After much planning and following the necessary procedures, Andy Robinson, a fundraising consultant who has worked with many nonprofit organizations, was able to launch a fundraising campaign as part of a training certification program, facilitation, and consulting in collaboration with Marlboro College in the United States. However, he failed to raise the required amount of money.

Below are some lessons that Andy Robinson learned after his failure in this experience, which nonprofit organizations can benefit from.

  1. Enthusiasm is not enough:

Generally, every fundraising effort starts with an enthusiastic person seeking help, however, even the most enthusiastic fundraising campaigns need to adopt a cause that describes the work of the nonprofit organization, and then measure its impact, as well as create a link with the values, beliefs, and priorities of potential donors. In this case, the goal behind the campaign launched by Andy Robinson may not have been strong enough to attract the attention of many potential donors.

  1. Email is not sufficient in all situations:

It is very easy to send an email message, but it is also very easy to open an email without checking its content. Nowadays, many organizations in successful fundraising campaigns resort to multiple means such as email, social media, personal requests, organizing events targeting potential donors, phone calls, and so on. All of these steps represent communication channels that can enhance the organization’s message. For the campaign launched by Andy Robinson, it is likely that he neglected to adopt many of these strategies.

  1. Ask friends for help and do not expect everyone to engage:

Andy Robinson believes that the main reason why people might lend a hand is that the source of the request is someone they know and love. However, through his experience and work in this field for 35 years, he realized that not all friends are necessarily responsive to a request for help. At the same time, it is vital for the fundraiser to show discipline and empathy, while they should not take the refusal of their request personally.

  1. What is the goal that the nonprofit organization wishes to achieve?

Some goals that some nonprofits aim to achieve are simple and easy to understand, but for some goals like those set by Andy Robinson, which sought to raise funds for his organization’s need for a network of skilled trainers and consultants to help it operate more professionally, they are extremely complex and challenging to grasp. Therefore, it is normal for the fundraising campaign initiated by Andy Robinson to fail.

  1. Urgent cases are very important:

Most of the time, individuals respond to urgent needs, such as raising money during earthquakes and floods, and securing food for people suffering from hunger. In this regard, this factor was completely absent from the campaign launched by Andy Robinson. In reality, the program he planned had already started, and then he initiated fundraising; therefore, regardless of the busyness of the nonprofit organization's members, they must start fundraising early and set deadlines and not exceed them.

  1. Technology sometimes fails:

Online donation facilitates the process of raising funds, due to the simplicity of the procedures that donors must follow. On the other hand, if this fundraising strategy fails, it can be a source of frustration for the nonprofit organization.

In this context, it is necessary to address the campaign launched by Andy Robinson, where some could donate online, while others were unable to do so. Meanwhile, the support staff at the crowdfunding platform could not diagnose or resolve the problem. From this standpoint, Andy Robinson advises donors to make cash donations or bank transfers through banking channels instead of using the online store.

In the end, persistence pays off:

All successful fundraising campaigns require two traits: optimism and resilience. In reality, the nonprofit organization must continue its work until it achieves its goals, regardless of the time and effort required. Generally, if the nonprofit organization asks for help from enough people, it will eventually be able to raise the necessary funds.

Source:GuideStar