Raising Money For Your Non-Profit
Raising contributed income for non-profit organizations requires much more than selling commercial products and services to make money. Such programs have their place, but most organizations simply cannot generate enough income from them to meet all their needs.
I am made increasingly aware of the conflict many non-profit organizations experience when faced with choosing between raising the money they need using a traditional philanthropic process, and making a
profit from selling and endorsing commercial products and services.
The number and variety of selling opportunities presented to non-profit organizations, especially through the Internet, is growing rapidly. All too often, the advertisements for those products and services make outrageous and misleading promises of big and easy money to needy and vulnerable non-profits.
There is nothing wrong with selling a commercial product or service to help support a non-profit organization if: the profit gained is worth the effort; It neither restricts nor replaces the far more effective and time-proven philanthropic process; it is additional and complimentary to their regular fund-raising, not as a replacement or alternative to it.
In a new article just posted on my website, I suggest nine key questions which officials of a non-profit organization should ask themselves when considering selling a product or service. And should they choose to sell a vendor’s products or services, I further suggest that they insist the vendor provide them with the answers to five questions before they enter into a contract.
