2006 Fund-Raising Service Guide

SHARING IDEAS THAT WORK

Sharing fund-raising ideas is not something many nonprofit groups do eagerly. But many organizations have developed approaches that can easily be adopted by other charities. In this guide, The Chronicle shows how a range of imaginative efforts have helped charities increase their donations:

• Charities that collaborate with other organizations to run fund-raising events and campaigns are saving money, time, and headaches — and fullfilling ambitions they could never reach operating solo. In Sioux Falls, S.D., three cultural groups banded together to build a new $35-million center (shown above) that houses a science museum, as well as groups that focus on the performing and visual arts.

• Hollywood is offering a growing number of opportunities for fund raisers, as filmmakers seek new ways to garner attention for their works. Some groups are now working directly with movie makers, in the hopes of snaring the attention of potential donors.

• Television reality shows helped inspire a competition among workers at a real-estate development company, and raised more than $2-million for charity. Meanwhile, nude calendars featuring charity officials, board members, and others have proved to be hot sellers for some nonprofit groups — and the risqué approach often produces lots of publicity for groups that might otherwise not get so much notice.

• A student-run philanthropic foundation may be just the place to nurture lifelong donors to the institution, the University of California-San Diego is betting. The university adapted the idea from the Georgia Institute of Technology.