I was interviewed for a newspaper story about non profit fundraising. The reporter asked me: "What is the biggest barrier you see to people adopting your model for non profit fundraising?" I had no trouble answering. "Two things," I said. "First is the ever-pervasive scarcity mentality. Second is the need to be special."

These are two major hurdles for self-implementers of our model to overcome. Below, I address the second barrier—the need to be special.

But We Are Special

There is nothing wrong with being special. It's a big part of what makes the nonprofit sector the rich and diverse environment it is. And, certainly as individuals, we are each unique, with our own gifts and talents.

Yet when it comes to building sustainable funding—something every nonprofit wants in one form or another—there is a resistance to any type of systematic "one-size-fits all" approach. "After all," each group tells us, "we're special."

Look to any industry in the western world, and you'll notice that they have found generic elements of their work that are applicable industry-wide. These are the groups with which they share best practices, benchmark (measure their progress in relation to others) off of, and borrow systems that work.

For example, hospitals of all sorts—whether faith-based, small community-based, or urban—have come up with standards and guidelines for how to deliver their services, regardless of the type of community or the philosophical values of their board or founders. They value these tested systems and models.

Similarly, in the nonprofit world, when it comes to standardizing or accrediting schools or residential treatment facilities, most nonprofits know that teaming up with other similar groups does not diminish or negate their uniqueness. In fact, any valuable model or standard can be broadly applied within an industry or sector.

Yet groups considering coming to our workshops for non profit fundraising continue to revert to this "we're special" refrain in questioning whether the model can really work for their type of group. Perhaps this is your concern, too.

People tell us they are concerned that the model can't be adapted to an organization with unique characteristics such as:

• We are located in a small, rural community.
• We have a small budget.
• We are just a start-up nonprofit.
• We have been completely funded by government contracts since we began.
• We are in a community where so many other groups are already using this model.
• We are a policy or advocacy group—people don't even understand what we are about.
• We are perceived to be well-funded. In fact, we already have a substantial endowment, but we want to grow.
• We are an international relief group based in a small American town.
• We don't have "rich people" in our community.
• We serve low-income people. How would we ever find anyone to come to a Point of Entry^®?

In the business world, people gravitate towards systems. They understand that a strong system or model can withstand diverse applications. Business people naturally look to systems to bring them sanity and guarantee results for their ventures.

A strong model for non profit fundraising must pass that same test. Rather than force your organization into a cookie-cutter mold, it must showcase your uniqueness even more. For example, the location, timing, and content of your Point of Entry needs to be thought through very carefully so that every single guest leaves with a clear sense of what you do and how your organization changes lives.

There are many key decisions to be made in customizing this non profit fundraising model for particular types of groups. For example, an uncoached self-implementer at an "umbrella" nonprofit, like an education foundation that raises private funds for all the public schools in a particular school district, might naturally think the Point of Entry should take place at one of the local schools in order to showcase the end result of the donations received.

However, we would recommend that the Point of Entry take place in the education foundation's own offices to showcase the work they are doing at many schools, not merely by reporting the facts, but by telling compelling stories. These could be stories from appreciative principals from several schools in the district telling what a difference the additional supplies or funding for after school programs has made, or a teacher giving a live testimonial about the impact of the extra summer training program to update her math skills, thanks to the tuition grant she received from the foundation.

With thirteen years of experience helping more than 2,500 nonprofits, we have adapted this model to every imaginable type of nonprofit in all sorts of communities. Yes, your organization is unique and special—that's precisely why it deserves long-term community support and a system to get you there.