Among the primary sources of funding for the activities of various types of NGOs are grants (subsidies) from private or public funds, EU funds, loans, membership fees or sponsorship. Donating parties – donors or investors (both individuals and legal entities conducting business) – may also substantially support NGOs. Hence, what to do to raise this type of funding for your organization and find donors and investors for your NGO.
How to find donors and investors for your NGO – table of contents:
- Identify your needs
- Start with your local community
- Conduct proper research
- Make a promise
- How to find donors and investors for your NGO – summary
Identify your needs
Does your organization need funds to finance day-to-day operations, or is it running a specific project and looking for ways to close the budget? It is crucial to determine the needs of organization at the very beginning to facilitate the search for donors or investors for your NGO. This way you will prepare information on the amount of support needed, the purpose for which the support may get obtained, or the benefits that an external entity could gain by donating.
Thinking through all the issues early in (and also in terms of the presentation of the results of your activity so far) will allow you to give specific information during the talks, which will certainly receive positive feedback. Staying factual – that’s the key!
Remember also that donors can give you not only cash but also in-kind gifts. Perhaps you need office equipment, computer software or some special device to achieve your goals.
Start with your local community
At the outset, you will find it easiest to solicit support from local businesses that are conducting their activities with corporate social responsibility in mind you know of and may find interest in helping your organization. However, don’t confine to only smaller or larger businesses – you never know who you will ultimately convince. On the other hand, if more than one business agrees to your proposal, you will come out ahead financially.
What’s more, it’s worth seeking aid from your surrounding as well – you can count on people close to you, other NGO members or volunteers to decide to donate (to the best of their ability). In this regard, remember to nurture all your relationships: with college, friends, former colleagues, people you met at local parties, events and all happenings. They may become investors for your NGO – you don’t even know how much you can gain from such networking!
Conduct proper research
Both private and corporate donors most often choose to support initiatives that are ideologically close to their beliefs or areas of daily activity. For this reason, it is so crucial to do proper research aiming at seeking financial support, not only among corporations or smaller businesses but also individuals recognized in the local environment.
Conducting national or even international market research for donation opportunities should be your next step. But here, you must prepare for much more competition, greater difficulty in making contacts or longer search times. Hence, you need patience and perseverance. Don’t lose faith that eventually you will find a person or company for whom certain topics, values or ideas are as important as for you.
Make a promise
What is the most convincing thing to donate? Undoubtedly, the benefits your donors get by doing so! When negotiating with potential investors for your NGO, you need to make them a promise about what they will get from supporting your organization. The promises may include greater visibility (through transparency about the NGO’s funding sources – significant especially for local philanthropists), the opportunity to play a role in the organized project or the chance to use information about the results you obtained to promote their own businesses.
In this area, it is worthwhile to prepare information about your activities or previously organized projects, especially in terms of budgeting (financial results) and the effects achieved. What’s more, any private or corporate donor will appreciate the way you show gratitude, just think of individually tailored ideas for official recognition or thanks.
How to find donors and investors for your NGO – summary
When conducting fundraising activities, you should try to attract support from every possible source – not forgetting private or corporate donors or investors for your NGO. The tips presented above should prove helpful in this area (both in terms of acquisition and retention) and are a good starting point for any NGO.
However, we haven’t obviously included all ways of obtaining resources – you can also try to attract investors for your NGO through a special event geared towards a fundraising goal and combine it with, for example, a public collection. What you decide on depends on the first element mentioned: Your financial needs. Start with them, and then step by step implement your fundraising plan. That’s how you will surely reach your desired goal!
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