Fundraising in Brief
Based on a presentation by Andy Lyman-Buttler at the 2007 SSA Conference
Why raise money?
It sounds like an obvious question, but if you don't have an answer, you're going to have a tough time getting funds for your group. On the other hand, if you can list out the activities you'd like to pull off, along with their estimated budgets and the benefit they'll have for your group, the student body and the campus as a whole, you are off to a great start!
Don't be afraid to ask for money. There are plenty of people and organizations who are willing to give your group money if you give them the opportunity. Always ask for as much as you need (rarely will someone give you more than you ask for), but only as long as you actually have plans to use it.
There are five general categories of income that a student group usually has access to.
1. Student Activity Fees
Almost every university has an activity fee system, consisting of a mandatory fee collected from all students and used to fund and maintain facilities, services, events and student organizations. This fund is accessible by student groups and can be, by far, the largest source of income for your group.
Every university has its own process to access this fund, and it will be up to you and your group to find that information. However, a few elements are consistent across the board. You will have to plan ahead: many universities require applications nearly a semester in advance (which means you'll have to plan activities for the fall semester during the spring semester before). You will also have to have a budget, be it for a specific project you're funding or for your entire school year. (Many universities make funded projects public information, so you can often look at the budgets for projects that have been approved in the past and see how yours compares.) Finally, most universities will only fund events that are open to the student body as a whole and will benefit the general student body, so be prepared to present your events/budget in a light that casts is at beneficial to the entire campus.
2. Project Grants
There are huge numbers of organizations that offer grants for various projects. The Secular Student Alliance has a Project Grant fund, as do many other secular organizations. Academic departments on your campus may have separate funding from the student activity fees. You may be able to find local or state-level organizations that offer funding. Explore avenues separate from your secularism; you might be eligible for funding from an organization that supports diversity, or a group looking to support youth activists.
The guidelines for these sorts of grants are also quite varied, and you'll have to do some research on the applications and time frame. You'll still have to plan ahead and formulate a budget, and you may have to tailor the tone of your application depending on the organization you're working with. With these variables, project grants may be a little more labor-intensive, but they can yield substantial rewards.
3. Local "Adult" Groups
Many communities have a local "adult" group of atheists, humanists, skeptics, freethinkers or the like. We encourage all student groups to seek out an collaborate with local groups for a variety of reasons, but one of those reasons is certainly the financial support these groups can offer. Local groups vary widely. Some are large, have a large budget and plenty of activities, and may be willing to actively collaborate on a project, thereby bringing their funds to the table. Others may be relatively laid-back, perhaps just getting together for coffee or a discussion meeting.
The first step in working with these groups is to encourage attendance at one another's events - invite the local group to your panel discussion, and ask if you can bring a group to their next meeting. Keep building that relationship, one event and one meeting at a time, and soon you'll find yourself at a point where you can bring a request for funding or cooperation to a meeting and ask for their support. They may be willing to add a fundraising message for your group into their newsletter, and you may find individual members who are willing to help fund your group.
4. Fundraisers
While many groups feel that fundraising consists primarily of "holding fundraisers," these events actually bring in a fairly small proportion of a group's income. That said, these events can often be fun and educational while bringing in some extra cash for your group, so there's no reason to dismiss them.
Creativity is essential to a good fundraiser, but it's also good to start with some tried-and-true ideas. Your group might try a "soul auction," in which you sell your soul to the highest bidder and often perform some service to "regain" it; or a Pastafarian Spaghetti Dinner, complete with a contest for the best pirate costume! Atheists have a love of quotations, so you might work that into your plan - for example, charging by-the-word for a quotation to be included on a high-profile sign or banner on campus. Use your heads and see what you come up with - chances are, you'll end up having a great time and making your voice heard on campus in addition to the little extra income.
5. Member Dues
Many student groups charge dues in one way or another, but this is the smallest amount of income your group receives. There may be plenty of legitimate reasons for charging dues, but funding your group's operations and large events probably shouldn't be one of those reasons.
If you do charges dues of your members, consider what you'll offer in return. No one will be excited about giving up their hard-earned money to no end. Perhaps dues-paying members are allowed to vote for officers, or are invited to a special pizza party at the end of the semester. Maybe dues are mandatory for non-student members and a suggested donation for students. Or you could use dues income as the group's "snack fund," thereby encouraging members to pay their dues in order to have chips at meetings.
Keep in Mind
There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind while you're seeking funding for your group.
You may have to justify the existence of your group - explain how you offer support and a community for an often persecuted and underrepresented minority, how your group brings diversity to your campus, that you contribute to the marketplace of ideas on campus, and that you fill a niche on a campus that likely has more than its share of religious student groups. You also reflect our society's growing interest in the nontheist viewpoint, as evidenced by the recent success of books and movies such as The God Delusion and Religulous.
Keep records of who, where and when you received funding from, and take notes on the process of applying for that funding. It will be far easier for the next set of leaders to apply for funding if you leave them information on the specific application process for each funding source.
Once you've received funding, don't forget to thank your benefactors. Consider taking an individual donor out to dinner, sending a card to a local group after your sponsored event, writing a letter to a funding organization, and the like. Giving thanks is an important part of building a relationship that will lead to further support in the future.
The question is occasionally raised as to whether a student group should apply for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Realistically, applying for this status takes a lot of time and work (the approval process can take up to a year), and the benefits to a campus group are few, if any. If your group does encounter a potential large donor who requires the tax deduction, contact the SSA for advice.
