Raising Money Smarter, Not Harder
By: Don Carmichael
Work smarter, not harder! How often have you heard this phrase? When you hear this statement, does it cause you to consider that there may actually be smarter ways of doing things than how you may be currently doing them?
And how does this principle of working smarter apply to Christian school fundraising? It’s simple--most Christian schools (and public ones) apply it backwards. Most schools work harder instead of smarter.
The purpose of this article is to share professional insights learned and observed from raising money for hundreds of Christian schools and ministries over the past 16 years. My desire is that you will gain insights, confidence, and ideas that will become catalysts for raising far more money for your school, thereby enabling your school to have a greater ministry impact for Christ in the lives of your students and families.
My experience attests to the strategic importance of the following PTOs: Principles, Tips, and Observations.
God Is Jehovah Jireh
Don’t forget that God is responsible for your financial provision. He is Jehovah Jireh – God Our Provider. He’s ultimately in charge of your financial results, though He requires us to be faithful in the activity that leads to the result.
People Give to People
“People Giving to People” is one of the most important principles in raising money. Most of us believe we have to sell our cause before a donor will give, and we don’t understand why someone would give to a school when they have no children there. The reality is that relationship is more important than cause, and donors from all over the country will give based on relationships with your school families –– if they’re asked.
You Have to Ask Before You Receive
This is a true Kingdom principle. If you ask, you will receive. If you do not ask, you probably won’t receive! What do you think is the greatest obstacle to people asking for funds? The answer is the fear of rejection. This fear is often rooted in the concern of damaging a relationship. When you are asking someone to financially invest in your school, you are not begging for money or asking for yourself; you are giving that person an opportunity to invest in a worthy ministry. And if the donor is a Christian believer who is giving with this ministry motivation, Scripture tells us that God will bless that person.
You Get What You Ask For
Most of the time, people under-ask. Instead of asking someone for $5 or $10, ask if he or she would consider investing $50 or $100 –– or $500 or $1,000. In most cases, they will give the higher amounts.
Here’s a good example to illustrate this point. Years ago, a good friend of mine was an ambassador student at the University of Oklahoma. He and another student were asked if they would try to raise $500,000 for a school endowment. These two young men agreed and obtained an appointment with Ross Perot to ask him if he would fund half the amount. While sitting across the desk from Mr. Perot, they nervously asked him for a $250,000 donation. Without speaking a word, Mr. Perot finally pulled out a checkbook and wrote a check –– for a total of $250,000! The young men were stunned. Then Mr. Perot said, “Let this be a lesson in life: Always ask for what you want. If you had asked for it all, I would have given it to you. Now you have to raise the rest.” I can’t tell you the countless times we’ve seen this principle produce exceptional results over the years.
We Serve a Big God – Have a Big Vision.
Many Christian schools take the self-limiting approach of looking at their budget and asking, “How can we live within our budget?” The better way – the way of vision – is to ask, “If our resources were unlimited, what could we accomplish?” Dream big. Find out how much that vision would cost and then seek the resources to match your vision, not the vision to match your resources.
Establish a Three-Year Master Plan.
Most schools are focused on year-to-year survival and plan their fundraising on an annual basis. The smart approach is to define a three-year master development plan that is built on creating a family culture of giving, minimizing the number of fundraisers, and choosing those fundraisers that produce maximum dollars, new donors, and happy but not overworked volunteers.
Focus on Donors over Buyers
Your long-term fundraising goal should be to develop a stable base of individual donors to your school, not buyers of stuff. Your perspective should shift toward “donor development” instead of simply “fundraising.” Focus on those fundraisers that generate donors – a broad base of monthly donors to your school will provide far more revenue and stability than the standard regimen of typical school fundraisers.
The Mega-Trend of Consolidation: Less is Best.
