When you click Let’s Begin you will explore …
Volunteers Are Your Base of Support; Plan the Details;
Sell Your Program;
Deal With Fear ; Move to a Goal; What’s Next
Unfreeze your potential
Fund Raising
Everything in life takes effort. Fundraising is no different. In fact as you begin your fundraising project, for Chimorel or for your own program, expect challenges as you step into your learning curve. The purpose of this training is to help your fund raising to be efficient and fun. You will want to plan in advance, raise the most possible in the shortest time, have fun and keep good records.
Start your fundraising efforts with memberships, dues and pledges at your first meeting. Let people know in advance what will happen at this meeting. Build excitement and enthusiasm and have fun from the beginning. Raising money can intentionally strengthen your program. Set specific goals. Involve Your Constituents.
Why? When you can pay staff, buy supplies and run your program, you become self-sufficient. Pride and peace of mind increase. When people give to your cause, you prove the breadth, depth and need for your efforts to foundations, corporations and other funding sources. Your fund raising can attract new members, deepen the commitment of members who raise money, as well as, create enthusiasm and publicity.
Specific Fund Raising Strategies
… how nonprofits can raise money.
Click or scroll for specific strategies.
Specific Strategy
Membership Dues
Individual Donations
Program Fees
Door to Door Canvassing
Recycling
Special Projects
Corporate Donations
Special Events
Benefit Programs
Be Creative
Major Donors
Speakers’ Bureau
Selling Products
Selling Training
Auctions
Foundation Proposals
Newsletter
Bingo
Professional Canvassing
Government Grants
Business Incubation
Investments
Payroll Deduction
Professional Direct Mail
Planned Giving
Bequests & Insurance
Approximate Lead Time
Today
Today
1-3 months
1-3 months
1-3 months
1-3+ months
1-6 months
1-6 months
1-6 months
1-6+ months
3-6 months
3-6 months
3-6 months
3-6 months
3-6 months
3-12 months
6-12 months
6-12 months
6-12 months
1-3 years
3-5 years
3-5 years
3-5 years
3-5 years
3-20+ years
3-20+ years
Memberships & Donations
Time Frame: Today
Fund raising question: “What else is there beside asking for money and sending thank you notes?” Answer: “The reason you give.” Giving because you care about the cause may be reason enough, but giving because you care and because something happens in your life is truly powerful.
Becoming a member with Chimorel creates that extra dimension. You may give to help people gain employment or to reduce hunger or to achieve world peace or for an even more powerful reason. At Chimorel becoming a member also helps you achieve a goal or solve a problem. Membership leads to higher levels of involvement and personal achievement. This is why we suggest you start by asking people about their goals, rather than asking for money.
Sometimes people will give $10-$25 just because you asked. Taking the first step toward achieving a goal or developing an action plan not only raises more money, it also gives someone an opportunity to learn to set big goals, to solve significant problems, to develop more resources to be able to give more later and to live a happier more productive life.
First, ask yourself how much you have given / are willing to give. Most of the time people you ask will do approximately what you did. If you haven’t explored our How Do I Market Memberships area, click this link. If you have not Become a Member yet, now might be a good time. If you just want to Make a Donation feel free to do so.
Time Frame: 1-3 months
Chimorel has many programs. To view our programs and learn more about each program area click Program Fees above. Then explore the programs you are interested in. Each program has a marketing allocation, an implementation allocation and an allocation that goes to Chimorel for administration, management, etc. Fund Raisers who enter a Special Project can use part or all of the marketing and implementation allocations depending on what skills they have and what they actually do.
At Chimorel memberships start the process to get involved and to achieve your goals, but programs actually make things happen. You will want to learn how to upgrade people to higher level memberships and programs. Once you do, you will be able to raise a lot for your project. You can also focus on your own goals, as well.
Door to Door Canvasing
Time Frame: 1-3 months
Our Cash For fund raising strategy is a unique way to raise money for small groups, individuals with several friends and other specific programs within Chimorel. It is essentially a door to door canvassing strategy that can be implemented rather quickly where several people canvass one or more specific neighborhoods telling the Chimorel story and raising small sums of cash for a specific project.
