Keys to Fundraising Success

There really is no perfect model for successful fundraising. This guide sets out a variety of options for raising funds to start and maintain your community garden. Try several ideas and by guided by the past experiences of your group’s members. Regardless of your approach, there are a few basic fundraising rules:

· Know your project inside and out.

· Be thoroughly familiar with your group and the project, its goals and objectives, the benefits to the members and to the community, the organisational structure, activity time lines, etc.

· Research potential sources of funding thoroughly.

· Develop a strategy.

· Prepare a well thought-out, thorough budget, but don’t box yourself into a corner by excessive itemisation.

· Submit letters of endorsement from community partners, well-known people or groups active in the community gardening field, community leaders and activists, politicians supportive of your project and its goals.

· Ask an experienced fundraiser or someone with similar skills to read and comment on your proposal before submitting it.

· Timing is important – willingness to contribute may depend upon the ups and downs of business.

· Spread out your request over several donors – don’t put all your eggs into one basket.

· Make sure to thank your donors, both privately by letter and publicly.

· Take before and after photos of the site.

· If your proposal is not approved, ask the funder how the proposal could have been better and try again.

Adverstise your GARDEN WISH LIST