handouts fundraising…and how to add fundraising options to...

FundraisingDowntown Delaware

4/22/2015

Kathy La PlanteNational Main Street Center 1

Fundraising…and How to Add Fundraising

Options to EventsOptions to Events

Kathy La Plante

Senior Program Officer

National Main Street Center

Organization

• Typical Areas of Responsibility that All Lead to Successful Fundraising: – Promoting the Program

• Selling Your MS Program

– Volunteer DevelopmentVolunteer Development• Recruitment and management strategies

– Fund Raising• For Downtown projects and programs and your organization

Before We Fundraise…..Before you ask for money…reach into

people’s ---

Minds

Hearts

then Wallets


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Public Relations–Inform People

• Stakeholder meetings• General – district or community

• Specific (Focus Groups) – merchants, businesses,

property owners, employees

• Key Partners (city, county, corporations)

Comm nit gro ps• Community groups• Civic / social / faith-based

• Neighborhood associations

• Use of Social Media• FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

• Media relations• TV, radio, newspapers, etc.

• Events • Exposure at all downtown events

Start by Promoting Your Purpose/Mission

Is it clear to everyone what you do?

Are your goals clearly articulated?

Is it obvious what difference you make?

Will they make a contribution or become a friend?

Will someone attend your fundraisers because they believe in the work you are doing?

How much do you need - for what?

• Communication

• Events• Image & branding

campaigns

• Education and assistance to

existing businesses and

• Physical rehabilitation and

Improvements• Education and

• Operations

BUDGET

Organization PromotionEcon/RestructuringDesign

• Use work plans to define your budget and funding needs

• Let me know where Main Street intends to invest my money

Initiatives, tools property owners• Entrepreneurship

development

assistance• Downtown Master Plan

implementation


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1. Property Owners

2. Local Residents & Consumers

3. Retail Business Owners

4. Service Business Owners

5 Financial Institutions

Who Should Financially Support Downtown?

Those who benefit from a revitalized

downtown, should be proactively

supporting revitalization efforts.

5. Financial Institutions

6. Utilities & Local Corporations

7. Municipal Government

8. County Government

9. Preservationists

10. Others

Typical Funding Sources for Main Street

City/Town (County) 25-50%

BID, EID, DDA, etc. 30-50%

Downtown business & building owners 15-20%

Industries & financial institutions/utilities 25-40%

Resident / private citizens 5 -10%

Fundraising Events (festivals/merchandise) 10-20%

Develop Your Materials

• Let potential funders know how much of a difference their support will makepp

• Ask for their support Before, during or after an event

Let them know ongoing support is needed too.


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The Fundraising Plan

Components of the Plan- Municipal contribution- Annual Pledge Drive- Friends of Main Street/Residents- Grants- Merchandise Sales- Sponsorships- Special Event and Special Project

income- BID, DDA, TIF, EID (other assessment

districts

With Nonprofits every board member should make a contribution. Professionally and personally.

How can you ask others for money if the board hasn’t given ?

Funding Responsibilities

Main StreetBoard of Directors

OrganizationCommittee

• Develops and implements specific initiatives, events, and materials that foster funding for the Program.• Partnership / Membership Campaigns

• Fiscal responsibility for program’s financial management• Establishes PRIORITIES driven by vision and mission and

ensures alignment between work plan and budget• Leads &/or supports fund development (personal

commitment, access to wealth)

Main Street Staff

Committee Partnership / Membership Campaigns• Fundraising Events

OtherCommittees

• Develops and implements initiatives that foster funding for specific committee’s efforts

• Supporting fundraising activities of the organization

Main Street Staff

• Provides essential leadership support to board and committees with regards to developing and managing resources

Board Commitment to Raising Funds

It’s not all about making cold calls, nor staff doing it all

• Identifying contacts (businesses and individuals)

• Going on calls with others

• Developing materials• Developing materials• Developing ideas and

working at fundraising events

• Giving• Nurturing funders

(invite to annual meeting, ask for opinions)


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Is it clear to everyone that you need their support/investment?

