So, you’re looking for a fundraising project for a school, sports team or construction project and you’re thinking about engraved bricks. Brick fundraising is pretty simple, but what are the pitfalls?
We talked to Larry Cannon (www.bricksculpture.com), who’s been engraving bricks for fundraisers since 1988. He offers the following advice before you embark on the campaign…..
1. First look at your donor database. How likely are they to contribute to your new cause? Take nothing for granted. Don’t assume that people will donate without a good strategy.
2. Think about who you’re targeting. You should expect about 20% of your database to contribute. But…how interested are they in your project? How committed are they? How are they doing financially?
4. Think about the best time to mail donation requests. Timing is everything in fundraising.
5. Think of the best way to word it. Should you play on their sympathies or emphasize that their name on a brick is a memorial will last beyond their life?
6. The project chair will make or break the project. Don’t let just anyone do it…get volunteers with the time and energy to put into the project.
7. How much money do you want to raise? Come into the project with an established goal.
8. Decide how much money people will donate to purchase a brick. Subtract the costs from the brick manufacturer and the difference is direct profit..
9. What about donor level appreciation? Do you want to honor different levels of donor contribution? If so….how? Some options are brick placement, size of bricks, number of words on the brick, emblems or logos on the bricks….
10. Can you get services donated? Does someone in the group know a brick mason who’ll donate their time to lay the brick, build the wall or whatever? If not, the cost for hiring one must come from the raised donations.
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