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Fundraising: Sell A License Plate, Donate A Truck Or Get A Grant

Building a strong financial foundation is an important goal for all byways. Raising money is an essential—and often the most difficult—talk for grassroots organizations. Fundraising success is directly linked to other success factors—a clear vision, a healthy organization, active partnerships and sound planning.

In Building Your Nest Egg, author Beverly Heinze-Lacey suggests that a bird building its nest provides a good model for volunteer groups that want to “build their nest eggs.” It’s really a process of planning, organizational development and relationship building. Heinze-Lacey offers this advice:

Your group needs a plan.
For the bird, the nest is not the goal in and of itself. Similarly for your group, raising money is not the goal; it’s what you can accomplish with the money that’s important. You’ll need to clearly understand and communicate why you need funds, what you hope to achieve and what success will look like.

Your funds must come from a variety of sources.
Strong nests are made up of a variety of materials (grass, mud, yarn, feathers, twigs). By diversifying your funding sources, you build stability for your group. It’s a good rule of thumb that no more than 30 percent of funds should come from one source (e.g., individual, foundation, corporation). If any one source dries up, you’ll still have many others from which to draw, and you won’t have to worry about your group dissolving because your primary source of funds has disappeared.

Your organization must be solid.
Consider that the “nesting materials” for your organization include such things as a good management structure, programs, relationships, volunteers and public relations. All these “materials” come together to create an organization that has credibility, visibility and strength. As a result, the organization will attract more members and donors, each of whom will bring new talents and opportunities to the group. Together, this mix of people, plans, funds and management creates a solid organization worthy of ongoing support.

You need to cultivate positive relationships.
Birds pair up and so should you. Fundraising is “friend” raising. The more friends you have (members, community, partners, public officials, businesses, etc.), the more resources you’ll have to support your goals. Your friends bring their talents, funds and their own relationship to the group. They help to expand your sphere of influence and can gain support for your group from places you’d never imagined.

You need to tend the organization with care.
A bird keeps its chicks warm and well fed. Likewise, donors want to know that they are giving to a group that can successfully accomplish its goals and not squander their money. Sound financial practices, planning and careful implementation of programs, attention to details, and nurturing relationships are all important steps in showing your members and donors that the organization is worth of their continues support.

Across the country, byway groups are finding unique and creative ways to make their hopes and dreams come true. Here’s a small sample of ideas:

Memberships. Many byways have established membership dues. The Indiana National Road Association, a 501 ©(3) not-for-profit organization, offers six membership levels:

Sunday driver: $15
National Road Traveler: $25
Veteran Journeyman: $50
Drover: $100
Toll House Keeper: $250
King of the Road: $500

The byway uses a variety of methods to increase awareness of its efforts and to recruit members—an attractive membership brochure, an annual antique auto tour, special membership events and a newsletter. The group has also produced small byway signs that have been sold at a variety of venues (including on the Internet through eBay).

License Plates. In 2003, New Mexico lawmakers approved a special Route 66 license plate. When it’s time for state residents to order new plates, they can opt to purchase the specialty plate for an additional fee. The proceeds will benefit the New Mexico Scenic Byways program.

Equipment donations. You’ve heard of car donation programs, but what about surplus equipment? In Ohio, the Ohio River Scenic Byway (ORSB) has put a new spin on donation programs. They’re looking for trucks, graders, rollers, bulldozers and other types of construction equipment. Two trade associations, the Ohio Contractors Association and the Ohio Flexible Pavements Group have signed on to help with the byway’s efforts. It seems like a good match—those who construct the highways and those who promote highway travel. The trade groups have supplied membership lists and are encouraging member firms to consider donating used construction equipment to the ORSB. The byway gains funds from resale of the equipment and the donors receive a tax benefit.

Endowments. Minnesota’s Edge of the Wilderness Scenic Byway has established an endowment fund in partnership with a local charitable community foundation. An endowment is a permanent capital fund established from contributions. Contributions to the fund are invested to earn income and grow the capital. Approximately 50 percent of the “total return” on the fund will be distributed, with the other 50 percent being retained within the fund to keep it growing for future years.

Business plan. The Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition is taking a business approach. Over a 13-month period, the byway outlined a business plan to chart a course for long-term financial sustainability. The plan capitalizes on the Coalition’s unique position to organize and sell products that enhance a visitor’s experience of the Lincoln Highway. For example, one idea is to revive an old “Lincoln Highway Driving Game.” The new “Road Trip Game Card” will provide a driving experience facilitated with a game board and a game cared that accesses special offers along the corridor.

