Fundraising downturn ahead? Evaluate these warning signs…

Supporting non-profits fundraising campaigns with our call centre services is something we at Miratel are truly committed to and work in tandem to develop enhanced programs that bring the best in service and expertise to your organization. Fundraising takes dedication, resilience and innovation and even then it can be a challenge to develop new processes that help you reach your goals. Innovation is required to avoid getting trapped into any type of fundraising slump, particularly when previous ideas have always proven to be a success. The law of diminishing returns applies when following the same pattern from year to year as the lack of freshness in the approach runs the risk of not being supported with similar passion. Creating new and vibrant fundraising strategies can be vital in avoiding a profile that seems stale or uninspired to your donors.  Many of the signs that a change would probably help are internal and can be spotted with diligence and awareness. Moreover if some of these alerts are visible within your organization then the chances that your audience will respond as actively as in the past are greatly reduced.

One important sign may include the following scenarios; is volunteer passion and stewardship harder to measure and observe? Is there any lack of volunteers to fulfill critical roles on committees and teams within your organization? Is there a prevailing attitude of boredom or repetition due to the same program being rolled out for the ‘xth’ consecutive year? If any of these symptoms seem to be visible then its a clear sign that the lack of variety is impeding the creativity and drive behind your campaign. The inherent danger is that this can transfer itself to the actual delivery of your fundraising campaign.

Secondly perhaps, are you seeing goals that were forecast to be achievable fail to be reached? Reasons for falling short of projections are widespread but can include; a reduction in sales due to lack of choice or indeed outreach to prospective donors, lack of confidence from donors that a difference can be made, targets being set too high or an over reliance on approach that is outdated or not being managed effectively. Reaching goals can therefore be contingent on assessing if vitality and education about the cause is part of the sales process and that a the strategy being used is as modern and efficient as possible.

Another matter to determine is whether the donors are supportive but the cash flow and distributable funds are both on a downward spiral? This can be due to a variety of internal faults within the organization. If this is the pervading issue then there is either a lack of internal structure, excessive waste, inaccurate accounting books or a combination of all three. Once more refining the ways in which you operate are key to taking your fundraising upward.

There are of course numerous variations on these themes and ideas which will be unique to your situation, but a combination of awareness, retooling and restructuring can realign a non profit that is beginning to lose momentum. Warning signs are everywhere – address them in good time and your fundraising can continue to grow.