One hundred and fifty fundraisers attended a 2012 talk on donor loyalty where they were asked to raise their hands if they'd ever conducted a donor satisfaction survey. Not a single hand went up. Though it's often overlooked in the rush to attract new supporters, donor satisfaction is key for nonprofits in inspiring loyalty, and it’s more complicated than you may have thought. In customer service, a buyer’s satisfaction can be measured in the comparison of the expected service to that which was … [Read more...]
posted on January 13, 2014 by
Donor Retention: Your booster club’s priority in 2014
The numbers have come in, and they don’t look great for booster clubs and other nonprofits. Recent surveys on charitable giving have found that engaging new donors will become more and more difficult: Of the four generations surveyed, a majority in each group said they expected to give the same amount of money to charity in the coming year and to support the same number of charities. Seventy-five percent of boomers said they would support the same number of charities in 2013 that … [Read more...]
posted on December 31, 2013 by
Everything Booster Clubs Need to Know About the Fiscal Year
What is a fiscal year, in a nutshell? A fiscal year defines the start and end dates for an organization’s accounting. Annual and quarterly reports to donors, as well as tax filings, all flow from the fiscal year. So do budgeting and revenue goals. While the majority of U.S. companies’ fiscal year perfectly overlaps the calendar year (Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st), deviating from those dates is more common than you’d think. For example, check out the fiscal years for these organizations: Feb. 1st … [Read more...]
posted on December 26, 2013 by
Passive Fundraising With Scrip: 5 ways to spread the word
Once you've set goals for your scrip fundraising campaign and have a clear understanding of where you’re headed, it’s important to think about how you’ll get there. There are many ways to promote your efforts, and with a long-term project like electronic scrip enrollment or scrip sales, it’s important to continually reach out to your supporters in new and unexpected ways. 5 ways to communicate your campaign: 1. Bide your time. Many boosters who sell scrip or participate in electronic scrip … [Read more...]
posted on December 23, 2013 by
Passive Fundraising With Scrip: 4 tips for setting campaign goals
Though electronic scrip fundraising is more passive than selling traditional scrip, some initial legwork is required to get your fundraising campaign off the ground. To ensure your club’s scrip efforts start strong and maintain their momentum into the future, it is important to have attainable goals and a clear plan for achieving them. First, set your target. You want to be sure you have realistic expectations of how your scrip donations will contribute to upcoming projects. If you are … [Read more...]
posted on December 17, 2013 by
Passive Fundraising With Scrip: Little effort, big donations
There are two primary kinds of fundraising that organizations use to increase donations: active fundraising, which requires large amounts of time and resources (like a car wash), and passive fundraising, which goes on in the background and requires little effort on your club’s part. Traditional scrip fundraising falls somewhere between active and passive. Clubs are required to purchase gift certificates or cards from participating merchants at a discounted rate, then sell them at full value to … [Read more...]
posted on December 9, 2013 by
Fundraising Spotlight: The SABC Turf and Track Project
In Southern California, one high school booster club has taken on an ambitious task. The Scorpion Athletic Booster Club (SABC) in Camarillo began fundraising this fall for their Turf Field Project, a $1.7 million plan to install artificial turf on the Camarillo High School athletic field and resurface the track. The center of the field has been worn through by years of games and practices, and students even complain that the dirt patches are dangerous. The SABC acknowledges that the school … [Read more...]
posted on December 5, 2013 by
11 Sports Fundraising Ideas for Booster Clubs
Looking to engage supporters in experiences instead of purchases? Sports fundraisers let supporters participate, and they’re not just for sports-related clubs. This list offers ideas on how to bring donors together to compete against their friends, neighbors, and family members. Any type of booster club can take advantage of the community feel that comes from these great games. Bocce tournament: probably the last fundraiser you’d think of. But it’s the best game for entire families to … [Read more...]
posted on December 2, 2013 by
Boosterwashing
How Companies and Charities “Colorwash” Ever notice how every major cause today gets a color? Pink for breast cancer, green for the environment, red for AIDS--causes cover the rainbow and beyond. This kind of branding is effective, raising millions of dollars in the name of various organizations. Yet like most branding, the color codes have a great potential for abuse. With no clear standards for what counts as pink, green, or red products, fundraisers inevitably find themselves in conflict … [Read more...]
posted on November 26, 2013 by
Booster News: Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3rd) Could Raise Funds for Your Booster Club
Harness the holidays for your booster club this year by publicizing “Giving Tuesday.” Unlike shopping focused Black Friday or Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is all about charity in the local community. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about your booster club’s needs, and make a year’s-end ask of your supporters. How can your club associate itself with Giving Tuesday (December 3rd) and raise funds effectively? There’s still time to issue a press-release (or simply make a phone call) … [Read more...]
