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What Is A Professional Fundraiser?
Professional fundraisers are individuals who help non-profit organisations carry out their fundraising activities. They can help organisations secure regular donations by implementing various methods such as sponsorships, regular monthly donation schemes, grant writing and fundraising campaigns. Depending on the organisation’s needs, these individuals may provide consulting services, as well as help guide the development of a fundraising strategy. Professional fundraisers can also help organisations manage their fundraising efforts and develop a strategy that will meet their goals.
Why Do Organisations Need Professional Fundraising?
If organisations are not able to reach a wider audience or are simply not in a position to raise funds on their own, a professional fundraising consultant or a professional fundraiser can help them meet their fundraising goals. They can help secure recurring donations, allowing them to reach their goals and reach a wider audience. There has been a significant shift in the way people are donating.
While donations from volunteers have long been the primary source of charity fundraising, a better approach is needed to develop long-term relationships with donors. This can be done through the development of a professional fundraising strategy. While volunteers usually collect donations, fundraiser professionals are experienced in building strong relationships with regular donors and help you raise money with their professional advice.
WhyDonate – Your Professional Fundraiser
WhyDonate, as a crowdfunding platform, understands the nitty-gritty of fundraising. This is why WhyDonate can assist individuals and organisations in creating their fundraising campaigns in minutes. There are many professionals waiting to guide the campaign creators to have a successful fundraiser. WhyDonate can provide people with tons of fundraising strategies and fundraising ideas that can steer them in the right direction.
WhyDonate gives a 0% platform fee to its users. It is safe and reliable for fundraising as WhyDonate takes data security very seriously.
While Looking For A Professional Fundraiser
Before you start looking for the perfect fundraiser for your campaign, there are many important factors to consider. It is essential to follow fundraising ethics and find the proper channel that can help you achieve your fundraising goals.
1. Write Down Your Requirements
Did you know that you can solve half of your problems by just writing them down? That’s right. This is why you should pen down what exactly you need from a professional fundraiser and what aspects they should focus on while helping you.
A new fundraising program requires a lot of experience and knowledge in order to utilise your organisation’s resources effectively. Having someone else help plan and implement it will allow your staff to maintain the program after it’s up and running.
2. Do Your Research
Now that you got an idea about your requirements, it gives you a better understanding of what kind of professional fundraiser you want. Make sure to check out all the options and the backgrounds of the individuals before taking any decision.
While you hire a fundraiser, it’s important that you consider if they can be local or if they can work remotely. You can also ask for the portfolio or previous assignments to see how good of fundraising consultants they are.
If you are planning on physical fundraising events, then hiring local professional fundraising organisations is a great option. However, in case of online charitable campaigns, remote professional fundraisers can be good as they charge lesser and get the job done at the same time.
3. Professional Fundraiser Fees
Unfortunately, there is no fixed rate card or standard for charging professional fundraiser fees. Different fundraising professionals charge differently for different types of projects. The fees of professional fundraisers can vary depending on their services differently as per their expertise, size of the project or the level of their involvement.
Also, hiring individuals can be less expensive than hiring a professional fundraising organisation to help you with your campaign. Even remote professional fundraisers can charge you differently depending on their locations.
4. Create An Agreement
Legal paperwork is the utmost important thing during any hiring process for obvious reasons. Negotiating a contract is a process that aims to ensure that both parties are getting the best possible deal. It should be conducted in a way that prevents conflict from arising and sets the foundation for a successful partnership.
One of the most challenging factors when it comes to negotiating a contract is keeping track of all the changes made in the contract. Having an online negotiation platform that has an audit trail can help everyone keep track of all the changes.
5. Take Advantage Of Technology
In any fundraising campaign, donors are the most essential subject. Having a good donor relationship, maintaining donor loyalty, and donor retention can take any fundraising campaign to the next level. Through technology, you can reach a wider audience and improve the effectiveness of your donor retention efforts. It can also help you identify the ideal supporters.
Due to the increasing popularity of fundraising and crowdfunding activities, the need for more effective and efficient tools has become more prevalent. These days, many tools have been created to help people carry out their fundraising activities. One of these is free donation management software. This allows people to organise their various fundraising activities.
6. Keep Up With The Results
Keeping up with the progress can give you an overall idea if your hired professional fundraiser is competent or not. Numbers don’t lie. You can easily see your donations and the number of donors interacting with you to know whether you are discoverable or not.
Have clarity in communication with your fundraiser professional and let them know about your expectations frequently to be on the same page.
Ready To Hire A Fundraising Professional?
After you’ve received all of the proposals, it’s time to make a decision. Before you start working with a professional fundraising consultant, make sure that you thoroughly evaluate their projects and their recommendations. Also, ask yourself if they can help you solve your specific problems.
A fundraising consultant or counsel can provide advice on various aspects of fundraising, including strategies and tactics. They are not involved in soliciting donations. While fundraisers are responsible for registering themselves, it’s important to make sure that the individuals you hire are up-to-date with the various requirements in their respective states. Doing so will allow you to maintain a secure and transparent relationship with your collaborator, and it will also help prevent potential issues from arising.