In some areas there are laws that must be adhered to, in order to canvass legally. If this is an area of interest we can provide you a significant amount of training. If you implement our Cash For strategy, you will need to adhere to our strict code of conduct.
Time Frame: 1-3 months
Chimorel recycles tons of ewaste every year. Click the Recycling link above to discover the omnious cloud that hangs over our world and what you can do. Recycling can create jobs, help clean up the environment and brighten the picture. Every time you walk by a cubicle filled with old computers or see trash pile high on a curb just before trash day, think of Chimorel. We can turn those computers and that trash into jobs, training opportunities, new careers and a safer environment. Recycling creates significantly more jobs and is much safer than throwing stuff into the landfill.
We have written a New Recycling Story and are in the process of developing an Active Recycler program. This program is a self-funding program. You could become a Neighborhood Recycling Coordinator. Your kids could pay for much of their college education by becoming involved. You can reduce the volume going to landfills. There is a huge opportunity just waiting for the right people to put on their gloves and make it happen.
Time Frame: 1-3+ months
At Chimorel a Special Project is a way to fund a genuine legal need through three levels: First Level = $2500 to $25,000, Second Level = $25,001 to $500,000, Third Level = $500,001+ for nonprofit affiliates and Action Planning members. You succeed at each lower level before moving to a higher level. You can repeat a level until you are ready to move to a higher level. Funding can be through any of Chimorel’s fund raising alternatives, which include Scrip, Chimorel4U, virtual and warehouse auctions and more than 100 other possibilities. Click the link above to learn more.
Corporate Donations
Time Frame: 1-6 months
Asking for significant corporate donations takes some skill, enthusiasm and fearless determination. Here are some thoughts to enhance your effort:
- Start by asking a corporation to donate computers.
- Get to know people in the company (the president, human resource director, department heads or vice presidents, etc.)
- Find out what their problems, goals, needs are. Find out what their resources are.
- Go online to find out what their donation policies and timing of donations are.
- Structure your request to solve problems, meet needs and achieve goals.
Use these links to learn more:
Donate Computers Script 1.
Donate Computers Script 2.
Solve Problems, Meet Needs, Achieve Goals.
Special Events
Time Frame: 1-6 months
Special events can generate publicity and awareness, raise money, frequently exchange attendance for a ticket charge and offer some form of entertainment or activity. They may include dances, tours, concerts, talent shows, casino nights, yard sales, live and silent auctions, raffles, carnivals, speaking engagements, bike rides, athon events, competitions and cook offs. Chimorel’s auction program uses special events as part of its process. Special events may reduce the pressure of a direct appeal, but they can also offer an opportunity for an in person presentation to a large audience. Online special events can include Go Fund Me, Crowd Sourcing and Facebook appeals.
Benefit Programs
Time Frame: 1-6 months
Many small non-profits, small businesses, sole proprietors and individuals do not have an adequate benefit program., which leaves people with unpayable hospital bills and many other unmet needs.
We intend to step into this concern by creating an association, not unlike AARP and similar groups which can provide needed benefits in exchange for work and other things that individuals and organizations do for Chimorel. This is an area where a few concerned citizens can step up and organize.
Be Creative
Time Frame: 1-6 months
Working with Chimorel always starts with being a volunteer. Fundraising is the same. Being creative happens when an inspiration hits you from out of the blue. Creating something frequently starts as a solitary struggle, paying nothing and many times costing you something to put your ideas together.
There is a difference at Chimorel. You are no longer alone and you may be able to find many of the resources you need working with Chimorel staff, volunteers and resources. This is inspirational. It can be fun and exciting. By turning your creative ideas into ways to support Chimorel, Chimorel will turn its resources into ways to support you.
Major Donors
Time Frame: 3-6 months
For many nonprofits about 84% of their fund raising comes from just 12% of their donors. These are major donors. Start by creating a list of past donors and a separate list of donors you want to appeal to. Rank you past donors according to the amount given. Estimate potential donors by giving potential. Assume that you will raise approximately 75% of your funds from these two lists.
Now spend the time to evaluate what is important to each person on your lists. What can you offer that is compelling? What is the most powerful way to get them involved? What can they not say no to? Who are your most influential spokespeople? Work out the details gently, persuasively, showing concern for your major donors’ needs.
