The New Volunteerism Project

The Archival Collection of
Ivan Henry Scheier

Section XI

Feasible Fundraising

June 1999

Introductory Notes on Feasible Fundraising
Ivan Scheier
June 1999

Alternative titles have been:

An Appropriate Technology for Raising Revenue
Fundraising Without Grants (Or Too Much Pain)

This subject area was never a mainline involvement for me but I did attempt to develop my own "slant" and niche. The essential main elements of that were earning vs soliciting/begging revenue in ways sensitive to the limited resources of needy groups. The latter is the appropriate technology part, best understood by inappropriate examples, e.g. giving electric washing machines to people who have no electricity or any real hope of getting it and/or giving farm tractors to people who have no way of maintaining or repairing them.

This properly suggests as a target group a kind of third world of fundraising, relatively week and small entirely or mainly volunteer groups. But, let it be said clearly, this approach and these methods can also be a significant source of supplemental income for larger more powerful groups who ordinarily subsist on grants, generous individual philanthropy, relatively fixed administrative allocations, and the like. Conceivably, the methods could also be useful for unaffiliated individuals, though at first hand, I don’t know of any examples of this.

Further definition is provided by the three quotes below. Only the second one is from a published manuscript (page 5 here).

"There are ways of getting money for a caring organization that do not require huge amounts of skill, time or other drains on organizational resources – thus avoiding the paradox of having in these senses, to be rich in order to get rich. The methods also tend to avoid fierce competition for available dollars, as in much of grant fundraising and more mundane forms of community fundraising. In the above ways, the methods are particularly appropriate for smaller, weaker organization, but can work for larger more sophisticated organizations as well. And though usually considered "{nickel and dime" stuff, they can and have in fact be used to raise considerable amounts of money."

"Here then are some first thoughts towards a more ‘"appropriate technology" of fundraising for all-volunteer groups; specifically, a fundraising process which is efficient, consistent with mission, does not overly drain leadership/membership time, and does not assume levels of sophistication and resources which are unlikely to exist. The goal is minimum deviation from "what comes naturally" to individuals or the organization in nature and intensity of effort. The following fundraising strategies offer something almost every member/volunteer/supporter can do – everyone doing a little bit, instead of a sacrificial few trying to do a whole lot."

"good luck with grants but it isn’t the only way or, sometimes, even the best way. A major alternative is community fundraising, sometimes also called earned revenue fundraising. But here, we must beware of "the 50 cents an hour" and "mission neglect" syndromes."

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Ivan Scheier
Stillpoint
607 Marr
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, 87901
Tel (505) 894-1340
Email: ivan@zianet.com

For comments and editing suggestions please contact Mary Lou McNatt mlmcnatt@indra.com