Obstacles and Pitfalls to Successful Fundraising

Obstacles and Pitfalls to Successful Fundraising
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Insufficient funding has been identified as the major problem at the university hospitals. The increased number of patients, demand to conduct research and unavailability of funds from federal governments concerning allocation and grant has precipitated the issue further. To keep afloat and realize their operation objectives, university hospitals have come up with ways of raising funds intending to cover the gap. Maximization of Medicaid grant from the state, maximizing rebates, donations and grants for sustainable environment activities, and lastly fundraising.
In the previous module, it was highlighted that a well-organized and planned fundraising program could be the solution these hospitals need to end the funding problem. Weinstein (2009) underscores the importance of fundraising as a social art that can be very successful under the law of return. However, fundraising may face various obstacles and shortfalls during its planning and execution. These barriers include poor communication, failure to understand mission and motivation, wrong fundraising channel, lack of a proper goal, lack of teamwork and inability to act and follow up.
One of the obstacles to fundraising is the lack of communication skills for the fundraising individual. To be successful as a fundraiser, one need to excel at communication through writing, speaking, listening and "being." Fundraising fails when the fundraising team fails to prepare a proposal that is clear, concise, correct and complete. Proposals that are not reader friendly hinders donor’s ability to contribute to the kitty. It has to appeal to donors and must have a scheduled beginning date and an outcome of the appeal.
Lack of ability to articulate the cause in front of board members and other individuals have been seen as an obstacle to fundraising (Bandyopadhyay & Dayton, 2013). Inability to utilize the gather, package and deliver stage of fundraising where the fundraiser conveys with confidence the belief that the program is the right match up for the donor’s charitable instinct. Furthermore, lack or poor research also contributes to the failure of the fundraising program. Misunderstanding the need of the donor and what the donor may be passionate about may contribute to an organization missing a funding opportunity. Individual presence during pitch can also prove to be an obstacle. The individual must have an active presence and be concerned and interested in donor affairs.
Failure to understand the "why" of fundraising is a major pitfall for such program. An organization that does not know why they are raising money or the motivation behind the fundraisers may not garner any support from donors. They are required to understand the mission of the organization and have it aligned with the interests of the donor...