Most charitable nonprofits rely upon the generosity of donors for some or all of their funding. Consequently, fundraising is an activity of major importance to the charitable nonprofit community. The National Council of Nonprofits does not provide funding or offer assistance with fundraising, however, your state association of nonprofits [1] offers many different opportunities – such as workshops, webinars, peer learning, and even discounts on products and services that are used by charitable nonprofits to fundraise.
Fundraising is a regulated activity
Before your nonprofit solicits donations, learn about:
- Fundraising guidlines from the IRS [2]
- Charitable registration [3]
- Professional fundraising consultants and grantwriters [4]
- Ethical fundraising [5]
Fundraising and tax-exempt status
What if your nonprofit is not tax-exempt?
- Can our organization fundraise if it is not yet tax-exempt [6]? (NEO Law Group)
- Consider fiscal sponsorship [7] as a way to raise funds when your organization has not been recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS.
- If your nonprofit receives a percentage of sales through an arrangement with a for-profit business, make sure you understand the implications of cause-related marketing and commercial co-ventures [8].
- What happens to donors’ contributions when a nonprofit loses its tax-exempt status [9]?
- Unrelated business income and taxes [10]
Donor Relations
- Share with your donors [11]nine tips for legal compliance [2] that the IRS wants every taxpayer to know before deducting charitable donations.
- 6 More Fundraising Legal Tips [12] (Nonprofit Law Blog)
- Tips on donating to charitable nonprofits to share with donors [13] (Source: IRS)
- Showing respect for donors [14] (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Saying ‘thank you’ to donors. [15]
- Help donors value their "donations" through charity auctions [16]
- Resources on gift acceptance policies [17] (Nonprofit Law Blog)
Online Fundraising
- Online fundraising insights and resources [18] (Network for Good)
- Internet and social media solicitation tips [19] (National Association of State Charity Officials)
Resources
- Find funding [20] (Foundation Center)
- How to find the right funders by reviewing a foundation's 990-PF [21] (GuideStar)
- Association of Fundraising Professionals [22] - Test your nonprofit's "fundraising fitness [23]" with this tool from AFP.
- Building a fundraising plan [24]: Fundraising and Development Toolkit [25] (Texas Commission on the Arts). [24]
- A Consumer’s Guide to low-cost Donor Management Systems [26] (Idealware and NTEN)
- How nonprofits can receive donated software [27] (TechSoup)
- Risks versus reward in fundraising [28] (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits)
Category:
Fundraising [29]