Why raise money?
It sounds like an obvious question, but if you don't have an answer, you're going to have a tough time getting funds for your group. On the other hand, if you can list out the activities you'd like to pull off, along with their estimated budgets and the benefit they'll have for your group, the student body and the campus as a whole, you are off to a great start!
Don't be afraid to ask for money. There are plenty of people and organizations who are willing to give your group money if you give them the opportunity. Always ask for as much as you need (rarely will someone give you more than you ask for), but only as long as you actually have plans to use it.
There are five general categories of income that a student group usually has access to.
1. Student Activity Fees
Almost every university has an activity fee system, consisting of a mandatory fee collected from all students and used to fund and maintain facilities, services, events and student organizations. This fund is accessible by student groups and can be, by far, the largest source of income for your group.
Every university has its own process to access this fund, and it will be up to you and your group to find that information. However, a few elements are consistent across the board. You will have to plan ahead: many universities require applications nearly a semester in advance (which means you'll have to plan activities for the fall semester during the spring semester before). You will also have to have a budget, be it for a specific project you're funding or for your entire school year. (Many universities make funded projects public information, so you can often look at the budgets for projects that have been approved in the past and see how yours compares.) Finally, most universities will only fund events that are open to the student body as a whole and will benefit the general student body, so be prepared to present your events/budget in a light that casts is at beneficial to the entire campus.
2. Project Grants
There are huge numbers of organizations that offer grants for various projects. The Secular Student Alliance has a Project Grant fund, as do many other secular organizations. Academic departments on your campus may have separate funding from the student activity fees. You may be able to find local or state-level organizations that offer funding. Explore avenues separate from your secularism; you might be eligible for funding from an organization that supports diversity, or a group looking to support youth activists.
The guidelines for these sorts of grants are also quite varied, and you'll have to do some research on the applications and time frame. You'll still have to plan ahead and formulate a budget, and you may have to tailor the tone of your application depending on the organization you're working with. With these variables, project grants may be a little more labor-intensive, but they can yield substantial rewards.
3. Local "Adult" Groups
Many communities have a local "adult" group of atheists, humanists, skeptics, freethinkers or the like. We encourage all student groups to seek out an collaborate with local groups for a variety of reasons, but one of those reasons is certainly the financial support these groups can offer. Local groups vary widely. Some are large, have a large budget and plenty of activities, and may be willing to actively collaborate on a project, thereby bringing their funds to the table. Others may be relatively laid-back, perhaps just getting together for coffee or a discussion meeting.
The first step in working with these groups is to encourage attendance at one another's events - invite the local group to your panel discussion, and ask if you can bring a group to their next meeting. Keep building that relationship, one event and one meeting at a time, and soon you'll find yourself at a point where you can bring a request for funding or cooperation to a meeting and ask for their support. They may be willing to add a fundraising message for your group into their newsletter, and you may find individual members who are willing to help fund your group.
4. Fundraisers
While many groups feel that fundraising consists primarily of "holding fundraisers," these events actually bring in a fairly small proportion of a group's income. That said, these events can often be fun and educational while bringing in some extra cash for your group, so there's no reason to dismiss them.
Creativity is essential to a good fundraiser, but it's also good to start with some tried-and-true ideas. Your group might try a "soul auction," in which you sell your soul to the highest bidder and often perform some service to "regain" it; or a Pastafarian Spaghetti Dinner, complete with a contest for the best pirate costume! Atheists have a love of quotations, so you might work that into your plan - for example, charging by-the-word for a quotation to be included on a high-profile sign or banner on campus. Use your heads and see what you come up with - chances are, you'll end up having a great time and making your voice heard on campus in addition to the little extra income.
5. Member Dues
Many student groups charge dues in one way or another, but this is the smallest amount of income your group receives. There may be plenty of legitimate reasons for charging dues, but funding your group's operations and large events probably shouldn't be one of those reasons.
If you do charges dues of your members, consider what you'll offer in return. No one will be excited about giving up their hard-earned money to no end. Perhaps dues-paying members are allowed to vote for officers, or are invited to a special pizza party at the end of the semester. Maybe dues are mandatory for non-student members and a suggested donation for students. Or you could use dues income as the group's "snack fund," thereby encouraging members to pay their dues in order to have chips at meetings.
Keep in Mind
There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind while you're seeking funding for your group.
You may have to justify the existence of your group - explain how you offer support and a community for an often persecuted and underrepresented minority, how your group brings diversity to your campus, that you contribute to the marketplace of ideas on campus, and that you fill a niche on a campus that likely has more than its share of religious student groups. You also reflect our society's growing interest in the nontheist viewpoint, as evidenced by the recent success of books and movies such as The God Delusion and Religulous.
Keep records of who, where and when you received funding from, and take notes on the process of applying for that funding. It will be far easier for the next set of leaders to apply for funding if you leave them information on the specific application process for each funding source.
Once you've received funding, don't forget to thank your benefactors. Consider taking an individual donor out to dinner, sending a card to a local group after your sponsored event, writing a letter to a funding organization, and the like. Giving thanks is an important part of building a relationship that will lead to further support in the future.
The question is occasionally raised as to whether a student group should apply for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. Realistically, applying for this status takes a lot of time and work (the approval process can take up to a year), and the benefits to a campus group are few, if any. If your group does encounter a potential large donor who requires the tax deduction, contact the SSA for advice.
Submitted by Lyz on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 05:00