Speakers Bureau
Time Frame: 3-6 months
Your speakers can ignite the power of transformative connection, create experiences that spark engagement, enrich lives and trigger change. Global Won, one of Chimorel’s projects hold monthly online speaker events which attract 1000+ participants out of a potential field of several million. During Martin Luther King 40 days of service we participate with Global Won and Compassion Games holding rooms with various speakers reaching out to this audience. This opens the door to many new relationships during Covid19. You are welcome to learn more.
Sell Products
Time Frame: 3-6 months
Nonprofits can sell products and services; however, they run the risk of paying taxes and potentially losing their nonprofit status by not avoiding UBIT, unrelated business income tax. Chimorel Services charges for related services, but Chimorel Group LLC sells unrelated products and services, then donates to Chimorel Services and pays its administrative costs to avoid this problem. Through Chimorel Group LLC, Chimorel sells things online and recycles tons of ewaste and other recyclables. Chimorel Group also manages our auction program and other product sales and services.
Sell Training
Time Frame: 3-6 months
Selling training has concerns similar to selling products; however, training offered by a nonprofit is frequently related to its mission. Chimorel markets Create a Career and other programs. Built into each program and membership are ways to generate revenue from marketing and by providing the service. Creating alternatives to meet needs is part of Chimorel’s mission and core values.
Foundation Proposals
Time Frame: 3-12 months
The foundation proposal that can be funded is the one that gets to a foundation that cares about what you do and with whom you have a relationship. Do the research required to identify foundations with a potential interest in your cause. Write a basic proposal that can be tailored and sent to many foundations interested in your cause. Tell your story beginning with your budget. Seek support for your general operating budget or unrestricted grants wherever possible. Build relationships with potential funders before submitting proposals. Use the grants received to set the stage for your next proposal. Build self-sustaining mechanisms into every grant proposal.
Newsletters
Time Frame: 6-12 months
Chimorel uses aWeber with tags to target emails and newsletters to particular audiences. Email counts for 25% of all fund raising. Targeted emails have the highest open rate of all fund raising activity. You want to segment your audience to reach the right people with the right message, using the following criteria – desired communication frequency, demographics, giving status, organizational role. Send your message at the right time, Monday at 6am for example, based on your research. Create powerful subject lines – ask a question, less than 15 characters, express urgency. Personalize the greeting. Tell a story. Use images. Be concise. Use a clear call to action. From a sender that matters. Optimize for mobile. Include your contact information.
Bingo
Time Frame: 6-12 months
In Ohio the Attorney General regulates bingo activity and licenses eligible nonprofit organizations, as well as, bingo manufacturers and distributors. Ohio offers a free three hour bingo training for new volunteers and organization leaders.
Bingo operators can raise funds through prize sponsorship, sale of admission tickets and sale of bingo tickets. You want to arrange sponsorship and prizes. You must order bingo packs from authorized vendors. You want to advertise your event and sell admission tickets. You can raise funds directly from the gaming. Youi must keep track of and report your proceeds.
Professional Fund Raiser
Time Frame: 6-12 months
Professional fund raising means that you hire a professional group to organize door to door, mailing, special event and other fund raising activities you wish to conduct. The organizing group typically will charge a flat fee amounting to 20 to 50+% of funds raised and is not dependent on how much is actually raised, thus you could potentially spend more than actually raised. Chimorel is not a professional fund raiser. Instead we do joint fund raising activities with affiliate nonprofits and Special Project participants. The share of funds raised depends on who does what and the activity involved. When a charity uses a professional fund raiser there are certain reporting requirements expected by most states and many cities.
Government Grants
Time Frame: 1-3 years
Government grants are similar to foundation grants; however, they are designed to meet the needs of the local, state or federal government; are usually competitive; and frequently change with new administrations, thus program continuity can be complicated at best and not survivable at worst.
The most comprehensive federal grant source is gants.gov., a catalogue of federal domestic assistance or all levels of government, nonprofit, business and other entities. The most common grants fund public education, higher education, human service and healthcare. Chimorel can assist in your grant research through its subscription to Grantstation.
