Does anyone else absolutely hate and suck at fundraising?

[M_al]

To keep it horse related: I’m fundraising is for a high-profile horse endeavor. And I’m mostly just venting.

I absolutely suck at fundraising. Sometimes, when it’s small items (like selling chocolates) - I’ll eat the box of chocolates and pay the fundraising amount. (Sad but true.)

But now my personal task is looking for bigger donations. I have a list of people/businesses I think would be good candidates to talk to. But for the few I’ve approached, no luck. I hate asking so much, I think it shows in the “sales pitch.” (There’s a reason I’m not in sales, right?)

Sigh, it seems the only ones I’m comfortable asking (jokingly) is my daughter’s direct competitors. “Say, would you like to sponsor my kiddo? Ha ha.” Which is weird.

Anyway, there are some other “big picture” ideas we have but the biggest bang for the buck is direct solicitation. And I suck.

Anyone else out there hating having to solicit donations or sell items for their kids’ program?

[Mango20]

Yes! I really hate it, and always feel a bit guilty asking for money to pay for a “privileged” kid activity like horses or orchestra.

I hate asking friends/family to buy stuff that comes home from school in catalogs - candles, wrapping paper, etc. I just quit doing it around 9th grade. I sent out a link to a fundraiser for a church mission trip to my mother and sister last year. My mother didn’t want to order any of the crap, and the organization only got a small percentage of the sale, so she was happier to just write a check as a donation. The mission trip’s best fundraiser is having the kids available to do yardwork or light construction for a donation.

[MissAriel]

I hate fundraising, especially asking for straight donations. Asking for a business to buy ad space in a publication for example is a bit easier, but still tough. I did lots for various school and sporting programs through the years. The one that we did for my son’s baseball team was astounding for the return on investment it generated. It was a letter writing campaign. We had each of the boys on the team prepare a list of names and addresses with a certain minimum number of names on the list. All the boys met one morning and we provided stamps, envelopes and preprinted letters with a request from the coach, and a description of how we were using the money to fund the program. The letter also included the tax id number of the school and information on sending checks or paying via PayPal. The boys wrote a short, personal note to everyone on their list and mailed the letter along with a picture of them in uniform. They were done within two hours. At the end we held a raffle for the boys with prizes donated from parents and local businesses. Each player got one raffle entry, plus an additional ticket for every 10 extra names they brought in. After a few weeks we sent a list of “their” donors to each player (no amounts, just names) and they sent thank you notes to their donors. We received over $10K each time we did this - more than holding golf tournaments, hosting baseball tournaments, silent/live auctions, snack bar sales, etc. and all with much less time and energy required on our end.

I will say that personally I will not donate to any request to fund a kid’s program that comes from the parent alone. The kid has to participate in the request.

[tbchick84]

Yes and yes.

[oldernewbie]

I hated pie sales tree sales popcorn sales etc when my sons were young. So much effort for so few $$! My very favorite and truly most effective fundraisers involved using what I call “other people’s money”. So, for example, Kroger would direct $$ to the marching band program from every person that had a Kroger card and selected the marching band program as their charity of choice. It was hugely popular and some kids were able to pay their entire band fee from this program alone. We also worked in the concession stand at the local AAA baseball team and they gave us a generous cut for doing so.

As long as the recipient is a registered non profit, a great way to rake in the $$. Takes some upfront work to get the paperwork straight, but after that it was lucrative and easily managed.

See: https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow/

[mmeqcenter]

Absolutely.
My twin sister is a sales-woman. We could not be more different.

[clanter]

My wife and I sold drinks and candy at the school’s sports events… we raised over $20,000 in the three years we had kids there. After a while you knew which kids had big bucks and then those who had nothing so we sold the products on a sliding scale… if you had money it cost this much, if you didn’t it might be free we were just wanting to make sure everyone felt they were the same…and no one complained…after all my company paid for the product and I could give it away if I wanted

Fast forward about twelve years … my wife broke her cell phone so she goes to the AT&T store to get another one… while waiting in the hoard of customers the manager come to her and personally takes care of her… the manager asked her if she remember her? No. Well I was one of the middle school kids that you made sure I had a drink and candy bar if I wanted even though I did not have any money to pay …so here is is your new phone, no charge.

[wsmoak]

Those thank you notes are golden. One horse trial that I regularly sponsored classes for had a policy of not giving out winning ribbons/prizes until the rider presented themselves at the office to sign a pre-addressed thank you card for the sponsor. Make sure your donors feel appreciated, and they will keep coming back – possibly even without being asked.

