IH 773-Financial Management

Online Fundraising Reader

Taryn Vian and Lisa Koppelman

This reader is designed to provide guidance to students on the topic of fundraising for international health.

1. Fundraising for Public Health: An Introduction¹

If you have experience working in the world of non-profits or public health, you are likely aware of how many organizations and programs rely heavily, if not entirely, on donor support. Perhaps you have personal experience with fundraising or maybe you are a novice. Regardless of your experience level or direct involvement, if you work with the public health sector, knowing the essentials of fundraising will be beneficial to you and your organization.

The goal of the fundraising module of IH773 is to help you effectively and confidently formulate a fundraising strategy based on your organizations assets, needs, and desired outcomes. Whether you are paid to fundraise or you do it voluntarily, the principles and issues are similar.

Fundraising is about more than raising money; it is also about raising awareness for your cause and mission. When fundraising, you are asking people to share their hard earned dollars to support the needs of others. In public health, the stakes are often high as health and life may be at stake. To maximize the amount of funds and awareness we raise and to do so in a responsible and professional manner, this module will help you understand key components of the fundraising process: writing an organizational case statement, developing a plan to raise funds, implementing a fundraising activity, and demonstrating accountability by evaluating and reporting on fundraising efforts. An effective fundraiser begins with organization. To strengthen your case for asking for money, you must first take inventory of your organizations strengths and assets and be able to describe successfully implemented programs, qualifications of board members, funding history, and other details to potential donors. This information is summarized in a document called the case statement. In this document, you should be able to

Describe your organizations mission and values.
Explain what you have now, and what you still need.
Give specific information about where donor funds will go and what they will accomplish.

Once you know what you have and what you need, formulate a strategy and plan for how you will reach donors and execute a fundraiser. Qualitative research—interviewing key individuals at the organization you will be fundraising for—may point you toward a particular approach (a sale, an event or a direct solicitation) depending on your target donor population (individual, corporation, or foundation) and keep you within the financial, resource or time constraints you identify. This information will help you tailor your fundraiser to achieve maximum participation.

Implementing your fundraiser will require teamwork, leadership, and management. Roles must be identified, work plans developed and communicated, tasks divided up. Youll need to troubleshoot problems as they arise, and change your plans if needed. Progress must be monitored closely so that you have adequate time to finish all the tasks.

After you have completed your fundraiser, be sure to evaluate and report on the process. In addition to assessing the funds raised and costs of the fundraising activity, you should also assess what worked and what did not. This information can help you know how to replicate success or adjust for improvement.

Your organization's success in sustainable fundraising is based on public trust in your integrity. It is essential that you remain accountable to your donors at all times. Be prepared to share financial reports with the organization or with major donors.

In addition to these key components, remember the following core principles of fundraising. These principles should be pervasive in all aspects of your work!

Remember your mission. Don't get so caught up in the logistics of your fundraiser that you lose sight of your organization's purpose.
Be mindful of time. Your organization's timeline, your and other volunteers' time, and your donor's time are all valuable.
Be gracious. Thank your donors, inquirers, volunteers, and staff. In the public health sphere, potential donors receive many requests for funding; show your appreciation for their support.
Be creative. Think outside the box when designing your fundraiser. The most effective way to reach your target population might not be the most conventional method. Flexibility and innovation may make your fundraiser stand out.
Motivate your team and be enthusiastic yourself! To a passerby or potential donor, you may become the instant face of your organization so be confident and engaging.
People give to people. Whenever possible, incorporate a personal element to your fundraiser. Strive to make personal connections.

As work on this module, our hope is that you gain a greater understanding and appreciation of the fundraising process. We hope that you, your organization or the organization you choose to fundraise for and your donors will benefit from the fundraising essentials you gain from the course.

How does planning help fundraising efforts?
Planning prepares the organization for the long haul	Fund-raising is a process; it is a relationship that builds over time Avoid cultivating an effort you cannot see through to the end A gift is just the start
Planning helps you research prospective donors	Build a profile of major potential donors What are lifestyle choices, interests, and business activities of potential donors?
Planning helps you realize that majority of donations are made by individuals	Foundation donations account for 9% of total giving Corporations account for 6% of total giving Don't overlook the individuals—85% of total giving!
Planning helps you realize that you already have many supporters	Remember those you've done business with Remember those who have attended events that are in sync with your organization Remember your organization's volunteers
Planning encourages you to use ALL your contacts	Ask anyone connected to your cause Personal contacts are powerful Ask a contact to introduce you to other contacts
Planning helps you present your best self	Tell potential donors your strengths; it is more appealing than saying We're a sinking ship and we need a bail out! Prepare great literature to share your organizational goals with potential donors
Planning reminds us that rejection is an opportunity	Rejection may turn into a conversation that becomes an opportunity for discussion about your organization and its goals The potential donor who just turned you down may turn into an ally—who knows?
Planning reminds us that everyone is a potential donor	Donors may be anyone! Keep alert and remember all the above!

