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To operate a nonprofit, you'll need to raise funds. The first step to finding donors is to make an effort to cultivate public support for your organization. Here is where your mission statement and goals will come in handy. Host a public meeting to talk about your organization's goals and plans. Advertise this meeting through press releases, newspaper articles, social media outreach, and paper advertisements. Explain what your organization hopes to accomplish and why at your first public meeting. Develop an online presence. As you begin to publicize your nonprofit, it's vital to develop a web presence. You want people to be able to locate your website for more information. There are many sites that provide website templates and allow you to operate a website for free or a small price. Create a mailing list. Compile a list of animal-loving friends and colleagues. Ask them to suggest additional people to add to your list. Ask people to provide their e-mail and physical address when hosting your first public meeting. When you begin setting out requests for donations, you'll have a list on hand to pull form. Contact the media. Hit up local newspapers and radio or TV shows. Send out press releases. A short human interest interest segment on the nightly news can do wonders for gaining support for your organization. A membership program can help support operating costs of your nonprofit. Members are not the same thing as board members in that they do not get voting power. They are simply regular donors for the organization. You can make your membership program as simple or complex as you want. Some membership programs offer benefits for members, like special prizes like tote bags or water bottles. Other nonprofits simply ask members to donate because they believe in the cause. How you execute a membership program is up to you. To recruit members, send out pamphlets and other publications explaining what you're doing for animals and why. Explain any benefits or perks of membership. If you have different levels of membership (such as gold, silver, and bronze) explain what each level entails. Sometimes simple phone calls are a great way to raise funds. Have board members phone people on your mailing list and ask for donations. Keep in mind many people are wary about giving money over the phone, so prepare for setbacks and resistance. Once again, go to your mailing list. Use this to send out e-mails and letters asking for money. Have a simple means to donate online. A GoFundMe page can work well, as well as a section of your own website where people can easily donate. You can provide addressed envelops in letters so people can easily mail in checks to your organization. The first step to dealing with your organization's money is to establish some kind of accounting system. A good system will document income and expenses in easily understandable categories. It's a good idea to hire a bookkeeper or accountant at this stage. If you do not have familiarity regulating money, a qualified accountant can help you decide how to allocate funds. Create a budget. Based on your goals, needs, and current funds decide how the money you've earned will be allocated in the coming financial year. Once again, a qualified accountant or bookkeeper can help with this process. Establishing an accounting system is vital to a nonprofit. Not only does it help board members have a clear understanding of how money is being spent, the IRS requires you put together a budget to prove your nonprofit status.
Cultivate public support. Start a membership program. Make phone calls. Send e-mails and direct mail. Establish an accounting system.