10 Tips for Easy Fundraising with Memorial Bricks
So, you're looking for a fundraising project for a school,
sports team or construction project and you're thinking about
engraved bricks. Brick fundraising is pretty simple, but what
are the pitfalls?
We talked to Larry Cannon (www.bricksculpture.com), who's been
engraving bricks for fundraisers since 1988. He offers the
following advice before you embark on the campaign.....
1. First look at your donor database. How likely are they to
contribute to your new cause? Take nothing for granted. Don't
assume that people will donate without a good strategy.
2. Think about who you're targeting. You should expect about 20%
of your database to contribute. But...how interested are they in
your project? How committed are they? How are they doing
financially?
4. Think about the best time to mail donation requests. Timing
is everything in fundraising. 5. Think of the best way to word
it. Should you play on their sympathies or emphasize that their
name on a brick is a memorial will last beyond their life? 6.
The project chair will make or break the project. Don't let just
anyone do it...get volunteers with the time and energy to put
into the project. 7. How much money do you want to raise? Come
into the project with an established goal. 8. Decide how much
money people will donate to purchase a brick. Subtract the costs
from the brick manufacturer and the difference is direct
profit.. 9. What about donor level appreciation? Do you want to
honor different levels of donor contribution? If so....how? Some
options are brick placement, size of bricks, number of words on
the brick, emblems or logos on the bricks.... 10. Can you get
services donated? Does someone in the group know a brick mason
who'll donate their time to lay the brick, build the wall or
whatever? If not, the cost for hiring one must come from the
raised donations.