From Schaff & Schaff, pg. 7-8 "Eight Specific Ways Planning Boosts Fundraising Effort"

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Additional Resources

Adams-Chau L. (1988). The Professionals' Guide to Fund Raising, Corporate Giving, and Philanthropy: People Give to People. New York : Quorum Books
Briscoe MG, Ed. (1994). Ethics in Fundraising: Putting Values into Practice. San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
Greenfield JM, Ed. (1994). Financial Practices for Effective Fundraising.
San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
Foundation Center . "Introduction to fundraising planning." Online Training module (must register, but it is free of charge) http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/training/online/
Hedgepeth R., Ed. (1994). Nonprofit Organizational Culture: What Fundraisers Need to Know.San Francisco : Jossey-Bass.
Scott K. (2000). Successful Corporate Fund Raising: Effective Strategies for Today's Nonprofits. New York : Wiley.
Understanding key fundraising principles to ensure program sustainability, National and Community Service. Campaign Consultation, Inc. http://nationalserviceresources.org/practices/17627 Accessed 10/20/11.
Ten Immutable Laws of the (Fundraising) Universe. Published by Philanthropy News Digest , The
Foundation Center , Oct 28 03. http://cvrdevelopment.com/tenlaws.aspx Accessed 10/20/11.

________________________________________

¹The Overview section draws on an essay written by BUSPH alumna Kelly Miller (class of 2010)

Fundraising Assignment Overview

Goal:

This exercise is intended to provide students with an appreciation of how development and fundraising work, the different strategies possible, and the challenges of implementation. You will also gain practical skills and experience in working in groups, interviewing, raising funds, and writing a group report

Objectives:

Conduct an organizational assessment and write a "case statement" for a charitable organization to use as a basis for providing consistent messages in fundraising and development;
Work in a group to plan and implement a fundraising activity for an organization;
Apply financial management concepts while fundraising;
Become familiar with new collaboration software and e-marketing software.

Tasks:

The fundraising exercise includes four main tasks: drafting of the " case statement "; planning for a fundraising activity; implementing the fundraising activity; and writing professional reports about fundraising. These activities are done in groups.

Deliverables:

This assignment entails 4 written deliverables:

The case statement
The fundraising plan
The progress report
The final report

Due Dates for Deliverables:

Due dates are in the course syllabus. Due dates for deliverables are negotiable: Because you are working with an outside organization, we understand that there may be factors beyond your control. Meet with TA or the instructor to discuss if you need to negotiate different due dates, but be ware that delays in submission of assignments will mean you may have homework and fundraising assignments due at the same time.

Grading: The fundraising project is worth 20% of your grade. Fifteen percent (15%) of this grade is based on your group's written products (i.e. the Case Statement, Activity Plan, Progress report, and Final Report). The other 5% of your grade will be based on peer assessment of your contributions to the group. See Part 7.

Team planning/group formation

Introduction

The fundraising project requires you to work in teams. Good teamwork can help you move faster and more smoothly toward your goals, and get more enjoyment out of the fundraising experience. But good teamwork requires planning, compassion, and some reflection to best understand what you and others are bringing to the team. It is important to be aware of your own and others' personal values and working habits, areas of strength, and areas where support may be needed.

Group exercises. We will spend a little time in class to develop teamwork awareness and skills. Students should also plan to spend a bit of time getting to know one another. The time invested at the onset will ultimately make the work of the project easier to manage.

Values differences. Be aware that individuals value different things. For example, I personally feel much more comfortable if a meeting has an agenda and schedule, and we adhere to start and end times. I recognize that others do not share this value. When I work on a team, I like to talk about my values to see if we, as a team, can engage in a "leveling of expectations" regarding the norms for meeting management. If I take on more of a leadership role, I may set the tone more along the lines I favor—but not always. It is a negotiated settlement. The important thing is not to ignore value differences at the start, because untended differences are likely to make a team less effective.

