40+ years of working with a wide range of non-profit groups has taught me that they all have one thing in common. Whether community service or religious, performing arts or sports, every non-profit at every level needs money to do their job.
Thank you, Captain Obvious. However, there’s a wrinkle, because non-profit organizations typically rely on volunteer help to do their work. And most volunteers don’t look at non-profit groups as a business selling products or services to generate revenues, but merely as a vehicle for doing good in the community.
It sounds logical to apply for grants to get free money, but grant writing is a very specialized skill. Most grant applications, being poorly written, get turned down. Hiring someone to write a grant takes money.
Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of non-profit volunteers abhor fundraising. Comments like “Selling is dirty” or “I hate asking people for money,” are quite common.
So Who Does The Work?
With an ongoing need for money on one side and volunteers unwilling to sell or beg on the other, there’s an inherent conflict that can quickly lead to the demise of even the most well-intentioned organization. Generating funds typically falls to a few hardcore members who recognize that without their commitment to successful fundraising, the group could easily collapse.
And if one or more of these dedicated volunteers leaves for any reason, there’s inevitably a large financial gap to fill. Which is why forward-thinking non-profits have started actively seeking fundraising strategies that don’t involve selling.
Making Your Life Easier
It generally seems 98% of the people I meet claim they have a story worthy of becoming a book. Yet only two percent actually seem to do anything about it.
Admittedly, there are two million books written annually, so you’d be forgiven for thinking the market is saturated. Yet readership is at its highest level in 10 years, and there’s still room for new authors with a good tale to tell.
Before you say “Who cares?”, let me introduce you to Write Away Books. Operated by two 40-year industry veterans (one with 200+ books to his credit, the other with decades focused on generating unique marketing solutions and profitable results), WAB helps authors in every genre go from idea to manuscript to marketplace.
About That Fundraising…
Let’s assume your Board of Directors has a member who wants to write a kid’s book, a memoir, or that long-considered novel. He or she may be working full-time and can’t concentrate, or they’ve retired, have the time to focus, but need help getting started.
Whatever stage they’re at, from requiring editing to ghostwriting, coaching to marketing, WAB provides them with a resource that can help with as much support – or as little – as they need.
And yes, we can help design your book, illustrate the cover…and we’ve even got relationships at a bunch of publishing houses. Best of all, we’ll donate 5% of the gross contracted amount to the organization’s general fund.
Think about that for a minute: no selling, no bookkeeping, no hassles. Just tell the members of your organization about this opportunity, and we’ll do the rest.
Our marketing team will help you create materials for your social media or newsletter. We’ll develop mailers you can send out to your mailing list. We’ll even provide you with a landing page that you can send folks to for more information.
Anyone coming from or through your organization will automatically generate that same 5% for your group. Easy, right?
Here’s The Best Part
There’s no limit to how much money your group can make. Send us two authors, we’ll send you two checks. 20 authors? 20 checks.
As a board member from the Southern California Kiwanis District observed; “This is a no-brainer!”
Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions clubs are already signing up, as are regional performing arts centers, museums, and local arts communities. They’re all recognizing they’ve been leaving money on the table, and this vehicle will help them solve multiple problems with one email.
Getting started is as easy as clicking here. For the subject, type in I HATE FUNDRAISING! We’ll be in touch fast to get you started.
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Rob Weinberg is Managing Partner of Write Away Books. You can reach him at rob@writeawaybooks.com.