The preface to Hogan, C. 2009 Prospect Research: A Primer for Growing Nonprofits, starts with a two-worded quote by Warren Buffet which simply but powerfully says “Brace yourself”.
After a few years of flat or down results in both dollars and number of donors, everyone is anxious to get their annual fund growing again. This pressure to see growth and make goal can cause annual funds to react to the environment, rather than manage it.
Non-profits live and operate in extremely difficult times! And generally I don’t think the fundraising scene is going to improve for non-profits in South Africa.
For many non-profits, raising money for an endowment is the ultimate dream. To have the resources and support to be able to raise an endowment above and beyond the organization’s operating needs seems like a far-fetched yet very desirable goal.
Being able to sustain your organisation financially requires that you choose a good funding mix, so that you are not limited to one source of funding. This diversification of funding requires careful planning, thus a strategic approach to sustainable funding is necessary for every organisation.
Funding proposals have one commonality — problems! Proposals illustrate the problems and needs of our beneficiaries to convince donors that our cause is worth supporting.