Use your communication tools t h

Funding Message

to share your fundraising message – goals, progress, achievements

City/Town Funding

Why should the City/Town fund Main Street?• Economic Impact (business and job growth)Economic Impact (business and job growth)• Tax rate improvements • Reduced municipal costs – Main Street does work that the town

otherwise would have to do or pay for• Helping businesses to stay open/recruiting new ones• Revitalization takes time• Leverage public dollars with private money• Increased volunteer base for the community• Positive perception of the entire community• Better goals toward a healthy economy


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Assuring City/Town Funding

Communications

Educate (especially newly elected officials and key city staff)

Promise and Performance (service agreements)

Value added collaborations Value added collaborations

In-kind support from local govt. (do you track this?)

The value of volunteer hours

Present the expectation that they will continue to invest in the downtown with $$$

Starting the Annual Campaign • Assign a Campaign Chair

- Organization Chair- Board Chair (early organizer)- Local Celebrity/Wealth

• Ask every board member to make their personal contribution

• Set a Fundraising Goal• Identify potential supporters,

investors, members, etc.• Split goal among categories• Establish the timeline – ideally 4-6

weeks

Annual Campaign Steps Continued

• Prepare materials/campaign• Assign Askers and Train• Get two or three (board

members or investors) to pledge significant p g ggifts/challenge others

• Publicity and Kickoff• Contact and Ask• Thank and Celebrate• Record, remind, renew• Maintain database A systemic problem that stops organizations

from successful fundraising is they are unable to state the obvious ‐What difference do we make?


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Friends of Main StreetBenefits of a Healthy Commercial

District for:Local Residents and

Consumers

• Enhanced marketplace (better shopping and the benefits of h i l ll )shopping locally)

• Sense of pride in Downtown• Social/cultural activities• Opportunities to keep kids in town• Sense of hometown community• Opportunity to participate/volunteer• Better communication• Political advocate• Home values increase

Fundraising LettersMain Street Weekly & Samples in the Solution Center

FundraisingLetters

10 Year Anniversary of their Main Street Program

Combed records for anyone who ever supported their program


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Personalize It

• Board Members should add hand-written notes

• Acknowledge past giving

• Challenge a peer• Comment on their

involvement downtown

• Write appropriate letters renewing/new supporters

Create a Giving

Event on Holidays

Givetoday to the

Happy Thanksgiving from Heart of Biddeford

Dear Kathy, We here at HoB are hoping that you and your family have a lovely Thanksgiving!

We're also hoping that you are thankful for how much progress we have made downtown over the past 4 years! We are starting

our annual fund raising drive and are hoping that you will support the Heart of Biddeford through the next year so that we

can help bring:

-MORE new businesses to Main Street-do MORE events downtown

d MORE j t t b tif th d tto the Heart

ofBiddeford

-do MORE projects to beautify the downtown area-do MORE to put Biddeford on the map

-and, do MORE to make Biddeford an even better place to live, work, and shop!

Please help us get off to a good start by donating online. CLICK HERE!

*A donation of ANY size is greatly appreciated!

Reward Levels of Giving


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Solicit Businesses doing business in the District

• Ask businesses in the district to make a list of businesses they use and community organizations (trash haulers, uniform and carpet supplies, restaurant and beverage suppliers, contractors, planners, etc.)

• Have those businesses hand letters to those vendors, or mail with invoice payment….or go higher upup.

• Explain the benefits for them to support your downtown organization

• Follow up with a reminder

Sample Letter in Solution Center

Letter for businessOwners to send to their vendors

Sample is available in the Solution Centeron the NMSC web‐Page.

Biggest Complaint from Investors/SupportersNo Communication with Them!

Be sure to:• Invite them to annual meeting

• Send them an annual report

• Invite them to a special event

• Send thank you notesSend thank you notes

• Acknowledge supporters at event –verbally and with banners

• Get your board to be intentional with them

• Invite them to a special donors reception and/or tour of the downtown


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How Much Do Your Events Cost?

• In staff time?

• In volunteer time?time?

• In city time?

• In real dollars?

• In reputation?

How can you earn income?

Special Events and New Funding• Break even or not?

