How to … Leverage the Tanking Economy to Raise Funds
The woe-are-they stories about nonprofits struggling to find support during lean economic times are legion, but at least one prominent fundraiser points out that organizations willing to tug at the heartstrings might have a shot at success. Speaking to blogger Jacob Berkman of the Fundermentalist, Jewish Funders Network head Mark Charendoff said his group has been inundated with pleas for money that specifically cite the current downturn.
“We are definitely seeing it, and the question is whether it is real or that they are just betting that the message will be well received now,” Charendoff said. “I can’t tell you how many emergency pleas we have gotten from organizations claiming that their budgets have been thrown into turmoil by the dollar and the need for immediate response. I am not belittling it. There is a lot of pain out there in the nonprofit community and there are certain nonprofits that have been hit a lot harder than others.”
Charendoff added that there are donors using the economy as an excuse not to give; whether they’re truly hurting or not, they can plausibly claim that during times such as these, parting with funds is more difficult. That said, I can see the appeal of going to your donor base and asking for help now more than ever. A fundraising consultant I met with once had reviewed the publications my nonprofit was putting out and remarked that because those pieces were filled with stories of success and achievement, there was no way for donors to know how much their help was needed. Sometimes it’s okay to say things aren’t copacetic. | 501(c)
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