Here’s the big bad truth. Fundraising costs money. Sometimes a lot.
There’s no escaping it.
Although you must spend money to make money, the aphorism goes, how much you spend isn’t necessarily proportional to how much you raise.
Fundraising methods have consequences.
Let’s say you’re about to embark on a fundraising project.
You need $300K to fund it.
How do you raise it?
If you use method 1, you’ll raise about $600K. Wow. Everyone celebrates. But you spend $450K to raise it, giving you a net of $250K. You’re shy of your need—the real reason to seek the funds in the first place.
Use another method, method 2, you raise only $400K but spend only $56K to raise it. You’ve exceeded your need with $343K.
Which method nets you more? Method 2, by a mile.
Unless you’re selecting the most strategic, productive methods you’re spending a lot for a little. Don’t worry, organizations do it all the time. And they congratulate themselves on the “big numbers” they raise. Without considering the costs, however.
Think about that as you build your fundraising program. How do you raise the most for the least—consistently? Consider The Eight Principles. Take a look at the results.
Want to know what “method 1” and “method 2” are, check out the cost comparisons HERE.
