Raising money from individuals
Individual donors can be a great way to raise money for your friends group. Below are some recommendations.
1. Network
- Create a list of all of your members and potentially helpful people you know.
- Keep in touch. Stay in regular contact with your connections and membership so they don’t forget about you. A newsletter does this job well.
- Always look for new friends. Have a sign-in sheet at every event and always keep your eyes open. One friends group got a $1,000 donation from a popular magazine because a group member served jury duty with the CEO.
2. Use tiered membership fees
- Keep a modest price for basic membership so that it remains affordable to any park user.
- Offer a larger fee with benefits for potential donors. For example, if your basic membership fee is $10 per year, offer a $50 membership that includes a free T-shirt with the group’s logo.
- Mail fundraising letters after the group has proved itself
- People will be more likely to give you money if they know who you are and that you’ve done good things.
3. Have a party!
- Many groups immediately think of hosting a fundraising event to raise money.
- Most of these events are “friend-raisers” more than fundraisers; overhead costs are high, and it is often the case that you raise very little money for your group—or even lose money.
- That said, such events can increase your group’s presence in the community, bringing in new members.