Key Needs of a Team*	Benefit
Common Goals	A team exists to carry out its common goals; all members contribute to and work together to achieve desired goals
Leadership	All members assume shared responsibility for effective leadership to emerge; may ultimately be an individual or shared task; effective leaders keep all involved, communicate well and coordinate work efforts
Interaction and Involvement of All Members	All members make a commitment to be actively involved
Maintenance of Individual Self-Esteem	All members' contributions need to be honored and acknowledged; all members self-esteem should be enhanced by participation, not reduced
Open Communication	All members must be able to speak freely with ample time to discuss, share ideas and make decisions
Power Within the Group to Make Decisions	The group must be able to carry out and complete the tasks it set out to do
Attention to Both Process and Content	Attention must be paid not just to the work that needs to be completed [the content] but also how it is completed [the process]
Mutual Trust	Mutual respect can foster trust; keeping commitments, maintaining honesty, keeping confidences all build trust
Respect for Differences	The group atmosphere must allow for differing opinions without fear of punishment
Constructive Conflict Resolution	Conflict is inevitable and must be dealt with in a direct and honest way to optimize performance, avoid resentment and maintain motivation

* From Fran Rees "How to Lead Work Teams" Second Edition, 2001, John Wiley & Sons": pg. 33.

Tips for Good Group Work

Assign a "task leader" for each of the deliverables. This person can be in charge of scheduling and running meetings, dividing tasks, and keeping people on track for finishing on time.
Use an online scheduling tool like http://www.doodle.com/ to find convenient times for your group to meet, or Google docs https://www.google.com/docs to share documents online
Use online file sharing tools like "Drop Box" http://www.dropbox.com/ or group page on Blackboard
Listen to other's ideas; be open to other perspectives; be flexible; delegate; plan ahead; uphold your responsibilities
Optimize organization--take notes; set deadlines; choose standing times/place to meet; choose alternate virtual times to meet
Develop a group contract—each person to contribute what is important to them in their experiences of team work
Don't get bogged down in trying to make the "best" decisions (on choosing an organization, on choosing an activity). It is more important to make a "good enough" decision and finish the assignment. Students in the past have sometimes wished they got started earlier.
If you are having problems with your group, ask for help sooner rather than later. We want this process to be fun and productive. Let us help you resolve group issues so you can enjoy this active learning project.

In groups, create a contract for team membership with 4-5 objective, measurable individual behaviors that the team members agreed were important to team performance and to which you are willing to commit yourselves. The individual behaviors are to be derived through consensus of team members.

Examples: attend all scheduled meetings; inform someone on team if you are going to be late; complete assignments on schedule. Here's a sample contract from a fundraising group in 2011

Group H Team Contract, 2011

I. Equal opportunity:

Ask everyone's opinions and ideas
Be respectful, polite and sensitive to all team members and their opinions

II. Be forthright about issues trumping/affecting the project

III. Be responsive to all communications

within one day/24 hour period
use the dropbox efficiently as a way of sharing documents
use the doodle to schedule available times, both basic and variable
use skype and facebook at designated group times

IV. Be flexible

follow through on promises and commitments
be accountable

Write the contract and have all members sign it. Give a copy to your instructor and keep copies for yourselves. Terms of the contract will be used in the peer review process.

Question 1

Question 2

Case statements

The case statement is a single communication piece that explains the importance of your organization's work.

A case statement highlights the compelling work the organization does: what needs they are addressing; how do they address them; what makes your organization special; and how others can help. It helps potential funders understand the amount of money the organization is trying to raise, what has been have achieved to date, and who else supports the organization. The case statement becomes the basis for other published materials as well: the consistent message which is communicated through appeal letters, annual reports, brochures, phon-a-thon scripts, and grant applications. The case statement helps build the organization's identity and helps people within the organization communicate clearly about priorities and plans.

As part of your fundraising project, you will write a case statement for your organization.

Making Your Case

Your Agency's Reason to Be:

When you can describe the mission of your organization, your goals, your objectives, your programs, your staff, and your plans, all in one cohesive, well-thought-out document, your donors will be impressed. The people working with you will be impressed. Even others in the fundraising community will be impressed. And all the while, they'll be thinking, "There's an organization that has its act together!"

