Our philosophy is grounded in the belief that any fundraising program carried out today, whether it be a capital campaign, an annual giving program, a special event or a sponsorship package, must be based on certain key principles:

Fundraising is a process
It has a beginning, a middle. . . . . . . . and no end.

An organization has no needs
An organization must consciously work to develop a sense that it is not trying to get something from the community (i.e., dollars) but rather is trying to give something to the community. Your organization does not need money. Instead, you must stress that the community (local, regional and even national) needs the services and programs made possible by your organization. You are part of the solution, not the problem.

People give when asked
For most people, the decision to donate to a particular organization is made in response to an "ask"; that is, giving is not generally spontaneous or premeditated. The purpose of the fundraising program is to give people an opportunity to contribute to your organization.

Ensure the mechanisms are in place
The way to give people the opportunity to support you is to build a fundraising program using all the techniques that suit your organization. You must put the mechanisms in place through which people will respond. If you build them, people will give.

Partnerships
In the complex and often competitive environment of fundraising today, the recipe for success lies in creating a partnership among all the players involved. The successful project is one in which the vision is shared among the staff, board, volunteers, media, supporters and the community at large.

Market niches
No organization or campaign can be all things to all people. And no institution can expect everyone to support its campaign. With over 80,000 registered charities in Canada, and again as many nonprofit organizations, it is not reasonable to expect everyone to respond to every cause. The solution is to focus an institution's fundraising efforts on a clearly defined market niche and seek support from the segment of the population and those corporations with an interest in that niche.

Provide opportunities for giving
Our basic approach to fundraising is exactly the opposite of the "starving baby" image. Do not cry out desperately for help, but rather offer people an opportunity to choose to become involved in a wonderful and worthy cause. We help potential contributors to see that it is in their best interests to help achieve the goal of the campaign. In short, we eschew "institutionalized begging".