In these troubled economic times non-profits have been hit hard.  However, more than 2/3 of churches reported donations equal to or higher than 2008.  Why?

Most churches likely increased the message of urgency of giving to the church.  Churches have the opportunity to speak to their audience on a weekly basis.  Many churches, like mine, send weekly emails as well.  If they didn't have the ability to communicate to their donor base on such a frequency to communicate the message then the philanthropic success of churches would not be as strong. 

Do you have mechanisms with which to communicate your message to your donor base on a regular basis?

Here we go again with the band-aid solution.

Step 1: Program gets cut
Step 2: Raise mountains of cash
Step 3: Pray for reinstatement

This temporary solution lasts only as long as it takes for the administration to find another way to cut the program or until the cash runs out. It is unfortunately a necessary short-term solution but it fails to address the real problem. It has happened before, it's happening now and will happen again. How do you make your program relevant? To be relevant you have to have to have:

1. media that cares
2. fans who care
3. student-body who cares
4. donors who give

In addition to a coaching staff, warm-ups and shoes, every program should have a Facebook Fan Page, an email newsletter, an annual fundraising campaign and a PR campaign.

In business it is said that it costs seven times more to get a new customer than to retain a current one. It is the same in athletics.

Break the cycle.

Mike Novogratz, Al Bevilacqua and Co. pulled off a wrestling event the likes of which have never happened before. They are both action-oriented, "get things done" people to whom the wrestling community owes a debt of gratitude. The Beat the Streets Gala was a truly unbelievable event. Riot Sports Marketing supported their efforts to reach the wrestling community, grow attendance and raise money. Here is what Al Bevilacqua had to say...

"I am convinced and I think our Board is convinced that Riot Sports Marketing allowed us in our most recent Gala & Benefit to double our attendance and total donations. Last year we had a little over 450 people attend where we raised $450,000.

As of now, as donations are still "trickling in" where we have raised over $900,000 with over 1000 people on the Intrepid.

If we can move a few new cities to become successful it will be provide the validity nationwide that we can reverse the downward curve of participation that wrestling is experiencing in its High Schools and Colleges."

Sincerely,
Al Bevilacqua
A USA Wrestling member since 1971...."

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