Marketing Fundraising: The Importance of Term Paper

The amount of money the target audience has at its disposal will also determine the type of event held -- a wealthy donor base might justify a fancy auction, with a high price per 'plate,' while a donation drive to encourage teenagers and middle-schoolers to donate a portion of their lunch money to help hurricane victims would stress small donations, but not justify the physical expense of an 'occasion.' At occasion-style fundraisers charities will often offer some sort of prize, small or large, to people who buy a share of a 50/50 raffle, or buy a dinner. These prizes may include a chance to win a desirable prize, like a car, or simply be a T-shirt that identifies the owner that he or she is a donor, and spreads awareness about the cause.

Besides encouraging people to donate, such tangible awards for donation create a sense of involvement with the donor, making the organization's cause something that they can wear with pride across their chest, or as a bumper sticker on their car. But even with these 'give-aways' the demographic target must be kept in mind. A diaper bag for a children's charity as a prize would be appropriate if the target audience is mostly parents, just as a chance to win a day at the spa would be appropriate if the target audience was mostly female. The charity must show that it appreciates the giver, by acknowledging the giver's identity.

The number of persons being solicited by the fundraiser must be of some concern as well. For example, a wide target audience that demands small donations from middle-class persons will require a wider 'net,' even if the demographic is segmented by age, gender, and region, than a fundraiser attempting to solicit much larger donations from a narrow audience, which often must depend upon a much more personal appeal. (for very large solicitations, for example, some fundraising auctions will auction off a day with a famous person willing to donate his or her time for the cause, which obviously demands a much more intimate approach to solicitations than asking for ten dollars in the mail through a form letter.)

Whether the organization is soliciting funds from the 'party faithful' -- hard-core supporters, or generating a new base will influence the tone of the material -- either persuasive or rallying. An additional, related concern is overlap -- who else might be soliciting donations at this time of the same 'faithful' base. Unlike in a for-profit competitive market, two competing non-profits might bow out from soliciting donations from the same donor groups, in deference to their mutual cause (Kotler, 1997: 56) the time of the year may also influence promotional strategies, as wealthy donors may be eager for a tax deduction in April, while poorer people who do not usually contribute may be willing to donate around the holiday season.

Most charities use a wide range of donation strategies, combining solicitations from large donors with mass mailings, form letters with events. Ideally, casting a wide net is ideal, but even the most broad-based organization must have a clear target audience in mind, to make the use of limited resources effective when constructing a fundraising event.

Works Cited

Kotler, Phillip. (1997). Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations. New York:…