November 12, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Fund raisers at community-organizing groups need to be able to explain the work that their organizations do clearly and in a way that is easy for prospective donors to understand, according to a new fund-raising guide.
“Donors can’t and won’t support what they don’t understand,” the authors write. “And they can’t help you with introductions to other possible supporters if they can’t explain what you do.”
The article, Seizing the Moment: Frank Advice for Community Organizers Who Want to Raise More Money, was written by Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, and Marjorie Fine, who directs the Linchpin Campaign, a project of the Center for Community Change.
More people are aware of community organizing than ever, they write, in large part because of Barack Obama’s past experience as an organizer in Chicago and because of the scandal at Acorn, a large grass-roots group.
Despite the negative publicity brought on by the controversy and the lingering recession, community-organizing groups can raise more money, with persistence and the right approaches, write Mr. Dorfman and Ms. Fine.
One hurdle the organizations need to overcome is the idea that they don’t know any potential large donors.
The authors recommend that community-organizing groups cast a wide net as they compile a list of potential donors, and turn to board members, employees, residents they work with, current contributors, social networking sites, and other allies, such as a local clergy for suggestions.
Organizations also need to be able to communicate the impact that their work has had, with both hard numbers and personal stories from the people affected.
“You need to be able to tell a compelling story about the impact your organization has had and will have on people and communities,” the authors write. “And you’ll need to be able to tell that story in different ways to different audiences.”
