98707 - PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES OF FUNDRAISING

Learning outcomes

The objective of the teaching is to convey to the student the basics and main tools of fund raising for nonprofit corporations. Upon completion of the course, the student is able to: - know and apply the strategies, sources, tools, methodologies and management of fundraising; - analyze and use the different techniques to ensure the economic, organizational and strategic sustainability of nonprofit companies; - know and apply the notion of fundraising ethics.

Course contents

Before each lesson, it is good for students to have already read the reference chapters in the textbook Fare Fundraising, Maggioli Editore, 2023.

1th LESSON: Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 1, 2, 3. (Ch.1) Fundraising. (Ch.2) Finding the right case, choosing the best vehicle and addressing the right target audience. (Ch.3) The three pillars of fundraising.

2th LESSON: Tuesday, November 14, 2023, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. To be read before class: chapters 8 and 9. (Ch.8) The annual fundraiser. The journey begins. (Ch.9) The regular donors. The sleeping giants.

3th LESSON: Thursday, November 16, 2023, 1-4 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 12. How to raise funds by letter: the direct mail (meeting with Sebastiano Moneta, DataProsper)

4th LESSON: Thursday, November 23, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 10. Doing fundraising with major donors (meeting with Chiara Blasi, major donor consultant)

5th LESSON: Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 19. Corporate fundraising: raising money from corporations (meeting with Giovanna Bonora, UNHCR)

6th LESSON: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 20. Foundations and granting bodies (meeting with Stefano Oltolini, Soleterre onlus).

7th LESSON: Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 11. Gifts in the will (meeting with Stefano Malfatti, Seraphic Institute of Assisi)

8th LESSON: Thursday, December 7, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. To be read before class: chapter 17. Digital fundraising (meeting with Elisa Castellucci, Festival of Fundraising)

9th LESSON: Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Annual Fund Plan presentations (part 1)

10th LESSON: Thursday, December 14, 2023, 1 - 4 p.m. Annual Fund Plan presentations (2nd part)

P.s. Excluded from the examination program are Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18. But beware: although their reading is optional, it is strongly recommended.

Readings/Bibliography

Melandri, Valerio (2023). Fare Fundraising, Maggioli Editore. (Chapters 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 are excluded from the examination program).

Teaching methods

In addition to lectures, the course will include interventions by professionale in the nonprofit's field, small group work, and classroom presentations given by the students themselves. The lectures will introduce students to new concepts, while the interventions by Nonprofit Sector professionals and small group work will allow students to explore and apply the concepts learned during the lectures.

Assessment methods

MODE OF EXAMINATION:

The examination consists of 3 parts:
1. Creation of a Portfolio consisting of 4 assignments (work to be done in groups)
2. Presentation of an Annual Fundraising Plan in the classroom (work to be done in groups)
3. Oral exam (oral exam is individual).

For exam purposes, what changes between attending andNON-attending students?

The exam mode is the same for both attending and non-attending students, this means that the exam is in both cases composed of 3 parts (Portfolio, Annual Fundraising Plan and oral exam). The only difference is that NON-attending students will have to make the Portfolio and the Annual Fundraising Plan INDIVIDUALLY and that the Annual Fundraising Plan will not be presented in the classroom but can be subject to oral examination.

Below is an explanation of the 3 parts that make up the exam:

Part 1: ASSIGNMENT PORTFOLIO (1/3)
Students (divided into groups of 4), through the performance of the assignments should be able to demonstrate skills and competencies in both analysis and creativity.
In practice: students need to identify a nonprofit organization with which to collaborate in order to create the Portfolio. You should choose an organization with which you are already in contact (e.g., as a manager, employee, collaborator, consultant, volunteer, fundraiser, etc.) in order to have access to information and data related to the organization's fundraising program. Should you encounter any difficulties in locating or making contact with an organization you can contact tutor Dr. Giulia Nicoletti, course tutor.

HOW TO MAKE THE "ASSIGNMENT PORTFOLIO"
The Portfolio is a document composed of 4 assignments to be done at home divided into groups of 4 people. The assignments should be structured as follows:

ASSIGNMENT #1 - The Economic Situation and Mission of the Nonprofit Organization [Maximum length: 2 pages]

PART 1:
Students must realize:
1. An initial pie and commentary describing the overall revenue situation (sales, near-sales, fundraising) of the identified organization.
2. A second pie and brief commentary focused exclusively on support obtained through fundraising. Students must determine the amount of donations received by the chosen NPO, also determining the relative weight that the different sources of donations have on the total donations obtained. Thus: setting the total support derived from donations equal to 100, the percentages derived from the following categories of donors must be determined:
a. individuals (specifying the amount of donations obtained through bequests)
b. businesses
c. foundations

PART 2:
Students should also reflect on these points:

1. If the organization has a Mission Statement, its validity should be assessed. This means that students should ask themselves whether the Mission statement conforms to the model studied in class, and thus whether it is an expression of the values that motivate the organization's work and existence, or whether it is simply a list of strategic and operational goals. After answering this question, students should also indicate (if any), the changes they would make to the Mission statement.
2. If the organization does NOT have a Mission Statement, students should develop one that conforms to both the model studied in the classroom and the values of the identified NPO.