Business Incubation
Time Frame: 3-5 years
Business Incubation serves as a catalyst supporting new and startup companies with management training, office space and related services as an academic institution, nonprofit development corporation, for profit property development undertaking, venture capital firm or a combination of these alternatives.
Through its Start or Strengthen a Business, Property Acquisition, Cooperative Effort and affiliate business consultant programs and relationships Chimorel can serve as a Business Incubator.
Investments
Time Frame: 3-5 years
Chimorel is an investor in Chimorel Group LLC. Through our Property Acquisition program we will invest in warehouses, apartment buildings and other housing, farms, office buildings and self-sustaining business ventures that support our auction, transitional housing, intern and related programs and which provide a 2+% cash flow. Investments that support a nonprofit’s mission are unlikely to be problematic with UBIT. There are restrictions on holding times and amounts for unrelated investments by nonprofit groups.
Payroll Deduction
Time Frame: 3-5 years
Many companies allow you to donate through payroll deduction. They will ask for the IRS Letter of Determination. andf may want the EIN#, Chimorel’s EIN is 23-7227852. Obtain a pledge card that shows one of these: a pay stub, your w2 or a document from your employer showing the total withheld for charity.
If your employer does not currently provide charitable payroll deduction and/or matching donations, we can work with you to make this happen.
Professional Direct Mail
Time Frame: 3-5 years
You can also hire a professional to conduct your direct mail campaign. Chimorel believes in email and internet publicity and tends to shy away from direct mail. The cost per contact is significant, 10+ cents/piece, vs fractions of a cent/contact once you identify contact information. The open rate is significantly less, 1-3%, vs 25-50+% per contact. The likelihood of meaningful engagement using interactive techniques is significantly better.
You are likely to pay a flat fee to a professional organizer similar to that for a professional fund raiser. When you are ready for the online/email version of direct mail Chimorel can support your efforts.
Planned Giving
Time Frame: 3-20+ years
Planned giving is top of mind for three reasons: 1) Planned giving is major giving. 2) During volatile times a diverse revenue stream is more important than ever. 3) Asset based giving is powerful. A donor making a gift from wealth tends to consider how their wealth can make transformational change. The discussion is about making a meaningful impact.
Bequests & Insurance
Time Frame: 3-20+ years
Bequests account for approximately 9% of all fund raising. Donors who include a charity in their will tend to give twice as much in annual gifts. The world was not desolate before you came. The trees you plant today will give shade, fruit and beauty for your grandchildren. Assure today that your values will live past your lifetime.
Involve Your Constituents
Who are the people your nonprofit organization serves? What can they do to support the cause? They may be homeless or feel hopeless. They may be so overwhelmed that they do not see a need to participate in developing the resources needed to serve them. Nevertheless, they need to get involved.
It will take a lot of effort on your part to organize a structure that can take advantage of the things your constituents can do. But, as they pay part or all of the cost of the services you provide to them, you will have more of the funds you need and they will strengthen their lives.
Now is the time to think about the difference between giving a fish and teaching to fish. By involving your constituents in creating the resources needed, you do much more than just raise funds. If I fold fliers for a mailing or make calls to raise funds, I begin to get a glimpse of what it takes to provide the services I receive. But there is a much deeper meaning to getting your constituents involved.
Ask Me To Pay My Way
I resent taking government handouts and taking your charity. Give me a chance to pay my own way. I welcome the opportunity. My self-confidence will strengthen. I may surprise you with my ability to develop additional resources.
Paying my way starts with little things. You might set a limit on what I receive, then ask me to do something. Maybe I can bring a friend who also needs support. Ask me to make a copy of my papers. Say “We’re working with Chimorel, would you like to talk to them about doing some volunteer work and learn how to get a job?”
You will have a major impact on my life, when you ask me to to et involved. When you ask me to do something, you begin to implement Chimorel’s 0-4-0 concept at your organization. Click the link to explore this concept. Then click close the screen to return.
Now let’s explore how Chimorel can teach your clients to pay their own way.
Action Plan to Involve Your Constituents
- Make a list of things you believe your clients and supporters can do at your organization, minimum of 20 possibilities.
