An Interview with Jenni Henry, development manager, Girls on the Run

We are also redeveloping our sponsor levels so that we can offer our sponsors more visibility. Hopefully these changes will have a positive effect on our corporate sponsor solicitations.

FS: What advice would you give to organizations similar to yours, in size and annual operating budget?
JH: I think it's important to be smart in your fundraising attempts. Large-scale events seem tempting and like an easy way to raise funds, but they can also be very expensive to execute, and if they aren't done well, they won't raise much money. They are also very time-consuming to plan. Individual giving makes up 80 percent of all fundraising, and I feel that it's often overlooked, so I would definitely advise that an organization with a budget like ours focus on getting a solid individual-giving campaign up and running.