Test your case with key stakeholders. Try to find the "movers and shakers" of the community to see if they support your case now and in the future. If you desire future funding, building relationships, effective communication, broad-based education and exact forecasting are musts for success.
In this day and age, just because you have obtained funding support for a cause in the past doesn't mean you will get funding in the future. The uncertainty of government direction, economic changes and more demanding donors are just a few of the variables you need to contend with. The demand for accountability has never been greater. Your case has to be powerful, meaningful and relevant. You must have a degree of community validation plus internal support. Your board needs to not only ask for funds, but be totally engaged in the priority validation process. If it does not own your case, no one will.
Sadly, in my consulting role I do a number of development audits. I am still amazed at the lack of connectivity between internal administrations, boards of directors and staffs responsible for generating financial support. Today's donors need to feel trust that the organization is spending their dollars wisely, organizations are making a community impact and volunteers understand their ambassador role.
Your existence alone doesn't make you special or worthy. Take a deep breath, stop asking for a day and look in the mirror. Who validates your case for support?
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Duke Haddad, Ed.D., CFRE, is currently associate director of development, director of capital campaigns and director of corporate development for The Salvation Army Indiana Division in Indianapolis. He also serves as president of Duke Haddad and Associates LLC and is a freelance instructor for Nonprofit Web Advisor.
He has been a contributing author to NonProfit PRO since 2008.
He received his doctorate degree from West Virginia University with an emphasis on education administration plus a dissertation on donor characteristics. He received a master’s degree from Marshall University with an emphasis on public administration plus a thesis on annual fund analysis. He secured a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) with an emphasis on marketing/management. He has done post graduate work at the University of Louisville.
Duke has received the Fundraising Executive of the Year Award, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He also was given the Outstanding West Virginian Award, Kentucky Colonel Award and Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the governors of West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, respectively, for his many career contributions in the field of philanthropy. He has maintained a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation for three decades.