• Sources of Event Funding:– admissions– activity feesactivity fees– booth fees– retail “package” – merchandise sales– raffles– sponsorships– donations– tying into others events

Charging Admission• $5 donation to Hampton Beach Seafood Fest• 100,000 attend• Easy entry for those who opt out of donating•Partnering with Rotary Club


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Components of income from a typical Fall Festival

• Main Street selling food and beverages (cider, apple pie, apple crisp) + vendors

• Scarecrow making• Pumpkin sales• Pumpkin carving and painting• Pumpkin carving and painting• Raffles• Pumpkin Boutique• Talent show (Town Hall)• Haunted forest• Quilt show• Food Vendors (rates increase

as attendance increases)

Fees to Nonprofits

A Diamond DigCan You Dig It?Local Jewelry Store Sponsor$10 for three scoops of sand, with a small spoon$25 for three scoops of sand with a small scoop Other gems are hidden tooParticipants must take their gems to the jewelry store to appraise it


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Promotion Committee Fundraising Responsibilities

• Create revenue generating events

• Find sponsors for events

• Have events in the black before they happen

• Include administrative costs in budgets for all projects, including advertising

• Attempting to cover (some) staff costs for events

Sponsorships

Sponsorship monies comefrom marketing budgets

Donations to support yourMain Street Program typicallycome from Charitable Contribution Funds

Sponsorships

• Find a way to meet the potential sponsor’s needs– Exposure to targeted p g

audiences

– General visibility (presence at events, awards, MC, etc.)

– Affiliation with

your group

– Mending fences


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Sponsorships

What you will need• Quantification of

impressions• Offerings• Offerings• Good negotiating skills• Detailed and early

information – one year in advance is not toosoon

Supporting Events on a Small Scale


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Friends of the Festival

• $100 = 2 tickets, 2 T-shirt, 2 Pink Glasses, listing in program.

• This festival also allows people to attend for freepeople to attend for free if they volunteer for at least 4 hours.

• $15 admission or $20 day of the event.

• Added value to support in advance of the event.

Merchandise Sales

Serves more than one purpose:FundraisingPublic RelationsPromotion/Marketing

Fundraising Events: Food

Related Events with Fundraising Objectivesj


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Offer Unique Items

• Timeshares

• Sports tickets

• Sports memorabilia at

www.steinersports.com

• Framed old post cards

• Billboard space

• In-home chefs

• Historical Research

• Pampered day

• Free

• Professional services (will, tax prep, etc.)

Beaufort BeautiesBeaufort, SC

• $30 tickets

• Beauty Pageant

• Raised $18,000

• Main Street partners with other three other non-profits to recruit “beauties” and provide volunteers.

• Main Street keeps 1/2• Main Street keeps 1/2

Special Projects FundraisingIdentify projects that could raise new funds


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1. Clear purpose

Three Essential Ingredients for Successful Fundraising Events:

a. Fit with the mission of the organization

b. Promote the organization’s ongoing efforts and foster involvement

c. Raise funds for more than the production of the event (program, projects)

2. Organizational Capacity – because special events are some of the

most common and perhaps most consistent funding sources for small nonprofits,

they require (and sometimes drain or redirect away from other important efforts)


a. Time: for planning, execution, and assessment

– Consider your calendar, the community’s, other organizations

b. People: Staff / volunteers – to coordinate tasks for each event

– Current programs – overall work load for staff and/or volunteers

– Avoid adding more responsibilities to your current volunteers, events should be

used to recruit new volunteers (first for the event, then for other projects or

committees, then for board)

c. Partners – in place or needing to build

– Media (promotion), municipality (services), businesses, organizations, etc.

3. Financial Capacity – you either have to first recruit the money in

order to make the event happen or have money to produce it and expect to

raise additional funds.


a. Capacity to produce the event – pay for “preparatory” activities (deposits for entertainment, production of promotional

materials, etc. As well as paying for the time from your staff to

dedicate to the event planning and execution.

b. Capacity to produce in addition to the event – in addition to covering the costs for event production, the event must have

fundraising potential for outlined projects or for operations.


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Earned Income and Grants

• Investing idle money

• Endowments –long term strategy

• Commitment to setting aside a percentage of all event income.

• Grants – project specific

Special Districts• BIDs (Business

Improvement Districts• DDAs (Downtown

Development Authority)• TIF (Tax Increment

FinancingFinancing• EID (Economic

Improvement Districts)• URA’s (Urban Renewal

Authorities) • A&E (Arts and

Entertainment)

Q & APlease type questions in the chat box

Kathy La PlanteSenior Program Officer &

Director of Coordinating Program ServicesNational Main Street Center

53 West Jackson Blvd. Suite 350

Chicago, IL 60604

202‐297‐2893

[email protected]

www.mainstreet.org

See you in Milwaukee!May 22‐25, 2016

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