A one-stop shop for non-profit organisations looking for advice on fundraising, volunteering and community related topics

Video Clip thanks to Cathryn Earwaker: www.recordit.co.nz

Whether you're looking for some simple fundraising ideas, or you need some more in depth help with Volunteering, Sponsorship or Marketing issues - you have come to the right place.

We have a whole heap of workshops and resources to give you a head start with the business end of your organisation, plus if you really need it - we can work alongside you one-to-one. We look at the big picture and cover all the pieces that make up a successful organisation - from strategic planning and people management, to grant applications and charity events.

Alot of our resources you can access for free in the Members Area of this website. For everything else, follow the quick links to your left.

Fundraising Tips from Kerri Tilby-Price

I'm a big believer that sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference, and never is that more true than when it comes to fundraising. Check out these weekly fundraising tips for the little things that can dramatically change your fundraising results:

Fundraising Tip #1: Pull Apart Your Budget - Line by Line

The definition of Sustainable Funding is having ENOUGH money, for SPECIFIC purposes on an ONGOING basis, but so many non-profits look straight to the word ONGOING and miss the other key points altogether. If you don't know how much money you need, and what specifically you need that money for - sustainable funding is really difficult to achieve.

By pulling your budget apart line by line, you begin to get a really clear picture of exactly what your organisation needs - and it's not always money. When you identify your specific needs (or purposes), you can often identify other ways to get those needs met.

Some time ago we did some work with a neighbourhood community centre whose key programmes involved hosting a number of support groups throughout the week. They had groups for new mothers, new migrants, fathers parenting alone and so on.

When they pulled their budget apart line by line, they realised that they spent a whole heap of money on cakes and biscuits, feeding the participants in these groups. Once they identified that as a specific purpose, they were then able to identify opportunities to meet that need.

Instead of trying to raise more money, they approached the social club of a local business, and asked them if they could supply their cakes and biscuits on a roster basis. The social club was only too happy to help out, and every member takes turns delivering the cakes and biscuits needed for that week.

While this initiative is not making the organisation any money, it is taking care of one line of their budget on an ongoing basis. This was only achieved by first recognising what those budget lines were. The more specific you can be, the more opportunities exist.