[fordtraktor]

I couldn’t sell my soul to the Devil himself. So, yes I hate it.

i always just do the buyouts for kid stuff. I would rather donate than sell. Same applies for charity. I try to donate to worthy horse charities but usually end up deciding I should give to Doctors Without Borders or something first.

[findthedistance]

I work for a nonprofit. Development (aka asking for money) falls under my job description. I have learned to embrace parts of it, but other parts of asking for money are just painful. There are many ways to skin a cat. Can you try a different tactic rather than selling? I do well with written appeals and social media. Face-to-face asks have not gotten easier, so I leverage a volunteer who doesn’t mind when I can.

[Write_amp_Ride]

@clanter

Fast forward about twelve years … my wife broke her cell phone so she goes to the AT&T store to get another one… while waiting in the hoard of customers the manager come to her and personally takes care of her… the manager asked her if she remember her? No. Well I was one of the middle school kids that you made sure I had a drink and candy bar if I wanted even though I did not have any money to pay …so here is is your new phone, no charge.

Wow! What a great story! I love that the kindness from your wife became part of that manager’s character.

[Write_amp_Ride]

@MissAriel

The one that we did for my son’s baseball team was astounding for the return on investment it generated. It was a letter writing campaign. We had each of the boys on the team prepare a list of names and addresses with a certain minimum number of names on the list.

MissAriel, were they individuals or businesses that the boys wrote to? I think this sounds like a great idea!

[BeeHoney]

I know that there are many youth and sports organizations that either require or strongly encourage the youngsters to do fundraising. Unfortunately, I think that in most cases it actually is in poor taste to “fundraise” for your child’s expensive sport or international trip. There are so many truly needy people out there, I think that it is sort of offensive to ask people to fund your child’s riding or international travel (especially if it is a “mission” trip).

If I were in your shoes I would teach my child how to do fundraising via developing a message, getting it out there, and trying to think what donors or sponsors might want in return–appreciation? recognition? feeling like they are promoting excellence in sport? getting updates? being treated as part of the “team”? Then I would encourage my child to earn at least some of the money themselves via actual work–cleaning tack, a job at a local barn, grooming at shows, etc. Then I would probably end up primarily financing most of the “donations” myself. Because again, it’s inappropriate to ask other people to finance your child’s riding career when many kids can’t even afford riding lessons.

[MissAriel]

@Write&Ride

MissAriel, were they individuals or businesses that the boys wrote to? I think this sounds like a great idea!

It was primarily individuals, but possibly some businesses. There were a lot of out of town relatives on the lists. A few boys wrote to favorite players on MLB teams, but I don’t know if any responded. One thing I forgot to put in the original post was they were EXTREMELY sensitive to naming donors. Only two people (not coaches) recorded the amounts and only the players were provided lists of their own donors to prevent the appearance of a “pay to play” system.

It was a great way to raise money for some capital improvements to the facilities, as well as involve the players in the effort.

[M_al]

Thanks - I knew I wasn’t alone in fundraising hell …

We are already a nonprofit and are enrolled in the Kroger program (it covers a small portion of competition fees since I can’t seem to sell any of my extended family on using it consistently, lol.) We also have a collateral piece with a little biography that we use. Interestingly, the tax deduction for businesses to donate is not any sort of incentive for any of the businesses I’ve contacted.

Personalized notes are a GREAT idea and I’ll jump on that right away. (And not just because it shifts the weight away from me onto my kid, hahahaha.)

I’m concerned by a prior response and it may be why I’m not good at this. I get that horses are an expensive hobby. But I also read the threads about “does a hunter cost $750k” and also Katie M.Prudent’s article and the response about making success more affordable. Because when I said high profile, I meant it. We’re a middle class family trying to play on the field with the uber-wealthy. (And when I say that, I mean household recognizable names. They have been very generous to our sport in general and for that my family is very, very grateful. They’re wonderful!)

But there seems to be the thought with some (not picking on you, BeeHoney, just using your note as a jumping-off point) that Midwestern middle class kids shouldn’t be attempting to wear the USA letters on the back of their jackets because we can’t afford it out of pocket. But I’m conflicted because what happens if people donate and we don’t measure up?

Gadzooks, I hate this!

(But, being stubborn as hell - will run with the idea of additional personalization!)

[BeeHoney]

M’al, I don’t feel picked on at all. While I totally agree that costs here in the US make horse sports very inaccessible, I don’t think that makes it a reasonable conclusion to expect other people to contribute to make it happen. I am in no way saying that middle class kids don’t belong or that they shouldn’t try. But I don’t personally think that asking for donations is the right path.

