With every gala, fun run, charity walk or fundraising event, the need for and the pursuit of sponsors becomes a focus of those trying to use these events to raise funds and awareness for their organizations. In the charitable sector marketplace new and bigger events begin on what seems like a daily basis.

The corporate partners approached to sponsor such events are feeling new pressures to listen to support these groups. But they’re evaluating such proposals against an ever-increasing sense of their own corporate purpose and strategic objectives.

Even with the increasing sophistication of the charitable sector in how it appeals to corporations, acquiring sponsors remains a difficult task. In some cases it is still a “hit and miss” process.

Being an effective member of a charity’s board involves more than showing up at meetings. It requires staying informed and asking difficult questions, participating in planning and policy making, ensuring a sound financial footing, and monitoring and evaluating the management and governance of an organization. In addition, it frequently means fundraising. 

The board’s role in fundraising is to prepare and be informed in order to make the appropriate approach. It is important to enlist people who have served as fundraisers before, individuals with sales and marketing backgrounds, and people who understand public relations and advertising. 

The position description for board members should refer specifically to fundraising activities. It should be known up front that board members have a duty to enthusiastically seek support from various sources.

The most populous generation in history, the Boomers, are getting ready to…to what? To retire from their for-profit jobs? Yes. To start a second career in a nonprofit? Yes. To volunteer more than they’ve had time to during their work years? Yes. To retire from their nonprofit jobs? Yes. To retire later than our parents did? Probably. To hand off the leadership of our nonprofits to two generations of people that they really don’t understand? Yes. To stress out the social fabric of society to the maximum extent? Yes.

In Generations, author Peter Brinckerhoff invites you to think about the implications of this trend for your nonprofit. Will you have more people to serve in ten years, or fewer? If you don’t provide services to the aging segments of our population, do you think your funding levels from governmental and foundation sources will drop, stay the same, or increase? How are you going to replace retiring staff and board members, particularly at senior management levels? 

How do you view other charities whose mission is the same as yours? They serve the same vulnerable people, work in the same neighbourhood or region. Sometimes you’re even mistaken for one of them, and they’re mistaken for you. Are they competitors? Or potential collaborators?

Four Canadian charities active in international relief decided some years ago to collaborate wherever they could. They’ve worked with one another on the ground for years. Five years ago, after acknowledging their common values, objectives, size and memberships in the same international alliances, they decided to collaborate on fundraising too. Care Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec and Save the Children created the Humanitarian Coalition, a charity whose sole job is to raise money for its members’ response to international disasters.

I just got back from a direct response conference in the US, where my focus was on the digital sessions. There was some great stuff shared, particularly from the folks working in the commercial sector.

I’ve talked a lot in these articles about the use of personal data, finding emotional triggers, delving into the real reasons why individuals are enamored with what you do.

So you can imagine how excited and intrigued I was while immersing myself in the world of online intent data. In short, this is where you’re able to connect with people based on their purchase or browsing behaviour on other sites. Intent data helps you find online those people who are already exploring the territory in which you operate.