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] may offer many different opportunities – such as in-person workshops, webinars, peer learning programs and e-learning courses, and even discounts on products and services that are used by charitable nonprofits to fundraise. Fundraising from private foundations requires research to learn which foundations provide grants for which missions. The Foundation Center provides free funding information through more than 400 Funding Network locations [2], many in public libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers. Fundraising capacity is just one of many muscles that an effective and sustainable charitable nonprofit needs to be in "top form" to advance its mission.
Be aware! Fundraising is a regulated activity
Before your nonprofit solicits donations, consider that the state(s) where your nonprofit operates has the authority to regulate its fundraising activities.
- Fundraising guidelines from the IRS [3]
- Charitable solicitation registration with state government [4]
- Professional fundraising consultants and grantwriters [5]
- Ethical fundraising practices [6]
- International fundraising: Voluntary best practices for U.S. based charities [7] (US Department of the Treasury); International Statement of Ethical Principles in Fundraising [8] (AFP)
If your nonprofit does not have tax-exempt status - Can it fundraise?
- Can our organization fundraise if it is not yet tax-exempt [9]? (NEO Law Group)
- Consider fiscal sponsorship [10] 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 [11].
- What happens to donors’ contributions when a nonprofit loses its tax-exempt status [12]?
Donor Relations
- Share with your donors [13]nine tips for legal compliance [3] that the IRS wants every taxpayer to know before deducting charitable donations.
- 6 More Fundraising Legal Tips [14] (Nonprofit Law Blog)
- Tax tips to share with donors [15] (Source: IRS)
- Showing respect for donors [16] (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Saying ‘thank you’ to donors. [17]
- Help donors value their "donations" through charity auctions [18]
- Gift acceptance policies [19] (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Toolkit [20]for great relationships between grantmakers and nonprofits (Exponent Philanthropy)
Resources about fundraising generally
- Grant Research Tools [21] (overview and comparison chart) (National Council of Nonprofits)
- Have a Fundraising Plan, Work the Plan [22] blog post with resources (March 2019, National Council of Nonprofits)
- Year-Round Donor Engagement Plan [23] (TechSoup)
- How to find the right funders by reviewing a foundation's 990-PF [24] (GuideStar)
- Courses on grantwriting and other fundraising subjects [25] (Foundation Center)
- Test your nonprofit's "fundraising fitness [26]" (Association of Fundraising Professionals)
- Building a fundraising plan [27]: Fundraising and Development Toolkit [28] (Texas Commission on the Arts)
- Charitable auction [29] compliance toolkit (Planned Giving Design Center)
- A Consumer’s Guide to low-cost Donor Management Systems [30] (Idealware and NTEN)
- How nonprofits can receive donated software [31] (TechSoup)
- Risk versus reward in fundraising [32] (Minnesota Council of Nonprofits)