Fundraising for Your Nonprofit

Dear Cooperating Association board member, volunteer, liaison or staff member;

The following Thesis by Robert Hartman, California League of Park Associations: Fundraising Awareness and Readiness Assessment, is an excellent resource for you and your Cooperating Association (Co-op). Mr. Hartman’s study is academic yet right on target in identifying fundraising strategies and looking at co-ops readiness in undertaking them. What he articulates in his findings resonates with what I have observed in my 20 years associated with Co-ops. The Co-op lifecycle looks something like the following:

• All volunteer Board raises money though interpretive retail in the parks, an annual
event and membership dues.

• Then you hire part-time staff, improve retail expertise, work to develop a
sophisticated membership program and events and maybe write a grant.

• Then a significant need arises in your park and a capital campaign gets initiated.
The Board focuses on fundraising.

• The need arises for hiring an executive staff position.

• As the Co-op grows new opportunities arise, and the board and staff work on
positioning the organization to turn those opportunities into new ventures.

• With growth the Co-op works more on creating opportunities. You have deep relationships with donors, foundations and sponsors, and you are developing long term
funding strategies for your programs as well as your organization. At this time you also may have developed some unique and creative funding strategies and have the specialized skills and knowledge to operate them.

• For some organizations social enterprise may be in your future. We have several
cutting edge organizations such as Crystal Cove Alliance and Mountain Parks Foundation which are operating concessions within the parks they serve. I am sure there are even more opportunities for public/private ventures yet fully explored.

As Co-ops we have a very defined relationship with State Parks, which presents unique opportunities as well as pitfalls. I suggest that you consider encouraging everyone in your organization to read Mr. Hartman’s study in preparation for your next strategic
planning session. Where are you on your arc of development? Are you ready for the next step or do you leap frog to take advantage of new opportunity? Sometimes it is wise to stay the course or even down size. Wherever you are in the lifecycle of your organization I believe you will find some valuable information in Mr. Hartman’s thesis that will aid in your planning process.

I congratulate Mr. Hartman on his fine work, for which he received an A and graduated at the top of his class on June 14th 2008.

Randy Widera
President California League of Park Associations
June 2008 – Santa Cruz California