Fundraising

Fundraising is the necessary to accomplish the programs and day to day operations of your club. The two most common ways of fundraising are Personal solicitation and direct mail. Direct mail requires a pre-established list of donors that some clubs have but many do not. Thus personal solicitation is the primary source of revenue for College Republicans. There are many, many individuals and organizations willing to support CRs. Finding them and effectively soliciting them is the task at hand. The following are some suggestions to maximize your effectiveness at fundraising.

Create a Budget

• Before anything else, you need to come up with a budget. A realistic budget accomplishes two things. First, it gives you a framework from which to fundraise. You will know how much money you need for what and when. Second, you will use it to solicit donations. Potential donors will appreciate knowing how their money will be spent.
• Using your political plan, outline each item for the coming year that will require funds. Itemize your budget in a way that makes it easy for potential donors to understand. Ask the question, what exactly will it take to implement our plans for the year? Create specific goals and timelines to fund your projects. Organize it by semester, then month. How much money will you need this semester? How much of that will you need next month?
• Don’t let great be the enemy of good. The budget doesn’t have to be fancy; the end result is that you want it to show 2 main things:
• How Much Money your club needs.
• When you need the money in order to accomplish your goals.

Create a Donor Prospectus and Donation Form
Create a document that shows why your organization is worth donating to. Present your club’s history, your plan for the coming year and your budget. Include pictures of successful past events where possible. If you’re a new clubs, talk about the successes of other CR chapters in your area (contact a neighboring club chair or your Regional Vice Chair).

Talking Points
Whether your at a meet and great, calling a past donor or preparing a fundraising letter, identify your talking points. While talking points might be specific to each campus, there are some good generalities.

• Identify Past Successes (how much you have grown, the rally that you held next semester)
• Plans for the year (Rally’s, recruitment goals, registrations goals)
• Have examples of bias from professors or outrageous things that leftists groups are doing on your campus. Make sure they know that CR’s are the ones fighting the left of campuses.

Identify Past Donors
Has your club been around for a few years? Did the last chair keep your donors in an excel sheet? Make sure you get the donor list from the last chair. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not contacting past donors. Call anyone that gave $50 or more, let them know your plans and ask if they will support you again this year. Send a letter to any other donors, thanking them for their past support and ask for their support again. Often elected officials are past CR’s maybe even at your chapter. If you know of an elected official or Party official that went to your school, the will usually be more likely to support you then not.

Identify Potential Donors
Start close to home and work your way out. Are there club members or parents or relatives of club members who would be likely to contribute? Next, look for Republican organizations in your area that could be donor sources. Local Republican Women Federated chapters, Lincoln Clubs and Republican County Central Committees in your area are all good places to start.

• Members Family and Friends
• California Republican Women Federated
• County Central Committees
• Local think tanks or Conservative Goups
• Local Elected Officials
• Candidates for Office

Contact Potential Donors
For individuals, begin by mailing them a prospectus, short letter and donation form. Follow up with a phone call a few days later.

For organizations, ask if it would be possible to meet with them or speak to their organization. Many will be happy to have you speak for a few minutes at their next meeting or event. Take with you multiple copies of the prospectus and many donation forms- ideally a self addressed stamped envelope would be used. Your mission is to convince them that your club is worth their support. Tell them stories about battling liberal bias, working for campaigns and how you discovered the College Republicans. Conclude with a humble request for support. Ask people to sponsor particular items of your budget, such as fliers for the coming month or a speaker.

Thank You Notes
Thank you notes are a MUST no matter how much a donor gave. If they gave a small amount this time, they WILL give just as much or more the next time around. Thank you notes should ALWAYS be hand written and certainly NEVER emails. Enclose a picture of the event if you have one, so your donor can see what their contribution in action.

It is also a good idea to get into the habit of sending short notes to people that you meet at Republican events. Send a short hand written note to anyone that gives you a business card- letting them know it was nice to meet them. You can potentially parlay this into a donation later on.

Use Volunteerism to Your Advantage
One of the best ways to demonstrate the effectiveness of your club is to volunteer at events. Whether it be manning the Republican booth at a county fair or making phone calls for the local party, well organized volunteers are your greatest asset. They will give your club more credibility and professionalism than any letter or phone call. Volunteering is a great way to get to know people in other organizations who can help you raise money in the future.

Getting Money from Your School
Each school has a different system of club financing, so it is important that you learn about your particular school’s rules. Most give money to organizations only for specific events. For example, rather than supporting the College Republicans directly, they will help pay for a speaker’s honorarium or the fliers for an upcoming debate. Again, know your school’s system and rules. Make sure to find out how much money each club has the ability to get and how to request it.

In-Kind Donations
In kind-donation are the easiest way to minimize your net costs. Do you need a bunch of fliers printed for your recruitment table? Don’t go to Kinko’s, ask the Republican business owner down the street/County Party/Candidate that your helping, etc. if you could use their copy machine. Need food for your meetings? See if a local pizza shop will donate some pizza’s. Let them know that you’ll thank them in your newsletter, on your website etc. Make sure to bring people into the restaurant to give them business after they donate food. Food is cheap for them and expensive to you. In-kind food donations are great way to lower costs.

Donor Relations
Once you have donors, keep them! I know it sounds basic but many organizations do not keep good records of their donors. Keep a spreadsheet of every donor that gave, with contact information and any other applicable information.

Here are some simple ways to keep up good relations to donors:

• Keep asking for money- Remember that someone who has donated 3 times before is more likely to donate than someone who never has. Don’t ask them every week but once a semester and during a “crunch” is definitely not too much.
• Thank our donors every chance you get. If they are paying for a specific program, have a few of your members write a thank you note to them as well.
• Keep them up to date on our progress. Let them know how their money is being put to use.
• Talk to them a few time without asking for money
• Publicly recognize them (if you speak at a meeting that they are at etc.)
• Never lie to them

Things to Keep in Mind
Approaching donors is something that makes most people feel uncomfortable. You shouldn’t feel guilty about asking people for money for your club. You’re giving them an opportunity to show their support. Keep in mind that no donor is alike.

Top reasons people will give money:

• Because you ask them to.
• You reward them- they want to be recognized on your website, in front of their group etc.
• People have egos (their friend is so they feel obligated)
• Fear. (If I don’t donate $, X will happen to CCR or Republicans) / Their gift will have a positive effect on society
• Belief in our organization.
• Reasons people won’t give us money?
• Because you don’t ask them!
• Our organization is not seen as viable
• You make them feel exploited- be persistent though
• You ask for to much money- always have a counter offer