Ask A Pro:
Finding a Reputable Fundraising Company

Every year there seems to be more and more fundraising companies, programs and products to choose from. It's time now to make a decision and you're looking for some telltale signs that a firm will be fair and responsive to your needs. We asked a couple of professional fundraising companies for advice on how to look beyond the sales pitch.

• Selecting a fundraising company is just the same as making a major purchase. Ask for references¹trust your instincts. If you're dealing with somebody that makes you uncomfortable, there's a reason. When you call the references, find out how long they've worked with the company? What was the profit - not the percentage? Ask how they handled problems that came up? And, if they tell you there were no problems, it's probably not a solid reference. You just can't do a fundraiser with 400 families and not have any problems.
  
  - Stu Nickell, Englewood, CO

• Look for quality. It's so easy to be side-tracked by the glitz. You might go with the wrong company for the wrong reason. On paper your fundraiser may even do well¹but if the products and services you actually receive are substandard, it won't matter how well you did. Your group's reputation is on the line and it will dictate how you do next year.
  
  - Cindy Nicholson, Portland, O

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About the Author:

This article is from the Spring 2002 issue of the Fundraising Edge, an online publication of the Association of Fund-Raising Distributors and Suppliers, and is reprinted with permission. Visit their web site at http://www.afrds.org/ for more information and a look at the complete issues of the Fundraising Edge.