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But at the same time, she adds, the foundation’s greatest challenge arises from a combination of its unique mission and its small size.
“We hear from [state] funders that they do not want funds going out of state. Then we hear from national funders that we are not big enough yet; do not serve enough people nationwide to qualify for funding,” she says. “So we find ourselves betwixt and between.”
It can be a hard row to hoe, Augellos said: “All of our difficulties involve funding.”
In the face of that, It Happened to Alexa Foundation’s fundraising philosophy has to be flexible and creative.
“Leave no stone unturned,” she says. “I will try any event or idea. The philanthropic climate is constantly changing; fundraising always have to be adapting.”
To that end, the organization is searching out new avenues of donor cultivation, including its own online newsletter and a cause-specific interactive blog at MyLifeBrand.com, a global platform for social communities that allows participants to meet and share ideas online. Augellos adds that “more Internet networking is being explored” but that it has to be as basic as possible because of her organization’s limited resources.
Moreover, Augellos says, the cultivation of repeat donors is of great import to It Happened to Alexa Foundation’s fundraising success: “Going forward I am trying to maintain multiple commitments so that every year is not like starting over.”
When asked what advice she would give to nonprofits similar in size and annual operating budget, Augellos said that very small nonprofits should concentrate as much as possible on containing costs.
“Keep your administration cost as low as possible,” she says. “If you can get corporate sponsors to donate space or office supplies in the first few years of operation, it can take out a lot of the worry.”
Furthermore, Augellos encourages, smaller nonprofits should think about maximizing revenue through in-kind donations, which “can be a win-win for all parties and are always worth exploring.”
It Happened to Alexa Foundation
125 S. First St.
Lewiston, New York 14092
716.754.9105
info@ithappenedtoalexa.org
www.ithappenedtoalexa.org
Annual Operating Budget 2007: $144,000
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