There is a reason that many fundraising programs stick with the tried and true. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for taking some risks.
In NonProfit Pro’s “Crazy Enough to Work: Fundraising Efforts That Prove It Pays to Think Different,” author
Sean Norris looks at ways that development leaders have switched up traditional
methods of fundraising with more unexpected moves. A well-crafted creative
strategy that deviates from the norm can bring new revenue, generate publicity,
and offer fresh ways to engage donors.
The article
highlights the ways that three nonprofits took unexpected leaps. The American
Heart Association tried shaking up their usual charitable estate planning direct
mail approach with something more lighthearted and fun. The result: the
organization’s largest response to date. A second organization took one of
their traditions, the creation of pinwheel gardens to raise awareness about
child abuse prevention, and thought bigger. Much bigger, with a 30-foot
pinwheel that gained many eyes and column inches of print. The third
organization realized that their annual golf tournament might not draw their
younger donors so they turned to dodgeball.
To read more
about Norris’s thoughts on thinking beyond the usual, visit
NonProfit Pro.