Effective fund-raising for non-profit camps

Camping Magazine, March-April, 1998 by Paula Larson

Raise Funds with Quality

Whatever you do for fund-raising, whether writing a grant or planning an event, do it with quality in mind. Proposals should be well-written and concise. Your fund-raising request can win or lose a potential donor in the first sentence or two. Your opening needs to be interesting, exciting, and appealing. It needs to affect the reader personally. It needs to lead him to want to know how his organization can take action to help.

Working with donors

Make sure the message about your camp and the projects you want to implement are consistent. State your objectives clearly. What does your camp accomplish for your campers and why should someone donate their money to help you? Tell potential donors succinctly what their donation will do. For example, a certain level of donation will pay for one week of camp for a needy camper or pay for the climbing gear needed for a new team-building or self-esteem-building program.

Whatever project you're fundraising for, develop a strong case for the need you face. A donor may not be overly eager to buy two dozen septic system chambers. But they might get very interested in it when they realize expanding the septic system will mean you can serve fifty more campers each session. It's all in the presentation.

Recognition is vital

Remember to recognize donors for the contributions they make to your camp. Once people support your organization, thank them in a meaningful way. A handwritten thank you card is preferable to a form letter, and a telephone call to thank a leading donor is very meaningful. Publicizing donors in your newsletter (unless they request anonymity) is always a great idea. Positive donor recognition might mean a contributor will support you on an annual basis.

Stay educated

Staffers should attend basic continuing education classes in different topics related to fund-raising. Excellent and inexpensive classes are commonly available in special-events planning, grants writing, cultivating major gifts, implementing annual funds, and others. Apply this knowledge to your camp.

Whatever fund-raising efforts you undertake first, whether planning a major special event, writing a capital grant, or getting people affiliated with your camp to support an annual fund, start with enthusiasm for your mission. Then implement the fund-raising with attention to precision, team effort, and reaching a specific goal. You'll find the results to be effective and successful money-makers that will help to ensure the future of your camp.

RELATED ARTICLE: Planned Giving

Planned or deferred giving can enable your nonprofit camp to plan for the future with confidence. Some of the planned-giving options available include simple gifts of property by will; gifts of life insurance; and many variations on trusts whereby a nonprofit holds assets given by a donor and pays them annual income based on the value of the cash, securities, or property held.

A Skilled Advisor

A deferred-giving program isn't appropriate for every nonprofit. Developing such a program requires personnel time invested up front for financial gains that may not be realized until years later. Also, staff member(s) working on the program must be extremely knowledgeable about investments, tax issues, and other complex financial matters. Mistakes in this area can be extremely costly. A skilled advisor has to consider not only federal and state income and estate tax incentives but also the individual donor's tax status, including the family's economic circumstances. Planned-giving advisors must be aware of and responsive to changing laws and circumstances. Laws can change dramatically in a year.