Some larger Christian schools conduct as many as 80 fundraisers per year. This is nuts! Less is best. Even five fundraisers a year may be too much. I suggest having two major fundraisers: one in the fall and one in the spring. Make sure that at least one of these two fundraisers is a highly visible and unifying event, such as an auction, a golf event, a prayer walkathon, or a student-focused servathon.
Share the Pie
Most Christian schools of 400 students or more have multiple entities that compete for funds—typically, a development department, a parent-teacher organization, and an athletic department. Often these entities compete against each other for funds, creating internal division. Instead of multiple-entity fundraisers, conduct large-dollar fundraisers and share the pie with each entity to stimulate unity instead of division. T-E-A-M: Together Everyone Achieves More.
Spend Less Than 50 Percent on Expenses
The expense for many types of fundraisers will be 50 percent or more of the funds you raise. Focus on those fundraisers that produce a greater return on investment than just 50 percent.
Explain the Tuition Gap to Your Parents
If you’re like most Christian schools, you have to deal with a tuition gap – the shortfall between tuition revenue and the total income required to operate your school. Once parents understand that tuition revenue doesn’t cover all your school’s needs, they are far more willing to participate in fundraising, especially if they see it as a means of keeping tuition lower and more affordable. Make sure this message is communicated throughout the year –– from parent orientation to the end of school.
Focus on Mission, Not Money
Money enables the mission. Focus your parents, students, and teachers on the mission benefits that will be achieved through fundraising, not simply on money goals. Parents will work much harder to achieve a worthwhile mission than to simply raise money.
Give Your Money Away
Give 10 percent of whatever your fundraisers generate to local youth-focused ministries or less-fortunate Christian schools in your area or overseas. Giving away a portion of funds helps stimulate a culture of greater giving and demonstrates generosity and proper Biblical stewardship to your staff, teachers, students, and families. Giving funds away also deepens and broadens the overall mission of your fundraising.
Get Noticed on TV
Use strategic fundraisers to create publicity opportunities in local newspapers, radio, and television. Bring radio and TV personalities to your school and event to conduct live remotes. Get noticed for doing something positive in your community and create an opportunity to tell your community about your school.
Partner With Experts
Professional fundraising expertise can be invaluable. Look for companies or professional consultants who have 1) a strong track record of success, 2) much more experience in a given area than you, 3) a reputation of excellence and integrity, and 4) impeccable references from other Christian schools. Good fundraising consultants can actually be “free,” as they often help you generate far more funds than you can generate on your own.
Conduct at Least One Big Event Per Year: Consider Servathons
Your school should host at least one highly visible and unifying event per year. This event should bring families and alumni together in support of your school, as well as attract others in the community to learn about your school (and possibly invest in it). Fundraising-focused golf events, auctions, and community servathons are great events to achieve community visibility, family unity, and potentially significant fundraising.
Make It Fun
Finally, who wants to invest hundreds of volunteer hours for something tedious or boring? Determine ways to make your fundraising fun. Your volunteers will ultimately work harder and will experience less burn-out.
Don Carmichael is president of Champion Events Group, www.champevents.com, which helps hundreds of Christian schools conduct high-income events throughout the United States.
Product Roundup
The Pin Man
The Pin Man is the designer and manufacturer of awards, incentives, and fundraising items. The company will take your logo or theme and make commemorative items for your special event or fundraiser, or as donor gifts. The Pin Man also will design a lapel pin for awards, conference trading, or teacher and staff years-of-service recognition and appreciation.
www.positivepins.com
Light-Catching Window Ornaments by Ceemco
Ceemco, Inc., a manufacturer of custom decorative products since 1961, has introduced an elegant cross window ornament for use in non-profit Christian fundraising. The cross is laser-crafted and has a mirror finish that is lovely on a kitchen, bath or family room window. The cross ornament is beautifully crafted and lightweight. The slightest air movement makes it turn gently, producing a strobe-like glow. An optional battery-powered “ornamotor” allows it to turn continuously. In addition to the cross, there are 14 other designs, all available as both window ornaments or as larger wind mobiles. Custom designs are also available. There are no minimum quantities.
