Complete Text 2 using the words in the box.

text 2

charities and fund-raising

Effective charitable work depends on securing adequate(1) ...… . In many cases this depends on effective fund-raising. As fund-raising is one of the principal influences on the public’s perception of charity, the (2) ...… used and the integrity of the fund-raisers are crucial to public confidence. It is very important that trustees manage and control fund-raising effectively, efficiently, and economically. The highest standards need to be adopted and systems for protecting the (3) ...… raised need to be put into place.

A professional fund-raiser is any person who carries on a fund-raising (4) ...… for gain which is wholly or primarily engaged in soliciting or otherwise procuring money or other (5) …... for charitable purposes.

The choice of fund-raising methods is a matter for trustees to decide. However, charities need to be alert and sensitive to public opinion and criticism. Fund-raising methods which meet with (6) ...… can damage the charity and reduce public confidence in the sector as a whole.

It is essential to spend time before undertaking any fund-raising exercise to develop a (7) ...: some forms of fund-raising can be costly and it is important to be sure that the costs will be justified in terms of a realistic return. The strategy will need to cover the following points.

· The need for funds – are funds required for a special project or part of the charity’s rolling (8) …... of work? How much is needed? Would it be possible to collaborate with other charities operating in the same field to meet the need?

· Possible sources of funding – for example, grants from local or central Government, grant-making (9) ...… or companies.

· The resources available to support fund-raising – fund-raising costs money. (10) ...… can range from producing appeal literature to employing a professional fund-raiser and organizing fund-raising events.

· The proportion of gross receipts which will be left after fund-raising costs have been met. We strongly recommend that trustees agree, in advance, the likely proportion of the gross receipts which will be spent on the costs of fund-raising. Actual performance needs to be monitored against that (11) ...… and the trustees should satisfy themselves that the expenditure is justified.

Read Text 3. Karen Lovett, a fund-raiser, gives practical advice to beginners in fundraising.

text 3

Fund Raising Public Relations

So, you have a new organization set up to help with a wonderful needy cause. Think you can just sit back and wait on the money to come rolling in to help provide the financial support your group needs? Don’t count on it. With just the sheer number of organizations in the world today, the competition for donations can be a nightmare.

Sure you probably think your cause is much more needy than someone else’s cause. The trick comes in convincing the person that has the funds to donate that your cause is the one that they should be supporting. Just because a cause is genuine is no guarantee that people will be lining up to shove checks in your direction. You have to go out and search for the people that will believe in your cause enough to loosen up their purse strings.

You don’t have to rush out and pay some big expensive public relations firm to handle the publicity either though. Of course, if you have the funds or contacts to make use of such a firm, then, don’t let me stop you. Don’t feel that you must have someone like that in order to have a successful fund raising campaign.

A successful fund raising campaign isn’t something you can do overnight. It takes time and energy to build it up from the bottom. Not only do you have to plan for it, but you also have to actively work at it. Hey, nobody said that it would be easy. If they did, you shouldn’t have listened to them. After all, how many times have you had money just handed to you for no reason?

There you have the most important question of your fund raising campaign. It is even more important than how much money you need. Why should anyone give your organization money? Why should they care about your organization’s cause of choice? Are you getting the word out about your cause in a positive manner? Are you merely begging for money, or are you showing them why you need the money and how it will be spent?

Don’t take it for granted that everyone wants to donate money to your organization. Treat it like a business advertising campaign. Go out there and actively search out ways to get the publicity your fundraising campaign needs and deserves. That is the key to making sure that your financial goals are met. If they don’t know about your organization or believe in your cause, why should they hand over their hard-earned money to you?

Show them how important the cause is. Show them how much your need their help. Show them how they can help. Be respectful of their decision whether they help or not. Above all, show appreciation to those that decide to help further your cause. It may not be a big donation, but even pennies add up in the end. The important part is that they believe in your organization and your cause enough to help.

Match 1 – 5 with a – e to form expressions from Text 3.