With headlines shouting doom and gloom from the headlines, non-profits organizations are no doubt concerned about how it will affect their fundraising capabilities. A back to basics approach to your plans for the coming year may be just what you need to keep contributions on track.

With dozens of great causes that deserve support , the challenge can seem daunting in a small centre.

One of the keys to keeping support alive during a downturn is to nurture the relationships you’ve already developed and look for ways to add value to your fundraising promotion without adding to the expenses. This is especially vital when looking at business sponsorships. Businesses have to keep an eye on their bottom line and maximize their return on investment. To turn the tide in your favour, make sure your sponsorship packages offer effective promotion for your prospective sponsors.

An easy (and cost efficient) way of adding promotion to your sponsorship packages is to offer space on your organizations website and email newsletter. This tends to more effective than a “Thank You” ad in the newspaper or on the radio on their own. Personal messages are always given higher priority, as proven by the lasting effectiveness of word-of-mouth advertising. If you don’t have your own website, and do not have time to build one in advance of your fundraising promotion, then setting up a page on a social networking site like Facebook can be a viable (though less effective) alternative.

One thing that many organizations overlook in their fundraising plans is to encourage local shopping within their membership and as a group. There is no better way to garner support for your cause than to find ways to support those who you want to seek support from. One of the biggest complaints I hear from business owners is that they see certain organizations only when they are seeking donations. Before you invest in anything, ask yourself is there a current donor or prospective donor that we could buy this from. Generally speaking, you’ll find business owners more than willing to work with your budget and you’ll save on gas and/or shipping over vendors from outside the area.

Delivering value to your donors is a classic approach to fundraising because it works. If you’ve moved away from the basics in an effort to be creative and different, it might be time to look at your approach and see if you can integrate the basics of reciprocity back in. In tough times, it’s especially important to seek out arrangements that are mutually beneficial for both your cause and the people that support you.

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Keep your eyes peeled for innovative ways for your organization to be top of mind when it comes to giving in future editions of Market Musings.