John Mutz and Katherine Murray, Fundraising for Dummies. 2006.

The Case Statement (Written Assignment #1) should cover the following topics:

Cover page. Can use a photo or nice presentation.
Should include the organization's name, the names of group members, and date
Executive summary (summary of the key points in case statement)
Organizational Mission
Organization's Goals and Objectives
Description of Programs Governance and Key staff
Financial situation
Development plans (future plans for growth)
History (what successes or prior achievements is the organization building on)

Last year's student groups wrote case statements which ranged in length from 3 to 7 pages single spaced. The case statement length depends on what you have to say, so we can't be more precise about desired length.

Your submitted case statement will be graded. If your grade is lower than B+ you must re-submit. If your grade is lower than A, you will have the option of re-submitting. Re-submissions are due within one week of receiving your grade.

Tips for this work:

Designate a task leader for this deliverable. This person's job is to assign tasks, set deadlines, run meetings, and monitor progress.
Choose the organization as quickly as possible. Set up the interview right away, in case you have trouble finding a convenient date to meet; it is fine to do a Skype or phone interview. Not all members of the group need be present for the interview.
Do your homework. Be sure you have read about the organization before conducting the interview.
Develop a question guide for the interview. Base it on the parts of the Case Statement which you need to write.
You may need to ask for additional documentation to be sent to you via e-mail, or make arrangements to pick up from the organization.

Ten Steps to Writing the Case

Step	Description
1: Mission	Your mission answers the question why: Why do you exist? The best mission statements are clear, concise, and easy to understand. They capture and hold the reader's interest, and include a call to action that gives the reader a reason to respond now.
2: Goals	The goals answer the question what: What are you trying to accomplish, and what do you want to achieve? Use goals that show the bigger challenges you seek to address and the ways you are responding to need.
3. Objectives	Objectives are specifics about how you will reach your goal. They are measurable and attainable. If your goal is to improve nutritional status, your objective might be to provide supplementary food to undernourished children or to train outreach workers to identify malnourished children
4. Programs	What exactly do you provide? Describe your most effective programs, what you are proud of. Describe what you do and how it helps people.
5. Governance	Explain the legal status of your organization. Give a picture of the Board (number of members, how selected). Give information about key people on the Board. Describe the Administrator or Executive Director of the organization.
6. Staff	Who are the people behind your services? Describe generally how your organization is set up, and duties of key staff. Talk about staff as people, focusing on roles that are not likely to change.
7. Location	Describe where you provide services. Explain how your location helps you achieve your goals.
8. Financial	Summarize your financial picture. What are your sources of funding or income? What expenses do you have? What's the current and projected financial picture? Don't give too much detail, but keep it big picture. Include numbers of people served, not just money spent.
9. Development	What will you do in the future? This is the section where you describe your future vision and goals. Show that you have a plan for carrying out your vision, and that people are monitoring programs and growth. Show that you are evaluating yourself and whether you've met your goals.
10. History	What successes are you building on? Include descriptions of people, events, beneficiaries and influences. Produce a timeline of significant accomplishments. History shows how you have lived up to promises in the past, but your donors' focus will be on the future. Connect the best of the past with your hopes for tomorrow. Put faces to the need, the people whose lives will be better because of your mission.

Source: Mutz and Murray, p. 36-47.

"Top Five Tips for Effective Writing"
Write the way you talk—long winded sentences and big words are not the way to go—think conversational tone that is "friendly, straightforward and passionate about the cause" Understand your own writing style and honor what works for you Importance of self-editing, with an eye to: overly long sentences; unnecessary words or common words; confusing word order that unintentionally misleads; passive voice—avoid using! The all-important final read through—if you are rushing to get a document out the door, you run the risk of missing typos. Set the document aside for a few hours before the final edit to give fresh eyes the chance to look at it critically. Avoid over-use of jargon!

"Top Five Tips for Effective Writing"

Write the way you talk—long winded sentences and big words are not the way to go—think conversational tone that is "friendly, straightforward and passionate about the cause"
Understand your own writing style and honor what works for you
Importance of self-editing, with an eye to: overly long sentences; unnecessary words or common words; confusing word order that unintentionally misleads; passive voice—avoid using!
The all-important final read through—if you are rushing to get a document out the door, you run the risk of missing typos. Set the document aside for a few hours before the final edit to give fresh eyes the chance to look at it critically.
Avoid over-use of jargon!

