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Fund raising.

Article Excerpt
This checklist is a guide for managers handling corporate fund raising for the first time. The economic recession, cuts in government grants and, arguably, the National Lottery have placed enormous demands on corporate charitable funds.

Success in fund raising depends upon a subtle balance of negotiation skills, planning resources and budgets, PR and marketing. Above all it is about building positive relationships with potential funders and convincing them that your cause is the best investment. To be successful, a fund raising appeal must stand out from the crowd and make sound business sense.

Definition

Fund raising consists of persuading another party to support a requesting organisation by giving money, gifts in kind or other resources which enable the project to happen. The project could be an activity (eg supporting a hospice or a research programme), an item (eg funding equipment for a school or publication of a book) or an event (eg a fun run or a theatre performance).

There are three main types of fund raising:

* Appeals for gifts--support is given freely and the donor receives no benefit (such as membership, tickets to events or advertising). A charity can often claim back tax on these gifts.

* Commercial support--such as sponsorship (eg major sporting events) or endorsements/promotions, where the requesting organisation receives a percentage or royalties from the sale of goods or services (eg RSPCA Freedom Foods), or is happy to "badge" the sponsor's name principally for advertising purposes (eg television programmes).

* The National Lottery--a wide range of funding is available for leisure, recreation, charitable and other activities. Responsibility for...