Blog

Congratulations! You’re getting started on fundraising! Isn’t it terrifying? A brand new journey filled with nothing by uncertainty and hope. A blue ocean of possibilities that seem impossible to overcome.

Or maybe just a super long list of names, and no idea what to do next.

That’s ok. We get it. We were there too.

When I first started fundraising for our mission, I was petrified. Though I believed deeply in the mission, getting a simple start with so little training was nearly impossible. I was paralyzed, made tons of mistakes, and almost didn’t make it.

I created this simple tool that helped me. And I want to take away some of the fear by giving you some of the tools you need.

Here is a simple to use Google Sheet that is meant to give you enough info to be dangerous, and give you a running head start toward your goals. It’s minimalistic, straightforward, and simple to use.

Download it here!

HOW TO USE THIS

First, enter the name and contact info for the people you know. Include everyone, no one is out of reach at this phase. The more names the better, so don’t leave anyone out!

Then, next to each name, you’re going to give them a rating from 1-10, in four different areas.

• Likely to Give: The person gives to charitable causes regularly

If someone is likely to give, it means that they are charitable or generous, and have given to causes before.

• Able to Give: The person has the financial resource and margin to give

The person is able to give, at least according to what you know. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re rich or going to give you a cool million dollars (wouldn’t it be nice), but it does mean that they can contribute to causes like yours.

• Cares About Cause: The person cares about the cause I am giving 

They are concerned about the things that concern you, and the problem you are looking to engage.

• Cares About Me: The person knows me and may give because of our personal relationship

Whether family member or acquaintance, judge the closeness of the relationship here.

Enter as much information as possible for as many people as you know. Don’t worry about scoring, we’ll handle that.

Head to the Top 20 tab to see the first list of names you can start with! Then take those top 20 names, and give them a call!

Now, it definitely doesn’t stop there (there’s logging, and managing donations, and all that). But, this will give you enough runway to take off and start raising support for your mission!