"I'm New to This": 3 Essential Tips for Beginners

“I've never fundraised before, but really desire to know how to do it effectively. What should I do?”

Does this sound like you? If so, let’s get personal. I've often thought about if I'd never been a missionary or had never raised personal funds before, and what I would do with my family if we had to go out and raise a year's salary in six months. Here are some tips of what I would do.

1. Own it. I think the first thing I would do is remember that the reason I get to fundraise is good and worth it. Just like if I decided to start a business, the first people I'd tell is my family and close friends. After sharing my vision with my immediate circle first, I wouldn't be shy at all about sharing how my product or service can help people who need it. I definitely wouldn't present my new business as a necessary evil, or something you probably would want to avoid. Instead, I would play up all of its benefits for those involved. It's a generous thing to share an opportunity for others to give and create positive change in someone's life.

2. Plan it. To formulate my best approach, I would sit down and sketch out how this might go, even if it's in total ignorance. Just thinking through the order of what I need to do and when I need to do it is very beneficial. As best as I could, I would try to plan fundraising through to the end - reaching my goal and sustaining that goal. I would have no real basis for my expectations and so it would be critical to set some kind of benchmarks all the way through in order to make the right adjustments during the process.

3. Share it. The older I get, the more I've realized, success depends on involving the people who have been there and know what to do. I would absolutely have as many conversations as possible with those who are more knowledgeable about fundraising and ideally, those who have done it successfully. I'd show them my plans and ask them to give me some advice on what seems unrealistic or what may be missing.

Jumping into any type of unknown territory is scary, however having the confidence to do it is the first major step. Once you take that chance to try and add in your own bits of preparation, there is no telling how your original idea will grow.

All of our coaches here at Tailored have had to fundraise themselves at one time or another. To talk with an expert on how to fundraise in the most effective way click here to talk to a coach.