The strategic purpose of annual giving is to activate generosity through compelling content. Annual giving is probably the most common strategy in fundraising.
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Raising Capital & Fundraising
Many founders launch social enterprises so that they can operate transformative programming alongside their business. They may see the opportunity to generate contributed revenue as a “bonus.” Rarely do founders launch social enterprises because they believe that raising capital itself has as much intrinsic value as other activities in the business plan. Instead, raising capital is seen as a side gig, a temporary activity that will occur on the margins until the enterprises generate enough revenue to sustain the ecosystem.
We have designed the following pages to support ESEs in centering your capital-raising activities as intrinsically valuable within your business model. You will witness our desire to build out your fundraising infrastructure and strategy rather than hide it as a symptom of a less-than-optimal earned revenue strategy. Why?
Raising capital allows you to build a movement around your organization. The act of giving generously can be transformational to individuals and institutions. Fundraisers alone have the power to build generosity within our culture. The degree of generosity in a community is arguably correlated to a thriving community.
We recognize that each ESE will have a different approach to raising capital. Some may be fundraising through grant writing or inviting major donors to give philanthropic gifts. Some may be seeking impact investors or other types of competitive financing. Some may be contracting with government agencies to provide employment services. Across all of these activities we see a common denominator–someone on your team makes an ask. It is within these proposals, pitches, applications, or appeal letters that your team does the work of raising capital. We have designed the resources in this section to support both the art and science required.
Featured Resources
Continuing Education Series: Raising Capital Through Mission-Aligned Loans
Continuing Education Series: Government Funding & ESEs 101 | Getting to Know Each Other
Continuing Education Series: Government Funding & ESEs 201 | A Perfect Match or Toxic Relationship?
Continuing Education Series: Fundraising Strategy
All Fundraising Resources
Whether you’re selling a product or a service, or you’ve been in business for one year or several decades, having a strong brand creates credibility, distinguishes you from your competition, builds trust, and helps your customers remember you.
This session helps you refine a fundraising plan that works with the resources you already have. Rather than building a wish list of new technology or additional staff positions, we will focus on optimizing the tools, systems, and people currently at your disposal.
In this workshop we'll evaluate the effectiveness of current proposals and discuss the key features of effective proposals. We will also hear from ESEs who are working to strengthen their proposal writing. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
This session examines how to make strategic hiring decisions that strengthen your contributed revenue function. Using examples from several social enterprises at different stages of growth, we will review development team structures across a spectrum of revenue levels and organizational maturity.
This session is designed to equip you to evaluate the viability of each strategy as if you were your own consultant: grants, major gifts, corporate sponsorships, events, and annual giving. You will consider each strategy through a matrix that ranks: sustainability, return on investment, return horizon, scalability, and needed infrastructure.
In this session we will discuss the different types of government funding available to ESEs from federal, state, and local government agencies, and options for pursuing these funding resources. We will also hear from a Redefine Alliance Community ESE about their experience seeking and executing government contracts. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
This session builds on the Government Funding & ESEs 101 session by going deeper into the impacts (both positive and negative) government funding can have on an ESE’s business model and impact goals. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
If you're exploring financing options, or considering debt, this session will equip you with the knowledge to make strategic decisions about how to finance cash flow and working capital needs. This session was part of the Fall 2023 Raising Capital & Increasing Revenue CE Week.
This session will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your grant applications, major gift proposals, or investment pitches. You will learn the keys to writing effective proposals through real examples.