What Is Fund Raising And Why is It So Important?

What Is Fund Raising And Why is It So Important?

Fundraising is just what it appears to be - the raising of funds or money. For a non-profit, fund raising is often the only way to get the money to pay for the facilities and programs that the group wishes to organize. Fundraising can take many forms, from sales to direct asking for money to organizing events or lotteries for which people will pay.

Since non-profit groups are by their definition groups that do not wish to profit many people wonder why they must raise money at all. In fact, fundraising is often the only way that non-profits have of gaining the money needed to rent the space and organize the programs needed to fulfill the group’s mandate.

Fundraising can help raise awareness through newspapers or newsletters, it can help a group establish an Internet site, and it can help people that the group is hoping to help. For example, a women’s shelter will need money for a shelter space, money for food and board for abused women, and money for programs such as education and job training for the women who visit the center.

The costs of even a small women’s center can be enormous, and fundraising is the way to raise this money. All simple non-profit groups need some money in order to really do good, and this is where fundraising comes in.

Plenty of people assume that fundraising is as simple as holding bake sales or some other organizational activity until enough money is raised. If you only want to raise a small amount of money, this may be fine, but for many groups this approach is too uncertain and too limited to be very effective.

If your group will be around for a while, then you will want to raise money consistently in order to keep your group going. You will need to learn many things in order to keep enough money coming consistently:

•How to find enough money to keep your programs going and your group expanding

•How to find ever new sources of money in order to ensure that you have enough consistently

•How to continue to run the group’s programs and fulfill the group’s mandate even while taking the time to fundraise

•How to stay organized and keep group morale and interest high - even after many years of fundraising

You will learn these basics and much more in upcoming posts


What Is Fund Raising And Why is It So Important?