Who is Sandra Millar?   Sandra Millar has more than a decade of experience in fundraising, consulting and public speaking and is passionate about the core business of her clients. Sandra understands the need to approach fundraising in more business like terms while never losing sight of the passion and principles that make a person a good fundraiser. She has raised millions of rands for the NPO / charity sector. Her passion for fundraising and implementing proper and extensive fundraising campaigns has done much to alleviate the social illness of many NGOs.     Whenever I train, consult or mentor, I always ask this question:   “So, how many donors does YOUR non-profit have?”   ·         Most say “5 donors”, ·         Some say “20 donors” ·         A few have more than 100 donors ·         Very few have more than 500 donors   And I want to know why   Because I don’t understand how your non-profit can: ·         expand, ·         meet the needs of marginalized members of society, ·         survive with so few donors.   Sure, your donors   ·         make substantial donations, ·         have been donating for many years ·         truly believe in your mission and vision   But what will you do when (due to financial circumstances or a change in grant criteria or the International Funder pulls out of the country) one or two of these donors stop supporting you?   Why are you letting the poor, the hungry, the disabled, the abused and the badly neglected people in society down so badly? Surely the number of people in need of assistance keeps growing EVERY single day. And whether you are raising R1 million or R20 million, why can’t you double that? WHY NOT? Potential donors are waiting for you tell the stories of your projects and your needs.   What potential donors want to know 1.     what you do, 2.     who you do it for, 3.     how much money you need, 4.     for how many people and 5.     by when 6.     what makes you unique   What they want in their communications from you 1.     Engage their interest 2.     Connect them to the story 3.     Ask them for their views 4.     Give them a choice  (to volunteer, or donate, or give monthly debit orders or gifts-in-kind) 5.     Make them excited and proud   People give to people   They will not donate because you have listed your achievements, Or because of the content of your Annual Report, Or the wording of your Mission Statement   They will give R2 000 for James, who is blind, old and disabled   They will give R1 200 per month to fed 60 orphans   They will donate R30 000 for a bakery so that 35 abused women can be trained. These women will learn a skill, earn an income and more importantly, their dignity will be restored.   So when you speak to prospects or donors (via emails, newsletters or appeals) remember:- We fundraisers have superb stories to tell and we should use those stories better than we do. This demands that we spread inspiration, sharing our experiences to convey the real, shattering but ultimately optimistic and rewarding experience of helping those in need.   Nurture your donors!   This is want they want:- ·         To be recognised and valued for their gifts ·         To feel good about giving ·         To know their donations will be well used and the difference it will make ·         To be inspired ·         To be involved, part of something ·         To be impressed, so that they will tell others about your cause and recruit them ·         To be listened to.   I am regularly called upon to do training, public speaking, mentoring, in-house training, fundraising workshops and consulting for a host of NPO’s. Please let me know if you need assistance. My email address is sandra@sandramillar.co.za  You are welcome to refer to my website:- www.sandramillar.co.za   My book of the month   “The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS”  Author: Elizabeth Pisani Publisher: WW Norton & Company ISBN: 9780393066623 Price: R171.98   This is a must read for anyone involved in matters of civil society in Southern Africa.   A flame-throwing epidemiologist talks about sex, drugs, and the mistakes (dismal), ideologies (vicious) and hopes (realistic) of international AIDS prevention. As an epidemiologist researching AIDS, she’s been involved with international efforts to halt the disease for fourteen years. With swashbuckling wit and fierce honesty, she dishes on herself and her colleagues as they try to prod reluctant governments to fund HIV prevention for the people who need it most.  With verve and clarity, she shows the general reader how her profession really works; how easy it is to draw wrong conclusions from objective data; and, shockingly, how much money is spend so very badly     “Make no small plans; they lack the power to move men’s souls” Cort Randall     Your comments and suggestions are welcome: sandra@sandramillar.co.za