July 2004

Editorial

Systems in fundraising

At FI, we strongly advocate the importance of transparency and accountability for organisations that communicate to and fundraise from the public. And to ensure this, systems in terms of a communication and fundraising strategy and plan; ethics policy for fundraising; accounting and reporting mechanisms play a very important role.

Let us look at the larger picture for a minute. In order to mobilise local support for their work, organisations need to communicate and be open to scrutiny about their functioning and finances. This will require organisations to distribute Annual reports with an abridged statement of accounts and make detailed statements available on request. To be this transparent, organisations should put in place systems that will ensure effective functioning.

Starting with recruitment of personnel for their fundraising unit, job descriptions and orientation, systems should be put in place to ensure communication materials are always conscious of organisational branding; day to day functioning with regard to response mechanisms and donor cultivation; documentation of achievements and stories of change and overall strategy and implementation plan to ensure diversification of income sources for the organisation.

Apart from ensuring effective functioning, putting in place these systems will help build strong and credible organisations.

- editor

Top

FR Snapshot

Here is a fundraising campaign organised by Dream a dream team in their own words. Dream a dream supports vulnerable children and provides opportunities to carve out a better future for themselves. For more details and innovative fundraising initiatives log on to www.dreamadream.org

'Everyone of us is hooked onto newspapers - we read them at home and we read them at work. At the end of the month, the newspapers mysteriously disappear to the Raddi Wala who buys it at Rs. 5 per kg. Statistics prove that one month's supply of a single newspaper comes to 3 kg which means an income of Rs. 15/-. Imagine if that 3 kg is given away to a charity and a charity like Dream A Dream is able to collect over 10,000 kgs of Newspaper EVERY MONTH. That translates into an income of Rs. 50,000/- per month or Rs. 6,00,000 per annum. It is a question of really believing that every single drop makes an ocean.

Starting July, Dream A Dream launches the "Dream Newspaper Campaign".

Here is how you can help:
1) Pledge your newspapers to Dream A Dream and support a cause that aims to empower children.

2) Talk to families in your neighbourhood, it will take each one of us 2 minutes but will create tremendous long-term benefits for Dream A Dream. Neighbours and relatives can deliver the newspapers to your house and Dream A Dream can collect it from your house once a fortnight.

3) Talk to your apartment associations and pledge papers for the entire apartment to Dream A Dream. We can come and talk to them if required.

4) Talk to your companies about pledging their newspapers to Dream A Dream. A company we know in Bangalore pledges 800 Kgs worth of newspapers to a charity every month. Each and every company purchases atleast 3 Newspapers every day in each of their offices. We can setup collection centers at one of their offices and collect newspapers once a fortnight or once a month.

5) Become a Dream Newspaper Volunteer - Make your house a collection point where people / companies can drop off their newspapers and then a Dream Vehicle will pick it up at regular intervals or better still tie-up with your nearest Raddi Shop, Sell the Newspapers collected and give the proceeds to Dream A Dream to save us transport cost.

The "Dream Newspaper Campaign" has the potential to raise over Rs. 1,00,000/- every month if logistics are handled well. Dream A Dream is committed to this idea and we believe we can create an ocean out of these small droplets because we have the network of committed volunteers to make it happen.

Start now by replying to info@dreamadream.org and pledging your newspapers. Spread this message to interested people and create a wave. The journey begins...'

Top

News in Brief

What's happening in communication & fundraising?

Kathalaya conducts workshops for school teachers in Bangalore
Kathalaya – The House of Stories conducted a workshop on 'puppet stories in classrooms' for school teachers from 26-27 July 2004. The second workshop on 'Clay stories and toy theatre' is scheduled for 2-3 August 2004 from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm at the Bishop Cotton's Girls School on St Marks Road in Bangalore. The registration is Rs 600. For further details and to register email kathalaya@vsnl.net or phone 080-2668 9856.