Source: Bray's "Effective Fundraising for Non-profits" pg. 2/29

Fundraising activity plan/planning

You are asked to choose one fundraising activity which would advance the organization's goals and can be undertaken during this course. Once you have identified the activity, you will write up a fundraising plan.

The fundraising plan (Written Assignment #2) is a document with several distinct sections. It should be 3-5 pages, and should include:

Cover page - Title, name of organization, name of group members, date
Introduction - a summary of key information about the organization's mission and beneficiaries (from the Case Statement) and your role in fundraising for them
Goal of fundraising activity (include quantitative target)
Objectives
Activities or action steps (including description, who is responsible, when it starts, when it ends, and any other important information—a table format might work here)
Budget if funds are required for fundraising. The course has a fund from which you can request loan to finance needed items (i.e. supplies for marketing). You will need to pay back the loan from your fundraising proceeds. Please make a request in writing.

The fundraising activity must be approved by the organization. Write the plan as an external document (i.e. don't mention "IH773 assignment"). Share the draft plan with the charitable organization for comments. When you submit this deliverable, you will get comments from the TA or from the instructor. If your grade is less than B+, you will need to revise. If your grade is less than A, you will have the option of re-submitting for a higher grade. Re-submissions are due within one week of receiving your grade.

The first step is to choose an activity. Brainstorm a list of likely activities and narrow the list to those that are well suited to your chosen non-profit. Activities that students have successfully conducted in the past include:

Direct solicitation of donors
Special event (selling tickets, finding sponsors) such as a party or an interesting lecture
Sale of items (hand-made or purchased, such as flowers, origami, baked goods, handicrafts from developing countries)
Partnering with a church to fundraise from church members
Web-based fundraising (helping an organization to collect donations online by creating online forms and relationships to Paypal, making a pitch for online donations on an organization's homepage, adding an organization's link to other web sites, etc.)
Helping organizations with e-mail requests (assembling donor lists, creating a strategy for who to contact, what to ask for, how to structure the e-mail)

Choose a manageable activity/everything takes longer than you think it will/ people are busy

Host an activity or event that people will want to attend, e.g., don't plan a walk to raise money in the middle of March—it's cold/wet/snowy and everyone is tired of winter at that point...

People rarely want to go out on Monday night!

Timing is important—a poetry slam on Red Sox opening night will not be well attended

If you are doing a bake sale, don't think people are just buying a muffin—they may want to give more if they learn about your cause.

*The 6 main ways non-profits cultivate donors and ask for money:*
Face to face requests	Most effective way to generate large gifts is talking to donors in person The closer the relationship between the asker and potential donor, the better the chance for a donation and the larger the donation
Events and benefits	The types of events that you can host are endless as are the times of day, venues, and activities Award events, benefit events
Personalized letters	The content of letters should always reflect your case statement Top donors should always receive personalized letters [either inviting them to an event, updating them on current happenings, or thanking them]
Telephone appeals	Phone solicitations are more difficult than face-to-face; there are no visual cues or body language to help If calling to arrange a meeting, be ready to succinctly describe your organization, what you are doing, and what you are calling about Phonathons: organize enthusiastic volunteers; draft a script of what you want to say; set dollar goals; train the volunteers; be organized with pledge cards that are sent out immediately; consider incentives; have fun!
Scheduled mailings	Keep your organization fresh in people's minds Send mailings at least 3 times per year Your best prospect is someone who has just given
Direct Mail ["Dear Friend" letters]	Generally too expensive for most non-profits Must make the recipient open the letter, read the letter, be convinced the organization is worthy Should mention known endorsers/supporters; tell how the organization will spend the funds; note 501(c) (3) status

[From Schaff and Schaff Ch. 10]

Once an activity has been chosen, you will need to determine how much money you would like to raise and how you will go about raising the money.

Set Your Fundraising Goal

The goal of your fundraising event should be explained and should include a goal for how much money you think you can raise. You cannot just say "as much as possible"! Set a goal that is realistic, yet achievable. Here are a few goals from last year's groups:

The goal of our fundraising event is to create awareness about Containers to Clinics as an organization by sharing their mission, progress thus far, and how local people can get involved. Our monetary fundraising goal is $500.

Goal: To solicit a donation of antenatal vitamins, children's vitamins, vitamin A, and adult multivitamins from Vitamin Angels organization. Providing Christ pour Tous with a regular supply of prenatal and children multivitamins would work towards improving the overall health of these vulnerable populations, helping to make maternal and child health efforts all the more successful.

