Is your NFP meeting its financial goals, or are you still struggling to fund service projects and cover your overheads? Many times, the cause of financial difficulties in a nonprofit revolves around some issue or error in staffing.

If you want to ensure that your nonprofit is growing at a sustainable level, and is bringing in enough funds to finance operations and projects for the long term, it’s time to get serious about your fundraising. Do you have enough talent; have you recruited enough of the right people and assigned them to the correct tasks, positions and functions within your nonprofit’s fundraising section?

The following is a brief overview of the most common mistakes that NFPs make when it comes to recruiting the best people to perform fundraising functions within your NFP.

You Get What You Pay For

If your nonprofit is still striving to fully fund its operations, you may not have enough talent. Even in organisations that function on a predominantly volunteer basis, you will need to offer realistic and competitive compensation to attract the right people.

Have You Defined Your Financial Strategy?

Sometimes, you may have enough talented people in fundraising but your nonprofit is still grappling with shortfalls and other budget busters. Often, this occurs because NFPs have failed to develop a comprehensive financial strategy.

How can nonprofits hope to bring in enough revenue and donations if they haven’t set fundraising goals and benchmarks for their fundraising campaigns? How can you hope to grow your NFP if your staff don’t have a clear picture of your nonprofit’s true financial needs?

The treasurer and the board should work closely with staff to create realistic targets and budgets so that fundraisers are fully informed about the NFP’s actual financial needs.

Are You Providing Financial Oversight?

Regardless of whether an organisation is nonprofit or operates in the for-profit business world, money and other assets simply have a way of disappearing through “the cracks” of inefficient processes, and poor control. This is one of the many reasons why it’s so crucial to appoint a single person to be in charge of the money, and for simple systems to be created that will record and track donations, as well as expenditures.

Fundraising committees, in particular, need a single point of contact to help stay on track and focused on fundraising activities, and to help keep up with records of transactions so that the money is accounted for. This will also make sure the risk of theft, misuse, or accidental loss, is reduced or eliminated.

Are You Creating a Culture of Philanthropy?

Even when a member of the staff, the board, or a volunteer performs tasks and functions that are not directly related to fundraising, it is important that every supporter understands that they still have a critical role to play. The focus must remain on being able to raise the funds that the NFP needs to achieve its mission. In addition to the treasurer, everyone involved has a responsibility to help raise funds for the organisation.

To make this a reality, each board member should be formally trained in fundraising techniques that will help your NFP meet its objectives. Staff members and volunteers should understand their role in increasing engagement with donors and other stakeholders, whether this means providing tours of the facility, writing personal thank you notes, or sharing its stories on social media.