factsheet Church Fundraising by Catherine Demetriadi www.churchmusicfuture.com 2015 FundraisingPoint Used with permission
Church Fundraising Your church s pipe organ needs a major overhaul but do you have congregational and community support for a special campaign? You want to double your annual music programme fund. Where do you start? What is your justification (case for support)? What kinds of activities and appeals do you want to do? Who are your annual fund leaders and volunteers? How will you acknowledge gifts of various sizes? Are there any foundations and trusts that you can approach for grants? You are worried that you might have to choose between repairing the roof and paying your music director but you know that without a strong music programme, there might as well not be a church roof! How can you raise enough money for both? Members of your congregation are pushing for your church to use online fundraising platforms such as VirginMoneyGiving, Stewardship, JustGiving, Charity Choice, CAF, and Give As You Live. Where can you find reliable, unbiased information about the benefits of each platform and how much they can realistically add to your voluntary income? If your church needs additional funds whether for one-off expenses or year-on-year and you don t know the answers to these and many other questions before you launch your fundraising efforts, then you will need help from knowledgeable volunteers, staff, or consultants possibly all three, depending on the size of your church and the resources already available to you. The following pages provide more information on: Establishing fundraising needs checklist What can a development consultant do for our church? How can our church possibly afford a development consultant? What is the difference between fundraising and development?
Establishing fundraising needs checklist 1 Does your church itself have the skills required to fundraise? 2 Does your church have any experience of fundraising? 3 If yes to 2, has it been successful in the past? 4 Does your church have time and resources to raise funds? 5 Do you have a clear mission statement and a well-defined jjjjdescription of fundraising need? 6 Is the fundraising need for a relatively modest amount? h If you have answered mainly yes to the above, then: A consultant may not bring much additional input or benefit You may need to consider whether a proportion of a current staff member s jjjjjjjjjjjtime can be dedicated to fundraising If capacity is the key issue, you should consider using a volunteer and/or jjjjjjjjjjstaff member to raise funds If need is likely to be ongoing or increasing, a priority might be to raise jjjjjjjjjjfunds to pay a full- or part-time dedicated development staff member If still undecided, continue to questions below. Yes No 7 Do you want to raise funds for a large, one-off initiative for which a developed strategy is needed (e.g., purchasing a property/undertaking repairs)? 8 Can a consultant produce what is required more costeffectively than your staff and volunteers? 9 Does your church need an impartial view to assist with the jdevelopment of its fundraising strategy and business plan? 10 Can you afford to allocate a proportion of one staff member or volunteer s time to work closely with the consultant over an extended period? 11 Could the cost of taking on a full- or part-time staff member to manage your fundraising campaign(s) be out-weighed by the amount of money potentially raised? If you have answered mainly yes to these last five questions, then a development specialist (either consulting or staff member) may be the best option Adapted from Institute of Fundraising/NCVO document, Tools for Fundraising
What can a development consultant do for our church? Objectively and honestly assess annual, project/programme, and campaign feasibility Help you to develop and implement fundraising strategy Train volunteers and staff Help you to identify and qualify prospective major donors Work with you to create detailed plans for annual fundraising or special campaigns Write cases for support for core funding or for particular campaigns and projects Research grant opportunities, draft the application templates, and submit full proposals Help to find the right development software, set it up, and train users Step in whenever you lack a particular in-house skill and do not need or cannot afford to employ staff to fill the position How can our church possibly afford a development consultant? A consultant should not promise to make specific amounts of money for you. However, when deployed intelligently and with a clear understanding of what is to be accomplished, s/he can quickly put you on the right path to fundraising success. One-off campaigns will cost around 10-15% of the total projected income, including consulting time but not that of staff. General fundraising activities can cost between 15% and 30% of overall projected annual income. Special events (galas lunches, e.g.) are budgeted at 30-50%. A development consultant or fundraising firm should not ask for a commission, nor should you offer one. The first step in deciding how much you need to invest in external counsel is to look at your own resources: Has your governing body agreed on a fundraising strategy that incorporates your church s case for philanthropic support? Have you identified your fundraising leadership? Does your governing structure include a development/fundraising committee? Do you already have a network of donors and fundraising ambassadors? Is anyone available from your staff or volunteers to manage your church s ongoing development programme or short-term special campaign? Do you already have links to community organisations, trusts, or businesses that can help you invest in fundraising? The second step is for you to interview one or two consultants with the skills you need. Do your due diligence: are they who they say they are? Can they provide examples of their work? Most important: do you get along with them? Beware of hiring the consultant who is radically cheaper than the others or who enthusiastically promises to achieve ambitious fundraising targets. The third step is to have an honest, confidential conversation with your chosen consultant about the challenges you may be facing and to set out your needs. You should expect to be asked searching questions about your charity s capacity to conduct a campaign The consultant will submit a proposal summarising the work required, and include a draft scope of work that includes specific actions, projected outcomes, estimated timing, the overall cost of consultant time (sometimes itemised by activity), and often other expenses such as print and mail, design costs, PR and
communications, events, and donor recognition devices such as plaques. Even if the consultancy is openended, the document should still include these kinds of expenditure details. Once you come to an agreement, the fee you are charged may then be expressed as a daily amount or as a retainer against which detailed bills will be submitted. If you and the consultant have worked well together up to this point, the chances are that you will achieve the goals you have mutually set! What is the difference between fundraising and development? Fundraising is what happens when a person, corporation, or trust/foundation is asked for a gift, sponsorship, or grant Development is o The creation of fundraising strategy(ies) consonant with the vision and mission of your church o The process of choosing among many methods for raising voluntary income o Accounting to your governing body (PCC, e.g.), congregation, donors, and community for the expenditure of gifts, grants, legacies, and endowments o Ensuring that staffing, equipment, governance structures, and policies regarding gift handling are in place o What happens before and after the ask drafting case(s) for support, identifying prospective donors, donor stewardship -- including thanking, listing, and providing naming opportunities -- gift solicitation training; creating brochures/fliers/appeal response cards and other collateral ; targeted newsletters, annual reports, social media, and other communications Catherine C Demetriadi, MInstF July 2015 Catherine C. Demetriadi, MInstF Director, FundraisingPoint 1 Buttercup Close Salisbury SP2 8FA www.communicationspoint.net w 01722 238 627 m 07584 128265 FundraisingPoint is a branch of CommunicationsPoint Ltd Registered in England & Wales 04760510 Registered office: 24 Cornwall Rd, Dorchester DT1 1RX
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