Advice from a Chocolate Lab on Raising Funds for SFL

Hi. I'm Boston. I am a guide dog for Bob Hartt and a pal of his wife Bonnie O'Day. Bonnie's SFL job is to raise funds from foundations for SFL and she's doing it all wrong. Bob and I want to go for a walk, and she said she wants to go with us, but she's pounding away on her computer, writing applications to foundations she thinks might give money to SFL.

And what's her success rate at writing letters to foundations that have never heard of SFL and where she doesn't know anyone? Zero. Nada. Zip. I keep trying to explain to her that's not how you raise money. You raise money through personal contact, but she won't listen. She thinks that, if something doesn't work, she should just keep doing more of it and she will be successful. She ought to know better.

She's had great success at working with foundations that have supported us in the past. And she's had even better luck when SFL members, who know people affiliated with family foundations, end up talking to them about SFL.

For example, one of our long-time guides mentioned SFL to a friend of hers, and the friend is now a regular contributor. Bonnie's great at following up with those foundations and sending all the right materials. Then voila! A donation appears. It's so easy to talk to friends about Ski for Light. A few years ago, Bonnie opened a bottle of wine with a friend and began discussing it. Turns out this friend has a family foundation and was looking to make contributions to good organizations. Bonnie talked so enthusiastically about SFL that the friend's foundation has been a regular contributor for many years. It was as easy as that!

So, if you know anyone who is connected to a family foundation or another group that might want to support SFL, please give Bonnie a call. She'll talk to you about how you should approach the foundation and she'll send the foundation all the information they need. Also, if you have a good connection with a fraternity like a Lion's Club, she'd like to talk to you as well. Give Bonnie a call at 703 965-2501 or email her at bonnoday@gmail.com. You can also talk to her at our upcoming event in Rhinelander, Wis. If you see her at breakfast or dinner with Bob, I'll be right under the table waiting for food to drop. I love helping kitchen staff with clean-up; Bob says anything that inadvertently drops to the floor is fair game!