Key fundraising recommendations:
- Before considering fundraising LDSA needs to look at marketing its excellent services. Create clear printed materials, leaflets, posters etc. Market the services provided, but always remind people LDSA is a charity and needs money to survive. Ask a corporation to pay for this. It’s cheaper for a corporation to support a charity and get promotion rather than paying an advertising agency, and they get the chance to genuinely help the community. If you can generate celebrities to help promote the charity, this will attract corporations even more.
- Break down the operating need for 1 year into small, medium and large funding requests. For example – 10 donors pays for 4 books, 500 pays for a computer, 10,000 donors pays for a new vehicle.
- Ask shops, corporations, and the local hospital to hold your information in public areas where many people walk past. You not only educate people on Down syndrome, but you also increase the probability of donations.
- Aim for market recognition of the LDSA logo and its services by generating as much media and public relations exposure as possible. This will in turn make funders more interested and will show you have genuine presence in society.
- Create media partners.
- Use your website more. Feature logos of corporations that you work with (e.g. BG Libya). This will generate more traffic from their website to yours and will also give you greater kudos.
- Always invite corporations, local businesses and individuals to see your office. Once they see the people with Down syndrome at the centre, they will become emotionally involved. When this happens they are more likely to give.
- Continue to host small events which are working well.
- Concentrate on expanding the corporate fundraising opportunities. Libya is starting to develop its tourist trade, especially around Tripoli. Huge Indian and American corporations are constructing hotels and offices. They should be approached. If you establish a contact within a major corporation and need further assistance on how to establish good links with them, feel free to contact us at DSi.
Important fundraising rules to remember:
- Always follow up.
- People who give once are more likely to give again.
- Record their details on a database and invite them to your Centre to see progress.
- Never approach individuals for donations more than 2 times in 1 year and corporations or businesses only once. Otherwise they are unlikely to give again.
