Fundraising Tips for NGOs

Fundraising is an NGO’s worst nightmare but a very essential activity. When to launch it? How to start it? How to conduct it? NGOs need to fundraise or else they’ll be forced to close their doors. I recently read these useful observations for NGOs in a web article called “Mobile for Good: A How-To Fundraising Guide for Nonprofits.”

Your NGO’s content strategy begins with an analysis of what types of content your nonprofit plans to create and what channels it will use to distribute the content. Afterward, you and your management team must start thinking about the tone of voice of your content: the words that you’ll use, the types of sentences and paragraphs, and even length.

The easiest way to compose your tone of voice is to base it upon the important mission of your NGO and consider what words other, similar NGOs use in their outreach. If your nonprofit focuses on human rights or poverty, for example, then your fundraising tone of voice should be serious, smart, and thought-provoking. If your nonprofit works to protect the environment or animals, then your tone of voice could be informational, resolute, and sometimes even humorous. If you are an arts and culture organization, think about crafting a tone of voice that is creative, clever, and entertaining.

Ask yourself: what are five words that describe the character traits of your mission or organizational culture? Check what other NGOs are using. When you network with them, ask them for their fundraising best practices and then use these words to craft your tone of voice.

Contact me for more ideas and guidance.