Our group is excited to be fundraising for an organization dedicated to social and environmental awareness and positive change. Our goal for the fundraising project is twofold. We hope to raise $200 to contribute to Global Greengrants Fund for grantmaking in one of their eight main areas of focus. We also hope to increase awareness for the organization and their programs. We will discuss Global Greengrants Fund and their mission with many different people and distribute literature on GGF's work addressing social and economic inequalities worldwide.

Considering past fundraising results can help you determine what is a reasonable goal. See Tables below.

2012 Charities	Goal	Fundraising Activity	Actual Amt Raised
Complementary and Alternative Med Clinic, BMC	No financial goal	Research foundations, write 2 grants	$0
Accordia Global Health Foundation	$1,000	SMS campaign for World Malaria Day, March 25-April 25	$1,000
Bikes Not Bombs	$300	Andre's Café to donate 5% of food sales on April 27th.	$200
Educate 2 Envision Internat'l	$1,560	Scavenger Hunt, Sat. April 21, Boston.	$1,489
Hands Across the Sea	$1,000	Event, Sat. March 31, Middlesex Lounge. Music by DJ.	$2,383
Edesia	$1,000	Event, Sat. April 14, Bell in Hand Performers. Show video.	$1,213
BARCC	$300	Event, April 19. Elks Lounge. The Cheeks. (Live music) online donations	$284
Total Financial Goal	$5,160		$6,569

After setting your financial goal, think through the detailed steps in implementing the activity, including:

Duration of the plan
A calendar of tasks by month
Responsibilities by task
How success will be measured
"Plan B" if new or risky activities do not work out as planned

Distribute the plan to all involved, and keep it updated with changes. Refer to the plan as your guide for implementation.

Here's an example of the detailed steps one fundraising group in 2009 developed for their activity, a flower sale which raised $978.

Initial Action Plan for Spring Flower Sale

Week of February 16^th-22^nd

Contact SHARED (the charity) to determine feasibility & details

Ask details regarding payment options for initial flower purchase
Create list of donor benefits for flower supplier to encourage their support

Create pitch for potential supplier

Contact Elizabeth at SHARED for materials (Seeds of Change Brochure) to give to potential donor

Create list of potential suppliers (greenhouses, flower wholesalers & florists in the area)
Background price checking—find out local retail prices for flowers from:

Vermont greenhouse
Boston Flower Exchange
Other local florists

Form partnership with flower supplier

Determine when orders need to be in by in order to have flowers ready for delivery the week of April 6th

Week of February 23^rd-March 1^st

Develop order forms (with picture of product, option for additional donations, and request for buyer's contact information & quantity of flowers desired)
Create posters and advertising materials for posting in BUSPH & BUMC departments
Create email campaign, distribution list and department contacts at BUSPH & BUMC

Mid-March (Dependent on ordering deadline):

Solicit faculty, staff and departments at BUMC
Distribute order forms (email and in person)
Collect all orders by March 20^th (dependent on ordering deadline)

Order forms collected from Faculty & staff by designated group member

Order flowers in cooperation with partnering supplier

Week of April 6^th-April 12^th

Group members pick-up flowers from supplier
Deliver flowers to offices or at designated location on campus

Advertising

Once the activity is chosen, the budget set, and the tasks assigned, it is important to get the word out so the event will be well attended. Quotes from previous year's classes reveal how important it is to manage attendance:

The biggest problem was a lack of attendance. This can be attributed to difficulties with the date and day the event was held. It was a Monday - a working day and the first day after the Easter weekend. Many students had not returned from vacation. The date was also too close to finals, which made it difficult for students to make time to attend...The publicity could have been better. BU Today would have readily come to cover the event but we did not contact them in time. In thinking about it later, other newspapers, Indian online blogs or listings in the events sections of free papers could have been created. We did do outreach to Indian student groups by email, but this could have been followed up with phone calls.

The timing of the event was the same as an International Health event for theSchool of Public Health , which prevented more people from participating. A flier promoting the event was developed but never distributed due to lack of communication within the group.

Early selection of the fundraising activity and proactive planning with clearly defined duties for each team member is essential for a successful fundraiser. Our experience showed that publicity is imperative for a successful event. Word of mouth advertizing proved our most successful means of publicity; however follow-through and collaboration with faculty and staff could have ensured more circulation of our flyers and better email notifications.

