Fundraising Methods for NGO, Charities, Schools, Non Profits, and Businesses

Here you will learn from my 10 years of experience exclusively in fundraising for NGO, and Schools. I will try to provide you a list with details of all the methods we used for fundraising.

As introduction I want to tell that i was very successful to raise funds for my ngo. When I joined this ngo its annual operational expenses were 10 million a year, and now the annual expenses are more than 120 million a year. I am fulfilling all the requirements of my ngo with just a team of 4 members.

You can find our annual plan for fundraising, requirements of budget, yearly activities for fundraising.

Keep in mind my ngo work at one city only, and our donor network is also limited. We are not like bigger ngos who raise funds at national level.

So starting with our main tools for fundraising. I will list down all the methods with priorities we are using.

Donation Request Letters for Fundraising

Direct donation request letters for individuals, and companies with brochure is very useful, and most responsive fundraising method for every NGO, Business, or a charity organization. You shall collect data, and start sending letters, and later screen out the correct data vs incorrect data, responsive data vs non responsive.

Keep in mind on your first letter response will be minimum so you may need to send at least three letters to get maximum response from any data.

• What to write in Donation Request Letters for Fundraising

You must provide/write a genuine reason to raise funds, and if you are write of old donors than you must start letter with thanking them for their previous contribution.

SMS for Donation Request, and Reminders for Fundraising

Sending donation requests in sms is also becoming most responsive, quick, and cost effective for fundraising. From SMS normally response comes in minutes, and hours.

• You can have list of donor mobile numbers.
• You can have list of golden mobile numbers.
• You can have list of business mans mobile numbers.

Some time sms becomes most irritating so please do not send repeated sms. SMS should be once in two weeks if necessary. not more than this at all.

Followup Phone Calls to Donors for Fundraising

You will find this fascinating when calling to your old donors, and reminding them for donations. Please remember to keep the call very short, and limit to donation request with reason only.

School Campaigns for Fundraising

It is also easy, and great method to raise funds from school. You have to get permission from the school administration for fundraising campaign, and manage to reward the students with appreciation certificates for their participation. The amount depends on the school strength, and financial background of the students.

You can ask the students to sell tickets, or simply give them envelopes with donation request to donate amount, and tell them the reward for certain amounts. You will get very good response.

Donation Boxes for Fundraising

You can place donation boxes in malls, pharmacies, and various other types of shops in your area. But as per my experience donation boxes in pharmacies give maximum outcome. This method also need some struggle like various visits to get permission, and place the box, late collecting amount from the boxes regularly.

Personal Visits to Donors/Companies for Fundraising

Crowd Funding Platforms for Fundraising

You can use the crowdfunding platforms for fundraising as part of your campaign. We also used some platforms, and successfully raised funds for some of our projects. But to use these platforms you need design attractive campaign, and later you have to promote it within your circle for fundraising.

We were using Gofundme, and globalgiving for our fundraising campaigns.

How, and Where We Collect Data of Donors?

We purchase business directories, booklets, phone directories, business unions like chamber of commerce, textile, sugar, steel, software houses, society residents,  society members, and every source where we can find names, addresses, phones, etc related to individuals, and businesses.

Even we are also used to note resident names from the gates of good/worthy houses.