It's extremely important to keep your fundraising expenses down. One of the easiest ways to make your fundraising effort "low cost" is by controlling expenses. Nothing pains me more than to see a charity lose all of the fundraising profit from an event, mailing, or other tactic by spending more than they have to. Here are some quick tips on keeping more of what you earn by keeping expenses low: 1. Find In-Kind Donations In-kind donations are when someone gives an item or product or service to your organization instead of money. When you're holding an event or doing a mailing, see if someone will donate the food, or the entertainment, or the postage, or the printing costs. 2. Don't be Afraid to Negotiate This is a big one - most non-profits ask for stuff for free, and if the person says no, they pay full price. Stop! Negotiate the price. First of all, if you're using a local print shop or restaurant, you may be one of their biggest clients, which may entice them into giving you a discount. If not, use the charity card, and explain how important your mission is... then ask for the discount. 3. Bid Things Out This is another one that most non-profits don't do... bid things out! When you're getting ready to spend money, shop around and bid things out. Get people to compete over price, and see who comes in the lowest with the best quality items. |  Photo credit Old Shoe Woman through flickr |