There are a number of advertising strategies to employ. Students in the past have created a Facebook page, utilized school-wide and class email lists, used personal email lists, used radio spots, and posted flyers.

Some tips:

The first bake sale day acted as advertisement for the following days of the sale, expanding the pool of prospective buyers. We found that the 4:45pm to 5:45pm time block raised the most significant portion of money. Evening sales during classes were less lucrative.

We found that if we did not make an effort to make eye contact, most people walked by without noticing us. By smiling, making eye contact, and simply saying 'hello' we found many people took notice of our table, stopped, engaged in conversation, and ultimately made a donation.

We wore St. Patrick's Day hats. We would recommend utilizing a theme in the future.

We were able to generate a lot of excitement about our event through a Facebook event invitation, bright fliers, announcements in heavily populated classes, and through BU Event e-mails. We sold tickets during the afternoon and evenings in the Medical School Lobby.

We included announcements promoting our event on the IH listserv and the Student Insider. We also sent out reminders through Facebook and email as our event date approached.

To improve attendance for this type of event in the future, we would recommend carefully choosing the date and time of dance classes to avoid times which are inconvenient to the target audience. Extensive advertising should be made in advance of each class. To expand outreach, consider partnering with a gym.

Most students are familiar with Facebook, but may not be familiar with other types of e-marketing software products like "Constant Contact" [ www.constantcontact.com Free Trial available on this link ], more commonly used in professional settings and in larger organizations. To familiarize students with this type of advertising, each group will be required to utilize Constant Contact or another e-marketing software other than Facebook to send out invitations to planned events.

80s for Haiti Fundraising event, 2010

Flower Sale fundraiser, 2009

Fundraising event for Global Network for NTDs, 2010

Poster for student Fundraising Event

Origami Stars sold in student fundraiser in 2008

Report Writing

You are required to submit a progress report and a final report on the fundraising activity. Progress reports and final activity reports are common professional documents, so it is important to develop skills in writing this type of document.

Progress Report

The Progress Report (Written Assignment #3) should be about 3 pages, and should include:

Cover page. Title, name of organization, name of group members, date.
A short description of the organization you are fundraising for, your fundraising goal, and description of the activity you are undertaking
Summary of tasks undertaken to date, problems encountered, and actions taken to overcome them. If you have revised your goal or changed the activity, you can mention it here.
The progress report should end with a description of remaining timeframe and steps, assigned responsibilities, and any other reflections you consider important.

The Progress report will be graded. Due to time constraints, you will not be allowed to submit revised draft to improve your grade.

Final Report

The Final report (Written Assignment #4) should be about 4-5 pages. The final report should include the following sections:

Cover page (title, organization, team members, date)
Executive summary. This is a one paragraph summary of what you did, how much you raised, for what purpose. An Executive Summary is for busy people who will not read the whole report. Therefore, it doesn't matter if the report repeats some of what is in the Executive Summary. This is often the case.
Introduction. This contains a short description of organization, fundraising goals, the fundraising activity, and timeframe. Some of this you can copy text from your progress report.
Activities. Here you should describe activities undertaken. Include information here about your choice of strategy, location, timing, pricing strategy or technology used, marketing or advertising, donations solicited, partnerships developed, etc.)
Results. This section should include financial statement of revenue from the fundraising activity, any expenses incurred, and surplus which was generated for the charity. Provide other relevant information on numbers of items sold, individuals who donated, or other quantitative results.
Discussion. Describe what worked well, any difficulties encountered and how they were surmounted. This report is for an external audience, so you should try to put a positive spin on how you handled difficulties.
Recommendations. Include recommendations for future fundraising or to expand or sustain the activities or partnerships started by the group.

This report should be written for an external audience, and not as a class assignment. To emulate the real process for report writing in business settings, you will receive comments on your draft report. If your report is below B+ quality, you must revise the report. If the grade is below A quality, you will be given the option to revise and resubmit.

Other things to consider as you prepare your written products:

Timing - Because of the obvious time constraints of a class, this exercise condenses the entire fundraising process. Plan the activity accordingly so that sufficient time is allowed for putting on the event and submitting a timely mid-project (progress) report as well as the final report. Sufficient time must also be left for revisions to the report.