ASSIGNMENT #2 - EROI Model and Cases [Maximum length: 1 page]
For the purpose of this assignment, students through the help of the EROI Model, must develop a new case expression for the organization's annual fundraising. It is not necessary to make a complete brochure or write a direct mail letter in full, it is sufficient to make the EROI Model Table with the new case expressions.

ASSIGNMENT #3 - Range Chart for Annual Gathering [Maximum length: 2 pages]
For the purpose of this assignment, students must accomplish:
1. The Range Table to cover the total requirements of the annual fundraising plan. The Range Table should reflect the key principles seen in the classroom (and in the textbook): percentage of donation amounts to percentage of donations, ratio of potential donors to number of donations, donation ranges, benefits, target, vehicle, etc. If the range table differs in one or more parts from the classic model reviewed in the classroom, an explanation should be given as to why these changes were deemed appropriate.
2. Finally, students should analyze and explain the implications of the Range Table in terms of the long-term success of the annual fundraising plan.

ASSIGNMENT #4 - How to expand the donor base [Maximum length: 1 page]
For the purpose of this assignment, students must:
1. Write a short text in which they plan operational ways through which the organization could expand its donor base.
2. Identify "new donor profiles" of the NPO.
3. Specifically, if the new donor profiles identified differ significantly from the organization's "typical" donors, students should explain:
- Which markets (potential donors) the organization is not targeting;
- Which target donors present the greatest potential for expanding the NPO's donor base, why, and through what actions the organization might attract them to itself;
- What fundraising strategies are not currently being used and would be worth adding, and what strategies currently in place can be improved and how.
In drafting the plan, students should remember to apply the three parameters of Connection, Interest, and Ability (CIA) to identify possible new donors.

MODE OF PORTFOLIO DELIVERY:
On the day of the Portfolio delivery, a student (on behalf of his/her group of 4) should send the tutor an e-mail with the assignments in a single file (1 FILE ONLY!) in PDF format (in other formats it will NOT be opened).

The file should be named as follows:
SURNAME Name - Assignment X-X-X-X
for example: ROSSI Mario - Assignment 1-2-3-4

Portfolio Delivery Deadline:
The Portoflio must be turned in RIGOROUSLY by 5 pm on Monday, December 20. Work that is turned in late will NOT be corrected.
Important! Files that will not be named in this way, that will be sent in a format other than PDF, or that will be sent after the deadline will NOT be corrected.

Part 2: PRESENTATION ANNUAL FUNDRAISING PLAN (1/3)
Students (divided into the same groups created to make the Portfolio) will have to work together to make an Annual Fundraising Plan with the same organization they have already made the Portfolio with. This is a "role play" during which students will have the opportunity to simulate presenting a fundraising plan to their Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors will be played by their classmates (those belonging to different working groups). The purpose of the Annual Fundraising Plan presentation is to convince one's classmates-as Board members-that the proposed fundraising strategies are successful and meet the goals set by the chosen organization.
In addition to the oral presentation, preparation of a PowerPoint presentation (or through a tool of one's choice) is required to support the speech. However, the slides presented should not be too many, maximum 15 slides.

For the presentation, each group will have a maximum of 10 minutes to present their fundraising plan. An additional 10 minutes will be given to the "Board of Directors" (fellow students) to ask questions about the proposed fundraising plan. Attending students' participation in classroom presentations is NOT optional and will be subject to final evaluation.

MODE OF DELIVERY OF THE ANNUAL FUNDRAISING PLAN:
On the day of delivery of the Annual Fundraising Plan, a student (for and on behalf of his/her group of 4) should send an e-mail with the Annual Fundraising Plan (the presentation) to the tutor.

The file should be named as follows:
SURNAME Name - Annual Fundraising Plan 2023
for example: ROSSI Mario - Annual Fundraising Plan 2023

Deadline for delivery of Annual Fundraising Plan:
The Annual Fundraising Plan must be delivered RIGOROUSLY by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 11. Work that is turned in late will NOT be corrected. Important! Files that are not named in this way or that are submitted after the deadline will NOT be corrected.

Part 3. ORAL EXAMINATION. (1/3)
The oral examination will be individual.

Office hours

See the website of Valerio Melandri