Welcome!

On this page you will find information and resources that can help you raise more money for the organizations you serve. Please let us know if you find the information to be useful and feel free to share new ones!

Nonprofits can raise funds from a wide range of institutions: foundations, government agencies, private corporations and family foundations just to name a few.

To maximize your ability to raise funds from these and other institutions you must be knowledgeable about the different factors that motivate each of these institutions to give.

Private foundations tend to give to address particular cause with no strings attached and do not often seek public displays of their grants. On the other hand private corporations and corporate foundations are more likely to consider factors such as opportunities for public recognition along with the merits of your proposal when making decisions about funding.

An informed development professional is a successful development professional. Educate your self about what motivates your institutional and individual donor and do your best to respond to their needs - without compromising your agency or program.

If possible, avoid the following greetings when writing fundraising letters:

"To Whom it May Concern"

"Dear Friend"

"Dear Supporter of [insert your charity here]"

Your job as a development professional is to MAXIMIZE the chances of your letters being read. People are more likely to pay attention to what you write if they are addressed by name – unless of course their names are spelled incorrectly! If you have the resources, take the time to personalize your letters and use live signatures (instead of stamps or computer generated ones). You’ll significantly increase the likelihood of the recipient reading the whole letter. This will, in turn, increase the chances that s/he will take the desired action.

If you’re responsible for fundraising in your organization you should include the following publications in your ‘fundraising toolbox’.

Grassroots Fundraising Journal

NonProfit Times

Chronicle of Philanthropy

Check your local Foundation Center or local library to see if they carry them. Better still, ask your executive director to subscribe to them.