Assigning tasks - Decide as a group what process you wish to follow. Will each group member write one section of each written report? Will one person be responsible for compiling? What will the decided upon editing process entail?

Importance of editing - Whatever the process agreed upon for writing the reports, build in sufficient time for editing. Someone other than the writer should be editing; reports and other written documents in a professional setting typically go through multiple iterations, thus multiple edits, prior to dissemination.

Getting to know each other's writing styles - Regardless of the process your group agrees to follow, there will be stylistic differences as well as differences in ability.

"Top 5 Tips for Effective Writing", from earlier section (p. 10) (table)

Peer Assessment

Part of your grade is based on peer assessment of group work. This is done to encourage and incentivize individual accountability to your team members. Each group will be asked to devise an evaluation form based on your group contact. The form should evaluate the objective, measurable individual behaviors that the team members agreed were important to team performance and to which you committed yourselves.

Each person will evaluate him or herself, as well as each of the members of the group, using a 5 point Likert-like scale (strongly agree to strongly disagree) that the individual exhibited each of the behaviors.

Here is an example of a Team Contract and Peer Evaluation Form from one group in last year's class. I have removed last names, e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers (which were shared to make communication easier among group members).

GROUP F CONTRACT

Objective: To design and implement a fund raising event for the TICKET Program and the

SPARK Center .

Group Members:

Names	E-Mail	Phone Number
Meredith
Madina
Yash
Elizabeth

Project Manager:

Case Statement: Meredith

Planning for the Fundraising Activity: Yash

Group Fundraising Activity: Madina

Final Report: Elizabeth

Meeting Information: The group will meet when it is felt a meeting is needed. Meeting will be held on Tuesday evenings at 5pm in the Cross Town Building .

Attendance Policy:

Each member of the group is expected to attend EVERY meeting for the full time.
If a member is not able to attend a meeting they should notify their fellow group members in advance if possible and if an emergency arise group members should be notified by e-mail or a phone call.

Agreements:

1. We agree to contribute productively to all group tasks.

2. We agree to come to each group meeting prepared and ready to make meaningful contributions.

3. We agree to cooperatively plan our project.

4. We agree to complete our share of the work by the agreed upon deadlines.

5. We agree that our behaviors towards other members of the team must be appropriate and respectful.

6. We agree to respond to each others' e-mails within 24 hours of receiving the e-mail.

7. We agree to have a positive attitude and to speak up if something is bothering us.

Tips for a Successful Assignment

A few things to remember as you go through this team fundraising assignment.

There is no "right" activity or event
This assignment is about PROCESS, learning, the experience
Attention to detail is crucial in both the written deliverables and the actual event. This is a characteristic of a professionally run activity
Learning to work as a group is invaluable; most of us will work in groups throughout our professional careers in a variety of contexts and settings
There will be unexpected obstacles and setbacks—life is like that. It is important to learn to gracefully navigate the unpleasant, disappointing and unexpected and persevere.
There is 'real world' value to this activity. We hope that it will prepare you for the future when you may find yourself in charge of a work fundraiser, raising money for the community you live in, or helping your house of worship fundraise to sponsor the education of a child.
Have fun!

Quotes from former students

"Being in my last semester, I am so eager to get out of the classroom and put my skills to work in the real world! The IH 773 fundraising project was a great and unique learning experience because it challenged me and my teammates beyond the typical classroom project- we planned a real fundraising event to support a real non-profit, and all of our funds will go to benefit real people in the real world! We were challenged to create a fundraising project that really aligned with the mission of the non-profit we were supporting and would at the same time raise a lot of money to benefit orphans and vulnerable children in Lesotho ."

Emily Bearse, MPH 2009

"My group learned that there's a lot more to planning events than we originally thought."

Michelle Surdyk, MPH 2010

"We were able to raise a large donation which will really help the CPT clinic. I feel we were very successful."

Katie Clifford, MPH 2011

"This was an awesome experience. The team was great, and I'm happy we were able to work together."

Rebecca Young, MPH 2011

The fundraising project is a great learning experience, not in the least because you work in groups.

The fundraising project was a wonderful way to let us get a hands-on training of different aspects of financial management. I liked the way it was organized (learning contract, periodic check-ins via deliverables, class time allotted to work on it, etc) and was satisfied with how much I learned at the end.

The fundraising project was a lot of work but was one of the best projects that I have worked on this semester - it was nice to do a project where I actually gave back to the community.

2010-1011 online evaluations