Frequently asked questions about our services:

How much commission do you take?
We don’t. We do not work on a commission basis, but charge a monthly or even hourly fee. We raised R8 million from the UK Big Lottery for one client – it would have been immoral to have ‘creamed-off’ a commission!

Working on a commission basis is also contrary to the practice of the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF), to which Papillon Press and Consultancy staff belong and on whose Board Jill Ritchie served for 5 years as National Vice President.

Will you undertake to raise money for a conference?
No, sorry, we don’t fundraise for conferences or one-off events. Funds required for conferences are from sponsors not donors.

How long is an initial contract?
Papillon Press and Consultancy does not lock its clients into lengthy contracts. Our philosophy is that you retain our services for as long as you are happy with our services. A two-month notice period applies both ways enabling both parties ease of termination.

Which organisations do you not take on?
Organisations not yet registered and not yet able to seek funding are advised not to seek consultancy services too early.

How much is your consultancy fee?
Our one-off fee is R450 per hour. It is an opportunity to discuss any aspect of fundraising, PR, marketing or management issues for NPOs. It does NOT include the editing or writing of proposals, letters or any other documents.

In addition, fundraising consutlancy is not approptiate for for-profit initiatives, even if their clients are NPOs or destitute.

What if we want proposals written?
Proposal writing is not undertaken, but we can usually recommend experienced freelance writers.

Can we telephone for advice?
We regret that we do not have the staff available to offer a fundraising advice telephone service. We encourage you to consult our varied and ever-growing list of fundraising publications. Brief replies will be sent to emailed queries. If the query is complex, a consuting session will be suggested.

Frequently asked questions about Fundraising and NPO Management:

We have R4 million in reserve. Will this count against us when trying to raise money? Should we “hide” this money?
No! Having sufficient money in reserve – usually in an endowment fund – should be the long term goal of every organisation. Once this amount is sufficient, the interest generated can cover all running costs.

Donors view financially sound organisations as well run and do not generally penalise such good governance when requests for funds are received, as corporate and trust donors mostly fund projects.

We would like to apply for funds in the USA but have heard that we must register there and that it is very expensive to do so. Our board members won’t approve this expense, as there is no guarantee that we will raise any money. What should we do?

This registration, in terms of 501 (C) 3 of the American Inland Revenue Services, is similar to our Section 18 (A) of the Income Tax Act, gives the donor a tax rebate on donations. Should you opt to join the American Fund for Charities or the UK Fund for Charities, the fees are nominal.

If you have questions, please e-mail them to jill@papillonpress.biz.  A brief response will be sent by reply e-mail and if of general interest, your query will be included here.