The Douglas Himes Associates approach to fundraising involves what we call integrated fundraising. This basic concept operates at two levels. First, we seek to match the financial needs of the organization with the financial capabilities of each donor. Nonprofit organizations generally have three kinds of financial need:

1. Annual operating expenses
2. Occasional capital projects
3. Long-term endowment

Prospective donors have three levels of financial capability with which to satisfy these needs:

1. Disposable income
2. Accumulated assets
3. Net worth of estate

Successful fundraising matches your organization’s three types of need with your donors’ three levels of capability into a single, integrated program of funds development.

The second level at which integration operates is the global level within your organization. If you are raising money for a capital program, for example, you do not want your donors to stop supporting your annual fund in order to contribute to the capital campaign. It is extremely important in funds development that your organization’s total financial needs be presented to your donor base in an integrated fundraising program; otherwise, one campaign might succeed at the expense of another. This bi-level, integrated approach to fundraising is a hallmark of Douglas Himes Associates.