- Become an active Chimorel affiliate through our 1000>5000 Program or as a Nonprofit Member. Either entitles you to coaching and joint fund raising endeavors.
- Work with Chimorel to establish fund raising alternatives and explore ways to empower your constituents (clients, family, friends, supporters). This is a brainstorming process with you and your constituents.
- Work with us to open doors at our organization to empower your constituents where ever possible.
- Periodically review progress, identify and solve problems, and work to involve and empower your constituents as an active Chimorel affiliate.
Ask Chimorel to Support
At Chimorel each client is expected to pay his/her own way! If clients can’t afford to pay in cash, we ask them to volunteer 250 hours in our I Got a Job program.
As a strong young man or woman, you might move and process computers. Your organizational and computer skills, might assist with paper work. You might demonstrate your selling skills on the phone, your technical skills repairing computers or your construction skills renovating property.
Do you work hard? If so, we will teach you to work smart. As a good worker, we can open doors to opportunities at Chimorel, with a client, affiliate or sponsor. If it is difficult for you to work hard and smart, we will be patient. You can volunteer as long as it takes to get it right.
We encourage your nonprofit to work with Chimorel to adopt similar strategies, but an easier way is to send people to Chimorel and/or to tell us about projects you need to accomplish. Once you are a Chimorel member/affiliate we will explore a wide variety of alternatives to generate funds by working together. Doing so may give you an additional source of support to provide your services?
There are several ways to pay for Chimorel’s assistance to your nonprofit organization:
Free
As Needed
Become a Member / Affiliate
$1000 >$5000 Program
Free means you browse the website, pick up ideas and do it yourself. You can pay a fee as you need support. You can become a Nonprofit Member. This includes a limited amount of coaching. As an affiliate nonprofit group we will work together to accomplish many things. You can raise $1000 for a Chimorel project and we will help you raise $5000 or more for your project/program.
Free
Free might be a good way for a new organization to begin. You will browse our website and pick up ideas. You may implement some of the ideas on your own. When you are ready, you can contact us to discuss becoming an affiliate or to implement our $1000>$5000 Program. Both of these options are similar to free in that there is no cash cost billed to you. But each will involve working together and raising funds, which is not free.
Free could also be quite expensive. There are several reasons for this. First, you are on your own and may need suggestions, guidance, support, encouragement, and more. Second, when you don’t pay for something you may not see a value in what is available. Third, if you don’t understand a basic concept like getting your constituents involved, you might loose very valuable resources. There are lots of other reasons why free could be expensive, but this enough for now.
Expensive means that you don’t accomplish your goal. If your heart is invested in solving a significant problem and you don’t put the resources together to solve the problem, free is expensive in terms of what could have happened and in terms of your self-esteem.
As Needed
If you are not sure about becoming a member yet, starting your coaching on an as needed basis may be the right choice. There are several ways to do this.
Our initial fee for coaching varies from $75-$150 per 30-45 minute phone call. Each time we talked you would pay this fee. Depending on many things initially, we might not be too concerned about how much time our calls actually last, but each time we got together you would be charged. After two or three sessions, you decide to become a member and apply each session’s fee to your membership cost of $350 to avoid spending more than you need to.
To keep your fees down as a growing nonprofit organization you, your staff and your constituents can volunteer time in exchange for coaching. in this case the arrangement is we support you and you support us and we do not put strict accounting on the arrangement.
It is to your advantage to enter into an affiliate relationship where we essentially work together to solve problems and achieve mutual goals.
Member Affiliate Relationship
A Nonpr0fit membership is $350. A fund raising affiliate starts at $1000 and will grow from there as we work together to jointly raise funds and make the world a little better. The $1000>$5000 program essentially opens the door to a 20-80% affiliate relationship, but we only teach you what to do, you do the work. In an auction based 41-59% affiliate relationship we provide a much broader base of support and your percent can be much higher than 59% for say a $1,200,000 fund raiser, where you might receive $1 million and we might receive $200,000.
In the long run most nonprofit group arrangements are likely to become affiliate relationships. We might provide some coaching along the way, but by working together to achieve specific goals much of this will happen easily as we work together shoulder to shoulder.
