At this point you should know what your project is going to be: its goals, methodology, target group, and expected results. Also you should have a list of potential donors you are about to submit proposals to in order to obtain the funds necessary to develop your project. You now have the necessary information to start your campaign and secure funding. Since the beginning of this second phase, you should keep in mind that it is of vital importance to make the organisation visible.
1) Your organisation should have a definite identity; the field in which your planned activities are taking place, the people you are working with and for, and also the long-term goals you have established.
2) You should make good use of the Internet. Remember that many people and groups – most certainly your potential donors – will look up your organisation online. It is crucial to develop a strategy to present yourself, your achievements, and your goals in the most accessible way. Make sure to keep the organisation’s website up to date and share with your audience information about all your ongoing activities. Engage your audience by making your website interactive; ask questions and allow feedback. Display what you have achieved and always acknowledge those who made your work possible, including members of staff, participants, and donors.
You should also consider having profiles on the main social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. This will help you getting in contact with potential donors and other organisations working in the same field. As such, use your status updates to inform people about new ideas you have, new proposals you drafted, and ongoing fundraising campaigns. This could help you make your efforts visible and also to enable potential donors and collaborators to contact you in case they are willing to provide assistance.
3) Consider developing working relationships with journalists and people working in the cultural sector. As soon as your new project is drafted, ask to participate in radio shows and TV programmes in order to reach even more people. Remember that your goal is to be public and to gather money for your activities. As such, it is important to associate the writing and submission of proposals with a dissemination campaign through the media. Expect private donors or foundations to contact you in order to discuss the ways in which new collaborations could develop.
4) You might be willing to reach out for well-known political figures or celebrities. Be aware of the consequences. In fact, established personalities in your community, country, or even international figures could boost your financial income because they can introduce you to their own networks. Yet, you should always be careful and assess whether association with such individuals is worth doing. And you should consider whether their speeches or public personae are not controversial and, if they are, whether you should associated with them.
5) Make your campaign participatory. Organise press-conferences in your own premises or in selected places, such as cultural centres, community halls, municipality building etc. Make sure to invite persons who are influential in your community and make sure to advertise the event in order to attract the wider population. Prepare little brochures or information material to disseminate at the event. Briefly profile your association and clearly state its goals and visions. Invite the audience to comment on your strategies and leave space for gathering feedback and additional ideas to improve your plans.
6) Develop a tailored strategy to ask for a contribution from your own community. You could start by drawing on personal networks of people working in the NGO sector and volunteers in order to develop a strategy to fundraise by reaching individuals. Create a clear message to be disseminated. For instance, you should highlight the impact that such a project could have in the community. Make people aware of the necessity of what you are doing and ask if they could give a contribution – even if a symbolic one. This will probably not be the primary fundraising strategy, but it could gather additional funding, which will help the development of the project. Further, you will make people in your community aware of the project and they will feel part of it by contributing to its success.
7) Involve the public sector. Invite elected politicians to your planned events and follow up with further requests for one-to-one meetings. Ask whether your municipality or local government have funding available for social projects and inquire whether you could become a recipient. Also, ask whether they could introduce you with people administering state or regional funding to increase your fundraising potential.
