Fundraising Collaboration Needed
Professor Hengyucius
President, World Hongming Foundation
President, World Hongming Academy Press
President, World Hongming Academy of Philosophy and Religious Studies
************************************************
Address: P. O. Box 1488, Rosemead, CA 91770, USA
Fax: +1-561-431-7612
Emails: h...@whpq.org
Publications: www.whpq.org/Prof.Dr.Hengyucius
Foundation & Academy: www.hongming.us
Journal: www.whpq.org
Michael L. Wyland
The World Hongming Foundation is going to raise fund ASAP. If any organization is interested in doing this for us, please don't hesitate to send me your detailed plans for fundraising. Payments depend on outcome.
1) I can find no listing of this organization's Form 990 on Guidestar, despite the assertion on the org.'s website that it is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. There is also no listing for "World Hongming Foundation" on the IRS web site's search page for charities listed in Publication 78.
2) The "payments dependent on outcome" for fundraising assistance is a MAJOR red flag for fund raising professionals. From the Association of Fundraising Professionals' Standards of Professional Practice (http://www.afpnet.org/tier3_cd.cfm?folder_id=897&content_item_id=1068):
Compensation
16. Members shall not accept compensation that is based on a percentage of charitable contributions; nor shall they accept finder’s fees.
17. Members may accept performance-based compensation, such as bonuses, provided such bonuses are in accord with prevailing practices within the members’ own organizations, and are not based on a percentage of charitable contributions.
18. Members shall not pay finder’s fees, commissions or percentage compensation based on charitable contributions and shall take care to discourage their organizations from making such payments.
I'm not saying that the appeal, or the organization, is illegitimate. However, anyone seeking to aid this organization should: 1) perform some due diligence; and 2) be prepared to educate the organization's leaders on fundraising practice.
Tony Poderis
The World Hongming Foundation is going to raise fund ASAP. If any organization is interested in doing this for us, please don't hesitate to send me your detailed plans for fundraising. Payments depend on outcome.
Hello Professor --- I want to be positive up-front with a suggestion
to point to what I believe to be the better way for you to go, before I
strongly suggest that you abandon your stated fund-raising plan.
(1) I believe it would be worthwhile to invite a few fund-raising consultants to meet with you so they could assess your project and its needs, thus enabling them to make recommendations regarding the practical and feasible steps you can take to meet your goal. The Association of Fundraising Professionals’ following webpage can help locate an AFP chapter near you to make contact with qualified and experienced professionals.
--- AFP - US Chapters
http://www.afpnet.org/country.cfm?cntry=USA&folder_id=932
(2) I believe it would be potentially damaging to your organization
to hire any outsider to raise the money for you or to pay any form of compensations
based on funds raised.
You might want to carefully and seriously consider my anti-contingent-pay
article and my article strongly opposing the engaging of “hired-guns” to
raise the money for you.
The AFP, and all other professional associations, many foundations and large donors in general, do not care to have a specific amount of the money they give go into the pocket of a professional solicitor who is asking for the money, or even to a consultant who is only directing the campaign.
Please do take the time to read the articles, observe the consequences of such schemes, and move to work with a professional who will provide the counsel to help you to develop the plans and the tools to do the job right.
--- The Argument Against Paying Development Professionals Based Upon
The Amount Of Funds Raised For Non-Profit Organizations
http://www.raise-funds.com/898forum.html
--- Asking For The Money Is The Job Of The Leadership And Friends Of
A Non-Profit Organization: Never Hire Someone To Do What Is Their
Responsibility
http://www.raise-funds.com/c98forum.html
Professor --- Should any so-called “consultant” say to you, “Don’t worry, I’ll raise the money. Neither you, nor your board, nor your organization’s friends will have to ask for a penny,” run, don’t walk. Run in the other direction. If you fall for that line, you most likely will not make the campaign goal and you are assuredly selling short your organization’s future.
Best wishes,
--
Tony Poderis
________________________________________
FREE: Fund-Raising Articles, Exhibits & Documents
Plans, Tips & Techniques That Will Work For You
NEW: "The Fallacy Of Financial Ratios"
http://www.raise-funds.com/100402forum.html
• Permission to reproduce any material is not required
Professor Hengyucius
Tony Poderis
was clear to me at the start that you were somewhere in the process to
fully establish your non-profit organization according to regulations
when you were seeking someone to help raise the money for your
organization. You are indeed welcome to seek support and advice here.
My prior admonitions regarding your plans to hire “fund-raisers” on a
“contingent-pay” basis, are just as forceful now. I trust you did read
the articles on my website regarding such schemes --- most of which have
the “hired-guns” themselves take away on the average 70% of any money
raised.
Do check with the local AFP chapter as I suggested.
You should contact a few true, capable, and experienced consultants.
Having them come to you (at no charge) to assess, then to recommend,
could be a valuable learning process for you. Search for the chapter
nearest you from their geographic location webpage:
AFP --- US
http://www.afpnet.org/country.cfm?cntry=USA&folder_id=932
Other possible helpful resources in California:
National Council of Nonprofit Associations
http://CA.nonprofits.org
CompassPoint (formerly the Support Center of San Francisco) serves the
Bay Area. http://www.compasspoint.org/index.html
The Center for Excellence in Nonprofits serves San Jose (and, perhaps,
soon Santa Cruz as well). http://www.cen.org/
California Attorney General information on nonprofits:
http://www.caag.state.ca.us/charities/index.htm Publishes the "Attorney
General's Guide to Charities."
Registry of Charitable Trusts
P.O. Box 903447
Sacramento, CA 94203-4470
Should you appoint any of your volunteers or staff to develop
fund-raising plans and tools, have them review the articles on my
website in the top to bottom order as seen in my “Fund-Raising Forum
Library” index:
I’ll be happy to volunteer additional counsel on-line at any time.
I hope some of this helps.
Best of all good luck,