This toolkit provides lots of useful advice and strategies to maximize your impact and fundraising efforts. On June 1, a concert to launch the awareness-raising and fundraising campaign will be held at the Ground Zero Blues Club. We can help you set up and maintain the tax-exempt status of your non-profit organization by managing all the IRS reports for you. Nonprofit organizations and philanthropic organizations must make sure that any external person or organization that requests funds on their behalf meets the registration requirements of the Mississippi Secretary of State and all other regulations that govern the activities of professional fund-raisers. It is important to note that compensation for fund-raising staff and contractors should not be based on a percentage of the funds raised or on other commission-based formulas.
Organizations must conduct their fund-raising activities in a manner that respects the public's trust in the management of the funds provided. They must use their financial resources to carry out their missions effectively and efficiently and must establish clear policies and practices to regularly monitor how the funds are used. To avoid “mission drift,” non-profit philanthropic organizations should focus on raising funds for programs related to their mission, rather than developing programs simply to meet funder guidelines or seek funding unrelated to their mission. The board of directors is responsible for adopting a fund development plan and systems to ensure that sufficient charitable contributions are raised to meet budgeted objectives. Nonprofit organizations and philanthropic organizations must ensure that a high percentage of every dollar raised goes directly to funding their programs and services.
The board of directors must assume overall responsibility for raising sufficient funds to meet the organization's budgeted objectives. Fundraising communications, including fundraising requests, should include clear, accurate and honest information about the organization, its activities, when, where, and for whom the funds will be used, in addition to the tax treatment of a contribution.
