This course is for anyone involved in fundraising for their organization.  From a start-up seeking investments all the way to a not-for-profit seeking donations – board members, finance executives and other executives are involved not just in the final decisions, but every step of the way.

What can you gain – and what do you have to give away?  Who gets a seat on the board? How much “people power” does it take to work your fund-raiser?  What are some ideas for fund-raisers and which is right for my needs? What are grantors looking for?  All these and more will be discussed in this extensive course.

This is a stand-alone course, over two hours in length – and is also the seventh and last course in the series:  Mastering Board of Directors Participation.

The Investment section reminds you that there are stages and levels of fund-raising and each might require a slightly different approach but all require a quid pro quo.  

The donation section quotes heavily from Dr. Diamond’s book:  The “Please” and “Thank You” of Fund-Raising for Non-Profits: Fifteen Essential Ingredients for Success and each of the 15 ingredients is discussed.  

The ingredients are:

  • Have a powerful and emotionally compelling mission
  • Proven Ability to Execute
  • Charismatic Leadership
  • Fund-raising:  Long Term Relationships
  • Manage Staff and Volunteers
  • Esprit de Corps
  • Do your research
  • Small Donors become large Donors
  • Create the buzz – Public Relations
  • ASK – The “Please”
  • ASK them to invest with you
  • Create Energizing and Exciting Events (a lot of suggestions)
  • Loop around and do it again
  • The “Thank You”
  • Excellence Counts

Although the examples in the 15 Ingredients are primarily for non-profits, the information offered is valuable for seeking investments, managing associations, or even finding and keeping volunteers.

 

Learning Objectives
  • Explore many different ways to hold events
  • Discover that writing grants uses similar techniques to modifying a resume when applying for a job
  • Recognize the board’s role in raising money
  • Identify which of these many examples works for your organization
  • Discover that you must give to get – all requests for money should have a quid pro quo
  • Recognize that sometimes hiring a professional fund-raider yields more net profit
  • Identify decisions you might have to make about yielding a seat on the board to a major investor.
Last updated/reviewed: March 23, 2024

Included In Certifications

This course is included in the following Certification Programs:

10 CoursesMastering Board of Directors Participation Certification

  1. Types of Boards and Expected Level of Participation in Each
  2. Integrating and Training Your Board Member
  3. Assertiveness Skills for Executives, Managers and HR Professionals
  4. Preparing to Be on a Board
  5. Board Participation
  6. Creating Rewards and Recognitions that Get You What You Want to Achieve
  7. Volunteers Working Together
  8. Group Decision Making and Problem Solving
  9. Management of Meetings, Committees and Boards
  10. Raising Funds: Investments – Donations – Events – Grants
7 Reviews (29 ratings)

Reviews

1
Member's Profile
The audio is almost unlistenable. It is scratchy and the volume goes up and down. Also, Illumeo says this course has been reviewed and updated recently but it includes a positive statement about Bill Cosby, which is a little jarring

4
Anonymous Author
Thorough overview of the sources of funds for nonprofits and things to consider while soliciting funds through donations and grants. Audio quality could use some improvement due to intermittent variations in volume.

5
Member's Profile
This course was not exactly what I expected but turned out to be very informative

5
Anonymous Author
This course is well developed and presented and fully met its objectives.

5
Anonymous Author
Good introductory course and overview of non-profit fundraising techniques.

4
Member's Profile
The instruction had good examples and some great ideas.

5
Member's Profile
Excellent information and lots of real world examples.

Prerequisites
Course Complexity: Intermediate
  • No advanced preparation or prerequisites are required for this course.
Education Provider Information
Company: Illumeo, Inc., 75 East Santa Clara St., Suite 1215, San Jose, CA 95113
Contact: For more information regarding this course, including complaint and cancellation policies, please contact our offices at (408) 400- 3993 or send an e-mail to .
Instructor for this course
Course Syllabus
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
  Introduction to Raising Funds2:25
  Investments12:07
Essential Ingredients
  Essential Ingredients for Non-Profit Fund Raising Donors3:12
  The Mission5:05
  A Proven Ability to Execute on The Mission5:32
  Charismatic Leadership1:41
  Building Long Term Relationships7:52
  Manage Staff and Volunteers4:19
  Espirit De Corps2:26
  Do Your Research2:12
  Small Donors Become Large Donors6:21
  Create The Buzz7:20
  Ask-The Please10:30
  Ask Them to Invest With You3:13
Events
  Create Energizing and Exciting Quality Events29:23
  Loop Around and Do It Again6:35
  Always Say Thank You2:00
  Excellence Counts5:52
Grants
  Grant Writing29:00
  Summary2:55
Continuous Play
  Raising Funds:Investments–Donations–Events - Grants2:24:12
Supporting Materials
  Slides: Raising Funds Investments - Donations - Events - GrantsPDF
  Raising Funds: Investments - Donations - Events - Grants Glossary/IndexPDF
Review And Test
  REVIEW QUESTIONSquiz
 FINAL EXAMexam