Local taxes. Sometimes the best funding source is in your own backyard. Along the A1A Scenic & Historic Coast Highway in Florida, Flagler County residents overwhelmingly approved expanding a tax program for the purchase of environmentally sensitive land along the corridor. It’s estimated that the new bond issue will generate $6.7 million. Likewise in North Dakota, Valley City citizens voted to raise an Accommodation Tax from 2 to 3 percent to help construct a visitor center and market the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway. The same area created a 1 percent Food and Beverage Tax for tourism development. Taxpayers will support projects that show benefits and produce results.

Bequests. It’s important to tell people what you’re working on. The Lagoon House is an impressive multi-purpose visitor facility that is under construction along Florida’s Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway. An unexpected donation came from a family that had formerly owned a motel on the project site. The byway received a $97,000 bequest to purchase furnishings for the center after the family read about the project in a local newspaper!

Corporate Sponsors. In Missouri, a large corporate sponsor is partnering with the Little Dixie Highway of the Great River Road to develop an innovative interpretive center. The Holcim Company, one of the world’s largest suppliers of cement, has joined the byway community to educate visitors and residents about the Mississippi River’s relationship to commerce, explain the cement-making process, and provide an overlook for the adjoining Clarksville Wildlife Refuge. An active byway supporter, Holcim is funding over 40 percent of the project costs. The interpretive project advances separate but complementary needs of the project partners.

“Rental” income. The White Mountain Visitor Center in New Hampshire provides a popular advertising opportunity for local restaurants, hotels, ski areas and attractions. Small display cases (22” × 30”) can be rented in the welcome center. The local businesses are responsible for setting up and maintaining the creative displays, which attract attention for visitors to the Kancamagus Scenic Byway and White Mountains Trail. The shadow boxes rent for $550 per year and help offset the center’s operational expenses. Businesses can also opt to rent wall space for a poster display. Right now there is a waiting list for space. It’s a relatively labor-free effort that raises approximately $25,000 each year.

Grantwriters Roundtable. Collaborating—instead of competing—for grants is the idea behind a grantwriters Roundtable initiated by members of the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway (North Dakota). At monthly breakfast meeting, representative from a wide range of community organizations (the byway, education, health care, city government, nonprofits, etc.) exchange ideas and information about funding sources, preparing grant applications, and success stories. If a funding source doesn’t fit one organization, it may work for someone else.

Merchandising. From T-shirts of postcards and publications, byways are lending their logos and names to products and merchandise. In Iowa, the Loess Hills Scenic Byway worked with a winery to produce and bottle a special red table wine called “Loess Hills Red.” Proceeds from the wine sales were used to fund an educational program aimed at re-establishing vineyards and wineries in the Loess Hills. Each sale of wine helped to sponsor a series of workshops and seminars for residents interested in learning the art and business of winemaking.

In the end, it’s not the money that matters. The dollars are used to implement what’s really important-the projects that preserve, enhance and promote the scenic byways.

FUNDING SELF-ASSESSMENT
Planning

• Do we take an imaginative look at the resources along our byway to enhance the visitor experience?
• Have we mapped out a byway “investment plan?” Have we established major goals, prioritized them, and sketched out a year-by-year project strategy? Do we plan ahead to determine which projects can best be accomplished in year one, year tow, year three, etc.?
• Do we challenge ourselves to find innovative solutions to accomplish our byway’s hopes and reams?
• Do we plan projects that advance the goals outlined in our corridor management plan?
• Do we work with members of our byway organization and other stakeholders to identify possible funding sources, prioritize projects and grant applications?
• Do we employ a wide range of funding sources?
• Do we tap into a variety of in-kind donations and services?
• Have we brainstormed ways to fundraise locally, regionally, or within the State?
• Do we seek in-kind donations to reduce the amount of grant funds that we need to secure?

Organization and Relationships

• Do we keep the community informed and involved in byway efforts?
• Do we cultivate new byway partnerships and work to maintain existing partnerships?
• Do we involve members of our byway organization in preparing grant applications (i.e., recruit people to help with writing, preparing budgets, graphics, data entry, proofreading)?
• Do we have a strong relationship with our fiscal agent?
• Should we seek nonprofit status to be able to accept charitable donations? Or, can we partner with an existing nonprofit organization in our community?
• Should we form a Foundation or Friends Group?

Implementation

• Do we have a regular process of accumulating revenue for match money, promotional purchases or “moments of opportunity?”
• Have we applied for grants under the National Scenic Byways Program?
• Do we seek funding from sources beyond the National Scenic Byways grants program? Byway organizations have successfully secured funds from many other public and private funding sources.
• Do we have a dues-based membership program?
• Do we need to contract with a professional grant writer?
• Do we conduct byway fundraisers (raffles, bake sales, auctions, etc.)?
• Would we benefit from a merchandising program?

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