September 17, 2009 | Read Time: 2 minutes
The World Wildlife Fund, a network of autonomous charities in 30 countries, has created a new system to improve its ability to raise money globally.
WWF International, the network’s headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, persuaded the national charities to put up money for training and asked those with the most advanced fund-raising practices to help the others imitate their success.
To that end, World Wildlife Fund Netherlands, which has recruited one out of every 18 Dutch residents to give to its cause, is showing its counterparts in other countries how to run effective membership programs, while the British branch will teach the charity’s officials how to raise money through bequests.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the World Wildlife Fund this year created a new training center that will teach other national organizations in the network about seeking big gifts from wealthy people.
It has hired two seasoned fund raisers, one based in London and the other in Hong Kong, who are now working with leaders in at least 10 of the other funds in Asia and Europe. All of those leaders are required to commit to a detailed three-year plan to improve their ability to raise large gifts.
Under the plan, the chief executive of each national charity must agree to spend 20 percent or more of his or her time on fund raising, and the board must approve those new duties. In addition, the charity must hire one or more staff members devoted to fund raising and identify five to 10 potential wealthy donors who have an interest in conservation and some connection to the organization.
“We really don’t have the resources to start at the bottom with little gifts,” says Timothy D. Sharpe, a fund raiser who is directing the effort from the United States. “We intend to start at the top with the top prospects in each country.”
Mr. Sharpe says he expects that the American training center will be able to cease operations in about five years, once the other branches are trained and have staff members actively seeking big donations.
“It’s like if you take the jumper cables off the car, it will continue to run,” says Mr. Sharpe. “We believe the donors are there, but the infrastructure does not yet exist.”