Here’s the deal–just about every set of parents struggles for the money to give their kids the best opportunities they can in education, sports, music, etc. MANY, if not most parents cannot afford all of the opportunities that they would really like for their children to have. Many children have talents that will never be fully developed because their parents can’t afford the costs of lessons or equipment for whatever sport or activity it is. That’s real life. This is especially true with horses. I know many young riders who are talented and driven. Why is your daughter’s equestrian dream more worthy than anyone else’s?

I’ve been in the horse world a long time. I have a lot of sympathy for young people. But, the appropriate path here isn’t mom and dad going around asking for people to fund a luxury experience for their child. Sorry, I know how hard equestrian kids work, but competing on a serious scale is a luxury nonetheless–that’s why the people your daughter wants to compete with are uber-wealthy. I think a better route is to become a working student for a top trainer and work your rear end off. Use the experience to learn how to bring horses along and to build a reputation. Work with another trainer. Network. Get to know owners. Show owners that you will devote yourself to their horse.

[AdventuresofParty]

I absolutely hate fundraising. We had to do it for our IHSA team as we received no funding from the university and it was the worst. I hated asking people for money. We did several events including a barn dance and a pony rides and hamburger event.

[Foxtrot_s]

Ask what you can do in return - present yourself at conventions, sales, etc. Give your time, recognize the sponsor and send thank you letters, plus a mention in any newspapers if you have any successes. Nothing comes for nothing.

I used to hate putting on car washes, dances, etc. in Pony Club. The return was so small on the effort, but it had to be done.

[Lucassb]

@M'al

I’m concerned by a prior response and it may be why I’m not good at this. I get that horses are an expensive hobby. But I also read the threads about “does a hunter cost $750k” and also Katie M.Prudent’s article and the response about making success more affordable. Because when I said high profile, I meant it. We’re a middle class family trying to play on the field with the uber-wealthy. (And when I say that, I mean household recognizable names. They have been very generous to our sport in general and for that my family is very, very grateful. They’re wonderful!)

But there seems to be the thought with some (not picking on you, BeeHoney, just using your note as a jumping-off point) that Midwestern middle class kids shouldn’t be attempting to wear the USA letters on the back of their jackets because we can’t afford it out of pocket. But I’m conflicted because what happens if people donate and we don’t measure up?

Gadzooks, I hate this!

(But, being stubborn as hell - will run with the idea of additional personalization!)

Not trying to pile on, here, honestly. But I think BeeHoney has nailed it. And I think that is at least part of the reason you feel a bit funny asking other people for money. IF it is indeed to support your kid playing against the uber wealthy… that is a very tough pitch. Because it is indeed a luxury experience, particularly in the hunters - where, let’s face it, no one is going to represent the US, and the top horses are out of the stratosphere in terms of cost.

Jumpers are perhaps a different story, and that IS an area where you can start with just good raw material, so to speak, and with effort and training, progress up the levels. I know quite a few people who buy young, athletic types to make their own jumpers and they don’t have to be super pretty or amazing movers or even easy to ride. They just have to be athletic and trainable. And with time and mileage and exposure, they become valuable and they can open up opportunities.

If your kid is super talented, and can make up a horse that can play in that ring? You have a potential path, even at levels that aren’t starting out at the tippy top. Then maybe she makes horses up that are partially or wholly owned by syndicates, and those horses are then sold to provide a return to her backers, and the proceeds keep funding better and better horses while she keeps building her toolbox and exposure. There are quite a few BNRs that started that way, and became quite successful.

[HungarianHippo]

You’ve definitely got an uphill path, when there are so, so many people in genuine need, medical distress, etc. and you’re essentially looking for contributions to a luxury sport. No matter what the charitable cause, impersonal blanket letters won’t get donations. Sheepish hemming and hawing “I really hate to ask…” won’t get donations either.

You need:

1. personal passion for the cause.
2. provide clear reasons how this cause benefits the community (and therefore the donor)
3. explain why you are contacting that particular person (“Based on your involvement in xxxx, it’s clear that you care a lot about initiatives that advance our sport” or “I’ve always looked at you as a role model for career success, and in this program I will learn the leadership skills that I think can help me in my own career in the future”)
4. A specific request. I’m writing to ask if you can donate $100 towards this goal of $5000, but even a small amount will help.
5. End the letter with something like "Thanks for giving this some thought. I’ll follow up with a phone call next week to discuss.

If you send an advance letter, the phone call won’t be so awful, since you’re not cold calling.

Most responses will be No. Try not to get discouraged! That’s just how it goes in fundraising and it’s not some repudiation of you or your cause.

Yes, it’s really hard and once you’ve done it a few times you will have a lot more sympathy for the donation calls you get from other groups.