Fundraising is fun

My day job is fundraising for an arts organization in Denver. I have many times said that I have the best job in the world. That is true mainly because I love fundraising.

I'm writing about fundraising after hearing a couple of times in the past week from people with non-profits I support telling me how they hate fundraising. I wanted to give a different perspective.

Every group that we support requires cash to do their mission. Our local animal shelters, national animal rights groups, gay marriage groups, the local food bank, and so on. Without people like you and me making financial gifts to them they would be unable to work towards their mission.

Many of these groups hire development (fundraising) people to work on getting donations and other gifts to support the group. Other groups, usually smaller ones, only depend on the kindness and generosity of their supporters as well as an event or two every year to raise money.

If you work for a small group that needs to raise cash, or if you simply want to support a group by raising money for them, here are a couple of fun ideas:

Have a house party! Invite friends, serve dinner or just nibbles, have someone talk about your cause, and then pass the hat. Make sure people you invite know that the event is a fundraiser. These can not only be fun and can raise some vital funds, they help to build community with people who have similar interests as you do.

Have a bake sale! Friends of ours in the Orlando area had a national vegan bake sale. People donated baked goods that were then auctioned off. Winners received their delish vegan goods a couple days later. Mike and I won cookies for us and treats for the dogs. We loved participating and our friends made good cash for several local causes.

When making a donation to one of your favorite groups, send a note to your email list or a group of close friends telling them that you just mad ea gift and why. I am always wonderfully surprised when our friends and family make a gift to an organization we support just because we told them of our recent gift.

For your birthday or a holiday, ask people to make a gift to one of your favorite groups instead of a gift or card. Email them a link to your group's donation page. This is easy and again, you will be surprised by how many people donate!

I think that's enough for now. Simple ideas that are fun and can create good tings for whatever organization you are fundraising for. And remember that what might seem like a little money to you could make a huge difference for the organization you are fundraising for!

We would love it if you let us know of any fundraising projects you have in mind!

As always, thanks for reading!