributions Magazine - Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet (and therefore mine, too) is for many the greatest of all romantics. So his work should appeal to fundraisers everywhere (show me a fundraiser who isn’t at heart a romantic)…read more
In the Driver's Seat - By Brennen Jensen, The Chronicle of Philanthropy Social-service charity's car dealership aims to put its clients on the raod to a brighter future... read more
Just What is a Donor, and Other Tiny Essentials of Fundraising - By Ken Burnett in Contributions Magazine
Looking at the Big Picture: The 5 Key Ingredients of Effective Fundraising – By EnvisionCA - To fundraise effectively, an organization needs an effective fundraising plan. A concise plan will help an organization reach new donors. Objectives for increasing donors must be clearly outlined and planning needs to incorporate strong volunteer leadership, timelines, communications, and more…read more
Mama Said Never Put All Your Eggs In One Basket: Boards, Strategic Thinking, & the Need for Diversified Revenue - By Terrie Temkin - The poet Arthur Gulterman once said, “Keep out of ruts, a rut is something which if travelled in too much, becomes a ditch.” This is especially true when it comes to fundraising…read more
Prospecting For Donors – By Mike Patterson and Dan D’Ambrosio for The NonProfit Times – Ali McLane was working as a prospect researcherat Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, in 1997, when she was doing her morning searches. “Each researcher had their top 50 prospects they were monitoring to see if any news about them came out,” McLane recalled...read more
Raising Kids Who Care - By Marla E. Nobles, NP Times) After the tsunami hit Southeast Asia in December, 2004, Save the Children (STC) received more than 26,000 donations from children. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) calculates close to 70,000 visitors to its family-friendly Animaland Web site each month. The nonprofit Learning to Give has, since this past January, distributed more than 3,000 copies of The Giving Game, an interactive philanthropic tool for the whole family…read more
Starting a Fundraising Program – Where is the Money - As a fundraising consultant, I am often asked how to start a fundraising project. Most organizations know what they need funds for but do not know from where the funds will come. Whether it is a first fundraising project or a new initiative in an established fundraising program, they all start in the same way - you start asking those closest to your organization for support…read more
The Horrid Ten: Here’s why you didn’t get the gift – By Jerold Panas in Contributions Magazine - I have the scars. I don’t know how many calls I’ve made. Hundreds, I suspect. Maybe a thousand. I haven’t kept track. Along the way, I’ve had some great successes. I asked Joe for $50 million and, after three or four visits, got it. For me, that’s a high mark. I was plenty excited—humming the theme from Rocky, I recall…read more
The Tyranny of Graciousness - By Maureen Robinson in Contributions Magazine - Most of us have had our patience, fortitude, and confidence tested in the past few years. We’ve watched a volatile economy erode the earnings and vision of corporations and foundations, fear of terrorism chip away at America’s usual optimism, and, as a consequence, seen support for nonprofit organizations flatten or shrink. We’ve seen some of our funding sources crumble, learned to work with a new generation of funders who have sharp expectations for our performance, and worked diligently to position our case for support in ways that will assure both continuing and new funders that, even in times of great change, we are an excellent investment…read more
The Word You Hear Most Often. Innoculating yourself to ‘No’ - By Andy Robinson from the Contributions Magazine Website - When I’m working with a group of board members or other volunteers, I often begin with an exercise. I ask people to take a blank piece of paper and draw a vertical line down the center of the page. On one side, I tell them to write a plus sign (+) and on the other, a minus sign (-). Under the plus sign I say, “write anything about you – your skills, your beliefs, your experience, your attitude – that’s going to help you to be an effective fundraiser…read more
You've Got a Charity Solicitation - By Nicole Lewis, Network for Good - E-mail gains favour with groups, but some fund raisers are wary... read more
Tales from the Dark Side (Martin John Brown) If you’ve never been tempted by the dark side of grantsmanship – the side that gives out money, rather than asks for it – your training as a development officer is not complete. What earnest young nonprofiteer, outwardly cynical but inwardly flush with idealism, wouldn’t secretly tremble at the semi-godlike prospect of judging proposals read more.
Grants: An Insider’s Tips For Your Proposal(Caroline Herbert) It's amazing how some organizations always nab those grants and others are left empty-handed. There are reasons for winners and losers and it has everything to do with the strength of a proposal...read more.
