Six keys to successful fundraising: know what and how to ask in order to get results. (Board Primer).

Fundraising and nonprofit organizations go together like popcorn and movies. Seldom is dues income enough to fund all the programs an association wants. A fundraising campaign is often the means to obtain necessary additional financial resources.

Fundraising is often part of a board member's job description. However, you may be hesitant to ask people for money. Here are a few pointers that can help you be an effective fundraiser.

1. Select a good cause. As a leader in your association, you have a voice in determining the purpose of a fundraising effort. Make sure it is truly for a good cause that you can support personally. If you will not contribute money, why should anyone else? Do not let a project or charity be selected just because the board chair or past president have their favorites. Make sure the cause has broad appeal throughout the association's membership.

2. Give a gift to get a gift. If you are going to ask someone else for a contribution to a fundraising campaign, then you must first make a contribution yourself. This is an absolute. The amount you give will greatly influence how much others will give. If you make a modest gift (compared to what you are financially able to give), then the people you ask will probably respond by making a modest gift (compared to what they are financially able to give). If you stretch and give a large gift, then you will inspire others to give large gifts as well. If you give nothing, then you will get nothing.

Another absolute is that everyone on the board of directors makes a gift. Individual board members undoubtedly will give different amounts, but unanimity is crucial. This is especially important if you hope for any support from corporations or foundations outside your membership.

3. Ask personally. Nothing is more effective than personally asking for a contribution. If you are seeking a large contribution, it is a must. If face-to-face interaction is simply not possible and you are not seeking a large gift, then a personal telephone call is required, preceded or followed by a personal letter. As the adage says, "people give to people," and the personal solicitation will greatly increase your effectiveness and success.

4. Request a specific amount. Always ask for a specific amount. This is the hardest part of fundraising for some people. When you meet with Joe, a longtime member of your association, you should tell him about the fundraising campaign, the great cause it supports, your personal gift of $1,000, and then give him the campaign literature. But you also need to say, "Joe, I am asking you to consider making a gift of $1,000 to this great effort." If you don't ask, then Joe probably won't give at this level, or at all.

5. Don't let the competition stop you. When the board of directors is debating whether to have a fundraising campaign, some directors may observe that they feel inundated with fundraising requests and urge that the campaign not be undertaken. It is true that there is tremendous competition among giving opportunities for all of us. We all balance requests from the religious, charitable, educational, disaster relief, and professional organizations in our lives. Americans are a tremendously caring and giving people. By conducting a fundraising campaign, you are expanding the giving choices available to your members. You still must successfully compete for their gifts, just as your association must compete for its members' dues dollars, time commitments, and loyalty. Not undertaking a fundraising campaign will not eliminate the competition; it simply means your association will lose the financial resources to other competitors.

6. Say thank you. When you have raised the money, the campaign is not yet finished. You must also thank your donors. Personally thank anyone you solicited, both face-to-face and in writing. This should be done within a week of receiving the gift. You can never say thank you too often.

As a board member, you also have an obligation to make sure the association officially thanks the donor in writing on a timely basis. This letter needs to comply with all regulations of the Internal Revenue Service regarding acknowledgment of charitable gifts.

Curtis C. Deane, CAE, is president of the American Society of Civil Engineers Foundation, Washington, D.C.