The Tribune

MARKETING REVOLUTION

By D’Arcy Rahming

I love receiving my alumni newsletter magazine each month from Northwestern University. Actually, I receive three at a time: one from the school of Engineering, from the school of Business and a general letter from the University, which contains information on all of the different disciplines.

Also, I receive email updates that make me feel part of the academic community. 
Along with these magazines come constant invitations to attend events, go on field trips, take surveys and of course, participate in fundraising. Over the years Northwestern University must have spent a fortune sending all of this information to me. This information arrives in the form of letters, emails and telephone calls.

The different types of media present Northwestern University’s accomplishments and addresses the university’s present and future needs. Many of these letters are personally addressed.

What exactly did all of this information do for me? Well, because Northwestern University had maintained their relationship with me I was only too happy to give them my first born. No kidding, I sent my son to university there, thus spending a small fortune in tuition among other things. So, whatever they spent on me over the years they received back one hundred fold even if I did not participate in direct fundraising opportunities.

Fundraising is a tough and challenging business, even during the good times. When I was a CFO I would receive letters from groups or persons daily that needed funds for some project or another. Some of the projects were legitimate and some of them were not. Most of them could not be funded as the company was not in a position to give anything away.
Years later the shoe is on the other foot. As President of judo for the Bahamas, my never ending task is to raise funds. I have been somewhat successful and judo has grown substantially over the years. Now we have a couple of kids who are going to make a run for the Olympics and the Youth Olympics. My personal fundraising has to ramp up. As I say in this column, I always practise what I preach.

My best advice on fundraising is to follow the university model. Build a relationship with persons and companies who have an interest in what you are doing. Just sending a random generic letter is unlikely to be met with success. You need to create a community for the project you are fundraising. This means sending them useful information, organising events, having them participate in surveys and of course writing beautifully crafted fundraising letters.

D’Arcy Rahming holds a Masters of Management from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. A lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, Rahming has clients in general insurance, retail, health and medical fields, sports federations and financial services. To receive his marketing newsletter FREE go to http://DArcyRahming.com or contact him directly at darcyrahmingsr@gmail.com