MCC presents research paper at the Sixth ISTR conference
Priya Anand, Head of Research and Publications at MCC presented a paper on 'Hindu Diaspora and Religious Philanthropy in the US' at the Sixth ISTR (International Society for Third-Sector Research – www.istr.org) conference in Toronto, Canada held, 11-14 July 2004. The ISTR promotes research and education in the fields of philanthropy, civil society and the nonprofit sector. The theme of the conference was 'Contesting Citizenship and Civil Society in a Divided World'.

Fundraising conference in Madurai concludes
Meenakshi Mission Hospital in Madurai hosted its first conference in fundraising titled, 'Soaring to new heights in fundraising' from 7-8 July 2004. The conference was attended by over 100 delegates from various parts of India and addressed Corporate Social Responsibility, current challenges of fundraising, volunteering and provided tips on communication, charity events, building a loyal base of donors and making a case for support. The conference directed by Zahida Noorani featured presentations by well-known leaders in fundraising, writers and fundraising professionals. The conference was followed by a day-long workshop on how to develop a fundraising plan by Mal Warwick.

Gwalior Childrens Hospital teams up with igive2
Online shoppers on igive2 will now be able to donate 20% of their purchase at no extra cost to Gwalior Childrens Hospital. Joining igive2 is easy and free. Help and provide for poor, disabled and destitute children in India by registering today at http://www.igive2.co.uk/helpchildrenofindia. For further information log on to gwalior.hospital@care4free.net

Top

Tip of the month

Craft your statement of work into an elevator speech

Most often, when we are asked, 'Hmmm, so what do you do?', we are found scrambling for the right words and the right combination of these that will convey as much as possible in very little time. So, it is important to have your 'statement of work' ready and make sure everybody in your organisation knows it like the back of their hand. It isn't easy of course. You will have to write and rewrite till you get it to fit the 'elevator speech' – a short description of what you do. A well crafted statement of work will market your organisation and evoke curiosity. Remember the time taken to proceed from the 2^nd to the 10^th floor.

Top

Presentation skills

Why are presentation skils important?
It’s easy to ignore the printed document but it’s much more difficult to ignore a person. No printed document can convey the concern and enthusiasm of a dedicated and knowledgeable speaker. Nor can it respond to the interest and questions of the audience.

How is a presentation to a small group different from one to a larger group?
With smaller groups and individuals, you can ask for support for a specific purpose. You might want the group to decide and take action right then. With larger groups, however, you might be trying to raise the profile of your organisation in the community and hoping to interest the people in
the work.

Before the presentation

It’s important to plan since you have only one chance to convince the listener. For every 5 minutes of talking, you may need to spend at least 1 hour in preparation.Prepare carefully, practise once or twice in front of the mirror and with colleagues/ friends.

1. Objective: Focused, clear and crisp. You should have a single objective. Spell it out.

2. Target audience: Understand the size and background of the audience.

3. Time allotted: Stick to the time allotted. Keep some time for questions during and after the presentation.

4. Structure: Once the presentation’s objective is established, decide on the structure. Every presentation has an introduction, a main body and a conclusion.

5. Plan your delivery: Plan the overall style of your presentation. Your style can vary from very formal to informal.

6. Visual aids: Check the venue well in advance. Make sure all necessary equipment is in place. The audience will remember what you say better if you reinforce your message with visuals. Use blackboards, flip charts, overhead projectors or computerised presentations wherever you can. Photographs, films, real objects, video films and audio clips are even more effective. Combine talking with writing and pictures.

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates and anyone who might be interested. And do send in your queries and suggestions to training@fundraising-india.org

MCC-- Murray Culshaw Consulting Pvt Ltd serves the voluntary sector in India. We offer training and direct support on communication and fundraising, undertake research on related issues, publish books and maintain a database of about 8,000 organisations in India. Contact us at:  2nd Floor  Vijay Kiran Building  314/1  7^th Cross  Domlur Layout Bangalore 560 071  India  Tel: 91-80-2535 2003/ 5115 0582
email training@fundraising-india.org  website: www.fundraising-india.org