Top Ten Tips for Fundraising Success. After consulting fundraising experts, here's a top 10 list of things that all fundraisers need to know to raise more and have fun too!.. read more.
General Tips for Grantwriting. When explicit application guidelines are published by the foundation, carefully follow the instructions. If outlines or a series of questions are provided, follow the indicated order, answer each section, and avoid evasive language... read more.
Designing a Grants Filing System That Works (Henry Flood) Papers, papers everywhere! Whether you’re a veteran grants manager or a novice, this much is certain: keeping track of all the files and records is a never-ending challenge. Even in this increasingly electronic age, grants offices continue to collect and generate reams of printed material... read more.
Changemakers Advocacy Paper. Charitable organisations are best known for providing direct help to those in need, but equally important are their efforts to alleviate social problems through advocating for systemic change. This is usually in the form of lobbying governments or publicising the need for legislative change...read more.
GrantsLINK Your Community Grants Site. GrantsLINK makes it easier to find suitable and relevant grants for your community projects from the many Australian government grants that are available…read more.
Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal (S. Joseph Levine, Ph.D.) This Guide for Writing a Funding Proposal was created to help empower people to be successful in gaining funds for projects that provide worthwhile social service…read more.
Evaluating Nonprofit Advocacy Simply: An Oxymoron? (Marcia Egbert and Susan Hoechstetter) When Alliance for Justice and Rosenberg Foundation began a project to equip funders with a practical way to evaluate advocacy back in 2002, little relevant research or methodology was available. Consequently, Alliance for Justice and The George Gund Foundation partnered to develop new tools that would be practical, flexible, and equally easy for grantmakers and grantseekers to use…read more.
Asset-Based Resource Development: How to Build and Sustain Strong, Resilient Programs (Hildy Gottlieb) Does your organization have everything it needs to ensure your programs are strong? And is it safe to assume the reason you are reading this article is because the answer is No?... read more.
Grant-writing Tips. Successful grant-writing involves solid advance planning and preparation. It takes time to coordinate your planning and research, organize, write and package your proposal, submit your proposal to the funder, and follow-up... read more.
Before Writing a Grant Proposal. Here you'll find useful information on eight steps to take before you actually begin writing... read more.
Articles - Bequests
Bequest Marketing Was a Mistake … Let’s communicate, not badger – By Ken Burnett, Contributions Magazine - My working title for this article originally was ‘At the end of the day, would you leave a bequest to an irritating, facile bunch of money-grubbing hustlers?’ I was rather pleased with it, as it pretty much summed up what I wanted to say in a sentence, I thought. And it allowed me an appropriate deployment of that over used and much abused phrase, ‘at the end of the day’ (for the subject of bequests and legacies really is all about how we’ll feel at the end of our particular day)…read more
Five ways to promote bequest gifts - By Gwen Chapman - Do your supporters know you need and accept bequests? Do they know you accept bequests of any amount? I'm constantly amazed to hear from donors in focus groups that they didn't know the nonprofit organizations they've supported for years need and accept bequests — of any amount. These same donors are familiar with the concept of legacy giving. Many have received communications — often from their alma mater — asking them to make planned gifts…read more
Why do donors leave bequests - By Adrian Sargeant and Elaine Jay - "Bequest giving," write Adrian Sargeant and Elaine Jay, "has historically been an important income source for American nonprofits, representing 9% of all contributions from individuals in 2003. Since 1971, bequest giving has increased steadily at an average of 6.8% annually. In 2003, bequest giving reached an estimated $21.6 billion…read more
Articles – Direct Mail Fundraising
Case Study - A Beary Special Package - At a time when it seems to be getting tougher and tougher to generate a respectable response rate — and overall return — in acquisition mail, here are some numbers sure to wow you: A response rate of 8.51% with an average gift of $14.77. A net of $283.64 per thousand mailed with a cost per thousand of $973.88. And a cost to raise a dollar of 77 cents. No wonder this mailing, created for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Irving TX) by its full-service agency Creative Direct Response (Crofton MD), was awarded the 2004 Acquisition Package of the Year by the Direct Marketing Fundraisers Association…read more
Give yourself a lift - By Deborah Block and Paul Karps - If you’re looking to lift the response of your next fundraising appeal, why not try including a lift note? (The lift note is distinguished from other package inserts by its use of a salutation and signature — just like your main letter.)…read more
