The Nonprofit FAQ

Should volunteers be asked to make financial contributions?

Suze McKenna wrote in the FundClass online forum: I'm on the capital campaign committee of a fledgling children's museum that has existed with the help of over 300 volunteers from our community. There is some debate over whether we should send a targeted solicitation letter to these volunteers. Some say it's enough that they give their time, and that it's offensive to hit them up. Tony Poderis responded: Suze --- You've already gotten sound advice from a few FundClassers as they encourage solicitation of your volunteers for money --- while showing them consideration and appreciation for their commitment to you with the time they donate. You do it the same way you would with Trustees, staff, members of auxiliaries, etc. ---- those individuals already giving their time and energy. You should always give prospective donors the opportunity to give. Never let anyone say "no" for any prospect. That's up to him/her to tell you that. I believe it's a privilege to give money to a worthy organization, and no one should be denied that privilege. ; -) I would go further. Since yours is a capital campaign --- which should be a large-giver campaign --- a mailing to 300 volunteers in a general sense might not bring in the highest potential donations. And such an effort should not distract you from other necessary large-giver efforts. You want to achieve the highest possible results from the 300 volunteers. I would list the 300 names and meet with two or three individuals in your organization who have some knowledge of those volunteers to one-by-one rate and evaluate each volunteer's giving potential. The prospects with the highest ratings should be personally solicited for those amounts. Others should be provided with their own suggested asking and followed-up with phone calls. I would search out the strongest advocates and endorsers of your organization and this solicitation campaign from among the 300 volunteers and ask them to lead --- to chair --- this special effort, starting witht the rating process. That way, after making their own gifts and being publicly behind this effort, your chances of successfully raising meaningful funds are even greater and you lessen any risk of annoying the volunteers when you have persons from within their own group doing the asking. Anyway, that's how I see it. Go get 'em! Cheers, Tony Poderis "Fund-Raising Forum Library" Original Articles Featuring Fund-Raising Tips & Techniques That Will Work For You: http://www.raise-funds.com/library.html The quoted discussion occurred in 1999)