Fundraising in Wilmington

I can’t even sit back on a Sunday morning at Wrightsville Beach and enjoy the Sunday paper.  Being consumed by thoughts of fundraising is a curse I’m certain I don’t share with many people.A recent article in the Star-News on non-profit giving in the Cape Fear region was quite timely.  However, unfortunately, it missed the reality and focused on a few smaller agencies that in any time have a challenge to raise the money necessary for their mission.As the way to raise money, the special event is unsuccessful many more times than not, generally because of a lack of focus on the objective. My colleague, Karin Cox of Wilmington, is the author of a chapter on special event fundraising in a college fundraising textbook by Adrian Sargeant, the Kinetic Chair at Indiana University.  This chapter focuses on the purpose of the special event, mot how to do one.  A dimension of the chapter, the Cox Grid, is gaining wide acceptance as a way to evaluate special events.  It invites the agency to state clearly its goal in measurable terms of raising money, educating donors, building a donor base, and appreciating donors.Karin Cox, Matt Beem, President and CEO of Kinetic Companies, Inc and I just returned from the first American Summit on Growing Philanthropy in DC sponsored by our company, our chair at Indiana and our Blackbaud, the largest data base management program for nonprofits.  By invitation, 25 leaders from all the sectors of the nonprofit and philanthropic fundraising, education, and management attended.Among the early conclusions of the Summit:1.  Giving for the last few years has gone down only 3% when consumer purchases have dipped in double digits.2.  Current fundraising best practices exist for an increase in giving by 10 – 30%.3.  Preparation of those professionals is sorely lacking.I would say that special events might not be the way small nonprofit organizations should go to raise money in Wilmington.  But don’t be discouraged. With the university, hospital foundation and many others, the giving climate is robust and available.