people and organizations in your community willing and
able to provide those things at no cost – these donations are
sometimes much better than cash because they can provide
services of a greater value than you could buy with a cash gift.
MORE THAN JUST CASH: OTHER TYPES
OF GIFTS
Donors can give more than just cash. You probably already
accept contributions that you don’t think of as donations
because they are not monetary: people in your community
may donate time and labor toward your projects, or businesses
may provide free products for you to use in your programs
or give free advertising space for your group in a local
publication. These gifts are known as “in-kind donations.”
WAYS TO RAISE MONEY BESIDES
FOUNDATION GRANTS
Membership dues and fees
Community fundraising events (e.g. a small party
at a supporter’s house, a sports event like a soccer
match, a speaking engagement with an honorarium,
or a benefit concert)
In-kind donations can take many forms. Here are a
few examples:
local attorney provides free legal services to help
A
your group register as an NGO.
for service/earned income/income generating
Fee
activities/products (dues from individuals
participating in a training course you offer, revenues
from handicrafts that your group produces and sells
at a tourist shop, honorarium for leader to speak at a
major conference, or fees from providing expertise/
advice as a consultant)
farmers’ association gives surplus vegetables to
A
your school-feeding program.
newspaper or magazine gives free advertising
A
space and writes feature stories on nonprofits like
yours doing good work in the community.
church offers free use of their community room
A
for your group’s planning meeting or public event.
In-kind gifts (e.g. free professional services,
materials/supplies, or free use of space)
NGO that trains people in accounting gives free
An
classes to your finance manager.
Businesses/corporations – both local and international
(through corporate gifts, in-kind contributions,
corporate sponsorships, or grants through corporate
foundations). Many international corporations with
local operations make charitable contributions. Usually
national- or local-level staff make these decisions, and it
really helps to have established a prior connection with
the decision-maker in order to get on their short list.
international aid agency pays the registration
An
fees or travel expenses for your executive director to
attend an important conference.
Think about what your organization needs in terms of people
power, skills, and resources besides money. Maybe there are
Examples of corporate giving
1. An international NGO’s field office receives a phone call in late December from an international bank
with local branches. The bank’s staff member says that he has several thousand dollars left in the bank’s
philanthropy budget for the year and has only a few weeks to give it all away. He’s looking for one of the
NGO’s projects to support with those funds. The field office writes a quick proposal to send to the bank’s
local headquarters, which approves a grant and sends a check before the end of the month.
2. A U.S. grantmaker supporting international groups receives a call from an international corporation who asks for help
in finding community-based organizations in a particular city. They don’t just want to give grants, but also want to
provide volunteer opportunities for their local employees at these organizations, providing their professional skills for
free to help build the organization’s capacity. This is a win-win for both the company and the community group!
It is especially helpful if you can tie your case for support into the company’s core business or to its publicly stated
charitable interests. More and more corporations are looking for giving opportunities that closely match their
business or get them closer to their customers and clients.
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