www.school-church-fundraisers.com
ESPN Coaches Fundraising Program
Recognizing it requires money to keep athletic programs running, ESPN developed the ESPN Coaches Fundraising Program. This program is one of the easiest and most rewarding fundraising programs available. Team players sell subscriptions to 25 of America's most popular magazines for just $20 each. The team keeps $12 from every subscription sold, or 60 percent from every sale. Plus, both players and coaches are rewarded for selling subscriptions through the program. Then, you decide how to use the funds earned (purchase equipment, new uniforms, subsidize travel expense and tournament fees, etc.).
www.coaches.espn.com
Christmas Ornaments by Creative Services of New England
Start thinking about fall fundraising now with the shatterproof Christmas ornament from Creative Services of New England. These beautiful Christmas ornaments can be printed with school logo, graphics, or holiday message. Each ornament is individually packaged in an attractive holiday gift box. The ornaments are becoming collectibles, which is why schools and organizations have been using them year after year as a successful holiday fundraiser.
www.cs-ne.com
Creative Animation
A successful capital building campaign begins with clearly communicating vision, and Creative Animation is dedicated to helping schools share that vision. While blueprints, slideshows and models leave quite a bit to the imagination, a 3D virtual tour creates a powerful cinematic experience, taking potential donors on a journey around and through a school’s future facilities, even before construction begins. Creative Animation is combining state-of-the-art computer animation with professional video to tell a school’s story and to bring a new or expanded facility to life. Dazzle the eye, capture the imagination, and generate tremendous excitement for a capital campaign with a 3D Virtual Tour.
www.creativeanimation.com
J.F. Smith Group
The J.F. Smith Group provides hands-on project management for fundraising ventures. The company specializes in strategic planning, staff and board training, feasibility studies, and capital campaigns. With a 15-year track record, the company can help Christian schools learn the steps to planning, implementing, and sustaining an annual fund program.
www.jfsg.com
Dutch Mill Bulbs
Dutch Mill Bulbs is an expert in flower bulb fundraising. For more than 45 years, the company has assisted groups in exceeding their fundraising goals with easy-to-sell, guaranteed-to-bloom bulbs and plants. Schools love the simplicity of the one-price Spring & Fall programs. There's no risk, as everything is guaranteed to bloom or there will be free replacement. There are no hidden costs, no money is needed up front, and the company offers free prizes or cash rewards for high sellers. Best of all, schools earn at least 50 percent profit on every sell.
www.dutchmillbulbs.com
ProfitQuests.com
ProfitQuests.com offers proven and successful fundraisers for Christian schools, youth groups, ministries, churches and missions. The company delivers profitable results with popular products like engraved bricks, cookie dough, two-year planners, stationery, Christmas cards, gift wrap, fudge, lollipops, Kosher certified chocolates, scratchcards, candles, pecan candies, snacks and nuts, world’s finest chocolates, Christmas wreaths, gourmet coffee and beverages, promotional items, Putt For Funds, flowers, private label sauces, pizza cards, discount merchant cards, silicone wristbands, greeting cards, Tupperware, cell phone recycling, scented pencils, inkjet and toner recycling, safety items, fundraising t-shirts, gourmet popcorn and more. Software resources also are available to keep track of donors.
www.ProfitQuests.com
Beary Thoughtful
Beary Thoughtful Fundraising introduces The Sacrament Collection: Communion, Confirmation, Baptism, Marriage, Penance, Godmother and Godfather Bears. The appreciation of faith continues to flourish even further at Beary Thoughtful with the introduction of My First Prayer Cross. Each bear displays the highest quality embroidery on the chest familiar with all Beary Thoughtful Bears. Each hangtag promises to include wonderful sediment corresponding with the theme of the bear. Beary Thoughtful Bears promote the appreciation of family, the community, and a salute to our military that make great gifts for any occasion.
www.BearyThoughtful.com
