Simple Steps That Quickly Attract Donors to your NGO
by Roshini Muthukumar
| 3 min read
By now many of you understand the reasons why NGOs need merits and funding. It is to power its mission and values, implement different programs and projects, plan future programs, hire and retain staff, and promote their work. But, as NGOs focus on powering their mission with the existing number of funders, they forget to bring in new ones.
Here’s what you need to know to attract new donors :
1.Understand the NGO
The first step is to finalize your NGO’s overall fund-seeking strategy by knowing the requirements of your NGO. This includes everything from immediate plans, to short-term and long term funding needs.
Based on this, ask yourself what your strategy is going to look like.
2. Donor mapping
Mapping your donors will help you strategize and focus your time and energy by understanding the aspects which make some opportunities/ funding organizations better fit for your requirements as compared to others.
Typically, an excel sheet or a google sheet dashboard can be maintained with brief information about the prospects. The first sheet can have this summarized version, and you can add sheets in the same file with more detailed information as you proceed with your research.
3. Donor research
Donor research is the next step after donor mapping. It involves a great amount of strategy and a straightforward approach. No ready-made tool or technique can do this for you, as it requires strategic thinking in the context of your NGO.
Detailed research about your prospects is crucial for your fundraising efforts. A smart trick is to check out other NGOs working in the same sector/ geography to find out who their donors are. There are many online directories and search databases to help you search for this information.
4. Prospect table
Summarize donor profiles with detailed information about them. It is a sound practice to maintain this table as a living document, which means revisiting this regularly and updating it as and when required.
Allocate certain prospects to your team members for contacting or starting the process as per action items required.
5. Ethical fundraising
In this process, we need to remember not to succumb to the pressures leading to sub-par fundraising practices and standards. This includes false promises, scams, and spam emails.
This is why it is important to build and maintain good relationships with your current, previous and also prospective donors. Make phone calls, write emails to them, invite them to annual fundraising galas, offer them visits to program areas, meet beneficiaries and give them more information about what you do.
