How to succeed in fundraising

What does it take to achieve fundraising goals for nonprofit organizations? Participation, participation, participation, says a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Michael Kramer, associate professor of Communication, conducted a participant-observation study to find factors associated with people who succeed in raising money for nonprofit organizations, such as the American Heart Association or the Arthritis Foundation. Kramer found that the people who raise the most money for these organizations had more contacts and had the most memberships in other groups or organizations. For example, a person who is involved in numerous service and community groups, such as Kiwanis and a local church, are likely to raise more money than people whose only contacts are family, friends and co-workers.

Kramer conducted his study by participating in a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association. The researcher not only raised money and ran in a marathon for the organization, he came in second in the nation for raising the most money for this event. Many people were not able to participate in the American Diabetes Association marathon because they were not able to raise the required amount—$4,500.

"Fundraisers such as the one I participated in are becoming a common way to raise money for many associations," Kramer said. "The most interesting finding was that in order for group members to achieve their goals, they really needed to have overlapping memberships in other groups as contacts for fundraising and support during training."

Kramer has published multiple studies on practical topics such as job transfers, superior-subordinate communication and decision-making. His recent study (with Jon Hess) on how people deal with emotions in the workplace will appear in the August 2002 issue of Management Communication Quarterly.

Additional links:

Michael Kramer
Department of Communication

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