Nolo’s Fundraising Tips for Busy Nonprofits

As I was walking around San Francisco’s Union Square Saturday in search of some holiday cheer (without doing any actual shopping — see my last post!), I noticed a huge crowd gathered around the windows of Macy’s department store. A suspicious number of them were saying “Aww,” or “Mom, can I take him home?”

Trying not to do bodily injury to too many five-year-olds, I squeezed to the front and saw kittens playing in mini-San Francisco landmarks! A cheerful SPCA volunteer was collecting donations and explaining that the animals (dogs, too, behind other windows), were all up for adoption.

With all my pride of discovery, I had no idea that this was a 21-year old holiday tradition of partnership between the San Francisco SPCA and Macy’s. But it’s still cool — and a great example of both fundraising creativity and a win-win corporate/nonprofit joint effort. Last year, the SPCA says that the windows inspired the adoption of 200 animals and over $25,000 in donations. This year, they’re aiming for even more.

Check out the cuteness on their Webcam. And for more tips on how you can creatively raise funds for your organization, check out my book Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work (Nolo).

After years of trying to convince my family that I don’t need any holiday gifts — including all my protests that my house is too small for more stuff, that buying things I don’t need is just a waste of precious resources, and more — I’ve finally given up. They seem to just love to wrap stuff and put it under the tree.

But, there’s progress to report. I’ve gotten them to agree to “guidelines.” (I know, this sounds awfully authoritarian for the joyful world of gift-giving, but that last box of tchotchkes pushed me to the wall.)

I’ve asked that all gifts to me — and gifts I buy for others — be purchased from either a nonprofit, an individual artist or craftperson, or a thrift store. That should allow for plenty of wrapped items under the tree, while doing some social good at the same time.

Now I just have to abide by the rules myself! I’m off to a good start with my dad. (Dad, if you’re reading this, stop now.) I found a nice-looking Ralph Lauren tie at a thrift store for $1.36, with tax. I’m sure he won’t be offended, since he was making wisecracks about taking the paintings off their walls and wrapping them for me. The upcoming KPFA crafts fair — from which the quilt image at the right comes — should take care of the rest of the family.

And here’s a late-breaking confession: I’ve already started issuing caveats. Like socks. I need them, and not from a thrift store. And a friend pointed out to me that books from independent booksellers should count — in fact, you can get a gift card from Book Sense that lets you redeem it at any independent bookseller, but NOT at the big chains.

Still, I’m hopeful that we’ll work out the details eventually. And maybe by next year, we’ll all have realized that it’s easier to simply donate trees or goats in another person’s name. But one step at a time.

If your book club hasn’t read this yet — Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Relin — it soon will. And if that makes you feel like part of a herd, don’t fight it, particularly if you spend some of your time fundraising for a cause.

First off, the book will make you feel like all your suffering is small potatoes next to what Greg Mortenson has gone through in his efforts to build coed schools in forgotten rural regions of Pakistan. Stayed up late trying to meet a grant deadline? Try being jerked out of bed at 2 a.m. by an AK-47 toting Wazir who imprisons you for several days (with no explanation) and interrogates you before — surprise! — making a donation.

Not getting the response rate you’d like to your appeal letters? Mortenson started out (with no fundraising experience) hand typing hundreds of letters to every rich or famous person he could think of. Only after he’d been shown how to use a computer and sent out 580 letters did he get one response — $100 from Tom Brokaw.

Or do you ever feel like no one’s listening? Among the many fundraising slide shows Mortenson gave was one at a sports store where only two people showed up to listen — but one of them made a $20,000 donation.

Beyond that, the book is just plain inspiring. It shows how someone with a deep commitment can make a difference in the face of absurd odds. But I’m sure your book club will talk about that!

And if you need some more practical inspiration for your nonprofit’s fundraising efforts, check out the upcoming second edition of my book, Effective Fundraising for Nonprofits: Real-World Strategies That Work (Nolo).

Does anyone remember the movie Calendar Girls? It featured a group of middle-aged women (played by Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, and others) who resort to full frontal nudity in posing for photos for a calendar to raise money for their local hospital.

I was reminded of it this weekend, when I became the proud owner of a 2008 calendar (no, make that a colondar) put out by The Colon Club, featuring photos of colon cancer survivors. Well, okay, they’re not nude. But with the help of an artfully placed blue drape, they’re definitely showing some skin — and scars, and colostomy bags. And it’s beautiful.

By itself, this calendar may not break any fundraising records. But there’s a fundraising lesson in the reason I bought one: I was invited to a party given by one of the models — Mr. May himself. Who’d say no to a chance to catch up with friends, eat bagels and lox, and find out how Henry was doing in the years since his surgery? There’s nothing like making one-on-one connections.

It wasn’t until I got to the party and began reading the informational material on the walls (and on the toilet paper, by the way) that I realized: I’m not just here to be supportive, I’m part of this group’s client base — namely everyone who knows less than they should about colorectal cancer — second leading cause of cancer death in this country, good grief! And, to read the models’ stories, frequently misdiagnosed. So, now we all know where to go to find out more: The Colon Club.

And, for tips on how your organization can be heard by the world, whether it be through calendars or on the web, pick up Every Nonprofit’s Guide to Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Magazines & Websites People Will Read, by Cheryl Woodard & Lucia Hwang (Nolo).

Another week, another heart-stealing dog. (And more volunteer hours logged — by the way, the convenience of the shelter to my office is a big reason this works for me — a good reason to put up your brochures and calls for volunteers in local office buildings.)

Anyway, this is Bella, a two-year-old German Shepherd who would prefer petting to dog treats. Now that’s a rare dog! She’s also big — seriously big — but smart and eager to please. If you’re in the Bay Area and interested, check with the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society.