Is Direct Mail Fundraising Worth the Trouble? - By Mal Warwick - It happens about every two or three weeks. Someone — a client, a reporter, a reader — asks me, "What's really going on in direct mail these days? What are the trends?"…read more
The Ten Most Important Things About Direct Mail Fundraising – By Mal Warwick, Mal Warwick And Associates) - YIKES! You want to know all about this direct mail fundraising business – in 2,000 well-chosen words or less? All the "who, what, where, when, and how" of it? What it's good for – and what it's not?...read more
Articles – Electronic Giving
How Can We Use the Internet For Fundraising – By Eric Mercer, Internet Nonprofit Centre - There are many mechanisms available today for tax-exempt, nonprofit charities to solicit donations online, and most publicly-supported organizations have probably considered how they can tap this potential revenue stream. Most of the existing mechanisms have closely analogous counterparts outside the online realm, but all have unique aspects and raise new issues associated with the dramatic speed, relatively low cost, and naturally national and international scope that is characteristic of online communications. This document briefly describes the mechanisms that the author has encountered for soliciting donations online and presents some considerations for organizations interested in using them…read more
Online Donations Most Generous on Tuesdays - From Our Community - Analysis of donations through the Australian Giving Centre show Tuesdays the day for higher online donations - released for Australian Giving Week...read more
The Givers - Using the Web to promote tsunami relief - By David Wallace-Wells - Last week's devastating South Asian tsunami struck parts of the world poorly equipped to predict or prepare for the coming of such a disaster—but it struck at a time when the rest of the world was uniquely poised to help. Three years after the sometimes lacklustre, sometimes bungled Internet fund-raising campaign that followed Sept. 11 (Internet donations were only about 5 percent of the total raised), the reflexive response to the tsunami, in the last days of December, will likely be remembered as a remarkable finale to a year of historic growth for Internet fund raising…read more
Articles – Corporate Partnerships
Growing Nondues Revenue – Association Management, August 2005. Plan a deliberate process to evaluate programs and partners. Your association could sponsor any number of nondues-revenue programs, but how do you make a sound investment? Learn strategies for building a portfolio of programs that delivers ROI and member satisfaction... read more
Lifting the veil on corporate social responsibilty - by Anne-Maree Huxley in Association Management (October 05)
Cooperation, Competition and Social Marketing – By Charles B. Weinberg and Robin J.B. Ritchie, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide - As this year’s ISM conference has made clear, alliances between social and commercial marketers – such as CARE’s links with Starbucks Coffee, and the Nature Conservancy’s work with Georgia-Pacific – have captured the attention and imagination of our field. This is both good and necessary, since such partnerships have the potential to deliver previously unexploited synergies and a wide range of benefits. Properly managed, they can allow social marketers to achieve far more than by acting alone, and we are wise to pay them careful attention. There is, however, a second important trend whose influence on social marketing is increasing, and which also demands consideration: That of competition…read more
Top 10 tips for sponsorship seekers – By Kim Skildum-Reid - Before you get involved in seeking sponorships, there are a few tips that can help you to get your head around the task at hand…read more
Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluating Corporate-Community Projects – Philanthropy Australia Fact Sheet - This 'help-sheet' presents a simple 3-step model that will help you to map out your monitoring, evaluation and reporting of projects between corporations and nonprofit organisations. The model is meant to be worked through by all parties involved in a project together, so it also increases mutual understanding and you’ll all be talking the same language…read more
Ways to Market Social Responsibility – By Martha Lagace, Senior Editor, HBS Working Knowledge – Chances are you have precious little money to spend on marketing if you operate a nonprofit. At the 2005 Conference on Social Enterprise, experts in low-cost marketing of social causes shared a few tricks of their trade…read more
Related Links…
Prime Ministers Community Business Partnership
Positive Outcomes
List of CSR Organisations
Social Capital Resources Page
Charity Facts (US)
Community Foundations Gateway
Grant Search
Fundraising Directory
Fundraising Ideas
Fundraising Ideas and Products Centre (US)
Fundraising Resources (US)
Grassroots Fundraising
Idealist.org
Mal Warwick & Associates (US)
Our Community
Queensland Government Grants