It's easy for fundraisers to focus on the surface of our work: Is it well-written and appropriately designed?
And that matters. But what matters a lot more are the structural realities behind your fundraising. You can write an design like a fundraising ninja -- but if your foundational strategies are off, you're going nowhere.
Here are 5 Fundraising Mistakes Nonprofits Make from Social Velocity. These are the kinds of things that are shooting down fundraising programs in many organizations:
- Taking a Short-Term Approach. (The real money in fundraising comes from building lasting relationships with donors.)
- Looking Under the Same Rocks. (If you want to grow, you probably need to expand your reach.)
- Chasing A Magic Bullet. (Most of them aren't magic!)
- Giving People a Free Pass. (Everyone -- from board members to program leaders -- has some responsibility to raise funds.:)
- Not Fundraising for The Fundraising Function. (It takes money to make money.)
These things are harder to fix than weak copy or sloppy design. But more important.