Beyond Fundraising?

Another post that has given me pause for thought this month comes from The Agitator, who dares to consider whether fundraising is enough. 

Not the kind of question fundraisers like to ask. 

I dislike considering fundraising to be akin to a begging bowl, but for some outside of the sector that's their perception.  We can try to change their perception or do we need to find an alternative way to engage them?

Non-profits take out loans on capital builds from time to time – I believe it’s not uncommon for Universities.

 

 Let me ask you.

Is it ok for an institution – whether a university, or a children’s charity, to borrow the cost of building or buying premises it needs?

 

In which case, what’s the difference between paying back interest of 5% against a loan taken out on property, and paying interest of 5% on a loan taken out to ramp up capacity?  Or a return on an equivalent of a ‘share’.

It makes me wonder - how long will it be before we see some of the biggest / most modern universities in this country or elsewhere floating on stock exchanges?

 

For your organisation – is there a different way that you could create the change you’re creating?

 

A few years ago, I attended a seminar when Jon Duschinsky talked about 1001 fontaines.  It works a bit like this.  Instead of providing free drinking water to a village with no suitable water, the aim is to install a system that provides water at a price they can afford to pay.  90% of the proceeds from this go to ensuring the water supply is maintained.  10% goes to a holding company, who use this to install a water system in the next village, and then the next village.  Year one – a hundred new villages.  Year two – FOUR hundred..  Year three - 1600.  A completely different model from fundraising to build a well.  How long would it take to increase fundraising 16 fold?

 

RSPCA run ‘Home for Life’, where they promise to look after or rehome your pet if you die.  It works by having you include a provision in your will so that your pets are left to the charity, and I assume that if you’re changing or making a will with this in, then you’ll likely include a gift to the charity with it.    I like it – it’s a very ‘soft sell’ towards a legacy gift – which can be very valuable to a charity.

I wonder if they considered offering it as more of an ‘insurance’ package, for a few pounds a month?

 

What if as part of your life insurance a children’s charity offered grief counselling and mentoring to your children? 

Perhaps shares in your charity, or finding a way for beneficiaries to contribute to the cost of the service seems a step too far for your charity, but I dare you to take 30 minutes this week to wonder ‘what if’, and see what you can come up with.  It may seem entirely impossible, but dare to share it with us anyway – you never know what action it may spark! 

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